Folklore and popular culture in early Newfoundland radio broadcasting : an analysis of occupational narrative, oral history and song repertoire

Abstract

This thesis illustrates the interaction of folk culture and popular culture in Newfoundland in the mid-twentieth century, mainly the 1930s and 1940s, through three case studies. One of these studies examines the occupational narratives of a man whose adult life was spent as an announcer on local and regional radio. These folklife narratives are interpreted in terms of the impression management of a local celebrity. -- The second study focusses on a category of radio programme, the message programme, which played an important role in the conveyance of information in and among Newfoundland outport communities from the 1930s to the 1960s. In particular, the Gerald S. Doyle News Bulletin is examined in detail. This programme was influenced not only by the sensibilities of its creators and "gatekeepers," but also by its listeners. This led to its being a flexible form of folk communication. -- The third study scrutinizes the radio serial, Irene B. Mellon, which was popular in and around St. John's from 1934 to 1941. This serial combined adventure fiction and regional music with much traditional context. In particular an annotative study of the programme's song repertoire is presented. -- Together these studies display the array of materials available to the student of Newfoundland folklore and the mass media. Oral history, folklore, radio programming, archival materials and published sources are drawn together to provide the resource base for the thesis.