The first panel discussion program, University of Chicago Roundtable (1931-55), was a more reserved, scholarly program featuring University of Chicago professors debating contemporary issues. American Forum of the Air (1934-56) developed an adversary format, with two opponents on either side of a controversial issue, which became a popular feature of later panel discussion programs. America's Town Meeting of the Air's innovation was its inclusion of the live audience by using unscreened audience questions as an essential part of the discussion. Because audience members challenged guest speakers and their views, America's Town Meeting of the Air was an often volatile and unpredictable hour of radio programming. This serious-minded and popular program recognized the power of audience participation and influenced the format of later public-affairs programs and talk shows.

     America's Town Meeting of the Air was the brainchild of George V. Denny, Jr., a former drama teacher and lecture manager. Denny was associate director of the League of Political Education, a New York-based political group founded in 1894 by suffragists that held town meetings to discuss contemporary issues. Legend has it that Denny, shocked by a neighbor's refusal to listen to President Roosevelt because he disagreed with him, sought to raise the level of political discussion in the country. He believed that a radio program could be produced that would mirror the New England town meetings of early

     America and promote democratic debate. Denny mentioned his idea to the director of the League of Political Education, Mrs. Richard Patterson, who brought the idea to her husband, National Broadcasting Company (NBC) Vice President Rich­ard Patterson. Richard Patterson helped Denny develop the show and gave the hour-long program a six-week trial run in 1935 on the NBC Blue network. Inexpensive and easy to produce, America's Town Meeting of the Air was an efficient and effective sustaining program for NBC. From its initial airing over 18 stations on the NBC Blue network, the show reached more than 20 million listeners through more than 225 stations by 1947. The successful program found its home on the NBC Blue (later American Broadcasting Companies [ABC]) network for its entire run.

     For most of its life on radio, the program refused to accept sponsors, fearing that commercial interests would interfere with the show's controversial content. For only one year, America's Town Meeting of the Air accepted the sponsorship of Reader's Digest. In its later years (1947-55), the program accepted multiple sponsors. ABC tried to simulcast the program (somewhat unsuccessfully) on television and radio in 1948-49 and again in 1952, but the program did not translate well to television. After an internal dispute, Denny, the originator of the series, was removed from the program in 1952. Despite the loss of its creator, the program lasted four more years.

     America's Town Meeting of the Air welcomed listeners each week with the sound of a town crier's bell and Denny's voice calling, "Good evening, neighbors." Broadcasting from Town Hall (123 West 43rd Street in New York City), Denny assembled a live studio audience of nearly 1,800 to participate in the broadcast. Before these witnesses, the show featured two or more opponents on a controversial issue. To build suspense, each guest would have the opportunity to state his or her position and would then field unscreened questions from the live studio audience and from listeners who sent questions via telegram before the program's broadcast. The program's format was designed by Denny to present a diversity of political and social views and to bring those views into conflict before a live and often raucous studio audience.

     The program's commitment to public affairs and controversial issues was established from its first broadcast on 30 May 1935. The topic for the first program was "Which Way for America-Communism, Fascism, Socialism, or Democracy?" Raymond Moley (an adviser to President Roosevelt) defended democracy, Norman Thomas made the case for socialism, A.J. Muste argued for the importance of communism, and Lawrence Dennis explained the benefits of fascism. The show was remarkable for the breadth and depth of the issues debated publicly. America's Town Meeting of the Air frequently addressed foreign policy or international disputes (e.g., "How Can We Advance Democracy in Asia?" or "What Kind of World Order Do We Want?" featuring a debate between

     H.G. Wells and Dr. Hu Shih, the Chinese ambassador to the United States) as well as domestic issues (e.g., "Does Our National Debt Imperil America's Future?" "How Essential Is Religion to Democracy?" or "Can We Depend upon Youth to Follow the American Way?"). America's Town Meeting of the Air also tackled the racial conflicts of the period, featuring prominent African-American scholars and writers such as Richard Wright. One of its most popular shows was the 1944 broadcast entitled "Let's Face the Race Question," with Lang­ston Hughes, Carey McWilliams, John Temple Graves, and James Shepard. Whether discussing the detention of Japanese­ Americans during World War II, debating immigration restrictions, or confronting the racial divide in the 20th century, America's Town Meeting of the Air offered listeners the opportunity to debate topics that were oppressed or marginalized elsewhere on radio.

     In the 1930s and 1940s, prestigious panel discussion pro­grams such as America's Town Meeting of the Air were sterling examples of the networks' devotion to public service. Such shows were used by the networks to fulfill their public-interest obligations to the community and to stave off government regulation in early radio. As discussed by Barbara Savage (1999), America's Town Meeting of the Air conducted an extensive public outreach campaign to incorporate the listening audience into the program and to increase its public profile.

     According to a 1940 sales brochure, NBC supported the development of debate and discussion groups. NBC viewed the program as "a real force of public enlightenment" and an example of the network's "unexampled public service to the men and women of America." Transcripts of broadcasts were published by Columbia University Press. The program encouraged the use of transcripts in schools and sponsored editorial cartoon and essay contests on subjects such as "What Does American Democracy Mean to Me?" Despite the fact that America's Town Meeting of the Air originated from New York City, the program also worked carefully to promote regional interest in the program. For six months out of the year, the program traveled around the country, sponsored by local universities and civic groups.

     America's Town Meeting of the Air was one of the most popular national public-affairs programs on radio. Nearly 1,000 debate groups were officially formed, and thousands more listened each week in barber shops and community centers around the country. In the 1938-39 season, nearly 2.50,000 program transcripts were requested; the show typically received 4,000 letters a week. The program was also critically acclaimed for its public service. America's Town Meeting of the Air was a multiple winner of the Peabody Award and was also recognized by the Women's National Radio Commit­ tee, the Institute for Education by Radio, and the Women's Press Bloc, among other organizations, for its educational qualities and its discussion of economic, political, and international problems.