by Joan Champ
The following is the fourth installment in a series about Nan Dorland, a radio star from New York City who struggled to become a writer and a prospector in northern Saskatchewan. Follow on Instagram @discoveringnan.
In the mid-1930s, Nan Dorland’s radio career went into a slump. The Great Depression after the stock market crash of 1929 greatly compromised the fledgling radio industry. Capital markets dried up, consumption dropped, unemployment soared, and radio networks had trouble collecting bills from sponsors. NBC executives decided to do away with 15-minute programs for budgetary reasons. It would be cheaper to employ one entertainment unit for half an hour than two for fifteen minutes. As a result, some radio performers were added to the ranks of the unemployed.