Student Scholarship

Document Type

Research Paper

Abstract

This paper provides a detailed examination of the Washington Federation of Churches, focusing specifically on its efforts to utilize mass media for religious outreach in the mid-twentieth century. Formally organized in 1920, the Federation grew from a small group of sixty congregations into a major ecumenical body representing twenty-seven denominations by 1954. The organization was established to meet the social, moral, and religious needs of the Washington, D. C. area through cooperative action that individual churches could not achieve alone. By the time of this study, the Federation operated through an intricate structure of governing councils, standing committees, and nine specialized departments, including Social Welfare, Christian Education, and Institutional Ministry. 

The primary focus of the research is the Department of Radio and Television, which was established in 1951 to manage the growing opportunities for religious broadcasting. By 1954, the department sponsored twenty-five programs across various radio and television stations, utilizing free public service time allotted by broadcasters. Despite this high volume of programming, the department faced significant challenges, including limited financial resources and a lack of specialized personnel to assist with production and publicity. 

To evaluate the effectiveness of these broadcasts, the author participated in a pilot study survey conducted at Palisades Community Church. The results revealed that while most participants owned both radio and television sets, a significant majority were unaware that the Federation sponsored religious programs. The survey indicated that the audience generally preferred fifteen-minute programs featuring music, devotionals, or sermons. The author concludes that the future success of religious broadcasting in Washington depends on securing better funding through a newly formed Advisory Council to improve program quality and public awareness.

Research Highlights

  • The Problem: The Department of Radio and Television of the Washington Federation of Churches sought to evaluate the effectiveness and audience reach of its religious broadcasting to inform future programming and publicity strategies. 

  • The Method: A pilot study was conducted in January 1954 involving the Palisades Community Church, utilizing 285 mailed questionnaires and 28 personal telephone interviews to sample a "typically Washington" congregation. 

  • Quantitative Finding: Out of 63 respondents, 49 owned both radio and TV sets; 47 listened to at least one radio program weekly while 46 watched at least one TV program; only 12 respondents were aware that programs were sponsored by the Washington Federation of Churches; 31 respondents preferred a 15-minute program length over 5 or 30 minutes. 

  • Qualitative Finding: Respondents expressed a preference for music, devotionals, and sermons as presentation types; themes of prayer, Bible, and faith were the most requested subjects for future broadcasts; the study concluded that insufficient funding severely limited the program publicity necessary to reach a wider audience.

Publication Date

1-1954

Faculty Sponsor

Archive

Download

Share

COinS