Music has dominated cultural battleground of America's airwaves [audio 60min]

A century ago, the first radio broadcasts sent music out into the air. Since then, music has dominated America's airwaves and it's been a cultural battleground. Radio's golden age started in the late 1920s. Big networks like CBS, NBC and Mutual armed themselves with the best on-air talent and finest musicians, had powerful allies in Washington, and pushed smaller radio operations out of business. And then in the late 1940s, they just walked away, which left radio wide open for other voices. During the World War II years a series of groundbreaking radio programs tried to mend the deep racial and ethnic divisions that threatened America. Today one out of five radio stations plays country music. But the story of how country music got its hold on the nation is an unlikely one. When radio reigned, America tuned in to a much different sound: "respectable" music, high-quality broadcasts with a sophisticated, big-city sound. But a lot of Americans didn't want to listen to music dictated by New York's cultural elite.