“Forests Aflame” for Outstanding Public Service by a Regional Station

During the period of greatest forest fire danger, radio station KNBC, San Francisco, produced nine weekly dramatic programs, Forests Aflame, containing a vital message on conservation. Important as was the subject matter, the effectiveness of the presentation, from radio’s point of view, was even more significant. Those were not sermons. They were primarily programs of entertainment, designed to appeal to a wide audience: all of those who would be traveling in the forest areas of the West, and any one of whom might be the very person to whom this warning should be directed. Each program was a self-contained story. Some were frankly humorous. Some were melodramatic. All featured “Ranger Bill,” a man of courage and wisdom. All drove home effectively a message of great importance. A cooperative enterprise with the U.S. Forest Service, this series shared by KNBC with other stations of the NBC western network, is hereby awarded the George Foster Peabody Radio Award for outstanding public service by a regional station.