Times radio columnist and critic Jack Gould wrote on the reasons why established writers shunned writing for radio despite its abundant need for scripts and the exposure it gave to a large national audience. Archibald MacLeish and the late Stephen Vincent Benet were mentioned as about the only exceptions. Partial reasons often cited were the transient and temporary life of radio shows and the issue of advertiser interference in the creative process. Gould added thar antiquated contractual relationship between writers and advertising agencies and networks also played a part. Writers usually were required to surrender all rights to their material to the ad agency or network for a fee ranging from $100 to $300 for a half-hour show. This meant if the material was later sold to Hollywood or Broadway or was spun off to a new radio series, the writer got nothing. On the other hand, the writer was required to assume all legal expenses if any litigation resulted from the presentation of his or her script, even if the litigation arose from changes that had been made without his or her knowledge or consent. It was a bum deal all around.
Although Gould does not mention it, in Britain a number of prominent writers of the time did contribute scripts to the BBC, where the advertiser was not king. In 1948 Gould became the Times television critic and reporter.