In 1914 a news-hungry public had stormed the kiosks, buying up special editions. September 1939 saw the greatest spike in demand for radio receivers, with sales rocketing by 75 per cent compared to a year before, bringing total ownership of private sets up to 13,435,301. Listening to the news became more important than ever, though the lack of action made people worry that the government was keeping bad news from them, especially losses of air and submarine crews.
