"One possible answer to this debate lies in another global event that occurred simultaneously with the outbreak of the Spanish Influenza World War I. A large percentage of the global population lived in countries embroiled in the war. In the fall of 1918, when the deadliest wave of influenza began creeping across the continents, members of vulnerable populations were more interested in broadcasts of battles than news of the flu."

Could someone explain to me what constituted a "broadcast" in 1918???