Suspense lasted 20 years on CBS radio, and it wasn't easy. Radio as a business was changing, and television was shifting audience preferences for audio entertainment and information. A key to success in the broadcasting business was finding sponsorship revenue. There seem to be seven times when Suspense was on the verge of cancellation, and the seventh time was the final time.
- 1st final episode - the series could have ended in September 1942 after its inaugural Summer run. The series did not find a sponsor, but there was enough interest among CBS executives to keep the series going. The ratings were not strong, but they had clues from letters from listeners that the series had great potential. Eventually, it did find a sponsor in Roma Wines.
- 2nd final episode - sometime in May 1947 but the Peabody award got Roma Wines to make 2 13-week renewals despite decreasing sales.
- 3rd final episode - November 1947 when the renewals ran out; Roma couldn't continue with a big-budget program like Suspense
- 4th final episode - CBS experimented with the 60 minute format, but that format ran out of gas quickly. The Auto-Lite sponsorship was still in negotiations as the longer format was being broadcast. Suspense would end in May 1948, but Auto-Lite would start its sponsorship in July.
- 5th final episode - June 1951 when the show was entering into its Summer break and Auto-Lite was still unsigned for the Fall 1951 season. It's hard to tell if they really meant it and if it was just a negotiation ploy. Auto-Lite's deal included the sponsorship of the TV series that was getting strong viewership and reviews despite the limited availability of television to much of the country except for large cities. They were trying to cancel the radio series and retain the television one. The company signed on quickly after the final June broadcast though cancellation seemed imminent at the beginning of the month. They were considering switching their sponsorship to My Friend Irma but stayed with Suspense. There were no reports about what sponsors might have taken over Suspense had Auto-Lite left, which would have put the show in jeopardy.
- 6th final episode - June 1954 when Auto-Lite left, but CBS decided to do a sustainer under Norman Macdonnell, then Antony Ellis, and then William N. Robson. They moved the show to New York in 1959 and kept going. Auto-Lite's 1954 exit also included the Suspense television series which had very strong ratings. The economic recession of the time forced Auto-Lite to cut its costs. Distribution of auto parts was also changing and advertising direct to consumers was less necessary.
- 7th final episode - CBS made a major purge of dramatic programming in November 1960. Suspense ended in the final weekend of the month after all the soap operas had their final week of shows. Suspense would return, which was a surprise, in June 1961 after the cancellation of the radio version of Gunsmoke.
- 8th and truly final episode - the dreaded date of September 30, 1962 with the last broadcasts of Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar and Suspense.
Suspense was probably in regular bureaucratic danger all of the times of network budget reviews after Auto-Lite left. This list has seven likely final episodes but there could have been some near-misses in all those years, especially from 1954 to 1959.
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