Later recorded music was regularly broadcast, and radio stations had a series of continuing battles with ASCAP (American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers) over how to charge fees for playing recorded music that had copyrights. Radio of the 1930s provided a blueprint for the understanding and expectations of media for the rest of the century. famous radio personalities 1940s religious interview questions and answers sharleen spiteri ashley heath . Kaltenborn, and William Shirer broadcast reports of the bombing of London and the German occupation of continental Europe, the view of many Americans began to change. 2. In 1934 Parsons launched a variety hour, "Hollywood Hotel" that included interviews with actors and celebrity news. (Tone) (Her voice starts to break) When you hear the tone the time will be eleven fifty-nine and three-quarters. Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. His successor Harry Truman suffered from his abrupt Midwest behavior before the microphone, which contrasted sharply with Roosevelt's warm wit and charm. Eighty-five percent of network daytime programming was soap operasserial dramas portraying the lives of a varied cast of characters. New York still had a bustling radio community, but the Chicago shows began moving to one coast or the other. Grote Reber Westport, CT and London: Praeger, 1998. With the plays and movies represented on the radio many engaged with U.S. developments in the arts through the Great Depression. In the November 1936 election President Roosevelt used the radio much more effectively than opponent Alf Landon, which partially contributed to Roosevelt's victory. The Nickel and Dime Decade: American Popular Culture During the 1930s. Having worked successfully at radio for over 40 . Woburn, MA: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2001. The first such network was the National Broadcasting Company (NBC), primarily organized by the general manager of the Radio Corporation of America (RCA), David Sarnoff, who wanted the company not only to manufacture radios but to broadcast as well. Many advertisers formed long-term bonds with these shows, especially as they tried to reach the young audience. Our story begins in the 1920s, when networks began to sponsor a few hours of weekly programming for Black audiences, including live musical and theatrical performances. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. BILLCOY BILLCODY BILL CODY. In the 1930s specialists in radio sound effects emerged to provide that critical element of escapism for those many listeners hoping to escape from the daily problems of coping with the Depression. The radio had become such an integral part of the lives of Americans that it instigated panic throughout the country. Text is available under the Creative Commons . The economic situation during the Depression directly impacted radio. Michael Savage. Hour-long blocks of time were generally reserved for prestigious big-star shows, such as Lux Radio Theatre, or for low-rated but esteemed and experimental shows, such as The Columbia Workshop. Kaltenborn was close enough to the conflict that listeners could hear gunfire in the background. "Amos 'n' Andy" creators Freeman Gosden and Charles Corell developed a complex world for their characterstwo black, Southern men newly transplanted to a Northern city. As in the United States with Roosevelt's Fireside Chats, other governments in the 1930s clearly recognized the power and potential of radio. Though an explanation had preceded the performance, many listeners didn't hear it, and thousands panicked. famous radio personalities 1940s Isgho Votre ducation notre priorit "Stage Holdup," an episode of the western series Gunsmoke, starring William Conrad; airdate January 2, 1954. During American radio's Golden Age, much of the programming heard by listeners was controlled by advertising agencies . Soon the reports made clear that the entire world had been invaded by Martians who planned on taking over the planet. Block programming defined much of radio before TV challenged radio to become the top form of media in the 1950s. (1942), co-starring Ray Milland and Betty Field.My Favorite Husband began on CB, Marie Wilson best known *by me* as playing Irma in My Friend Irma, created by writer-director-producer Cy Howard, was a top-rated, long-run radio situation comedy, so popular in the late 1940s that its success escalated to films, television, a comic strip and a comic book, while Howard scored with another radio comedy hit, Life with Luigi. (Picks up phone. In 1934 WXYZ joined with the powerful 50,000-watt stations WLW in Cincinnati, WOR in New York, and WGN in Chicago to form the Quality Group, an association that was soon rechristened the Mutual Broadcasting System. There were eight major transmitters and as many as sixty smaller transmitters. Historic Events for Students: The Great Depression. These are some of the most famous black Radio DJs on the planet. Garner, Joe. Prestige anthology shows brought together writers such as Archibald MacLeish and Norman Corwin with actors from the legitimate stage such as Helen Hayes and Orson Welles, and film-based anthology shows such as The Lux Radio Theatre and Academy Award Theater featured movie stars of the day reading live radio versions of their motion-picture roles. A new Federal Radio Commission established by the law would define what the public interest meant, though broadcasters would be held responsible for the content they provided. New York: Great American Audio Corporation, 2000. Not only would Americans share in the hardship caused by the Depression and in the solutions offered by the New Deal, but also in fads which themselves provided further escape from the Depression. By the end of the Depression events in Europe as a whole were deteriorating. The era of television influence came forward in the 1960 presidential campaign between future presidents John F. Kennedy (served 19611963) and Richard Nixon (served 19691974). Touch device users, explore by touch or with swipe gestures. Millions of American soldiers left for World War II, and with them went men and women journalists - most notably the "Murrow boys." Edward R. Murrow, made famous by World War II, began a transition from radio to television. From 1922 to 1925, Herbert Hoover, then secretary of commerce and in charge of radio policy, convened four national conferences, each of which petitioned Congress to replace the only existing (and obsolete) laws regarding broadcasting, which had been established in 1912 to regulate ship-to-shore transmissions. It wasn't until 1920 that radio stations were regularly making commercial broadcasts, beginning with KDKA of Pittsburgh and WWJ of Detroit. RM2HJCMA2 - Dr. Seuss (1904-1991) sketching Clifton Fadiman (1904-1999) as the Cat in the Hat. Historic Events for Students: The Great Depression. This act provided basic assumptions that have continued to underpin broadcasting policy in the United States to this day. https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-and-education-magazines/radio-1929-1941, "Radio 1929-1941 and by a large number of people in other areas of the Western world. On October 30, 1938 a radio musical performance was interrupted by a reporter. Below, a lawyer has beaten up a witness who lied, thereby convicting a man who is scheduled to die at midnight. In 1945, Beulah was spun off into her own radio show, The Marlin Hurt and Beulah Show, with Hurt still in the role. 1. Richard Rogue was a working stiff kind of a private eye, and had a quick tongue. Boston, MA: Little, Brown & Co., 1993. Many of the major newscasters of the century got their start in radio during the Depressionincluding H.V. News shows and commentary kept everyone informed of the dire situation at home and the deteriorating situation in Europe. An early investor in the network was the Columbia Phonograph Company, which insisted that the chain be called the Columbia Phonograph Broadcasting System. View More. New York: Oxford University Press, 1966. Radio provided a shared national experience of entertainment and information. She also played an uncredited bit part as a sales assistant in The Women* pictured here w/ Joan C*, filmed after Gone with the Wind but released before it. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1997. To complete our program of protection in time, therefore, we cannot delay one moment in making certain that our National Government has power to carry through. Arch Oboler produced "Lights Out" on NBC, and "Air Raid" by Archibald MacLeish and "War of the Worlds" by writer and performer Orson Welles, which depicted the growing fear of war. I <3 Gracie. Hooper. Paley was responsible for bringing substantial entertainment to the Great Depression audience who could little afford to pursue other forms of entertainment. The series was heard on CBS Radio, NBC Radio, the Mutual Radio Network, and on Mutual flagship radio station WHN in NYC. Since the 1940s, Black disc jockeysor deejayshave been an inseparable part of Black radio. Age: 58. Davies, Alan. One of the most popular radio personalities of the 1950s was Isolationist beliefs, opposition to the United States entering the war, made even the mention of the possibility of war controversial, but the airing of the program resulted in a thousand favorable letters being sent to CBS. National laws are needed to complete that program. Radio was a burgeoning and competitive field. Millions of others saw their paychecks reduced or lived in constant fear that they, too, would finally be hit with economic hardship. Fireside Politics: Radio and Political Culture in the United States, 1920-1940, by Douglas B. Craig "Remembering the LadiesA Salute to the Women of Early Radio," by Donna L. Halper, "Popular Communications," January 1999. At the time it was said that so many households listened to Jack Benny that you could walk the streets of small towns and not miss a word, as the sound of the program drifted through the open windows of each house. As the world faced changes and challenges, radio was an integral part not only in reporting and commenting on the changes, but in some cases, in instigating them. A guy talking in an echo chamber sounding like Arnold Stang is "Eugor", some kind of an unconscious voice that gets mixed up in the episodes. Born before the first commercial radio stations went on the air, Harvey fashioned a personality and career that spanned the medium's Golden Age, its postwar retreat into a pop jukebox and its later resurgence as the place for news and talk exactly what Harvey did for more than 75 years. then cuts suddenly into a body fall. Popular soap operas received thousands of letters from women asking for help with real-life problems. Other forms of paid entertainment had become prohibitively expensive in the lean times, and so Americans turned to radio. New York: Pantheon Books, 1998. *I <3 Allens Alley* His best-remembered gag was his long-running mock feud with friend and fellow comedian Jack Benny, but it was only part of his appeal; radio historian John Dunning (in On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio) wrote that Allen was radio's most admired comedian and most frequently censored. WKN New evidence has been sent to us by Alfred Cowles, Jr. that his father Alfred L. Cowles, Sr. started WKN, the first Memphis radio station in 1921. The Halls of Ivy is an NBC radio sitcom that ran from 1950-1952. Orson Welles (19151985). Robin Ophelia Quivers (born August 8, 1952) is an American radio personality, author, and actress, best known for being the long-running news anchor and co-host of The Howard Stern Show. Disc jockey This was Radio. A coloratura soprano, she performed opera, concert, and supper club singing. Library of Congress Prints & Photographs Division. "It probably was in 1970 or '71 when a radio station in Manistee started playing Rock and Roll," Kittleson says. Like The Whistler, the program had an opening whistle theme with footsteps. A license would be issued only if the public interest, convenience or necessity was served. I am reminded of that evening in March, four years ago, when I made my first radio report to you. Beyond the proliferation of entertainment, radio addressed some more serious issues. The original radio show, co-starring Lucille Ball, was the initial basis for what evolved into the groundbreaking TV sitcom I Love Lucy. We also became convinced that the only way to avoid a repetition of those dark days was to have a government with power to prevent and to cure the abuses and the inequalities which had thrown that system out of joint. Tommie!' Radio not only widened the scope of Americans past their own communities, it brought the events of the world into their homes. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt (served 19331945) immediately seized on the popularity of radio with his series of Fireside Chats that he conducted beginning in the second week of his presidency. An episode of the variety series The Kraft Music Hall, starring Bing Crosby with special guest Phil Silvers; airdate December 16, 1943. As radio blossomed during the 1930s, network censorship did too. Amos: I don' wants to git mixed up in dis. The performers would have a set of gagsjokesthat they could perform night after night in venues all over the world. Born Nathan Birnbaum, comedian George Burns and his wife and comedic partner Gracie Allen, starred in the Burns and Allen Show on radio beginning in 1933. Previously, Simmons was a radio and television personality for Indianapolis' WHHH-FM. He lives in San Diego County. The "public interest" will determine whether the FCC should provide a license to broadcast. New York: Free Press, 1996. He was the radio quiz show host of 'Information Please!', chief editor at Simon & Schuster, and literary editor of The New Yorker magazine in the 1930s and 1940s, among other employments. The Adventures of Maisie (aka Maisie) was a radio comedy series starring Ann Sothern as underemployed entertainer Maisie Ravier, a spin-off of Sothern's successful 1939-1947 Maisie movie series. It was "The Golden Age of Radio.". Though only relatively wealthy Americans owned radios a decade earlier, in the 1930s radios became a common appliance owned by the majority of Americans While much of his message regarded a type of economic populism, which emphasized the common person, he regularly attacked prominent Jewish people. I want to talk with you very simply about the need for present action in this crisisthe need to meet the unanswered challenge of one-third of a Nation ill-nourished, ill clad, ill-housed. Paley and his network worked with many of the major stars of the decade, including Jack Benny, Al Jolson, Kate Smith and Bing Crosby. Radio in the 1930s established the framework for broadcasting for the rest of the twentieth century. Radio proved its importance during World War II (1939-45) with almost immediate coverage of events. Refer to each styles convention regarding the best way to format page numbers and retrieval dates. Indeed, as radio became more and more of a business, station owners banded together to seek stronger government licensing regulation. Listen to the radio news, watch television news, and read a newspaper all on the same day. Sound effects are an important part of communicating drama and comedy over the radio. Radios provided an avenue for information that supplemented local newspaper. Movie attendance was down in the Depression and this was a popular way for the family to be entertained. Comic strips had long provided a shared form of entertainment in America. Other once-influential radio personalities, such as Mary Margaret McBride (1899-1976), are not as well known today. Orson Welles would prove to be one of the more influential performers of theatrical works on the radio. 1930s radio created an environment for new expressions of cultural identity and cultural criticism. on E. 105th between Cedar and Carnegie avenues in the late 1940s and early 1950s, before landing . Old genres of entertainment, such as vaudeville, which was a form of live entertainment consisting of various short acts including songs and comedy routines, were adapted for radio, and new genres were developed for the emerging media. Introduction. Golden Age of American radio, period lasting roughly from 1930 through the 1940s, when the medium of commercial broadcast radio grew into the fabric of daily life in the United States, providing news and entertainment to a country struggling with economic depression and war. It will take timeand plenty of timeto work out our remedies administratively even after legislation is passed. He spoke with clarion clarity, his voice an elocution . Radio, however, had a rocky start in America. After Hurt died of a heart attack in 1946, he was replaced by another white actor, Bob Corley, and the series was retitled The Beulah Show. Decoder rings enabled listeners to decipher messages given in code language during episodes of the program. "The Maltese Falcon," an episode of the motion-picture adaptation series Academy Award Theater, starring Humphrey Bogart and Sidney Greenstreet; airdate July 3, 1946. Other politicians and political pundits, regardless of their agreement or disagreement with what Roosevelt had to say, were generally in awe of his natural ability to make great use of the mass media. The program lasted an hour and starred famous Hollywood personalities who performed an hour-long version of a movie. During American radios Golden Age, much of the programming heard by listeners was controlled by advertising agencies, which conceived the shows, hired the talent and staff (sometimes drawing performers directly from the old vaudeville theatre circuit), and leased airtime and studio facilities from the radio networks. Radio itself was not brand new in the 1930s, but it is during this time that it became an integral part of the lives of Americans. (Tone: Phone drops to floor). Richar Diamond starring Dick Powell.First came Rogue's Gallery *where I know him from originally*in 1945-46. Because each style has its own formatting nuances that evolve over time and not all information is available for every reference entry or article, Encyclopedia.com cannot guarantee each citation it generates. By the early 1930s Coughlin's broadcasts shifted to economic and political commentary. largely derived by black American musicians and frequently played by Jewish musicians. The program played on the increased racism related to the hard times of the Great Depression. One master of the use of radio was Father Charles Edward Coughlin. Everyone in America knew Jack Benny and his foibles. Political parties made great use of radio during the 1930s, much as they did television later in the century. Radio became the central communication vehicle of the Depression especially including Roosevelt's Fireside Chats. By the mid-1950s American radio had moved beyond its Golden Age to modern formats such as Top 40, alternative or underground FM, talk shows, and public-service programming. Please be aware, presenters aren't ranked in order. Burns and Allen, an American comedy duo consisting of George Burns and his wife, Gracie Allen, worked together as a comedy team in vaudeville, films, radio and television and achieved great success over four decades. 1940. Roosevelt's Fireside Chats set the standard for future presidents to not only use radio to communicate with the public, but the growing mass media of television in the future as well. 3. Prominent sports figures became larger than life. This is Jocko" was one of Doug "Jocko" Henderson's signature phrases on the radio when he worked for WDAS in Philadelphia back in the 1950s-70s. "Apache Peak," an episode of the western series Tales of the Texas Rangers, starring Joel McCrea; airdate July 22, 1950. They set a new standard for communications between the president and the public (from Franklin Roosevelt. Ronald Reagan (served 19811989) became another president skilled at using mass media to charm the public and press while seeking to gain support for his programs. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Radio was fast becoming a way of life. 1940s: TV and Radio. Later in the 1930s as Spain descended into civil war, radio became pivotal in rallying the forces opposing the military government. Radio in the 1930s often contrived events to encourage people to listen. Beginning in the 1930s and continuing for more than two decades, a majority of prime-time network programs were actually created by advertising agencies employed by sponsors. How did radio change American's understanding of the people "over there?" "The Presidential Election," an episode of the comedy series Amos 'n' Andy, starring Freeman Gosden and Charles Correll; airdate July 17, 1928. The tally resulted in an estimate of the number of people listening to a particular show; a rating of 14.2 meant that out of 100 people called, 14.2 were listening to a particular program at the time of the call. "Hold Back the Dawn," an episode of the motion-picture adaptation series Academy Award Theater, starring Olivia de Havilland; airdate July 31, 1946. Some comedians liked to tell what at the time were considered risqu jokes, meaning the jokes were on the edge of being considered indecent. At a time when many could feel isolated in their struggle against the effects of the Depression, radio provided a community of experience. A refinement of this was created by another company, C.E. On paper tape, a stylus would scratch a signal showing which station a radio was tuned to during every moment that it was in use. Between 1941 and 1945, Americans tuned in to listen to breaking news from Europe, hearing about major battles and the bombing of Pearl Harbor in Hawaii just moments after the actual events. Johnny Otis Collection (SC 106) Over 800 radio programs of black popular music (live and prerecorded), hosted by Johnny Otis, and featuring live interviews with blues and rhythm & blues artists from the 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s. By 1933, 25 percent of the workforce, or over 12 million people, were out of work. With the consolidation of radios into networks, the configuration of the radio industry began to look like the major television networks of the late twentieth century. The future president Ronald Reagan, a sports announcer at WHO in Des Moines, Iowa during much of the Depression, called play-by-play for the Chicago Cubs. Also radio programming could be enjoyed by the entire family who gathered in front of the radio in the comfort of their own home. The genres and stars of the 1930s became the genres and stars of television in the 1950s. LEXICARTER LEXI CARTER. "The First Radio War: Broadcasting in the Spanish Civil War, 19361939." On site to report on the Hindenburg's voyage, instead the reporter's response to the tragedy was recorded and later broadcast, bringing the horror into thousands of living rooms. Licenses for Edwin Armstrong's "static-free" frequency modulation (FM) concept of radio transmission were first granted in 1940-41. Individuals all over America laughed together at Jack Benny and worried together over alien invasion orchestrated in a studio by Orson Welles. Top 10 1940s Radio Programs 1940-41: The Jell-O Program. Radio-info.com has a chat board for aircheck collectors. In 1949, he wins the National Leagues Most Valuable Player Award. Major shifts in the United States' political and policy priorities were happening under President Roosevelt as he sought to lead the nation out of the Depression, and the radio played a key role in reporting these changes. During World War I, most private U.S. radio stations were either shut down or taken over by the government under order of President Woodrow Wilson, and it was illegal for U.S. citizens to possess an operational transmitter or receiver. Radio Days. Broadcasting had become a profession in the 1930s and was experiencing the growing pains of becoming an established and accepted part of society. More people owned radios, were listening to radio in increasing numbers, and were listening to radios for an increasing amount of time each day. The effects of the Depressionpoverty, joblessness, homelessness, and hungertook a mental toll on Americans. The most famous radio show was the Lux Radio Theater, which was performed live on stage in front of a studio audience. Andy: Dat's whut you git fur not tendin' to yore bizness. The military tried to convince the people of Spain that It was a time when the airwaves were dominated by big personalities with loud voices. Radio provided a huge and attentive audience, but it also provided unique demands. British husband-and-wife actors Ronald Colman (1891-1958) and Benita Hume (1906-1967) starred in both versions of the show. While classical music was important to the success of early radio, not everyone liked the side effects. In black-appeal radio, the disc jockey role was pioneered both locally and nationally by Jack L. Cooper, who began playing . In the 1930s music was the foundation of radio and America's favorite escape from the Depression. talks in 1938, reportingcorrectlythat Munich was a "complete victory for Hitler." Her first work on radio was with WOR in New York City where she hosted a show from 1934 to 1940. The stock market crash of 1929 and the Depression that followed, however, really spurred the growth of radio. There is also a DMOZ directory. . Coughlin was extraordinarily popular, with millions of listeners each Sunday. NEIL: But you said it what quarter to twelve the last time I asked. His last radio show was in 1955. The radio as a form of entertainment grew in popularity in the 1920s United States. Edward R. Murrow (19081965). While some programs were more adult, some programs were specifically designed to appeal to children, such as "Jack Armstrong, All American Boy."