Old Time Radio Alive And Well Again!

History Of Old Time Radio from the 1930’s to 1960’s written by: 1640radio.com

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The period in time that saw programming of radio in the United States of America is referred to as the Old Time Radio Era or the Golden Age of Radio. This era covers the period between 1930 and 1960 before television took over and from the radio as the main medium of scripted programming. At the period, the radio dominated the airwaves with a wide variety of format and genre as people turned in to listen to their various programs.

Radio Programs of the Time
During the period, there was a wide variety of radio shows that were aired and that they attracted a lot of people. Between1930 and 1940, the most popular orchestras reached listeners through the big band remotes together with NBC’s Monitor. These continued providing the much-needed service till the 1950s, when live-broadcast from New York City jazz clubs started reaching the rural parts of rural America. Classical music received a lot of play time as it was a popular genre of the time. Some of the tunes that become hits of the period included The Bell Telephone Hour and The Voice of Firestone. Radio shows were sponsored by bodies such as the Texaco, which sponsored the Metropolitan Opera radio shows, and the Toll Brother.

The Golden Age of Radio witnessed some radio shows that featured artists such as Arturo Toscanini, a celebrated Italian conductor, who conducted the NBC Symphony Orchestra. At the time Toscanini was considered the greatest living maestro by almost all classical musicians and critics. The radio further featured popular music writers such as George Gershwin, who frequently appeared on radio as a guest while at the same time hosting programs of his own. Also frequently featured on the radio was the New York Philharmonic. There was no other dedicated classical music radio station than NPR at that time. Classical music programs at the time shared the network they were broadcast on with more popular radio stations.

Country music, which was also very popular at the time, was played a lot on the radio. The NBC radio played the National Barn Dance that had started in Chicago’s WLS while the WSM Barn Dance was also played from Nashville by NBC between 1944 and 1956. The Foley Show was also aired on NBC between 1951 and 1961 while ABC Radio played Ozark Jubilee between 1953 and 1961. Old time radio further played comedy shows that gained popularity amongst listeners. Some of the comedy actors who were highly featured included Fred Allen, Victor Borge, Jack Benny, Billie Burke, Judy Canova Vaudeville Fanny Brice, Billie Burke, Bob Burns, and Hollywood among others.

Conclusion
The history of the radio is very long and fascinating. It took a lot of time and dedication to build the instruments that were used to bring the idea into reality. Until television came up as a new form of entertainment, the radio was very popular in many households. It brought people together as they listened to their favourite radio shows. A survey conducted in 1947 C. E. by Hooper indicated that 82 out of 100 Americans listened to it.