Old Radios and Radio Shows
When I was fourteen I rescued an old AM clock radio from the trash. I removed the broken plastic case leaving only the exposed metal chassis, capacitors, resistors and vacuum tubes. Then, with antenna wire strung up all over my bedroom, I would set the old radio on my pillow and listen to distant radio stations late into the night.
Out of a concern for home fire safety, or my inevitable self-electrocution, Dad got me a Hallicrafters S-108 shortwave receiver for Christmas. The best Christmas gift I have ever received. With this wonderful new radio I would lay in bed at night dialing thru the SW bands listening to hyped-up, political propaganda from Moscow, East Berlin, Havana, and many other broadcasters on both sides of the "Iron Curtain".
Unfortunately, the state of shortwave listening has deteriorated considerably over the past years. With the end of the "Cold War" countries have lost interest in spreading nationalist propaganda over radio waves aimed at the US. Today, only Radio Havana still carries on the old fiery rhetoric. The BBC, and most other national radio stations still broadcasting, have become nothing more than foreign versions of NPR. And, if that's not "progressive" enough, you may get lucky and hear the new age, radical environmentalists broadcasting from Costa Rica. Otherwise, the shortwave bands have become dominated by religious broadcasters and conspiracy nuts. I have even removed the shortwave from my nightstand. Besides, if you go to the WRN website you can listen to shortwave broadcasts from virtually any country/station over the net ... and, without all that static or the signal fading. But, should the world spiral out of control and modern technology fail us, I still have my trusty old Hallicrafters. Thanks, again, Dad.
Collecting Old Radios & Radio Shows
Over the past couple of years I have enjoyed collecting old tube radios. My prime interest is AM/SW, wood, table top radios from the late 1930s to the early 1950s. While I don't have a huge collection, the several that I own have been fun buying and restoring. Little did I know that this interest would also lead to the acquisition of so many other old items like testing equipment, manuals, and schematics just to resurrect and keep the radios alive.
Of course, once you have the radios you have to have programming to play over them. I started out listening to Old Time Radio (OTR) shows over the net at sites like "RUSC" and "OTR Now". Then, built a tube AM radio transmitter (kit available here) to broadcast the shows from the computer to my radios. You have no idea what you are missing if you have never heard "Gunsmoke" or a big band over the warm glow of a tube radio.
If you would like to listen to some OTR try "OTR Now". It's a free site with three different "Webcast" programs. Well worth a listen.
Then when you really get hooked "RUSC" (Are You Sitting Comfortably) is a great enthusiast site. They have a membership fee but offer a tremendous program archive that allows you to download individual shows (MP3) to your computer, listen to individual shows from their site, or design an evening of listening to a group of shows you select. I have been a member for years and have downloaded hundreds of shows that I listen to on my MP3 player.
Listen to Some of My Favorite Radio Shows
Below are some of my favorite radio shows and radio actors. With each I have include some background information about both the program and the star(s). As a person begins to look at the age of radio you find that there was not a huge group of actors and actresses that performed the starring and supporting roles. In fact the same names crop up with surprising frequency. Names like Virginia Gregg, Parley Baer, Lurene Tuttle, John Dehner, William Conrad, Raymond Burr and a dozen others even less well known. They were the backbone of radio and, while some went on to bigger things, others did not. It's a shame that it has become so difficult to find information about some of these people; exceptional talents such as Bob Bailey have fallen into obscurity. And, it would seem, others have simply fallen off the Earth.
Pat Novak for Hire starring Jack Webb
The Adventures of Philip Marlowe starring Gerald Mohr
The Adventures of Sam Spade starring Howard Duff and Lurene Tuttle