Subject: [removed] Digest V01 #138
From: <[removed]@[removed]>
Date: 5/5/2001 9:10 AM

To: <[removed]@[removed];

    ------------------------------

                          The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                             Volume 01 : Issue 138
                       A Part of the [removed]!
                               ISSN: 1533-9289

                               Today's Topics:

     Re: OMF Cast Dates                   [Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed]]
     Andy Griffith                        [claudianross@[removed] (claudianr]
     Re: East to West                     [Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed]]
     Info on Workshop                     [radthea@[removed]              ]
     Telco                                ["jstokes" <jstokes@[removed];    ]
     Local OTC Broadcasts                 [Joseph Greco <amajag@[removed];    ]
     Princess Pet - aside                 [Joe Salerno <salernoj@[removed];  ]
     Pop Chronicles                       [sojax@[removed] (Roger Smith)      ]
     Escape episode                       ["Ryan Osentowski" <rosentowski@neb.]
     OTR COMPARISON; UK VS. [removed]          ["Phil Watson" <philwats@[removed];  ]
     Paul Harvey--what's he like?         ["David Kindred" <david@[removed]]
     Re: Oldest radio station             [Bill Harris <billhar@[removed];    ]
     Mary Shipp Photo                     [Israel Colon <colon@[removed]]
     Re: When Radio Was                   [Kenneth L Clarke <kclarke5@[removed]]

    ------------------------------

    Date: Fri, 4 May 2001 09:46:27 -0400
    From: Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Re: OMF Cast Dates

    Steve Lewis notes:

>     You've now got me curious about the dates you gave for Page Gilman.  As far
>     as I know, One Man's Family went off the air in 1959, so how did he continue
>     playing the role for another year?

    Force of habit?

    Actually, I plead guilty to a typo on this one. It should indeed be 1959
    -- please make all prior copy conform, as the wire service editors would
    say. Likewise, correct Bernice Berwin's date span to 1932-58 instead of
    1933-59: she was in the original cast, but left shortly before the end of
    the run. Either way it works out to 26 years.

>     Also, I'm assuming the gap you gave in his years was while he (and his
>     character) was serving in the armed forces, but didn't he occassionally make
>     appearances on the show during those years when he/Jack was home on leave?

    The discontinuity does reflect Gilman's absence for military service -- I
    believe he was in the Navy, but I'm not sure about the furlough
    situation. Perhaps Conrad Binyon can add some clarification? If so,
    Gilman's run in the part would jump up to the 27-year mark along with
    that of Smythe -- making them the only two members of the original OMF
    cast to span the entire run of the series.

    Elizabeth

    ------------------------------

    Date: Fri, 4 May 2001 09:58:08 -0400
    From: claudianross@[removed] (claudianross)
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Andy Griffith

    Does anyone remember Andy Griffith's 15 minute radio programme on CBS in
    either 1959 or 1960. I seem to recall that it was sandwiched between Amos and
    Andy's Music Hall and Bob and Ray on week nights.  I fondly recall one
    broadcast where his guest was Brownie McGee and the two good old boys picked
    guitars and Brownie sang.  Is this something I dreamt or did this programme
    really exist- and does it still? None of the usual reference books
    mentions Andy Griffith on CBS radio.
    John Ross Weber
    Munich
    Germany

    ------------------------------

    Date: Fri, 4 May 2001 10:51:07 -0400
    From: Elizabeth McLeod <lizmcl@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Re: East to West

    Walden Hughes observes,

>     A few years ago I mention to some people that the West Coast had more comedy
>     show than the East Coast, but they disagreed with me.  Today I still feel
>     that way.  I would guest that was not the way in the early 1930s, but when
>     NBC open it's Hollywood studio in 1937, I would think Hollywood would have
>     been the major force in comedy shows because of the radio studios, and the
>     movies.

    NBC had used temporary Hollywood studios on the RKO-Radio Pictures lot
    from 1932-1935, and a few programs originated from there, such as part of
    the "Flywheel, Shyster, and Flywheel" run in 1932-33, the 1934-35 "Mary
    Pickford Theatre," and Al Jolson's "Shell Chateau." However, San
    Francisco was a far more important part of the network's West Coast
    operation at this time.

    The network's major commitment to Hollywood began with the opening of a
    full-time leased studio in December 1935 -- followed by the opening of
    the more famous Sunset and Vine studio in October 1938. Prior to 1935,
    most major comedy-variety live-audience series broadcast from New York,
    while -- generally speaking -- most dramatic series were aired from
    Chicago. (Again, there were exceptions -- the Radio Guild Dramas always
    broadcast from New York, "One Man's Family" originated in San Francisco
    during its early years, etc.) Hollywood was not a major factor prior to
    this due to the AT&T tariffs (approximately $2100 an hour) on
    West-to-East network transmission -- charges that were dropped with the
    introduction of the "quick reversible" circuit in 1936. With that
    obstacle out of the way, performers were free to rush west.

    1936-37 marked the high point of the transition between New York and
    Hollywood for comedy-variety programming: Jack Benny permanently moved
    west that summer, as did Eddie Cantor and Burns and Allen (although all
    these performers had broadcast from the Coast on an occasional basis in
    prior years.) In these cases, the performers made the move to be more
    conveniently located for movie work. Edgar Bergen began broadcasting from
    Hollywood in early 1937 -- when the new Chase & Sanborn Hour began in May
    of that year, it was located in Hollywood for the convenience of W. C.
    Fields and Nelson Eddy, and Bergen had to make the move in order to join
    the series, giving up his profitable nightclub engagements in New York.
    "Amos 'n' Andy" moved permanently to Hollywood from Chicago in mid-1937,
    but this had nothing to do with movies or better studio facilities -- it
    was a move made purely because of Freeman Gosden's health. He suffered
    from a chronic respiratory ailment, and made the move under doctor's
    orders -- in those pre-smog days, Southern California was a common
    destination for patients with severe breathing problems. (There exists a
    rather tetchy letter in the NBC Files at the LOC in which Gosden
    complains about the fact that NBC was forcing him to personally pay the
    line charges for the temporary studio A&A were using at the El Mirador
    Hotel in Palm Springs during the winter of 1935-36 because no
    sufficiently-private studios were yet available at NBC-Hollywood.)

    Rudy Vallee's permanent move from New York to Hollywood in 1940 seems to
    have marked the tail end of the major westward trend of Eastern
    performers, although there would be a few others: Alan Young, for
    example.  But by the mid-1940s, Fred Allen and Henry Morgan were pretty
    much the only major nighttime comedians still based in New York, and
    neither of these performers had much use for Hollywood, either as a place
    or as a concept.

    Elizabeth

    ------------------------------

    Date: Fri, 4 May 2001 10:56:10 -0400
    From: radthea@[removed]
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Info on Workshop

    AUDIO THEATRE WORKSHOP 2001
    JULY 14TH, 2001
    RADISSON HOTEL, BIRMINGHAM,  ALABAMA

    On Saturday, July 14, 2001, 9:00 am to 8:00pm the (Birmingham)
    Metropolitan Arts Council and Birmingham Radio Theatre Company are proud
    to announce an Audio Theatre Workshop-2001. This will be a one-day
    workshop held at the Radisson Hotel in downtown Birmingham, Alabama.

    We are honored to have Henry Howard and Thomas Fuller of the Atlanta
    Radio Theatre ([removed])as guest lecturers. The topics that will be
    covered are:

    Introduction to Radio Drama/ Audio Theatre
    A Brief History

    Writing for Radio Drama or Audio Theatre

    Production
    Sound effect creation for Radio Drama
    Microphone techniques
    Presentation of simple production

    There will be a teleconference with Norman Corwin, “Bard of
    Broadcasting” ([removed]).

    For more information and registration form go to [removed] If
    you would like to contact us by phone call 205/324-0684 between 9:00 am
    to 6:00pm cst or contact us by e-mail at radthea@[removed]

    ------------------------------

    Date: Fri, 4 May 2001 10:56:15 -0400
    From: "jstokes" <jstokes@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Telco

        All those posts about AT&T lines brings me back to my old radio days.
    Working at the local station level, we all called the phone company "Telco."
    We were at the mercy of Telco back in those days.   The network and all our
    local remote broacasts went through the local Telco (thee phone company).
    And the lines quality was graded.   Telco didn't give a ding-dang either.
    If we ordered a common old garden variety of phone line for a ballgame or
    church service broadcast, it would not necessarily be the line you were
    paying for.   Most often a Class B line would be a Class C line, which was a
    plain old telephone line.   So, we lived with it, or had to go personally to
    Telco to argue with them.   This was indeed a monopoly in the worst send of
    the word.
        One of the funniest, roll-on-the-floor laughing comments came from one
    my fellow SBE (Society of Broadcast Engineers) collegues when we all toured
    the sacred confines of the room where all the broadcast lines terminated.
    Some geography here.   I am talking about the Telco palace in Minneapolis,
    Minnesota.   That beautiful art deco building in the heart of downtown
    Minneapolis.   So, here is the hilarious comment that sums up Telco service.
    Any of you guys and gals who were radio broadcast engineers in the days
    before microwave will get a hoot out of this candid
    comment ------------------------------------------------
        "Oh, is this where you tell me that the problem is west of Denver and
    east of Chicago."
        Heh.  That stopped the Telco techs in their tracks!

    :)  Jim Stokes

    ------------------------------

    Date: Fri, 4 May 2001 13:26:21 -0400
    From: Joseph Greco <amajag@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Local OTC Broadcasts

    Hoping someone can send me a listing of radio stations
    in Phila and Cherry Hill Nj  areas that carry old time
    radio [removed] Grecoamajag@[removed]

    ------------------------------

    Date: Fri, 4 May 2001 13:26:19 -0400
    From: Joe Salerno <salernoj@[removed];
    To: OTR List <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Princess Pet - aside

    Mel Jenkins <meljenkins@[removed]; inquired about:

>     At the top of my agenda, any and all information about the "Princess Pet"
>     radio series. This was a promotion for Pet Dairy's products that ran as a
>     fantasy series for young kids. It would date from late 40's to early 50's.

    Joe Salerno replies:

    Interesting that I recently acquired transcriptions of the "Princess Pat"
    radio series, but this was early 30s and was an adult series sponsored by a
    maker of women's cosmetics. I couldn't help but note the similarity of
    titles.

    ------------------------------

    Date: Fri, 4 May 2001 13:27:12 -0400
    From: sojax@[removed] (Roger Smith)
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Pop Chronicles

    Tom Kleinschmit in a post inquired if anyone had Pop Chronicles series.
    I have it on open reel Tom. Two reels, I have not listened to it in a
    long time. I have the sound quality listed as vg- and I also note that
    commercials and station id's have been edited and in some cases very
    poorly done. I don't know if what I have is the complete series. I also
    have the one done by Minds Eye that you mentioned. Anyway if you would
    send me your address Tom I would gladly make copies and send you what I
    have. Let me know. Roger.

    ------------------------------

    Date: Fri, 4 May 2001 13:27:09 -0400
    From: "Ryan Osentowski" <rosentowski@[removed];
    To: "old time radio" <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Escape episode

    Hello all,
    This talk of delayed broadcasts brings to mind a question.  I asked this
    about a month ago and got no response, so I'll try again.
    There is a particular episode of Escape called, "Papa Benjamin," that I
    have.  I believe it is the west coast version.  This program features jazz
    music, but the main background music is provided by an organ.  Does anyone
    have the east coast version of the show, which was done with a full
    orchestra?  If anyone would like to sell or trade, please contact me.
    ryanO

    ------------------------------

    Date: Fri, 4 May 2001 19:56:11 -0400
    From: "Phil Watson" <philwats@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  OTR COMPARISON; UK VS. [removed]

    Owens Pomeroy asks why countries like UK, Australia, South Africa, and
    Canada, have far superior (OTR) programming than we (USA) do or did.  Where
    did we (US) go wrong, that it simply disappeared from the airwaves?

>     >From a UK perspective, I can answer in one word: Financing.

    In the UK until 1955 we had one broadcaster of TV or radio: The BBC which
    was there to broadcast and enlighten, educate and maybe entertain the
    masses, but entertain came very much at the end. Indeed until the war, when
    public morale had to be uplifted, little attempt was made to entertain. The
    RADIO announcers worked in dinner jackets (tuxedos) and
    bow-ties. Television was very starched indeed and only available nationally
    in 1953 for the Queen's coronation. To receive radio or television
    programming, you had (and still have) to buy a licence (currently $160 pa)
    from the post office. That was, and is, how the BBC was financed - no
    commercials, indeed mention a product brand name and you could be taken off
    the air. Popular records even from America had to be re-recorded for BBC
    broadcast if they contained brand-names. It's a little more relaxed
    nowadays, thank goodness.

    The lack of commercial pressures meant that the BBC could keep high
    standards. Little attempt was made to pander to public taste and many
    performers were "unsuitable for broadcast" if their act was even a liitle
    off-colour. Top music hall comedian Max Miller was warned a few times and
    then banned for several years. The tradition of high-class dramas made in
    the 1930's continues today, with many plays and comedies broadcast every
    week. The BBC was hit very hard in 1955 by the introduction of Independant
    TV, with commercials financing programming. Suddenly the cosy BBC TV
    programming was hit very hard and appeared out of date with new performers,
    American imported TV, and the wholesale shift of technical staff leaving the
    BBC in droves for double pay at ITV.

    It got so bad that until the late '60s actors working for ITV could not work
    for the BBC. Radio actors were dropped if they appeared on ITV even if they
    had never worked on BBC TV. In the years since, the BBC has had to shift its
    standards (some may say drop) to compete with independant TV, and now
    satellite TV with its appalling US daytime drivel, unfortunately popular.
    Some people watch anything and find it entertaining.

    On the radio side, in the 1960's several private record-playing stations
    broadcast on small ships (known as pirate radio) outside territorial waters
    until they were banned, ostensibly for jamming radio wavebands,  and the BBC
    started its own pop-music channel, Radio 1. There are independant local
    radio stations, funded by commercials, but they are 90% pop music and news
    with a little sport. The local BBC stations are similar but have more local
    programming, and are community-based, if amateurish. They serve as a
    training ground for tomorrow's TV presenters.

    If you want drama, it's really BBC radio or [removed] have Radio 2, older
    pop music & comedy, with specialist evening shows, big bands, country, folk,
    jazz etc. Daytime there are news discussion & record shows. Radio 3 is
    classical music, intellectual discussions, jazz, opera and the like with a
    weekly classic drama taken from classical literature. Tiny listening
    audience but they run the country. Radio 4 is drama, comedy, reporting,
    news - has a small audience but they think they run the country, so the
    story goes. Radio 5 is sport and talk-sport. The audience don't care who
    runs the country so long as she's got [removed] (sorry). BBC Radio is still
    financed by a proportion of the TV licence.

    The good news is that the BBC have realised that they are in a market place
    and have made money by building up a solid catalogue of video and audio
    collections from their past and recent past, for sale. Many classic dramas
    and comedy shows can be obtained and you can listen to the BBC on-line. Fans
    around the world have created download sites for drama and comedy, much
    unheard for years.

    Strangely, recorded drama exists elsewhere. British Airways commissioned a
    24-episode run of Sherlock Holmes plays which are available on cassette.
    Independant Radio occasionally commissions drama - but not very often. At
    least modern writers can have their plays created and broadcast on radio. If
    you ignore the pop-music you can still hear good drama or comedy every day.

    And finally in 1963 the BBC broadcast a play which I have had on tape for
    nearly 40 years about radio called "The Flip Side" by M. Charles Cohen, a
    Canadian, satirising US radio with its jingles, phone-ins etc. The Radio
    Times listing of the day described the play "(the station) is one of the
    innumerable pandemonium factories that daily poison the North American air
    with the top 50, simple-minded banter, gimmicky sound effects, pretentious
    and misleading comments on political and social issues, and gummy-fruity
    commercial messages". And now, now forty years later, we've got them too.

    Thank goodness for public-service radio free of commercial pressure !

    I'd be interested in your [removed] how about it, folks.

    ------------------------------

    Date: Fri, 4 May 2001 19:56:09 -0400
    From: "David Kindred" <david@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Paul Harvey--what's he like?

    Richard Pratz wrote:

>     I remember recording Paul Harvey on
>     that wire recorder to play back at [removed] 40-years later I was still
>     recording Mr. Harvey but digitally via computer for playback at the final
>     station for which I worked. And he's STILL going strong!

    Rich,

    What was Paul Harvey like doing his recordings? I love to listen to him
    locally here in the Washington, [removed] area on WMAL. He'll often make small
    mistakes in his broadcasts, especially on his ending light comments. I've
    always wondered if he just would take one shot at the recording, and the
    little mistakes were just him being human. What was he like personally? Just
    wondering if he's warm in real life, or if that is a radio persona he
    assumes.

    --David

    ------------------------------

    Date: Fri, 4 May 2001 19:56:08 -0400
    From: Bill Harris <billhar@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Re: Oldest radio station

    I will throw my $.02 in here and that is probably an overvaluation at
    that. We have been down this path before. Donna is correct, there were
    many radio stations "broadcasting" long before KDKA came upon the scene.
    In addition to the ones she mentions, there was 2XN operated at City
    College in NY, 2ZK in New Rochelle, NY where the owners were
    broadcasting music for an hour each evening and of course Dr. Frank
    Conrad, Westinghouse Engineer, who began broadcasting voice and music
    programs over his amateur station 8XK in 1916. 9XM at the University of
    Wisconsin was set up to send weather forecast in Morse code for mariners
    plying the waters of the Great Lakes. This service was considered
    important enough that the government allow 9XM to remain on the air
    during WWI when all other stations were ordered off the air. The station
    also experimented with voice broadcasts. 9XM later became WHA. It must
    be noted that these stations were licensed as experimental or amateur
    stations. Radio's use was primarily thought of as point-to-point two-way
    communications. There were those who believed radio had no future as a
    broadcasting service.

    When you ask who was the first radio broadcasting station, you have to
    define broadcasting. There certainly was broadcasting going on but there
    was no "broadcasting service" as such. So the debate has continued about
    who was the first "broadcasting" station.

    Fast forward to 1920. Dr. Frank Conrad has been "broadcasting" from his
    experimental station 8XK in his garage. He first broadcast music on
    October 17, 1919 when he held his microphone up to his phonograph. He
    was heard by amateurs (hams) for miles around and began getting letters
    requesting more musical broadcast.

     Westinghouse wanted to develop a market for radio receiving sets and
    speculated that a radio broadcast station would generate a demand, so it
    was decided that Westinghouse would build it's own radio station. This
    was not to be an experiment, but a service, it had a purpose, it was
    business. On October 16, Westinghouse applied to the Department of
    Commerce for a license to establish a broadcasting service. Westinghouse
    wanted to go on the air in time to broadcast the Presidential election
    returns on November 2. Since there was no broadcasting service at the
    time, apparently the DOC had to consider what call they would issue
    Westinghouse. A few days after receiving the Westinghouse application,
    the DOC, via telephone, assigned the experimental call letters 8ZZ for
    their use in case this new license did not arrive in time. On October
    27, the DOC assigned the call KDKA which was from the commercial
    shore-station call letter group. So now Westinghouse had a commercial
    station license. They were authorized the use of the 360 meter
    wavelength.

    Westinghouse was not the only station broadcasting the election returns
    that night. The Detroit News station 8MK, went on the air August 20,
    1920, also broadcast the returns. I have read some historical text that
    lay claim that Westinghouse actually broadcast under the temporary
    experimental call 8ZZ on November 20. If they did indeed go on the air
    as KDKA that night, the license issued for commercial service,  then I
    would think that a claim that they were the first station licensed for
    commercial broadcasting would be valid, but certainly not any claim of
    being the first station to broadcast.

    So when it is ask, "who was the first broadcasting station", define
    "broadcasting station". The first station to broadcast voice/music or
    the first station licensed for commercial broadcast?

    As an aside, Dr. Frank Conrad's house and garage was recently in
    jeopardy of being sold and torn down unless funds could be raised to
    save it. Does anyone have any more information about this?

    Bill Harris

     Donna Halper <dlh@[removed]; commented:

>     I can tell you who it was NOT-- it was not KDKA, no matter what they
>     say.  There were a number of stations on the air before KDKA, including
>     stations in Medford Hillside MA (1XE, later WGI) and Detroit (8MK, later
>     WWJ).

    ------------------------------

    Date: Fri, 4 May 2001 19:56:06 -0400
    From: Israel Colon <colon@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Mary Shipp Photo

    Hi,

    Does anyone know where I can see or get a photo of Mary Shipp.  She played
    Miss. Spaulding on Life with Luigi.  I've looked all over the internet and
    contacted Radio Spirits to no avail.

    Thanks for any help.

    Israel

    ------------------------------

    Date: Fri, 4 May 2001 19:56:05 -0400
    From: Kenneth L Clarke <kclarke5@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Re: When Radio Was

    I'm looking for some radio stations in the Dallas area which
    air the "When Radio Was" program or something like it as
    well as any times if they are known.

    If anyone has this information, please send it to me off list
    at kclarke5@[removed].

    Any help will be appreciated.

    Kenneth Clarke
    kclarke5@[removed]

    --------------------------------
    End of [removed] Digest V01 Issue #138
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