When you hear the word “RADIO”, what are the first 3 things that come to mind? Write them down now!
RADIO
RADIO
Historic Moments in Radio Radio as Entertainment & Radio as News
Radio as Entertainment
“ Amos ‘n’ Andy” Radio Comedy Series, aired nightly, began in 1928 Starred two white men acting as two African American farm workers from Georgia making the move to the city of Chicago Transformed into a TV show in the 1950’s
“The Guiding Light” Radio Soap Opera, aired 15 minute shows, began in 1937 Sponsored by Duz Detergent, hence the “soap opera” Developed into a TV show in 1952 and ran until 2009 … The longest running soap opera!
“The Mercury Theatre: The War of the Worlds” adapted and read by Orsen Wells Radio Drama, aired on Halloween Night, 1938 … 60 minutes Using a “Breaking News-style format”, telling the story of an alien invasion by Martians Millions were panicked; within one month, 12,500 articles about this broadcast were published to lessen public hysteria
Radio as a News Source
“The Hindenburg Disaster” May 6 th, 1937 – A German Zeppelin crashed and burned in New Jersey. 35 passengers and 1 crew member died. Herbert Morrison, the journalist that recorded an eyewitness account of the crash, has made this one of the most popular broadcasts in American History. “Oh, the humanity” - Morrison
“Major News Announcements” The Death of Adolf Hitler , Hamburg Radio announces Hitler’s death … Americans were skeptical of initial announcement The Bombing of Hiroshima , President Truman makes his statement to the public on radio