Radio has been around for a long time and although there are more commercial radio stations on the air than ever before, there isn't really much worth listening to unless you like lots of commercials and little creativity.
When I was very young, my father gave me a vinyl record set of The Lone Ranger. Those are the shows that introduced me to Old Time Radio. I started collecting "Old Time Radio" shows in high school. My first audio cassette of an Old Time Radio show was bought at a drug store that had two episodes of The Shadow ("Death Prowls at Night" and "House of Horror"). There was an insert to request a catalog of additional shows. I did. Before I knew it I had more episodes of The Shadow, The Green Hornet, and The Lone Ranger. As I grew older my taste evolved to enjoy other shows with more mature story lines. My father remembered a show called The Whistler and could even duplicate the show's theme whistle. After hearing this program, Old Time Radio had even more appeal to me.
The navigation menu to the right has links to some of my favorite Old Time Radio programs. The WJSV schedule takes you back to September 1939 when the radio station recorded its entire day's broadcast.
I have enjoyed Old Time Radio for years and my preferences for programs have evolved but one thing still amazes me - the sound effects and how the sound men created them. The nine-minute video, Back of the Mike, begins with a child listening to the radio and his imagination is put on the screen. The camera then goes to a 1930s era radio sound studio where the program is originating. This film gives you an insightful look at how those intriguing and astonishing sounds were created.
Click here or the image above to watch the 10-minute video Back of the Mike.
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