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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.
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.
Before television, radio provided entertainment by presenting radio plays and programs of mystery, intrigue, and comedy. Of course, news was present as were many, many soap operas. On this page you will find information about some of the most popular radio programs of the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s. I find many of these programs appealing and much more entertaining than a book on tape. Many are well written and many of the shows and their stories stand the test of time.
 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 table below contains hyperlinks to some of my favorite OTR:
Radio was also used for propaganda in war and during the Cold War. Most countries have some international short-wave radio broadcasts which now are streamed on the internet using Real Player or Microsoft Media Player. The United States has the Voice of America, run by the U.S. Government. The United Kingdom has the British Broadcasting Corporation. Just about every country has a government news service. American radio links are available using Microsoft's Windows Media Player Radio Tuner. On the "find by" button, click on location "United States" and then select the state you want. There is a very extensive list of global radio stations too. Apple's iTunes software has a similar feature.
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