Walter Lanier Barber certainly knew about WLW before he became the Cincinnati Reds announcer in 1934. In fact, “Red” Barber had auditioned several times at the station that boomed into Gainesville, Florida, where he attended the University of Florida and somehow got a job reading news on the school's own... Continue Reading »
It's sad to think that Cincinnati's first contribution to the world of baseball play-by-play broadcasting is largely forgotten, but in his day Harry Hartman was a giant in many ways. Hartman actually stumbled into broadcasting. The son of a Jewish immigrant tailor, young Harry was tabbed to follow his father... Continue Reading »
Update: June 12, 2013, our series focusing on great Cincinnati Reds broadcasters from Harry Hartman to Marty Brennaman has ended. Here are links to each biography: Reds Broadcasters: Harry Hartman Red Barber Dick Bray Roger Baker Waite Hoyt Lee Allen Claude Sullivan Al Michaels Joe Nuxhall Marty Brennaman Every spring... Continue Reading »
Cincinnati radio listeners of the 1980s, '90s and '00s fondly remember the daily sports segment “Sports or Consequences” on Gary Burbank's WLW program. But did you know Cincinnati was a pioneer in sports quizzing on radio? Back in 1940, a year after the Taft family purchased WKRC, several sports' minded... Continue Reading »
It's that time of year to remember St. Patrick and all things Irish and, for many older Cincinnatians, thoughts turn to the late Bill McCluskey. It was Bill McCluskey who co-founded Cincinnati's St. Patrick's Day Parade in 1968 and he was often Grand Marshal of that parade when he was... Continue Reading »
When discussing the memorable characters on radio’s The Great Gildersleeve, there seems to always be interest in the character “Mr. Peavey,” portrayed by character actor Richard LeGrand. Mr. Peavey was proprietor of Peavey’s Drug Store in Gildy’s hometown of Summerfield. He was quiet and had a droll sense of humor.... Continue Reading »
A friend sent me a small death notice recently from California noting the passing of Margaret (Peggy) McNulty Day—widow of Jack Benny Show vocalist Dennis Day—on February 1st. Mrs. McNulty Day was 89-years old. Dennis (whose birth name was Owen Patrick Eugene McNulty, but used “Dennis Day” as a stage... Continue Reading »
It’s the time of the year for the Academy Awards and you may not realize that there was a radio program called Academy Award Theater during radio’s golden age. However, while similar shows like Lux Radio Theater (which Media Heritage draws upon for our Hollywood Radio Theater program) lasted for... Continue Reading »
To celebrate Valentine’s Day we’re highlighting one of Radio’s most beloved couples, Fibber McGee and Molly. James “Jim” Jordan (Fibber) and Marian Driscoll (Molly) first met at church choir practice in Peoria Illinois. They started out not in radio, but as a vaudeville act in Chicago. It wasn’t until 1924... Continue Reading »
For those of us who studied—really studied—those wonderful Warner Brothers cartoons of the 1930s, ’40s and ’50s, the names that rolled through during the credits are permanently inscribed in our memories: Chuck Jones, Fritz Freleng, Robert McKimson, music by Carl Stalling, voices by Mel Blanc. One name that did not... Continue Reading »
For a period in the mid-to-late 1940s, the name “Barbara Cameron” was everywhere at WLW. The Dayton-born songstress was hired to replace none other than Doris Day in late 1943 and the attractive 18-year-old quickly filled several holes in wartime-depleted WLW’s vocal department. Barbara sang on the popular late-night Moon... Continue Reading »
Pirate radio stations are certainly not new. These are radio transmitters operating without permission by the FCC and their origins can be traced to the very earliest days of broadcasting. In fact, before computers became the youth distraction they are today, it wasn’t uncommon for young, tech-savvy lads to buy... Continue Reading »