Audio Antiques

Mystery dramas were always a listener favorite during radio's classic era. You will hear four such theater productions in this podcast. Mollé Mystery Theater was a 30-minute anthology radio program that ran from 1943 to 1948. It was sponsored initially by Sterling Drugs, manufacturers of Mollé Brushless Shaving Cream. ABC Mystery Theater was a similar series on the air from 1951 to 1954 and made a...

This podcast is about Huddie William Ledbetter. Better known by his stage name Lead Belly, was one of the most celebrated folk and blues singers of his time. His most popular songs "Goodnight, Irene", "Midnight Special", "Cotton Fields", became American classics. Lead Belly was celebrated for his songwriting skills, strong vocals, and virtuosity on the twelve-string guitar. He's a Rock-N-Roll Hall...

In this podcast, we pay tribute to the Mutual Broadcasting System. It was the fourth nationwide radio network to be established in the United States, after CBS, NBC, and the NBC Blue Network which later became ABC. Mutual was established in 1934 as a cooperative between WOR New York, WGN Chicago, WLW Cincinnati, and WXYZ in Detroit. The network was retired in 1999 after numerous ownership changes....

Jazz and radio broadcasting were born right around the same time, and stuck together well into the Rock-N-Roll age. The early days of radio will filled with lots of jazz. One of the most celebrated shows was This Is Jazz, hosted by music critic Rudi Blesh. He founded Circle Records in 1946 to record new music by aging early jazz stars. You're going to hear two 1947 episodes of This is Jazz, with g...

Horror and fantasy shows appeared on radio nearly from the very start. The first horror drama during radio's golden age was The Witch's Tale, which was aired from 1931 to 1938. It featured Old Nancy, the Witch of Salem, who introduced a different terror tale each week. You'll hear an episode from 1937. Another early horror program was Lights Out, which started in 1934 and eventually made it to tel...

Marian Anderson was one of the most popular and talented operatic singers in the 20th century. The African-American contralto overcame childhood poverty to sing with major orchestras throughout the United States and Europe between 1925 and 1965. In 1923 Anderson was the first black artist to record for RCA Victor. She became the first African-American singer to perform at the Metropolitan Opera. I...

It is often called the Forgotten Conflict. The Korean War was started by North Korea in 1950, assisted by Russia and China. They attacked South Korea backed by the United States and other allies. The fighting stopped 1953. Approximately 3 million people died in the Korean War, the majority were civilians. The United States suffered 54,248 deaths. We have a report on the war by the CBS Radio news p...

Jack Webb was an American actor, television producer, director, and screenwriter, who is most famous for his role as Sgt. Joe Friday in the TV police series Dragnet. But Webb was also a crusader in the fight for civil rights. After serving in World War Two, Webb worked in radio, and in 1946 had his own comedy show on ABC. That same year he was host of a one-man program called, One Out of Seven on...

Golden age radio was filled with situation comedies, detective shows, and variety programs, but there were also a few legal dramas on the air. Fictional attorney Perry Mason based on the novels of Erle Stanley Gardner, and first appeared on CBS Radio in 1943 as a soap opera before becoming a popular TV show in 1957. We have a Perry Mason series from 1949. Mr District Attorney was a radio drama whi...

Malcolm X was born Malcolm Little in 1925. He was an African-American Muslim minister and human rights activist and a prominent figure during the civil rights movement. As spokesman for the Nation of Islam until 1964, he was a vocal advocate for black empowerment. Malcolm was not an advocate of non-violence, especially when blacks were being physically abused, beaten, and killed by racists. He als...

Comic strips first began appearing in newspapers during the late 1800s. In most of the 20th century there were at least 200 different comic strips and cartoon panels appearing in American newspapers every day. Many cartoon characters were adapted for radio, and a few remain popular. Blondie was created in 1930 by cartoonist Chic Young. In 1939 the Blondie Show appeared on radio and lasted until 19...

Before there was National Public Radio, All Things Considered, and Morning Edition, there was NBC Monitor, a weekend-long radio program, broadcast live and nationwide. It was an attempt compete with television which was stealing radio's audience. Monitor featured a mix of news, sports, comedy, variety, music, celebrity interviews and features. Monitor first went on the air June 12th, 1955. You wil...

Just like jazz, country music was on radio from the very start. One of the earliest country music programs to be broadcast was the Grand Ole Opry, which also produced the first African-American country music star. DeFord Bailey was known as a harmonica wizard, and began appearing on radio in 1925. In 1927, Bailey had the first of a series of hit records, beginning with his trademark song, "Pan Ame...

The Great Depression lasted from 1929 to 1941 which was much of radio's golden age. After the Wall Street Crash of October 1929. The United States was hit by a decade of high unemployment, poverty, low profits, and deflation. By 1933, America's poverty rate rose to over 60%. In Cleveland, Ohio the unemployment rate reached 50%, in Toledo, Ohio it topped out at 80%. To counter the doom and gloom, t...

Without question, The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was the most visible, and celebrated leader of the civil rights movement from 1955 until his assassination in 1968. The legendary African American Baptist minister was the son of early civil rights activist and minister Martin Luther King Sr. Both men advanced the cause of civil rights for people of color in the United States, through nonviolen...

SEIU's Anthony Caldwell reveals how to get union representation at your workplace. The Ford Motor Company says there's a serious shortage of auto technicians. Mechanic and author Mary Jackson explains how to have your car repaired without being taken for a ride.  More at http://krobcollection.com

The Associated Press is a not-for-profit news organization based in the United States, founded in 1846. It is known for its commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting, serving as a reliable source of news for newspapers, television, radio, and online platforms worldwide. The AP operates with a cooperative model, meaning that it is owned and funded by its member newspapers and broadcas...

Ken interviews Julia Shearson of the Council on American Islamic Relations about the month of Ramadan. Also, investment strategist Dr. Joseph Belmonte explains how to find growth stocks in both rising and falling markets.  More at http://krobcollection.com

In the United States, the 1930s and 1940s were marked by growing suspicion of communism and socialism, but under the fairness doctrine that opened the airwaves to differing points of view, American communist leaders were able to make their case against income inequality and express their support for civil rights and equal justice. Decades later Congress killed the fairness doctrine allowing the ai...

Ken explores way to keep your household from going broke during times when cash is tight. His guests are author Carol Keeffe, psychotherapist Collette Dowling, Mark Hamrick senior economic analyst at Bankrate.com, and Shel Horowitz the king of frugal fun.  More at http://krobcollection.com

We're going to learn about two soldiers in the battle for civil rights and justice. First...Ida B. Wells was an African American journalist, educator, and civil rights activist. Born into slavery in Mississippi, she became a fearless investigative journalist and co-owner of a newspaper, where she exposed the horrors of lynching in the late 19th century, making her a key figure in the civil rights,...

Reality shows have long been a staple on television, but they first began on radio. One of the earliest radio reality shows was Alan Funt's Candid Microphone which secretly recorded ordinary people in real life situations. Funt would later take the show to television where it became they highly popular Candid Camera. Another radio reality show was Wanted, which helped track down crime suspects, an...

Ken Robinson explores the decline of marriage in America, and it's partly due to COVID-!9. He also takes a look at the number of  men and women who cheat on their mates. Plus, there's an examination of Sam and Marilyn Sheppard, a famous marriage that resulted in a mysterious, gruesome murder.  Ken's guests are ABC News correspondent Mark Remillard, psychologist Dr Lana Staheli, women's humor and w...

He was Martin Luther King, Muhammed Ali, Harry Bellafonte, and Malcolm X rolled into one. Paul Robeson was an extraordinary American singer, actor, and civil rights activist. The son of a slave, Robeson was Born in Princeton, New Jersey, and excelled academically. He became a star athlete earning a scholarship to Rutgers University, and a law degree from Columbia University. Robeson became a globa...

The stories of two very deserving, but seldom celebrated heroes. Dr. Carter G. Woodson, the influential African American historian, author, and journalist, who is the "Father of Black History." His parents had been slaves, but Woodson became one of the first Blacks to earn a Ph. D. from Harvard University. Woodson was a follower of Marcus Garvey, and established Negro History Week in 1926, which l...