| Radio
Can you even imagine life without television? Actually, television is
a relatively new development. Before we were entertained by Bart Simpson
on the television, radio was the medium of choice for popular entertainment.
Little Orphan Annie and Fibber McGee delighted the imaginations of Americans
throughout the 1930s, 40s, and 50s.
Sample some of the following activities to learn more about radio.
Places To Go | People
To See | Things To Do | Teacher
Resources | Bibliography
Places To Go
The following are places to go (some real and some virtual) to find out
about radio.
 National
Public Radio Online
Travel in cyberspace to National Public Radio. You can read and hear current
broadcasts as well as seach their archives for past programs. NPR is a
true treasure.
Quirks
and Quarks
Visit radio resources for your information needs. We all know that we
can get information from books, from the internet, from television, from
people. But we may not associate radio as a source of valuble, reliable
information. This site spotlights a radio program where we can find out
the latest in science, technology, medicine and the environment.
Radio Locator
Travel all over the world via radio waves.
From this site, you can find over 10,000 worldwide radio stations, many
with audio streams.
Live Radio
Choose a country of your choice and listen to
live radio stations from Armenia to Iran to Jamaica to Mali . These are
real, streaming radio stations. A cautionary word is in order if you
are listening to streaming radio from school networks---radio broadcasts
can take up large amounts of bandwidth.
Radio Hall of Fame
Virtually visit the Radio Hall of Fame and read
about its inductees such as Kate Smith, Eddie Cantor, Walter Winchell,
and Gene Autry.
Grand Ol’ Opry
Visit the Grand Ol Opry. Its roots go back to 1925
when it first broadcast on radio. The Grand Ol Opry claims to be the
world's longest running live radio program.
People To See
Jack Benny
Meet Jack Benny, one of the most famous radio comedians of the Golden
Age of Radio. He was famous for being tight with his money. Jack Benny
has the longest recorded laugh ever in radio of over 2 ½ minutes for a
gag on one of his shows. He was being held up by a robber who wanted either
his "money or his life". Getting no answer, the robber asked a second
time, to which Jack answered, "I'm thinking".
 Ultimate
Fibber McGee and Molly Site
How important is imagination when you listen to the radio? Have students
ask their grandparents or older friends and neighbors if they remember
life before television. Ask them what their favorite radio programs were
and if they listened every day. This site celebrates the Fibber McGee
and Molly program which ran from 1936 to 1959. You can find out about
the personalities of the program, listen to and download some of the funniest
episodes, look at a radio scrapbook, and visit several related sites.
Radio
Astronomy History in a Nutshell
Meet Karl Jansky. He developed the field of radio astronomy.
 Annie
Spend some time with Little Orphan Annie. First, she was popular in her
comic strip. Then she became famous on the radio. She's since had plays
and movies written about her.There is a section called Annie's Clubhouse
where you can get coloring pages, listen to old radio broadcasts from
the 1930s and 40s, and find trivia about Sandy and Daddy Warbucks.
Nobel
Prize
Meet Guglielmo
Marconi. He invented a little transmitter in 1894 that sent wireless signals
over a distance of about a mile and a half. By 1900, he had patented his
wireless telegraphy, and radio was born.
Jack
Armstrong
Meet
Jack Armstrong All American Boy. He was the star of a popular children’s
radio serial that ran from 1933 to 1951.
Edward
R. Murrow
Get to know
Edward R. Murrow. He was a pioneer in early radio broadcasting.
Toyko
Rose
Meet the
alleged Toyko Rose. Her real name was Iva Toguri D'Aquino. Find out more
about the role that radio propaganda played in World War II.
Things To Do
Gunsmoke
Find out anything anyone every wanted to know about Gunsmoke and Matt
Dillon and Chester and Miss Kitty. Some people may remember the television
Gunsmoke but may not realize that it got its start as a radio program.
Fred
Allen
Learn about Fred Allen. He was a popular commedian of radio days.View
images of this classic radio show and read some of its best scripts.
 Old
Time Radio
Find out about the radio programs of the 1930s, 40s, and 50s. From this
site, you can listen to the Shadow, Captain Midnight, and many other popular
radio programs from the Golden Age of Radio. Listen as you surf!
The
Great Gildersleeve Home Page
His name was Throckmorton P. Gildersleeve, and he was a pompous but loveable
character of oldtime radio. Find out about his popular radio program.
History
of Radio
Explore the history of
radio from 1887 to the present.
How Stuff
Works: Ham Radio
Figure out the difference
between regular radio and ham radio. Ham radio is just a shortened way
of saying “amateur” radio which
means that everyday people broadcast radio throughout the world.
Radio Free Europe
Discover the origins of Radio Free Europe. In 1950,
it began broadcasting its programs promoting democracy to countries behind
the Iron Curtain.
NOAA Weather Radio
You know how the Weather Channel offers hours of
entertainment for discerning viewers? Well, you can also listen to 24
Hour Non-Stop Weather Radio by way of the National Weather Service.
United States
Early Radio History
Browse through articles and abstracts about
the early history of radio.
The
Invention of Radio
Explore how the
invention of radio owes its roots to the invention of the telegraph and
the telephone.
War of the
Worlds
Learn about the effect that Orson Welle’s
October 30, 1938 radio broadcast had on listeners.
Radio’s
War of the Worlds
Browse through newspaper articles
from 1938 describing the hysteria that overtook confused listeners of the
radio broadcast.
AnswerBag
Figure out the difference between
AM and FM radio.
Major
Bowes Original Amateur Hour
If you like American
Idol, then check out the old radio show, Major Bowes Original Amateur Hour.
Contestants would perform and if they did well, they could earn money.
If they performed poorly, Major Bowes would hit a big gong and embarrass
them off of the show. This radio show was extremely popular in the 1930s,
and people even enjoyed listening to
contestants tap dance.
Call
Signs
Figure out what radio call signs mean
and how they are assigned. Just like people can get vanity license plates
for their cars, radio operators can also get vanity call signs for their
ham radio setups.
Digital
Deli Online: Spotlight on the Golden Age of Radio
Explore
a timeline of radio history.
Teacher Resources
Lesson Plans/Webquests
Bibliography
- Coulter, George. Radio. Vero Beach, Fla. : Rourke Publications, c1996.
- Lafferty, Peter. Radio and Television. New York : F. Watts, c1997.
- Stwertka, Eve. Tuning In : The Sounds of Radio. New York, NY : J.
Messner, c1992.
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