Author Archives: Bob Stepno

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About Bob Stepno

mild-mannered reporter who found computers & the Web in grad school in the 1980s (Wesleyan) and '90s (UNC); taught journalism, media studies, Web production; retired to write, make music, photograph sunsets & walks in the woods.

Journalism ethics — love, war and flashbulbs

Posted on July 8, 2014 by Bob Stepno

The short-lived 1948 radio series “Shorty Bell” was about a newspaper delivery truck driver who became a reporter, learning mostly from his mistakes, and from a crusty and sardonic editor rumored to have a heart of gold. This last episode, one … Continue reading →

Posted in 1940s, ethics, photographer, reporters, romance | Leave a comment

Landing a Newspaper Job; Cameraman Tells All

Posted on July 7, 2014 by Bob Stepno

Some of my favorite “newsroom scenes” in old radio shows involve a young reporter trying to land a job. Here’s the first of a couple of episodes where the job-hunter is a would-be photojournalist. This 1947 “Crime Photographer” episode put the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1940s, Casey, journalism, newspapers, photographer | Leave a comment

Clark Kent’s Nuclear Meltdown

Posted on May 24, 2014 by Bob Stepno

There isn’t a lot of journalism in the epic 39-part Atom Man vs. Superman radio story, but it did provide a glimpse of employee relations at the Daily Planet — when Clark Kent was twice suspected of having a mental … Continue reading →

Posted in 1940s, Clark Kent, editors, Lois Lane, Perry White, reporting, Superman, World War II | Leave a comment

Reporter had spunk, but soup-opera didn’t last long

Posted on April 24, 2014 by Bob Stepno

Jane Endicott, Reporter — premiere, January 5, 1942: https://ia600201.us.archive.org/7/items/Singles_And_Doubles_Singles_A-C/42-01-05xxxJaneEndicottReporter.mp3 I’ve had this short-lived series tucked away on my “Soaps and Romance” page, although these adventures of a young woman reporter are not a typical soap-opera or romance series with cliff-hanger … Continue reading →

Posted in 1940s, Drama, editors, ethics, journalism, women | Leave a comment

A young reporter’s ethical growing pains

Posted on April 10, 2014 by Bob Stepno

Listening to more of Mickey Rooney’s unsuccessful “Shorty Bell” series from 1948 — after reading obituaries and tributes to him this week — I can’t help wondering what the audience wanted from his radio newspaper-journalism vehicle: A lighter family-friendly “Andy … Continue reading →

Posted in 1940s, editors, ethics, newspapers, reporters, sports, stereotypes | Leave a comment

Mickey Rooney’s newspaper days — on radio

Posted on April 7, 2014 by Bob Stepno

Mickey Rooney, who died Sunday at 93, was most famous for playing scrappy, funny and musical young men in the 1930s and ’40s.His starring role in this spring 1948 radio drama didn’t have any “Hey kids, let’s put on a … Continue reading →

Posted in 1940s, newspapers, reporters, sports | Leave a comment

Classified ads become news

Posted on March 27, 2014 by Bob Stepno

Page one news wasn’t the only part of the newspaper to make it into radio dramas. This story begins in the back pages — the classified ad section. That’s where Lenore Case, secretary to the editor of The Daily Sentinel, … Continue reading →

Posted in 1940s, GreenHornet, newspapers | Leave a comment

More on radio-film adaptations – and a bit of Libel

Posted on March 11, 2014 by Bob Stepno

Just when I thought I had a nice round figure — 50 radio adaptations of Hollywood films about journalists — I discovered that two movies I had already written about weren’t on the master list, which includes quite a few I … Continue reading →

Posted in 1940s, adaptations, Europe, television | Leave a comment

Covering a war, start to finish, with a Soldier of the Press

Posted on February 20, 2014 by Bob Stepno

by Bob Stepno The Old Time Radio Researchers Group collection of the United Press radio drama “Soldiers of the Press” at the Internet Archive contains fewer than half the episodes of this World War II series, but so far the … Continue reading →

Posted in 1940s, foreign correspondents, Soldiers of the Press, true stories, United Press, World War II | Leave a comment

Little Orphan Annie in the newsroom

Posted on January 14, 2014 by Bob Stepno

Popular radio series characters of the 1930s, ’40s and ’50s often visited or were visited by newspaper reporters and editors. Little Orphan Annie, decades before her Broadway debut, paid a visit to a local editor on the occasion of her … Continue reading →

Posted in 1930s, adventure, children, comics, editors, local news | Leave a comment