Category Archives: journalism

Spring Break Superman Double Double-Feature

This week, four episodes of “Professor Thorpe’s Bathysphere,” transported from the fall of 1940 for your March 2012 spring-break entertainment. 5: Sept. 4, 1940 6: Sept. 6, 1940 7: Sept. 9, 1940 8: Sept. 11, 1940 On the radio, America’s … Continue reading

Posted in 1940s, adventure, Clark Kent, journalism, newspaper stunts, newspapers, Perry White, reporters, science reporting, Superman | Leave a comment

Emotional woes and courage of a newspaper family

“Bad enough to give up something that’s meant your whole life, running a newspaper, but when I can’t even get a copy of it to read!” — Bob Drake, publisher No wonder publisher Bob Drake has a temper tantrum when … Continue reading

Posted in 1930s, 1940s, editors, journalism, publishers, romance, soap opera, women | Leave a comment

Wasp and Hornet — Journalistic Vigilantes

It’s been a year since Seth Rogen’s “Green Hornet” movie did its violence to the legend of the old radio hero by that name, whose newspaperman secret identity might have been portrayed as more of a role model for journalism … Continue reading

Posted in 1940s, crime, ethics, GreenHornet, journalism, movies, novels | Leave a comment

Veteran and reporter confront issues of peace and war

The Internet Archive copy of this “Judgement Day” episode of “Douglas of the World” spells “judgment” with the central “e,” British style, which is appropriately international. The archive and the script itself identify this as the last show of the … Continue reading

Posted in 1950s, cold war, foreign correspondents, international, journalism, newspapers, reporters | Leave a comment

Eerie control of the press hits small midwestern town

This “Rogers of the Gazette” episode from January 1954, titled “Something’s Going On,” has a terrible pun in the first line and a hint of “Invasion of the Body Snatchers” terror in the plot. (Of course, given that it’s “Rogers … Continue reading

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Editor’s New Year Help from Investigative Twins

From Dec. 30, 1953, here’s what was regularly billed as “another heartwarming story of a country newspaper and its friendly editor.” The series is “Rogers of the Gazette,” starring Will Rogers Jr. This episode starts with the editor giving a … Continue reading

Posted in 1950s, editors, ethics, journalism, local news, newspapers, reporters, teaching | Leave a comment

Radio Christmas in Connecticut

It isn’t quite Christmas, and I’m far from Connecticut. (Yes, Santa, I’m in Virginia.) And the Martha Stewart or Gladys Taber style feel-good food-and-home magazine feature writing celebrated in the 1945 film “Christmas in Connecticut” doesn’t really match my “Newspaper … Continue reading

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Reporting from a war zone — in Montana

The opening of this “Frontier Gentleman” radio drama from 1958 sounds appropriately like a lead sentence for a newspaper feature story: “The great chief of the Sioux Indians is Sitting Bull. He’s a rather difficult chap to meet, especially when … Continue reading

Posted in 19th century, foreign correspondents, historical figures, journalism, newspapers, reporters | Leave a comment

Postmodern radio with Wendy Warren and the News

When I wrote the original version of this page, I’d only heard this one 1949 episode of “Wendy Warren and the News,” but it captured the series’ unique style. Wendy Warren was a fictional noontime newscaster who shared the opening … Continue reading

Posted in 1940s, 1950s, journalism, radio, reporters, true stories | 6 Comments

National Radio Day!

While this site, blog, podcast etc. is mostly about radio of the past, I just noticed that this Saturday is National Radio Day… a good reminder to visit TODAY’s radio news broadcasters and programmers who value the storytelling power of … Continue reading

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