Category Archives: true stories

Arsenic and Old Headlines

Posted on September 1, 2012 by Bob Stepno

As a former reporter for The Hartford Courant, I was intrigued to find a Courant story from long ago among episodes of the radio series “The Big Story,” and just had to track down the original criminal investigation. The broadcast … Continue reading →

Posted in 1900s, 1940s, movies, newspapers, The Big Story, true stories | Leave a comment

More police-press cooperation: “Here, take the gun…”

Posted on August 23, 2012 by Bob Stepno

“Here, take the gun; cover me…” — detective to journalist That’s not a sentence most newspaper reporters ever hear from a police officer, but it’s part of the dialogue from the thrilling conclusion of this week’s episode of “The Big … Continue reading →

Posted in 1940s, 1950s, crime, Lois Lane, reporters, The Big Story, true stories | Leave a comment

Police-press cooperation: “You got a gun?”

Posted on August 18, 2012 by Bob Stepno

After a rather long preamble, you’ll find an episode below from “The Big Story,” a radio series that sometimes sounded like a “reporter-cop buddy movie.” (Actually, I don’t think such a genre ever existed on film, except when the reporter … Continue reading →

Posted in 1940s, 1950s, crime, newspapers, Police, reporters, The Big Story, United Press, wire services | 3 Comments

Journalist Carried a Torch for Lighthouse Keeper

Posted on June 11, 2012 by Bob Stepno

by Bob Stepno “The Woman on Lime Rock” No, this isn’t  about Pulitzer’s World campaigning to build a pedestal for the Statue of Liberty. It’s about a reporter for the competing New York Herald who, at least according to this … Continue reading →

Posted in 1940s, 19th century, reporters, true stories | 1 Comment

Pacific Action with Soldiers of the Press

Posted on June 6, 2012 by Bob Stepno

William Tyree was already in Hawaii as a United Press reporter when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor. In this “Soldiers of the Press” episode a year later, he recalls being talked out of his first impulse after the attack — … Continue reading →

Posted in 1940s, foreign correspondents, true stories, World War II | Leave a comment

Approaching D-Day with Soldiers of the Press

Posted on June 4, 2012 by Bob Stepno

For June 6 last year, I pulled out a D-Day story from Soldiers of the Press along with the archived radio of actual newscasts and more than a dozen related links, including several about then United Press correspondent Walter Cronkite. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1940s, foreign correspondents, reporters, true stories, Walter Cronkite, World War II | Leave a comment

What’s a ‘batch-i-naylian orgy’? Ask Abby

Posted on March 6, 2012 by Bob Stepno

About half-way through this Cavalcade of America radio profile, a libelous attack on suffragist newspaper publisher Abigail Scott Duniway sends her off to the dictionary to find out more about the lies a competing newspaper has been telling about her. … Continue reading →

Posted in 1940s, 19th century, cavalcade, editors, historical figures, true stories, women | Leave a comment

Postmodern radio with Wendy Warren and the News

Posted on August 27, 2011 by Bob Stepno

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!

Posted on August 20, 2011 by Bob Stepno

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 →

Posted in journalism, radio, true stories | Leave a comment

Radio adds Front Page Drama to small-town news

Posted on July 23, 2011 by Bob Stepno

Here’s one from the journalist’s “be careful what you wish for” department. Rand’s Esoteric OTR‘s collection of Front Page Drama episodes captures a 1930s-50s radio show that was a fascinating crossover between radio, newspapers and public relations. The program in … Continue reading →

Posted in Hearst, reporters, true stories, women | Leave a comment