7 Reasons Why You Should Be Listening To Old Time Radio Shows

Are you sick of reality TV shows and the rest of the garbage that makes up the TV schedule these days?

Oh yes, there are still a few classics around such as CSI, but many people would agree that ninety per cent of what's on these days is hardly worth watching.

There is an alternative and it's one that has a lot of advantages over the square box in the corner of the room. This alternative is called old time radio and I'm going to give you seven reasons why you should switch of your large screen plasma TV and listen-up.

First let me quickly tell you what old time radio is.

Old time radio covers the period from the start of the 1930s through to the very early 1960s. It's often referred to as the "Golden Age of Radio". These were the decades when radio was the main medium of mass entertainment and when America led the way in creating some of the best, and most loved radio shows ever to have been broadcast.

Old time radio covers everything from classic drama like the Lux Radio Show through to spine-tingling thrillers like Orson Welles War of the World and The Shadow. You'll hear hilarious comedies like The Bob Hope Show and Fibber McGee & Molly and shows for children and the young at heart such as Superman and The Green Hornet.

You might be thinking "I'm too young for that kind of stuff" or maybe you're thinking "Okay, but where can I hear those classic broadcasts these days" well let me give you the "7 Reasons Why You Should Be Listening to Old Time Radio Shows".

Reason 1 - Great entertainment has a long shelf life

If old time radio shows were poor entertainment these shows wouldn't have stood the test of time. The fact that there are over 30,000 old time radio show recordings still in existence makes it, without doubt, one of the most well archived formats of entertainment of all time.

Reason 2 - Who needs more misery?

Isn't there enough misery in the world? Wars, famine, crime, corruption. Isn't it good to have a break from all this misery? Old time radio can provide you with that break. Just put on your headphones and escape to mysterious lands whenever you get the urge. It's got to be one of the best forms of escapism ever invented.

Reason 3 - It's not expensive?

For the price of a burger and fries you can enjoy hundred and hundreds of hours of classic radio shows. You can burn them to CD and listen in the car. You copy them onto your MP3 player and listen whilst you jog. You can enjoy the shows again and again whenever you like.

Reason 4 - No bad language

You can listen to old time radio shows for thousands of hours and the worst word you're likely to hear will be "darn". This is a medium that boasted some of the most talented writers in the world, many of whom went on to be best-selling authors or top script writers in Hollywood.

Reason 5 - Ideal for Children

Do you worry about what you are exposing your children to when they watch TV. Even shows that are supposed to be appropriate for youngsters seem to be full of innuendo or even inappropriate language. With old time radio show you don’t have to worry about what they might hear as the shows of this era adhered to far stricter ethical codes.

Reason 6 - Collecting old time radio shows is a great hobby

Not only are these shows great to listen to, but they're also great fun to collect. There are few things more satisfying than tracking down that final elusive episode that gives you the complete run of a series or uncovering a gem that few people have heard for half a century.

Reason 7 - Brush up on your history

Old radio shows are a wonderful way to learn more about history. Without making any effort you'll learn about everything from the Civil War right through to World War II. You'll hear news broadcasts covering events as they happened and even the advertisements will help you to learn about how different things were back in the middle of last century.

Well, that's seven great reasons why you should be listening to old time radio shows. It's a wonderful form of entertainment and more accessible today than it ever has been since its glory days.

So turn-off and tune-in today!

About the Author

Seth Corwin

The OTR FTP Server makes it really easy to get your hands on over 30,000 old time radio shows. You can download and be listening within just a few minutes from now by visiting http://www.otr-ftp-server.com.

Most Popular Radio Announcers

Remember the days when you used to be able to turn on the radio and not have to worry about what was going to come out of the announcer's mouth? Those days are long gone. Today, with celebrities link Howard Stern, nobody is safe from the trash talk dancing through the air waves. But there was a time when radio was really a class act and the announcers were as popular as the music they played.

There was probably no greater DJ team than the group put together by WABC Radio in New York. The station ultimately lost out to the AM-FM wars of the 1980s, but during its prime, WABC was the most popular radio station in the country and the jocks were household names that eventually went on to other things when the station changed over to talk radio.

The morning started with Harry Harrison. Coffee and music was his trademark. Harry had a pleasant voice and was very easy to listen to. He wasn't the most interesting of the WABC jocks but he always made you feel at home. Harrison could be heard from 6 to 10 every morning for over 15 years. His spot in the lineup was the springboard for what was to follow.

From 10 AM to 2 PM was Ron Lundy. Lundy was the fat jolly fellow who always started his broadcast day with a "good morning love" to his audience. Lundy had a more bubbly personality and voice than Harrison, but was still rather reserved in comparison to the man who would follow him at 2 PM.

At 2 PM everyday nobody knew what to expect. The man behind the mic was as unpredictable as the weather. His name was Dan Ingram, who also did many voice-overs for TV commercials and many of the WABC commercials as well. Ingram was without a doubt the most colorful DJ that WABC ever had. He was as outrageous as you could get without having to resort to off color humor. One afternoon he would preface each record he played with the intro to a James Brown song, "Make It Funky" where the song starts out with Brown asking his friend, "Bobby, what you wanna play now?" The answer was, "Whatever we play, we got to make it funky". And then they would count off and just at the end of the count off Ingram would put on whatever song he decided to play. Dan Ingram was so far ahead of his time. And he was the perfect lead in for the man who counted down the top 20 every Tuesday.

Bruce Morrow was called Cousin Brucie. He WAS the voice of WABC radio and his shows, which ran for almost 20 years were the highlight of the WABC broadcast day. He had the largest listening audience of any show in the New York area. The advertising spent during his 4 hours from 6 PM to 10 PM was astronomical for the time. Bruce Morrow was the dessert after a main course that was the best that radio had to offer.

Today, WABC is just a memory. But if you look it up on the Internet, you will see many sites dedicated to this once great radio station and the great DJs who graced their air waves.

Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Arts