On This Day in Radio
October 4th
55 episodes first aired on this date across 24 years of broadcasting.
1936
The year in radio: Radio covers the Berlin Olympics; broadcast journalism comes of age.
1937
The year in radio: The Shadow asks "Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men?"
1938
The year in radio: Orson Welles terrifies the nation with War of the Worlds.
1939
The year in radio: War clouds gather in Europe; Edward R. Murrow begins his London dispatches.
1940
The year in radio: America listens to the war from across the Atlantic, riveted.
1942
The year in radio: America at war — rationing begins, radios and morale kept high.
1943
The year in radio: War bond drives, V-discs, and overseas broadcasts unite the home front.
1944
The year in radio: D-Day coverage brings the war's turning point into every living room.
1945
The year in radio: Victory in Europe, then Japan. The nation celebrates over the airwaves.
1946
The year in radio: Soldiers come home; radio's golden age blazes at full intensity.
1947
The year in radio: The Cold War begins — suspense and espionage thrillers flood the schedule.
1948
The year in radio: Television appears in department store windows. Radio watches nervously.
1949
The year in radio: Post-war optimism surges; television arrives but radio fights back with quality.
1950
The year in radio: Korean War begins. Television spreads but radio drama is at its creative peak.
1951
The year in radio: I Love Lucy launches on TV — the competition turns serious.
1952
The year in radio: Half of American homes now have a television. Radio reinvents itself.
1953
The year in radio: The armistice in Korea; radio's finest detective dramas reign.
1954
The year in radio: Gunsmoke premieres — radio's adult western redefines the genre.
1955
The year in radio: Rock and roll explodes on AM radio; the medium finds a new identity.
1956
The year in radio: Elvis on radio changes pop culture; the golden age's end is near.
1959
The year in radio: The decade closes; golden age radio's final flourishes.
1976
The year in radio: The golden age is memory; the archive endures.
1978
The year in radio: The golden age is memory; the archive endures.
1982
The year in radio: The golden age is memory; the archive endures.
Episode air dates sourced from archive.org OTRR certified collections.