1937 in radio
Encyclopedia
The year 1937 saw a number of significant events in radio broadcasting.
Events
- 9 March: Fireside chatFireside chatsThe fireside chats were a series of thirty evening radio addresses given by United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt between 1933 and 1944.-Origin of radio address:...
: On the Reorganization of the JudiciaryJudiciary Reorganization Bill of 1937The Judicial Procedures Reform Bill of 1937, frequently called the court-packing plan, was a legislative initiative proposed by U.S. President Franklin Roosevelt to add more justices to the U.S. Supreme Court. Roosevelt's purpose was to obtain favorable rulings regarding New Deal legislation that...
. - 14 March: The beginning of the Jack BennyJack BennyJack Benny was an American comedian, vaudevillian, and actor for radio, television, and film...
- Fred AllenFred AllenFred Allen was an American comedian whose absurdist, topically pointed radio show made him one of the most popular and forward-looking humorists in the so-called classic era of American radio.His best-remembered gag was his long-running mock feud with friend and fellow comedian Jack Benny, but it...
12-year "feud" begins, when both comedians participate in "The Battle of the Century" at the Hotel Pierre. - 6 May: The Hindenberg disaster takes place in Lakehurst, New JerseyLakehurst, New JerseyLakehurst is a Borough in Ocean County, New Jersey, United States. As of the United States 2010 Census, the borough population was 2,654.Lakehurst was incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on April 7, 1921, from portions of Manchester Township, based on the results of a...
. Herbert MorrisonHerbert Morrison (announcer)Herbert Morrison was an American radio reporter best known for his dramatic report of the Hindenburg disaster, a catastrophic fire that destroyed the LZ 129 Hindenburg zeppelin on May 6, 1937, killing 36 people.-Hindenburg disaster:...
was assigned by NBC Red affiliate WLS (AM)WLS (AM)WLS is a Chicago clear-channel AM station on 890 kHz. It uses C-QUAM AM stereo and transmits with 50,000 watts from transmitter and towers on the south edge of Tinley Park, Illinois....
in Chicago to cover the event; as he had no ability to broadcast the landing of the zeppelin live, he and his engineer decided to record it as an experiment. The ensuing transcription (including the now-famous "Oh, the humanity" idiom) aired on the NBC Red NetworkNBC Red NetworkThe NBC Red Network was one of the two original radio networks of the National Broadcasting Company. After NBC was required to divest itself of its Blue Network , the Red Network continued as the NBC Radio Network.It, along with the Blue Network, were the first two commercial radio networks in the...
the next day, a first for the network given that NBC's policy at the time forbade the use of prerecorded news actualities. - 12 October: Fireside chatFireside chatsThe fireside chats were a series of thirty evening radio addresses given by United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt between 1933 and 1944.-Origin of radio address:...
: On Legislation to be Recommended to the Extraordinary Session of the Congress. - 14 November: Fireside chatFireside chatsThe fireside chats were a series of thirty evening radio addresses given by United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt between 1933 and 1944.-Origin of radio address:...
: On the Unemployment Census. - 12 December: Mae WestMae WestMae West was an American actress, playwright, screenwriter and sex symbol whose entertainment career spanned seven decades....
makes a risqué guest appearance on The Chase and Sanborn HourThe Chase and Sanborn HourThe Chase and Sanborn Hour was the umbrella title for a series of US comedy and variety radio shows, sponsored by Standard Brands' Chase and Sanborn Coffee, usually airing Sundays on NBC from 8pm to 9pm during the years 1929 to 1948....
that eventually results in her being banned from radio.
Debuts
- 18 January: Aunt Jenny’s Real Life StoriesAunt Jenny’s Real Life StoriesAunt Jenny’s Real Life Stories was a 15-minute radio soap opera which aired from January 18, 1937 to November 16, 1956 on CBS, sponsored by Spry shortening...
(1937–1956) debuts on CBSCBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
. - 25 January: The Guiding Light (1937–1952) debuts on NBC Red. In June 1952, this series spawned a television version of the same name.
- 1 February: First broadcast of the Swedish radioSveriges RadioSveriges Radio AB – Swedish Radio Ltd – is Sweden's national publicly funded radio broadcaster. The Swedish public-broadcasting system is in many respects modelled after the one used in the United Kingdom, and Sveriges Radio - like Sveriges Television - shares many characteristics with...
programme Dagens dikt ("Poem of the day"), still on the air six days a week. - 29 March: Our Gal SundayOur Gal SundayOur Gal Sunday was an American soap opera produced by Frank and Anne Hummert and heard on CBS from 1937 to 1959.The origin of this radio series was a 1904 Broadway production, Sunday, which starred Ethel Barrymore...
(1937–1959) debuts on CBSCBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
. - 1 October: First Dagens EkoDagens EkoDagens Eko – often shortened to Ekot – is the news service of Swedish national radio broadcaster Sveriges Radio. It provides news bulletins of variable length which are known as Ekonyheter and broadcast at the top of most hours on the P1 and P4 networks...
news broadcast on Swedish radioSveriges RadioSveriges Radio AB – Swedish Radio Ltd – is Sweden's national publicly funded radio broadcaster. The Swedish public-broadcasting system is in many respects modelled after the one used in the United Kingdom, and Sveriges Radio - like Sveriges Television - shares many characteristics with...
. - 19 October: Big TownBig TownBig Town is a popular long-running radio drama series which was later adapted to both film and television and a comic book published by DC Comics.-Radio:...
debuts on CBSCBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
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Births
- December 18 - Frankie CrockerFrankie CrockerFrankie "Hollywood" Crocker was a famous New York radio DJ...
(d. 20002000 in radioThe year 2000 in radio involved some significant events.-Events:*The Real Radio & Century Radio networks become active on - air, through the United Kingdom....
), famous New York CityNew York CityNew York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
radio disc jockeyDisc jockeyA disc jockey, also known as DJ, is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience. Originally, "disc" referred to phonograph records, not the later Compact Discs. Today, the term includes all forms of music playback, no matter the medium.There are several types of disc jockeys...
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