The 40s on 4
Encyclopedia
'40s on 4 is a commercial-free music channel on the Sirius XM Radio platform, broadcasting on both XM
and Sirius
channel 4 as well as Dish Network
channel 6004. (DirecTV
formerly carried the channel as well, but as of February 9, 2010 had dropped Sirius XM programming in favor of SonicTap). The channel mostly plays big band
, swing, and hit parade
music from 1936 to 1949, with occasional songs from the early 1950s.
The channel often bills itself as "The Savoy Express on Track #4", a reference to the passenger train travel common in the 1940s. The original "Station Master" (Program Director) for the channel was Marlin Taylor, with Bob Moke as Music Director. Both have since departed, and the channel is currently programmed by Human Newman.
Around Thanksgiving
and Christmastime
, '40s on 4 would be pre-empted for Holiday Traditions, a seasonal format devoted to popular Christmas music
from the 1940s to the 1960s. From November 16-December 25, 2009
, the channel was pre-empted for Holiday Traditions. In 2010
, the channel was again pre-empted for Holiday Traditions, this time starting November 15 and extending through January 1, 2011.
Similar to the other XM decades channels prior to the 2008 merger with Sirius, the '40s channel was originally programmed to recreate the feeling of its time period. They were able to do this through big band/swing music, recreated newscasts (in which fictional reporter "Ed Baxter", voiced by Bill Schmalfeldt, would report on a given day's top stories in a year from 1936 to 1949 as if they were current events), countdowns of the top three hit songs from the current week in a year from 1936–1949, World War II–era patriotic songs, Spike Jones
joke novelty recordings, and such features as the Record Museum, which played tracks from the 1920s and early to mid-1930s. During Academy Award season, Bob Moke would regularly introduce and play all of the Academy-Award nominated songs for a particular year between 1936 and 1949.
Other past programs on the channel included Harmony Square, a one-hour presentation of barbershop music
that aired on Sunday afternoons and evenings; Big Band Jump, a syndicated weekly program hosted by Don Kennedy that specialized in Big Band music and the stories behind it; and a weekly program devoted to vintage Bing Crosby
radio shows such as Philco Radio Time and Kraft Music Hall
.
The channel was also used for XM's annual pop music chronology, IT
, from 2002 to 2007.
As of August 2011, Jonathan Schwartz
, formerly of XM's High Standards
and Siriusly Sinatra channels, can be heard daily on '40s on 4.
XM Satellite Radio
XM Satellite Radio is one of two satellite radio services in the United States and Canada, operated by Sirius XM Radio. It provides pay-for-service radio, analogous to cable television. Its service includes 73 different music channels, 39 news, sports, talk and entertainment channels, 21 regional...
and Sirius
Sirius Satellite Radio
Sirius Satellite Radio is a satellite radio service operating in North America, owned by Sirius XM Radio.Headquartered in New York City, with smaller studios in Los Angeles and Memphis, Sirius was officially launched on July 1, 2002 and currently provides 69 streams of music and 65 streams of...
channel 4 as well as Dish Network
Dish Network
Dish Network Corporation is the second largest pay TV provider in the United States, providing direct broadcast satellite service—including satellite television, audio programming, and interactive television services—to 14.337 million commercial and residential customers in the United States. Dish...
channel 6004. (DirecTV
DirecTV
DirecTV is an American direct broadcast satellite service provider and broadcaster based in El Segundo, California. Its satellite service, launched on June 17, 1994, transmits digital satellite television and audio to households in the United States, Latin America, and the Anglophone Caribbean. ...
formerly carried the channel as well, but as of February 9, 2010 had dropped Sirius XM programming in favor of SonicTap). The channel mostly plays big band
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
, swing, and hit parade
Hit parade
A hit parade is a ranked list of the most popular recordings at a given point in time, usually determined by sales and/or airplay. The term originated in the 1930s; Billboard magazine published its first music hit parade on January 4, 1936...
music from 1936 to 1949, with occasional songs from the early 1950s.
The channel often bills itself as "The Savoy Express on Track #4", a reference to the passenger train travel common in the 1940s. The original "Station Master" (Program Director) for the channel was Marlin Taylor, with Bob Moke as Music Director. Both have since departed, and the channel is currently programmed by Human Newman.
Around Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Day is a holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Thanksgiving is celebrated each year on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. In Canada, Thanksgiving falls on the same day as Columbus Day in the...
and Christmastime
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
, '40s on 4 would be pre-empted for Holiday Traditions, a seasonal format devoted to popular Christmas music
Christmas music
Christmas music comprises a variety of genres of music normally performed or heard around the Christmas season, which tends to begin in the months leading up the actual holiday and end in the weeks shortly thereafter.-Early:...
from the 1940s to the 1960s. From November 16-December 25, 2009
2009 in radio
The following events occurred in radio in 2009.- Events :* January 1: Kurdish TV starts broadcasting in Turkey.* January: Michael Smerconish, morning host at talk radio WPHT Philadelphia, begins syndication of his morning show to WHFS in Washington and WOR in New York City.* January 17: Two well...
, the channel was pre-empted for Holiday Traditions. In 2010
2010 in radio
The following events occurred in radio in 2010.-Events:*Date Unknown: CHOI/Quebec City flips from Alternative Rock to News/Talk.*January 4: KJCS/Lufkin, Texas goes silent....
, the channel was again pre-empted for Holiday Traditions, this time starting November 15 and extending through January 1, 2011.
Similar to the other XM decades channels prior to the 2008 merger with Sirius, the '40s channel was originally programmed to recreate the feeling of its time period. They were able to do this through big band/swing music, recreated newscasts (in which fictional reporter "Ed Baxter", voiced by Bill Schmalfeldt, would report on a given day's top stories in a year from 1936 to 1949 as if they were current events), countdowns of the top three hit songs from the current week in a year from 1936–1949, World War II–era patriotic songs, Spike Jones
Spike Jones
Mel Blanc, the voice of Bugs Bunny and other Warner Brothers cartoon characters, performed a drunken, hiccuping verse for 1942's "Clink! Clink! Another Drink"...
joke novelty recordings, and such features as the Record Museum, which played tracks from the 1920s and early to mid-1930s. During Academy Award season, Bob Moke would regularly introduce and play all of the Academy-Award nominated songs for a particular year between 1936 and 1949.
Other past programs on the channel included Harmony Square, a one-hour presentation of barbershop music
Barbershop music
Barbershop vocal harmony, as codified during the barbershop revival era , is a style of a cappella, or unaccompanied vocal music characterized by consonant four-part chords for every melody note in a predominantly homophonic texture...
that aired on Sunday afternoons and evenings; Big Band Jump, a syndicated weekly program hosted by Don Kennedy that specialized in Big Band music and the stories behind it; and a weekly program devoted to vintage Bing Crosby
Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby was an American singer and actor. Crosby's trademark bass-baritone voice made him one of the best-selling recording artists of the 20th century, with over half a billion records in circulation....
radio shows such as Philco Radio Time and Kraft Music Hall
Kraft Music Hall
The Kraft Music Hall was a popular variety program, featuring top show business entertainers, which aired on NBC radio and television from 1933 to 1971....
.
The channel was also used for XM's annual pop music chronology, IT
IT (XM)
"IT: The History of Pop Music" is the name of a special program that XM Satellite Radio aired annually from 2002 to 2007, in which a majority of charted pop songs from the 1930s to the 2000s were aired in chronological order on seven of the platform's channels...
, from 2002 to 2007.
As of August 2011, Jonathan Schwartz
Jonathan Schwartz (radio)
Jonathan Schwartz is an American radio personality, known for his devotion to traditional pop music.Schwartz worked at New York's WNEW-FM from 1967 to 1976, followed by stints at WNEW-AM, WQEW, and currently WNYC-FM...
, formerly of XM's High Standards
High Standards (XM)
High Standards, originally called Frank's Place, was a music channel on XM Satellite Radio offering a pop standards format. Its program director and on-air voice was Jonathan Schwartz, while the music director was Buddy Ladd....
and Siriusly Sinatra channels, can be heard daily on '40s on 4.