subject: "Old Time Radio" is a misnomer? [print this page] "Old Time Radio" is a misnomer? "Old Time Radio" is a misnomer?
After laboring for months to launch our new station, now as I watch this grand ship starting out on its maiden voyage, it occurs to me that the category phrase "Old Time Radio" may be a complete misnomer.
In the great span of history and from the perspective of many historians, the occurrences of the 30s, 40s are in close proximity with current events. Indeed, when one takes the time to listen past the superficial of any given OTR show, one realizes that much of the entertainment is just as contemporary today as it was in the so-called golden age of radio.
Today we go through periods of boom and bust just as we did 60+ years ago. Armed conflict and political intrigue continue to dominate the headlines. Crime and heroism, the passions of love and the promise of science run at cross currents through our daily lives just as is did in those recent times. But what our parents and grandparents had as a major cultural focal point was RADIO. In that era this focal point probably moved the culture forward as had no other before, or since. Indeed, advancements in communication networks seem to always be in parallel with the advancements of civilization itself.
And now that we have the internet and the world wide web, what place does the radio actor, director and script writer have in our culture today?
The answer to that question may be discovered with the realization that radio plays exclusively on the stage of the inner self. When education and entertainment is orchestrated by the medium of radio one realizes that there are no boundaries, no moments too intimate, no love more profound, no fear more intense, no aspirations more true. It's primarily up to you as to how the scenery is painted, where the camera is positioned, how the lighting is set, how the actors are put into motion. In this unique medium of radio theater nothing is framed and pictured for you. The special effects are driven by your own unique personal experience. Therefore I submit to you that radio is a mass entertainment medium which is more up-close-and-personal than any other. Within the medium of radio the drama plays out within YOU. This is perhaps second only to delving in to a really good book. With radio as with literature, it is undeniable that the stage klieg lights are powered by the electricity of your imagination.
As my partner and I continue to prepare and program very best performances for our new radio station, the question occurs to me from time to time - Is Old Time Radio just another dusty artifact from our cultural heritage, or was it just the beginning of something, the full force of which has yet to be realized?
Joseph Maas, station founder - 20thCenturyRadio.com
