"The
Golden Age of Radio"
and
"A One Night Stand with the Big Bands"
Additional Features (Updated 5/6/08)
and
"A One Night Stand with the Big Bands"
Additional Features (Updated 5/6/08)
Contact "Golden Age of Radio"
You're
the
Visitor to this site
Visitor to this site
| We
have all 89
"Golden Age of Radio" shows, and 43 "One Night Stand with
the Big Bands." In addition, we have lots of extras, and are adding to
them often. Just click on the links above, turn down the lights,
and enjoy the shows. And check back often for more new features. Your letters! Feel free to email us and we'll publish your comments and photos. |
 "Golden Age of Radio" Hosts Dick Bertel and Ed Corcoran The
Golden Age of Radio
was the creation of WTIC personality Dick Bertel
and radio
collector-historian Ed Corcoran, and was first broadcast in April of
1970. For the next seven years the program featured interviews with
radio actors, writers, producers, engineers and musicians
from
radio's early days.
In
addition, each show
featured excerpts
from Ed's
collection. Fortunately, these programs have been preserved, capturing
for future generations the history of this vital medium during its
formative years.
Dick Bertel left WTIC in the 1970's and began a second career at The Voice of America in Washington, DC, where he was their Executive Producer. In the early 1990's he spent two years in Munich, Germany, heading up their VOA-Europe bureau. He returned to Washington to create the worldwide English program, "Talk to America," a call-in show heard around the world. He recently retired from VOA. and now resides in Virginia. "The
Golden Age of Radio,"
originally
broadcast on WTIC, Hartford, CT, can now be
heard every
Saturday night on
Walden Hughes's program on http://www.yesterdayusa.com/
Walden's
show is also heard
in hospitals,
nursing homes, and on select
satellite
systems.
Listen
to "The
Golden
Age of Radio" |
 "One Night
Stand"
Host Arnold Dean Arnold
Dean
began
his love
affair with the big band
era in
his pre-teen years and his decision to study the clarinet was inspired
by the style of Artie Shaw. When he joined WTIC in 1965 he
hosted
a
daily program of big band music. In 1970, encouraged by the
success of
his daily program and The Golden Age of Radio series, he began monthly
shows featuring interviews with the band leaders, sidemen, agents, jazz
reporters, etc. who made major contributions to one of the great eras
of music history. Arnold is one
of the
few
who
are still heard on WTIC.
He has been a member of the WTIC family since July 1965 and in July 2007, he will celebrate his 59th Anniversary in broadcasting. The series concentrated on the 1936-1946 period, the great decade for the big bands. However he also traced the history of jazz through 20's and into the 70's. During those programs Arnold frequently played recordings from his own collection which he describes as "small but selective". Recently Arnold was featured on a Channel 3 (Hartford) special. Here's that interview. Listen to "A One Night Stand with the Big Bands" |
| In
the 1970's, with
declining
listenership at night, WTIC in Hartford, CT, determined that there was
a
market for long-form shows that could be packaged and sold
to sponsors. Dick Bertel proposed "The Golden
Age of Radio" and Arnold Dean suggested "A One
Night
Stand with the Big Bands." WTIC management accepted the ideas, and in
1970 the programs debuted. The original series were produced by Brian Hartnett, recorded and edited by Bob Scherago, Sam Balnius, David Kaplan, Dick Zwirko, Dick French, Ben Zinkerman, Fred Pearson, Ted Brassard, and others. Re-edited and remastered by Bob Scherago, who is also the webmaster. |