Real Radio
My daddy told me that just before I was
born in 1933, Mr. Doc Tinsley bought the first radio in the
area. No one knew what a radio was and it was rumored that
Doc Tinsley had a device that enabled him to hear people
talking at a distance. Not understanding exactly what this
meant, everyone in the community was careful not to say
anything bad about Mr. Tinsley.
The first radio that my family owned was a small table top
model. It required an aerial that ran twenty or so feet
outside the house. It stayed on most of the day and into
the night until bedtime. Later we bought a Firestone floor
model. This was like a piece of furniture. It was almost as
large as today’s television console. It had a built-in
aerial, push button dialing, and an alternate short wave
mode. At this time FM technology was not available and all
stations broadcast on AM frequencies. We could only receive
Atlanta stations like WSB, WAGA, WATL, and WGST in the
daytime, but at night we could also listen to WSM in
Nashville, WCKY in Cincinnati and a few other “clear
channel” stations. Clear channel meant that no other
station in the nation could broadcast on that station’s
frequency. Since radio signals travel farther at night, a
station designated as “clear channel” could be heard at
night in many surrounding states.
I remember always listening to the “Morning Merry-Go-Round”
while we ate breakfast. This program, broadcast by WSB from
the Biltmore Hotel in Atlanta, was a mixture of news,
music, and emcee chatter by Hank Penny the host. Another
favorite was Frankie and Johnnie, the “Side Walk Snoopers.”
They interviewed people on Peachtree Street in front of
Lowes Grand Theater in Atlanta each day around noon. Their
program was live and often we’d hear people we knew from
Fayetteville being interviewed. There were “soaps” on radio
too. Mother’s favorites were “Stella Dallas”, “Ma Perkins”
and “Pepper Young’s Family.” The night time programs were
the ones we enjoyed most. “Mr. District Attorney” , “Baby
Snooks” and “Henry Allridge” were among my favorites. Daddy
enjoyed “Lum and Abner”, “Amos and Andy”, and “Fibber McGee
and Molly”.
If I could get home and study my lessons before four
o’clock, I could listen to a series of fifteen minute
serial programs designed for youngsters. There were “Terry
and the Pirates”, “Dick Tracy”, “Jack Armstrong”, “The Lone
Ranger”, “Little Orphan Annie” and some others that I can’t
remember. By sending in the wrapper from a loaf of Merita
Bread I joined the Lone Ranger’s Club; and with the seal
from a jar of Ovaltine and twenty-five cents I became a
member of the Little Orphan Annie’s Club and received a
decoder badge. These programs were probably not as
educational as “Sesame Street” or “Mr. Rogers” but they
were a lot of fun and I enjoyed them.
Now days I watch a lot of television, but the pictures I
saw on radio were much more interesting.