Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 29:33 — 6.8MB)
Graham MacNamee hosts a look behind the scenes of classic radio. Among the featured segments is a profile of the popular show Sundown on the Veldt, where its South African star shares the story of a chance encounter with a Zulu man on the streets of London that led to a radio feature and a bit of matchmaking.
The episode also explores fascinating radio oddities and bloopers:
- A broadcast executive hired an elevator man purely for the quality of his voice, only for a lack of reading skills to cause an on-air blooper.
- In the era of telephone-wire transmission, a crossed circuit accidentally broadcast a bickering husband and wife’s heated private words to listeners.
Well-known sportscaster Bill Stern shares how sports events are delivered so quickly and accurately into listeners’ homes, highlighting the intricate teamwork between players, coaches, and broadcasters—and even the marching band’s song choices. However, Stern was equally notorious for fabricating vivid, completely untrue details for dramatic flair.
The broadcast also revisits the long-forgotten Maxwell House Showboat, bringing back beloved stars for a brief musical performance, followed by listener mail answered by Betty Koppley on topics ranging from remote baseball broadcasting to joke-writing and National Anthem regulations. Finally, a dramatic reenactment highlights a real-life maritime rescue where Morse code, sheer willpower, and fast-flying airplanes saved lives in a medical emergency at sea.
