1941 in radio
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The year 1941 saw a number of significant happenings in radio broadcasting history.
Events
- 1 January - Federal Communications Commission approval of commercial FM radio takes effect.[1]
- 27 May – Fireside chat: Announcing Unlimited National Emergency (longest fireside chat).
- 3 July – Premier Joseph Stalin makes his first radio broadcast to the Soviet people following Nazi Germany's invasion of the Soviet Union.
- 6 August – C. S. Lewis begins a series of BBC Radio broadcasts that will be adapted as Mere Christianity.[2]
- 11 September – Fireside chat: On Maintaining Freedom of the Seas following the Greer Incident.
- 7 December – At 2:26 p.m. EST (19:26 GMT), the Mutual Broadcasting System interrupts its play-by-play commentary on the New York Giants/Brooklyn Dodgers NFL game to announce the attack on Pearl Harbor. At around the same time, NBC Red breaks into Sammy Kaye's musical program, NBC Blue suspends National Vespers, and CBS Radio interrupts a concert by the New York Philharmonic.
- 8 December – The President of the United States, Franklin D. Roosevelt, delivers the Presidential Address to Congress of December 8, 1941, commonly referred to as the "Infamy Speech" to a Joint Session of Congress at 12:30 p.m. EST (17:30 GMT). Transmitted live over all four major American radio networks, it attracts the largest audience ever measured for an American radio broadcast, with over 81 percent of homes tuning in.[3]
- 9 December – Fireside chat: On the Declaration of War with Japan.
Debuts
- (undated) - Harold Teen debuts on Mutual. [4]
- 2 January - City Desk debuts on CBS.[5]
- 7 January – Inner Sanctum Mysteries (1941–1952) debuts on the NBC Blue Network.[1]
- 1 March – W47NV starts operations as the first commercial FM radio station.
- 1 March – Duffy's Tavern debuts on CBS.
- 5 March - Author's Playhouse debuts on NBC.[5]
- 28 March – Hollywood Premiere, hosted by Louella Parsons, debuts on CBS.
- 7 April - The Amazing Mr. Smith debuts on Mutual.[5]
- 13 April - Bulldog Drummond debuts on Mutual.[5]
- 30 April - WLAG, La Grange, Georgia, began broadcasting at 1240 kHz.[6]
- 26 May - Buck Private and His Girl debuts on NBC.[5]
- 31 May - Stars over Hollywood debuts on CBS.[5]
- 26 June - WINC signs on in Winchester, Virginia, operating on 1400 AM.[7][8]
- 2 July - The Adventures of the Thin Man debuts on NBC.[5]
- 4 July - Claudia and David (radio program) debuts on CBS.[5]
- 18 July - The Avenger debuts on WHN in New York City.[5]
- 25 August - Bright Horizon debuts on CBS[5]
- 31 August – The Great Gildersleeve debuts on the NBC Red Network.
- 22 September - Helpmate debuts on NBC.[5]
- 28 September - Captain Flagg and Sergeant Quirt debuts on the Blue Network.wpota
- 4 October - The Armstrong Theater of Today debuts on CBS.[5]
- 22 October - The American Melody Hour debuts on the Blue Network.[5]
- 31 December - Anchors Aweigh debuts on Mutual.[5]
- Undated – WFMF commences operations as an FM counterpart to WJBO at 98.1 Mc/s. Eventually WDGL would sign on in 1968 and take over the 98.1 frequency, forcing WFMF to change its frequency to 102.5.
- Undated – WFCI signs on from Pawtucket, Rhode Island. There was an earlier WFCI owned by the same company which signed on in April 1927.
Closings
Programs
- 17 January - Charlie and Jessie ends its run on network radio (CBS).[5]
- 10 April - The Ask-It Basket ends its run on network radio (CBS).[5]
- 30 June - The Amazing Mr. Smith ends its run on network radio (Mutual).[5]
- 22 August - Buck Private and His Girl ends its run on network radio (NBC).[5]
- 26 September - By Kathleen Norris ends its run on network radio (CBS).[5]
- 26 September - Claudia and David (radio program) ends its run on network radio (CBS).[5]
- 27 September - City Desk ends its run on network radio (CBS).[5]
Stations
- 28 March - KYAN, Cheyenne, Wyoming, ended broadcast operations, selling its transmitter site and tower to KFBC, Cheyenne.[9]
Births
- 2 April – Dr. Demento, American radio disc jockey specializing in novelty songs and pop music parodies.
- 24 May – Bob Dylan, American singer-songwriter, author, musician, poet and, of late, disc jockey who has been a major figure in popular music for five decades.
- July – Gary Burbank, longtime American radio personality on WLW in Cincinnati, Ohio.
- 4 August – Martin Jarvis, English voice and stage actor.
References
- ^ a b Cox, Jim (2008). This Day in Network Radio: A Daily Calendar of Births, Debuts, Cancellations and Other Events in Broadcasting History. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-3848-8. P. 5.
- ^ Perry, Mike W. (1998-07-01). "Publication History of C. S. Lewis's Mere Christianity". C. S. Lewis Web. Retrieved 2013-12-02.
- ^ Robert J. Brown, Manipulating the Ether: The Power of Broadcast Radio in Thirties America, pp. 117–120. McFarland & Company, 1998. ISBN 0-7864-2066-9
- ^ Sies, Luther F. (2014). Encyclopedia of American Radio, 1920-1960, 2nd Edition. McFarland & Company, Inc. ISBN 978-0-7864-5149-4. Pp. 145-146.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u Dunning, John. (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3.
- ^ "WLAG, in La Grange, Ga. Makes Its Formal Debut" (PDF). Broadcasting. May 12, 1941. Retrieved 26 September 2014.
- ^ Broadcasting (PDF). Broadcasting Publications. July 21, 1941. p. 31. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
- ^ Castiglia, Onofrio (June 25, 2016). "Local radio station WINC celebrates 75 years on air". Winchester Star. Winchester, Virginia: Byrd Newspapers. pp. A1, A6.
- ^ "Competition Puts KYAN Off the Air" (PDF). Broadcasting. April 7, 1941. p. 54. Retrieved 12 August 2015.
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