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The Radio Historian A COLLECTION OF ARTICLES AND PHOTOGRAPHS
ABOUT EARLY RADIO BROADCASTING
IN THE UNITED STATES

by John F. Schneider, W9FGH





Now Available:
THE RADIO HISTORIAN'S
2025 CALENDAR


    
2025 calendar cover 

April 2025 calendar page       June 2025 calendar page
 

The 2025 edition of the Radio Historian's calendar features fourteen high-resolution colorized photographs from radio broadcasting's glorious 105-year history.  Each image originated as an original black and white glossy photograph and has been digitally remastered and colorized to replicate the original scene as accurately as possible.  Two pages of text at the end of the calendar describe the history of each scene.  Additionally, each month's calendar page commemorates important dates in radio history.

This year's featured photographs:


COVER: 
An NBC network remote truck in San Francisco, late 1920's
JANUARY:
An NBC remote broadcast from a Navy submarine, 1930
FEBRUARY: 
The WIOD transmitter building and towers in Miami 1947
MARCH:
Commentator H.V. Kaltenborn broadcasts over NBC during World War II
APRIL: 
"Music Man" Meredith Willson conducts the "Shell Ship of Joy" orchestra, 1930
MAY:
A live broadcast of NBC daytime soap opera “Pepper Young’s Family”, 1938
JUNE:
KIRO morning man Jim French broadcasts from his studio in Seattle's Space Needle, 1966
JULY:
Three NBC engineers operate a remote broadcast mixer, early 1940's
AUGUST:
A Broadway theatrical group broadcasts over WJZ in Newark, NJ, 1923
SEPTEMBER:
Live sound effects are created for a radio drama at WBBM in Chicago, 1947
OCTOBER:
The master control room of General Electric’s station WGY in Schenectady, 1925
NOVEMBER:
Transmitter building and towers of WBCM in Bay City, Michigan, 1938
DECEMBER:
The inaugural broadcast of WQAN, The Scranton Times newspaper station in Pennsylvania, 1923
BACK COVER:
The transmitter building and tower of KSFO in San Francisco, 1937



The price of $22.95 includes postage to anywhere in the United States.  Additional mailing costs will be charged for shipment to other countries.
This is a specialty limited-edition collector's calendar, so quantities are limited.  Allow up to two weeks for delivery.


 credit cards



Or Mail a Check to:
John F. Schneider & Associates, LLC
1662 Jersey Street, Quincy, IL  62301
(Be sure to include your mailing address)






 OTHER PUBLICATIONS BY THE RADIO HISTORIAN:




BAY AREA RADIO


Bay Area Radio

"Bay Area Radio" by John F. Schneider

in association with the California Historical Radio Society -
A pictorial history of radio broadcasting in the
San Francisco Bay Area.
One of the "Images of America" series of books from
Arcadia Publishing Co.

The San Francisco Bay Area was a key national radio broadcasting center during the first three decades of commercial radio broadcasting.  In 1909, it was home to the very beginnings of the art and science of broadcasting when "Doc" Charles Herrold began sending out weekly voice and music programs from his radio school in San Jose.  Dozens of other radio pioneers soon followed.  From 1920-22, the Bay Area was an early adopter of the radio craze, with more broadcasting stations than any other U.S. city. 

In 1926, big broadcasting came to San Francisco when the newly-formed National Broadcasting Company (NBC) established its West Coast headquarters on Sutter Street.  Other national and regional networks soon set up their own broadcast production centers, and for the next twenty years thousands of actors, musicians, announcers and engineers were creating major programs that were heard on the West Coast as well as nationwide.  

During World War II, San Francisco became the key collection center for Pacific war news, and bulletins received in San Francisco were quickly relayed to an anxious nation.  Conversely, powerful shortwave stations broadcast war news and propaganda back to the Pacific and entertained our troops overseas. 

In this book, radio historian John Schneider and the California Historical Radio Society have assembled a collection of rare photographs which document the artistry and technology of this important aspect of San Francisco’s history.

$21.95 Post Paid

 credit cards



Or Mail a Check to:
John F. Schneider & Associates, LLC
1662 Jersey Street, Quincy, IL  62301
(Be sure to include your mailing address)


SEATTLE RADIO

Seattle Radio

"Seattle Radio" by John F. Schneider -

A pictorial history of radio broadcasting in the
Seattle / Tacoma / Everett area.
One of the "Images of America" series of books from
Arcadia Publishing Co.

Radio broadcasting began in Seattle in 1920 and drew national attention over the next 90 years for its collection of flamboyant and sometimes quirky broadcast empresarios.  Here are just a few of the facts that will be revealed when you read Seattle Radio:

  • Who was the fire-and-brimstone Seattle preacher that built the country’s first church radio station?
  • What big time bootlegger’s wife read bedtime stories to children on her own radio station?
  • What Seattle-based radio network suddenly went bankrupt and sent two successive bank managers to prison for embezzling bank funds to run the stations?
  • What two wealthy Seattle business people turned their small radio stations into West Coast broadcast empires?
  • What underpaid novice Seattle radio announcer later became one of the nation’s top TV newscasters?
  • What Democratic campaign manager capitalized on his political connections to build the Northwest’s most powerful radio station?
  • What two self-made Seattle radio men started with practically nothing and each built their own major broadcast station groups?
  • What 1950’s disc jockey capitalized on acrobatic publicity stunts to draw an audience?

 Radio historian John Schneider worked with radio broadcasters in Seattle for more than two decades.  In this book, he shares some of the stories and images he found along the way.




AVAILABLE FROM
AMAZON AND OTHER
BOOK SELLERS






About Copyrights:

This is a non-profit web site created for educational and historical purposes. The articles contained herein are copyrighted by John F. Schneider except where noted. Other than where indicated, the operator of this web site does not claim copyright or ownership of any photographic images contained herein. Such images are reproduced in low or medium resolution and consist principally of unclaimed or "orphan" images where the copyright owner is deceased or unknown. They appear on this site under the "fair use" doctrine of United States copyright law, which permits the use of copyrighted material for scholarship, archiving and research purposes. Any persons wishing to duplicate or otherwise make use of the images on this web site do so at their own risk. 


www.theradiohistorian.org.  This web site is owned and operated by  John F. Schneider & Associates, LLC.
Except where otherwise noted, all articles are  © Copyright 2015 or later by John F. Schneider.  All rights reserved.  

Please direct your comments and inquiries to john@theradiohistorian.org