Old Time Radio

Old Time Radio shows are typically those broadcasts from the creation of radio in the early 1900's till the late 1950's, early 1960's. Most folks say that by the 1960's only a handful of the shows remained on the air.

Just what makes Old Time Radio shows so special is hard to pin down. Often it was the writing, people like Orson Welles, John Housman, Arch Obler, Ray Bradbury and a slew of others all had a hand in making great shows.

Some of these shows ran for decades. Fibber McGee and Molly, Amos and Andy, Lum and Abner were some of the many shows started in the 1930's that stretched well into the 1950's and even into the 1960's. Some shows ran for a few weeks, falling prey to the new media marketing that was forming around radio.

The United States was not the only place for great Old Time Radio. The BBC produced some of the best shows and their Golden Era lasted much longer than in the United States. The Goon Show, I'm Sorry I'll Read That Again, The Navy Lark, Dads Army to name just a few all came from the BBC.

As I said its hard to say exactly what makes a great Old Time Radio Show, but at their best Old Time Radio Shows opened the minds eye, stimulated the imagination and expanded the listeners' horizons.

In recent days Old Time Radio has spread over the net via netcasting streams, distribution clubs like the OTree system, web sites, and other methods.

Most Old Time Radio falls into one of several types