ABSTRACT
Through an examination of the production dynamics behind the NBC radio serial, Clara, Lu ‘n’ Em, and the reception of their voices in the press, this chapter demonstrates how this pioneering female-produced program established preferences for certain kinds of female voices in early radio. As radio became networked, commercialized, and bifurcated by gender, the creators of this serial negotiated the sound of women on network radio with each episode. These attempts to create a palatable female sound on radio reveal the narrow parameters within which female vocal expression could operate at this critical juncture in radio. Ultimately, the sonic effects of the practices of the producers of Clara, Lu ‘n’ Em institutionalized vocal patterns for women that would reverberate throughout media history.
