ABSTRACT
The start of the 1950s did not bode well for the radio medium, nor for those who worked within the industry. Programs that once were the heart blood of network radio’s evening lineup surfaced on television, often replete with the same actors, producers, writers, and announcers. Commercials during the maiden days of television consisted primarily of announcers with hand-held scripts. In the early 1950s, commercials became more sophisticated. Announcers became somewhat less visible as the “voice-over” technique became more prevalent. Announcer voice-overs were delivered live as well as prerecorded onto film; videotape would not surface until the 1960s. Prerecorded music, announcer chatter, and news, all with a local flavor, were the primary programming ingredients in the early 1950s. During the prerock era of radio specialization, the distinction between stations, except those offering country or classical music, was often less evident in the music than it was in the text and tone of the personalities.
