Posted on 06/10/2016 4:01:49 PM PDT by Viking2002
WAMU welcomes Murray Horwitz as new host for The Big Broadcast. For over 50 years, The Big Broadcast has kept old time radio alive for Washington audiences, airing shows like Gunsmoke, Dragnet, The Jack Benny Show, The Lone Ranger, Suspense, and Fibber McGee and Molly.
Murray will take the mic as host of The Big Broadcast on Sunday, June 12. He will be joined by co-producer Jill Ahrold Bailey. While he has big shoes to fill, Murray has a great deal of experience in radio and theater. He helped to create several entertainment shows while at NPR, receiving three Peabody awards. He was founding director of the AFI Silver Theater and is creative consultant to the annual Mark Twain Prize ceremonies at the Kennedy Center.
In the host chair, Murray will build on the legacy that Ed Walker left, with new energy and a fresh approach. He feels that radio drama’s imaginative use of sound, writing, music, and the human voice results in storytelling where the power and romance of radio drama springs from its interactivity; the listener imagines the setting, the props, and the look of the characters.
Listeners can expect some new twists:
A look at the context of the time - what was going on in society, the careers of the artists who made the shows, and the shows’ effect on the larger culture. Tying Shows from the 1930s, ‘40s, and ‘50s to today’s entertainment and culture. Interesting corners of the archives will be explored, including African-American radio and vintage news broadcasts. Expanded reach through web and social media engagement; listeners will have the opportunity to be as much a part of The Big Broadcast as The Big Broadcast is a part of their lives.
Listeners will also continue to hear the same classic radio programs that used sound in creative ways (the sonic background of Broadway Is My Beat, the effects in The Stan Freberg Show and Lights Out); stylized writing like Dragnet and so many other “noir” shows; the stentorian voice of Norman Corwin programs, the wit of Fred Allen and Bob & Ray; lightning-fast transitions; and music that created a mood (Bernard Herrmann for Suspense and The Mercury Theater On the Air).
WAMU extends a special thanks to Rob Bamberger, host of Hot Jazz Saturday Night, who has been guest host of The Big Broadcast since October.
Listen Sundays at 7 p.m. and let us know what you think of the show by emailing feedback@wamu.org.
Thanks, Viking!
I surely hope he stays true to Ed’s format.
Yea, she hit and ran under the name GracieAllen.
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Hammer, meet nail. Classic radio shows from the 30s, 40s and 50s stand on their own quite nicely. They are reflective of that time and era; trying to “relate” them to today’s entertainment and culture will be a colossal mistake.
Also, when they refer to “African-American radio broadcasts” I’m assuming that archive doesn’t include Amos ‘n Andy. In the words of the “Car Talk” guys, that would cause the NPR satellite to go tumbling out of orbit (even though it’s a local show)
Thanks Viking. You said what I was thinking but I couldn't come up with the right words.
Oh, all of that doesn’t sound good. After reading his brief bio, I figured he’s liberal. And when I heard parts of the interview he did with Rob, and he said the Big Broadcast audience demonstrates “diversity,” then I knew he’s a liberal.
I never warmed up to Rob, because of his mispronunciation problem. I don’t know if it’s a speech impediment or what, but it makes him almost unlistenable.
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