Radio Host Who Asked For Help
Whoever wants to help, the lines are open.
The U.S. Had An Aunt Sammy As Well As An Uncle Sam (Cool Weird Awesome 857)
Today in 1926, America’s aunt made her debut on the airwaves. That would be Aunt Sammy, who gave cooking tips to millions of listeners in the early days of radio.
Bats Who Randomly End Up Living Together Sometimes Become Friends (Cool Weird Awesome 757)
If you have any friends that you first met as a roommate or dorm neighbor at college, this show is for you. Research from Ohio State University finds bats can become close when they’re made to live together too.
A Century Ago, Hugo Gernsback Predicted Telemedicine (Cool Weird Awesome 611)
These days, with everything moving further and further online, it's not a surprise that many of us can see our doctors through remote appointments. But a century ago, a radio enthusiast called Hugo Gernsback predicted a way that doctors could examine patients remotely, using radio waves. Plus: a giant blob of old pizza dough has become an odd kind of celebrity in New Orleans.
Ora Nichols Took Radio Sound Effects To The Next Level (Cool Weird Awesome 595)
Today is National Radio Day, so it's a good day to talk about one of the legends of old-time radio: sound effects virtuoso Ora Nichols. Plus: researchers at The Ohio State University say they’ve found a weed commonly grown on farms that could help make a greener, more sustainable jet fuel, only its name isn't the most inspiring.
The time I made my own radio station as a kid
I just found and digitized the earliest recording I ever made.
Radio Saved The Eiffel Tower (Cool Weird Awesome 271)
The Eiffel Tower was only supposed to stand in Paris for 20 years... but experiments in "wireless telegraphy" helped convince the powers that be to keep the tower in place. Plus: this gallery of the weirdest-looking cars to ever roll off the assembly line is maybe not the aesthetic equal of the Eiffel Tower, but it sure is fun.
Old-Time Sports Radio Used To Give The Audience Diagrams (Cool Weird Awesome 216)
On this day in 1927, the BBC tried something new for their broadcast of a rugby match between England and Wales: they partnered with Radio Times magazine to publish a diagram of a rugby pitch to help the audience follow the action. Plus: on National Hat Day, where better to be than the one and only National Hat Museum?
Radio bear
“And when you’re at work,” she said, “she will listen to you.”
Brady on GPB’s “On Second Thought” Talking Concession Speeches
A few years back I talked with Virginia Prescott on NHPR's Word of Mouth about concession speeches. And now we're doing it all over again - but this time it's for Georgia Public Broadcasting's "On Second Thought!"