1954 in radio

none January 2024 September 2014 1954 radio television music film The year 1954 saw a number of significant happenings in radio broadcasting history. __TOC__ Events 20 January – The National Negro Network is formed in the United States. 25 January – First broadcast of Dylan Thomas's radio play Under Milk Wood, two months after its author's death, with Richard Burton as 'First Voice', on the BBC Third Programme in the United Kingdom. 1 February – KECA and KECA-FM, two Los Angeles stations, change their call letters to KABC and KABC-FM respectively, reflecting their new ownership by ABC-United Paramount Theaters. 1 April – ABC-United Paramount Theaters, owners of WENR-Chicago, purchase time-share counterpart WLS-Chicago from Sears, Roebuck and Co., and merge both stations under the WLS call sign (their FM sister station would keep the WENR call sign until 1965). 4 April – Legendary orchestral conductor Arturo Toscanini experiences a brief lapse of concentration during an all-Wagner concert with the NBC Symphony Orchestra broadcast live from Carnegie Hall in New York City, which causes the network to briefly substitute a recording of Brahms' Symphony No. 1. Toscanini then retires from public concerts and the orchestra is disbanded.http://www.classicalnotes.net/reviews/toscanini_last.html Toscanini: The Last Concert Peter Gutmann 1995 Classical Notes 2025-07-27 15 July – The Nippon Broadcasting System initiates its first official regular broadcasting service in Tokyo, Japan. 18 October – Texas Instruments announces the development of the first commercial transistor radio. The Regency TR-1 goes on sale the following month. 17 November – WJW (AM) in Cleveland, Ohio (later WKNR) is sold by William M. O'Neill to Storer Broadcasting. Debuts 3 January – Man's Right to Knowledge debuts on CBS.20 December 1953 Dr. Kirk to Preside at Radio Lectures The New York Times https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1953/12/20/92516200.html?pageNumber=45 live 17 July 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220718131057/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1953/12/20/92516200.html?pageNumber=45 18 July 2022 3 January – WSTN debuts as a 1 kW daytimer at St. Augustine, Florida. 9 January – Roadshow debuts on NBC. Starring Bill Cullen, the three-hour weekly program is considered a forerunner of the network's Monitor, which began a year later.Cox, Jim (2008). This Day in Network Radio: A Daily Calendar of Births, Debuts, Cancellations and Other Events in Broadcasting History. McFarland & Company, Inc. 978-0-7864-3848-8. 6 April – Crime and Peter Chambers debuts on NBC. 2 September – Dr. Sixgun debuts on NBC.Dunning, John. (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio. Oxford University Press. 978-0-19-507678-3. 25 October – WMSN in Raleigh, North Carolina debuts as a 500 watt daytimer at Raleigh, North Carolina."Newest Radio Station Put on Air Here", Raleigh News & Observer, 27 October 1954, page 11. 2 November – Hancock's Half Hour debuts on BBC radio.Penguin Pocket On This Day Penguin Reference Library 978-0-14-102715-9 2006 Endings 3 January – Quiz Kids ends its run on network radio (CBS). 6 January – Dr. Christian ends its run on network radio (CBS). 15 January – Double or Nothing ends its run on network radio (ABC). 16 January – The Baron and the Bee ends its run on network radio (NBC). 5 March – Family Skeleton ends its run on network radio (CBS). 12 March – House of Glass ends its run on network radio (NBC). 26 March – Front Page Farrell ends its run on network radio (NBC). 27 March – Twenty Questions ends its run on network radio. 28 March – Bulldog Drummond ends its run on network radio (Mutual). 30 March – Rocky Fortune, a half-hour detective drama starring Frank Sinatra, aired its final episode on NBC. 22 May – The Armstrong Theater of Today ends its run on network radio (CBS). 27 May – Time for Love ends its run on network radio (CBS). 18 June – The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet ends its run on network radio (ABC). 24 June – The Six Shooter ends its run on network radio (NBC). 9 July – Can You Top This? ends its run on network radio (NBC). 1 August – Broadway Is My Beat ends its run on network radio (CBS). 7 September – Crime and Peter Chambers ends its run on network radio (NBC). 25 September – Escape ends its run on CBS. 25 September – Stars over Hollywood ends its run on network radio (CBS). 30 September – On Stage (radio show) ends its run on network radio (CBS). 3 September – The Lone Ranger ends its run of original radio shows. 27 November – The Falcon ends its run on network radio (Mutual). 26 December – Man's Right to Knowledge ends its run on network radio (CBS).18 September 1954 C.B.S. Will Resume Series of Lectures The New York Times https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1954/09/18/83779565.html?pageNumber=23 live 17 July 2022 https://web.archive.org/web/20220718131152/https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1954/09/18/83779565.html?pageNumber=23 18 July 2022 (undated) – The Jack Berch Show ends its run on network radio (ABC). Births 12 January – Howard Stern, American shock jock radio personality 22 August – Kurt Andersen, American novelist, columnist and public radio host 26 August – Steve Wright, English DJ 27 August – Andrew Marshall, English comedy scriptwriter 8 September – Joe Cipriano, American voice over actor and radio personality 3 October – Al Sharpton, American activist, minister, and radio talk show host 20 November – Steve Dahl, American radio personality and humorist 27 November – Arthur Smith, English comedian and radio presenter 5 December – Peter Arbogast, American sportscaster Deaths 10 January – Chester Wilmot, Australian war correspondent, killed in accident to BOAC Flight 781 (born 1911) 4 November – Joy Hathaway, Canadian-born American actress of the Golden Age of Radio References Category:Radio by year