The big networks gave up on radio dramas in 1962. I listened to some of the final broadcasts of "The Shadow" when I was a kid. A teacher recommended them to me. He was quite enthusiastic about them. For me, if it came down to a choice between "The Shadow" and a basketball game,the game always won. Radio dramas were for the generation before mine.
The audience has almost disappeared. So have the producers and actors. One of the legends of the Public Radio Program Directors Conference is that one PD asked what would be a good time to air drama on the radio? The answer came back, "1947."Some public radio stations still air these shows. Most notably WRVO, Oswego with "Tuned to Yesterday" weeknights Tuesday through Sunday.
As Scott Gurian reports for NPR, The Old Time Radio Convention met for the last time this weekend. This genre died a long time ago. Still, it was with a touch of nostalgia and sadness that I listened to this piece on NPR's Weekend Edition.
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