{"id":26660,"date":"2017-06-22T18:33:05","date_gmt":"2017-06-22T22:33:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=26660"},"modified":"2017-06-22T18:33:05","modified_gmt":"2017-06-22T22:33:05","slug":"lowell-thomas-the-forgotten-man-who-transformed-journalism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2017\/06\/lowell-thomas-the-forgotten-man-who-transformed-journalism\/","title":{"rendered":"Lowell Thomas: “The Forgotten Man Who Transformed Journalism”"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Many thanks to SWLing Post<\/em> contributor, Bill Patalon, who shares the following story from\u00a0The Smithsonian<\/a>:<\/p>\n

\n

The Forgotten Man Who Transformed Journalism in America<\/h1>\n

Lowell Thomas was the first host of a TV broadcast news program, and adopted a number of other new technologies to make his mark in the 20th century<\/strong><\/p>\n

By the time Lowell Thomas turned 25, he\u2019d already worked as a journalist, earned multiple degrees, and found a place on the faculty at Princeton University. But seizing a rare opportunity during World War I changed him from youthful overachiever to media heavyweight. During that conflict he met T.E. Lawrence, soon-to-be famous as \u201cLawrence of Arabia\u201d\u2014and Thomas played a large part in giving Lawrence that fame. The encounter launched Thomas into the media stratosphere with a groundbreaking multimedia presentation that captivated millions.<\/p>\n

But while Lawrence\u2019s work ended abruptly with his untimely death, Thomas went on to live a long, remarkable life. He traveled Europe, the Middle East, India, Afghanistan, New Guinea and Tibet, even meeting the Dalai Lama. He made fans out of Queen Elizabeth and Winston Churchill and led a prolific career in the news, making reports by print, radio, and TV\u2014and reshaping them all into more formal, serious mediums.<\/p>\n

Yet for a man with such a hyperbolic life, his legacy has been largely forgotten. Mitchell Stephens, a professor of journalism at New York University, set out to remedy that lapse in public memory with his new biography, The Voice of America: Lowell Thomas and the Invention of 20th-Century Journalism. Smithsonian.com talked with Stephens about his book, and why Thomas still matters today. […]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Click here to continue reading the full article at The Smithsonian online.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Many thanks for sharing this, Bill! What a fascinating fellow.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Bill Patalon, who shares the following story from\u00a0The Smithsonian: The Forgotten Man Who Transformed Journalism in America Lowell Thomas was the first host of a TV broadcast news program, and adopted a number of other new technologies to make his mark in the 20th century By the time Lowell […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[8,3,305,288],"tags":[3339,6274,6273,6272,5672],"class_list":["post-26660","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles","category-news","category-nostalgia","category-radio-history","tag-bill-patalon","tag-broadcasting","tag-journalism","tag-lowell-thomas","tag-nbc"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-6W0","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":22705,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2016\/12\/1940-pearl-harbor-qsl-card\/","url_meta":{"origin":26660,"position":0},"title":"1940 Pearl Harbor QSL card","author":"Thomas","date":"December 7, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Bill Patalon, who shares the following QSL card\u00a0via Twitter: https:\/\/twitter.com\/PrivateBrief\/status\/806189384244596736 Thank you, Bill!","rel":"","context":"In "Ham Radio"","block_context":{"text":"Ham Radio","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/ham-radio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"pearl-harbor-qsl","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Pearl-Harbor-QSL.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Pearl-Harbor-QSL.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Pearl-Harbor-QSL.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Pearl-Harbor-QSL.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":64992,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2025\/12\/radio-dabanga-is-struggling-after-cuts-to-usaid\/","url_meta":{"origin":26660,"position":1},"title":"Radio Dabanga is Struggling After Cuts to USAID","author":"Thomas","date":"December 22, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor Bill Patalon for sharing this thoughtful NPR piece about Radio Dabanga---an Amsterdam-based broadcaster that serves as a lifeline for listeners in war-torn Sudan. Radio Dabanga is facing a funding crisis after major cuts to foreign aid, including U.S. Agency for International Development support. For\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2010\/11\/RadioDabanga.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":26199,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2017\/06\/radioworld-fcc-puts-pirate-activity-in-spotlight\/","url_meta":{"origin":26660,"position":2},"title":"RadioWorld: FCC Puts Pirate Activity in Spotlight","author":"Thomas","date":"June 6, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"(Source: RadioWorld via Bill Patalon) Over the course of two days in May, the Federal Communications Commission took action on four allegedly unlicensed pirate radio operators. In all these cases \u2014 one in Mount Vernon, N.Y., one in Dallas and three in a single location in East Orange, N.J. \u2014\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/dial-analog.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/dial-analog.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/dial-analog.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/dial-analog.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":32452,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2018\/05\/rip-dr-byron-st-clair-father-of-low-power-fm\/","url_meta":{"origin":26660,"position":3},"title":"RIP Dr. Byron St. Clair: Father of low-power FM","author":"Thomas","date":"May 26, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"(Source: TV Technology via Bill\u00a0Patalon) Dr. Byron St. Clair, president emeritus of the National Translator Association, died May 20 in Denver of brain cancer. He was 93. St. Clair, who served as president of the National Translator Association for 19 years, is known as the \"father of translators, LPTV and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "FM"","block_context":{"text":"FM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/fm\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Digitech-AR1780-FM-Mono-1024x570.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Digitech-AR1780-FM-Mono-1024x570.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/10\/Digitech-AR1780-FM-Mono-1024x570.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":31206,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2018\/03\/gatesair-halts-production-of-am-transmitters\/","url_meta":{"origin":26660,"position":4},"title":"GatesAir halts production of AM transmitters","author":"Thomas","date":"March 15, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"(Source: Radio World via Bill Patalon) GatesAir is suspending the sale of new AM transmitters. When a prominent radio engineer passed along word to Radio World that he\u2019d sought a quote from the manufacturer on a new transmitter but was told the company had discontinued the model and was assessing\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "AM"","block_context":{"text":"AM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/am\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/flexiva-3dx-100-digital-am-transmitter-straight-1024x530.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/flexiva-3dx-100-digital-am-transmitter-straight-1024x530.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/03\/flexiva-3dx-100-digital-am-transmitter-straight-1024x530.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":39710,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2019\/09\/wspr-explained\/","url_meta":{"origin":26660,"position":5},"title":"WSPR explained","author":"Thomas","date":"September 17, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Bill Patalon, who shares a link to the following article on Extreme Tech: Last Tuesday at 1744 UTC (1:44 PM EDT) UR3RM, a ham radio station in Ukraine blindly sent out a message on 7040.138 kHz.\u00a0 It was automated. It was text. Maybe someone\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Digital Modes"","block_context":{"text":"Digital Modes","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/digital-modes\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/722E5A2E-C9B5-41C6-ADA2-D53B6C1E12BF-1024x697.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/722E5A2E-C9B5-41C6-ADA2-D53B6C1E12BF-1024x697.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/722E5A2E-C9B5-41C6-ADA2-D53B6C1E12BF-1024x697.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26660","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26660"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26660\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26660"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26660"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26660"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}