{"id":35280,"date":"2018-12-24T07:11:38","date_gmt":"2018-12-24T11:11:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=35280"},"modified":"2018-12-24T07:11:38","modified_gmt":"2018-12-24T11:11:38","slug":"75-years-ago-today-christmas-eve-at-the-front-a-ground-breaking-global-broadcast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2018\/12\/75-years-ago-today-christmas-eve-at-the-front-a-ground-breaking-global-broadcast\/","title":{"rendered":"75 years ago today: “Christmas Eve at the Front,” a ground-breaking global broadcast"},"content":{"rendered":"

How would Christmas Eve at the Front<\/em> have sounded on a radio back in 1943?\u00a0 Something like this…<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/a>
\nChristmas Eve, 1943:\u00a0 America’s third in WWII.<\/p>\n

On this day, exactly three-quarters of a century ago, America tuned into a special live broadcast that would not only engage American listeners, but also every major network in the US at the time: CBS, NBC, and Mutual Broadcasting Company.\u00a0 The simulcast program, “Christmas at the Home Front,” starred troop entertainment veterans Bob Hope and Bing Crosby, as well as numerous others including screen actor Lionel Barrymore–also well-known for his regular portrayal of the miserly Scrooge in NBC’s annual radio drama “A Christmas Carol”–and featured an address by then-President Franklin D. Roosevelt.<\/p>\n

This broadcast also included live audio feeds from\u00a0North Africa, Italy, New Guinea, Guadalcanal, New Caledonia, China, India, Panama, Alaska, Pearl Harbor and even Navy ships in undisclosed locations. Keep in mind, this was 1943. These audio feeds weren’t carried over the Internet or a satellite network, they were shortwave radio signals from remote sites–signals that were bounced off of the ionosphere and back to the studios where they were incorporated in a live radio show.\u00a0 No doubt, this holiday special required months of planning to orchestrate and perhaps even a leap of faith to execute.<\/p>\n

Being something of a WWII radio buff, I’ve listened to this recording a few times in the past. And after receiving Bill’s message about it recently, I listened again; the audio obviously came from a recording at NBC studios, very pristine considering the recording’s age and the number of times it’s likely been copied or changed formats, but also with demarcated track switches, not exactly as it would have sounded on the air at the time.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Radio broadcast with entertainer Bob Hope, 1943. Source: Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division, Library of Congress<\/p><\/div>\n

So I did what any self-respecting radio geek would do: I fed the recording into an AM transmitter to recreate the sound as it might have played on American radios of the time, and made an off-air recording of the entire broadcast.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Hopefully now, with the help of this recording, you may be able to imagine what families on Christmas Eve in 1943, huddled around their radios, might have experienced as they strove to feel a little closer to loved ones serving in the war, while enjoying a little light entertainment and absorbing the latest message from their president.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>But it’s also meaningful to note that times have certainly changed since 1943.\u00a0 Without a doubt, it’s often easy to be lulled into a nostalgic appreciation of that time<\/span>, and former times generally, made all the rosier by the present knowledge that the outcome of the war was, in many respects, favorable to us.\u00a0 But those who know history know the truth: that war is hard, that our struggles both here and abroad were real, and that people died–as many as<\/span> 85 million.<\/em>\u00a0 When the drama was over, the fallen did not rise again to play in another film; they were gone, forever.\u00a0 This is the grim shadow that lies beneath the warmth of entertainment broadcasts like this one.<\/span><\/p>\n

Fortunately, our civilization continues, and will always view the war and the political circumstances surrounding it through the fading glass of advancing time and hear it through the crackle of increasing distance.\u00a0 And fortunately, our then-enemies are now among our strongest allies.\u00a0 We have a diverse and international audience here at the SWLing Post<\/em>, so I hope this recording is recognized for what it is: simply a moment in entertainment history that the passing of time allows us to enjoy, during a war the likes of which we hope never again casts such a shadow over us.\u00a0 One such was enough.<\/p>\n

Now sit back, close your eyes, and set your time machine’s dial back to Christmas Eve, 1943…<\/h2>\n

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

Imagine you’ve just turned on the family console radio, the frequency dial gradually warming with its familiar glow, and have tuned to your local NBC station; soon, the voices of well-known entertainers begin to fill the parlor and the rest of the household, their tasks or play momentarily abandoned, quietly join you there to listen…<\/p>\nhttps:\/\/archive.org\/download\/22Dec201820h22m39s1.57MHzSAM\/ChristmasEveAtTheHomeFront-inAM-1943%20NBC.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n

Click here to download this recording.<\/a><\/p>\n

Many thanks to<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>SWLing Post<\/i>\u00a0<\/span>contributor,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Bill Hemphill, who reminded me of this show recently when he shared <\/span>this excellent feature article from the American Legion website<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How would Christmas Eve at the Front have sounded on a radio back in 1943?\u00a0 Something like this… Christmas Eve, 1943:\u00a0 America’s third in WWII. On this day, exactly three-quarters of a century ago, America tuned into a special live broadcast that would not only engage American listeners, but also every major network in the […]<\/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":[433,3,305,288,746,43],"tags":[7477,4512,7483,7484,7479,7478,4106,677,5712,676],"class_list":["post-35280","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-mediumwave","category-news","category-nostalgia","category-radio-history","category-recordings","category-shortwave-radio","tag-bob-hope","tag-christmas-eve","tag-christmas-eve-at-the-front","tag-christmas-eve-at-the-front-bob-hope","tag-old-time-radio","tag-otr","tag-recordings","tag-world-war-ii","tag-world-war-ii-radio","tag-wwii"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-9b2","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":51376,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2021\/12\/recordings-of-wi2xlq-2021-commemorative-fessenden-broadcast-on-486-khz\/","url_meta":{"origin":35280,"position":0},"title":"Recordings of WI2XLQ: 2021 Commemorative Fessenden Broadcast on 486 kHz","author":"Thomas","date":"December 29, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Brian Smith (W9IND), who shares the following recordings and notes: Since 2012, experimental radio station WI2XLQ in Forest, Virginia, has presented an annual Christmas Eve\/Christmas Day transmission in honor of Canadian radio pioneer Reginald Fessenden. Operated by Brian Justin, WA1ZMS, the station transmits on\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\/2021\/12\/Brian-Fessenden.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Brian-Fessenden.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Brian-Fessenden.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":29628,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2017\/12\/norddeutscher-rundfunk-christmas-eve-broadcast-schedule\/","url_meta":{"origin":35280,"position":1},"title":"Norddeutscher Rundfunk Christmas Eve Broadcast schedule","author":"Thomas","date":"December 22, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor,\u00a0Ralf Bender, who shares the following news: Hello SWLing Post, I send you a translation of an announcement of a special german broadcast with tradition: MEDIA BROADCAST broadcasts NDR radio program worldwide via shortwave on Christmas Eve. On Christmas Eve sailors all over the world\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Broadcasters"","block_context":{"text":"Broadcasters","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/broadcasters\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/jens-rademacher-26525-e1513162795762.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/jens-rademacher-26525-e1513162795762.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/jens-rademacher-26525-e1513162795762.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/jens-rademacher-26525-e1513162795762.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":55158,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2022\/12\/carlos-audio-clip-of-radio-romania-international-on-christmas-eve\/","url_meta":{"origin":35280,"position":2},"title":"Carlos’ audio clip of Radio Romania International on Christmas Eve","author":"Thomas","date":"December 25, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Carlos Latuff, who shares the following audio of Radio Romania International recorded on 9,740 kHz in Brazil on Saturday, December 24, 2022: https:\/\/youtu.be\/sQxllwAg1uI Click here to view on YouTube.","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\/2022\/12\/Carlos-RRi-Spansih-Christmas-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Carlos-RRi-Spansih-Christmas-1.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Carlos-RRi-Spansih-Christmas-1.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Carlos-RRi-Spansih-Christmas-1.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Carlos-RRi-Spansih-Christmas-1.jpeg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":16141,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2015\/12\/grimeton-vlf-broadcast-on-christmas-eve-2015\/","url_meta":{"origin":35280,"position":3},"title":"Grimeton VLF broadcast on Christmas Eve 2015","author":"Thomas","date":"December 13, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"(Source: Southgate ARC) It is now 10 years since our first Christmas Eve transmissions started. There will be, as earlier, a transmission with the Alexanderson alternator on VLF 17.2 kHz CW from Grimeton Radio\/SAQ in the very early morning on Christmas Eve, Thursday, December 24th 2015 . A message will\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"450px-grimeton_vlf_mast_row1","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/11\/450px-grimeton_vlf_mast_row1-225x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":55119,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2022\/12\/wi2xlq-brian-justins-annual-longwave-broadcast-on-christmas-eve-and-new-years-eve\/","url_meta":{"origin":35280,"position":4},"title":"WI2XLQ: Brian Justin\u2019s annual longwave broadcast on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve","author":"Thomas","date":"December 21, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Now an\u00a0annual Christmas tradition, Brian Justin (WA1ZMS) will put his longwave\u00a0experimental station WI2XLQ on the air to commemorate the anniversary of Reginald Fessenden\u2019s first audio transmission. As in years past, he will be conducting the Fessenden transmission on Christmas Eve, as well as New Year\u2019s Eve. The plan is to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Longwave"","block_context":{"text":"Longwave","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/longwave\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/reginald-fessenden-1906_sn635.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/reginald-fessenden-1906_sn635.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/12\/reginald-fessenden-1906_sn635.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":9949,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2014\/06\/george-steins-connection-to-the-1906-fessenden-christmas-eve-broadcast\/","url_meta":{"origin":35280,"position":5},"title":"George Stein’s connection to the 1906 Fessenden Christmas Eve broadcast","author":"Thomas","date":"June 20, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Some of you may recall that last year, I posted an announcement about WG2XFQ; this station annually airs Brian Justin's longwave broadcast honoring Reginald Fessenden\u2019s famous Christmas Eve'n 1906 AM voice transmission. I had been\u00a0lucky enough to capture a recording of this commemorative event on WG2XFQ\u00a0in 2013. Just yesterday, I\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "AM"","block_context":{"text":"AM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/am\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Reginald Aubrey Fessenden (October 6, 1866 \u2013 July 22, 1932)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/Fessenden-202x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35280","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=35280"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35280\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35280"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35280"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35280"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}