{"id":58293,"date":"2023-11-28T05:00:58","date_gmt":"2023-11-28T09:00:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=58293"},"modified":"2023-11-25T18:47:22","modified_gmt":"2023-11-25T22:47:22","slug":"radio-reminiscences-a-reader-participation-post","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2023\/11\/radio-reminiscences-a-reader-participation-post\/","title":{"rendered":"Radio Reminiscences . . . A Reader Participation Post"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

By Jock Elliott, KB2GOM<\/strong><\/p>\n

The other night, at 10 pm Eastern Time (0300 UTC), I was listening to Zoomer Radio from Toronto, Canada, on 740 kHz (medium wave) when a program called \u201cTheatre of the Mind\u201d came on. This wonderful program airs Monday through Friday and presents \u201cOld Time Radio\u201d programs from back in the day when radio dramas were a regular part of on-the-air fare.<\/p>\n

As I listened, I got sucked through a hole in the space-time continuum. Instantly, I was no longer an official oldster with eight decades in his sights .\u00a0 .\u00a0 . now I was a grade-school kid on Saturday morning in the early 1950s looking forward to Big John and Sparky and Space Patrol coming up on the radio. Programs like that were a regular staple of my childhood.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s weird, but I can\u2019t recall the content of any specific episode, but I can easily remember the joy I felt as the familiar strains of \u201cThe Teddy Bear\u2019s Picnic\u201d (Big John and Sparky\u2019s theme) were broadcast.<\/p>\n

Theatre of the Mind is a great moniker for radio dramas, because your mind is forced to fill in the details of the drama. The dialog, narrative description, and a few sound effects provide the clues, and, in the magic of your imagination, you provide the rest of the scenery and the setting, and it is great fun.<\/p>\n

The power of the mind’s eye was brought home powerfully to me, in a funny way. Space Patrol was not just a radio program; it was also a television program. My family did not have a TV until I was in fourth grade. As a result, I never saw Space Patrol on TV until I saw it at a friend\u2019s house. (Remember this was in the infancy of TV.) When I did, my overwhelming impression was: this is lame. The program that was wonderful in my mind on radio was considerably less so on live TV.<\/p>\n

Later in grade school, I was given a germanium diode radio for Christmas. It became my tool for secretly monitoring \u201cThe Hawthorne Den\u201d (jazz after midnight) under the covers. It was Big Time, Big Deal adventure for a boy my age . . . does it get better than that?!! It actually did, when my Dad brought home a Zenith Transoceanic.<\/p>\n

So dear reader, check out Zoomer Radio on 740 if you can and enjoy Theatre of the Mind.<\/p>\n

And now it\u2019s your turn: what are your favorite radio reminiscences (modern or ancient like mine)? Please post them below.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Jock Elliott, KB2GOM The other night, at 10 pm Eastern Time (0300 UTC), I was listening to Zoomer Radio from Toronto, Canada, on 740 kHz (medium wave) when a program called \u201cTheatre of the Mind\u201d came on. This wonderful program airs Monday through Friday and presents \u201cOld Time Radio\u201d programs from back in the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":114,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","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":[56,3,305],"tags":[9323],"class_list":["post-58293","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-broadcasters","category-news","category-nostalgia","tag-jock-elliott-kb2gom"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-fad","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":53576,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2022\/08\/a-most-unusual-qsl-card\/","url_meta":{"origin":58293,"position":0},"title":"A most unusual QSL . . . card?","author":"Jock Elliott","date":"August 1, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"By Jock Elliott, KB2GOM Okay, I realize this is ham related, but I thought it was fun, and I hope you do too. On a quiet Saturday morning in May, the \u201cBig Gun\u201d Motorola 1250 (which is used for running the Commuter Assistance Net) is quietly scanning through half a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Ham Radio"","block_context":{"text":"Ham Radio","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/ham-radio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Commuter-net-story-001-001-1024x716.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Commuter-net-story-001-001-1024x716.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/Commuter-net-story-001-001-1024x716.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":53468,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2022\/07\/what-is-it-about-swling-that-keeps-you-coming-back-a-reader-participation-post\/","url_meta":{"origin":58293,"position":1},"title":"What is it about SWLing that keeps you coming back? A reader participation post.","author":"Jock Elliott","date":"July 15, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"By Jock Elliott, KB2GOM After trying to copy Shortwave Australia on 4835 this AM, the curiosity bug has bitten me. What, I wonder, is it about SWLing that keeps my fellow readers of SWLing.com coming back? For me, it\u2019s three things. First, I think Treasure Island ruined me as a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Listener Posts"","block_context":{"text":"Listener Posts","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/listener-posts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/MFJ-1045C-003-002-1024x627.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/MFJ-1045C-003-002-1024x627.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/MFJ-1045C-003-002-1024x627.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":58881,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2024\/02\/yet-another-reason-why-you-need-a-weather-radio\/","url_meta":{"origin":58293,"position":2},"title":"Yet another reason why you need a weather radio","author":"Jock Elliott","date":"February 9, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jock Elliott Today is the 154th birthday of the National Weather Service. The NWS covers from American Samoa to the Virgin Islands and from Hawaii to the Arctic Circle of Alaska, and it does so with fewer than 4,000 employees nationwide. It is, according to Mike Smith's blog: \"one\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\/2022\/02\/Weather-Clouds.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Weather-Clouds.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Weather-Clouds.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Weather-Clouds.jpeg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":54111,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2022\/09\/the-passing-of-a-compassionate-shortwave-listener-agnes-joan-negra\/","url_meta":{"origin":58293,"position":3},"title":"The passing of a compassionate shortwave listener, Agnes Joan Negra","author":"Jock Elliott","date":"September 20, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"By Jock Elliott, KB2GOM I just received this: Dear Jock: It is with a heavy heart that I must report that 102 year old, Agnes Joan Negra passed away last Friday, peacefully, and at home. She went into Hospice care about three weeks ago. We had a private funeral for\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Guest Posts"","block_context":{"text":"Guest Posts","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/guest-posts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/waves-of-hope.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":56020,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2023\/03\/chuck-rippel-sweetens-the-deal-on-the-great-medium-wave-daylight-dx-challenge\/","url_meta":{"origin":58293,"position":4},"title":"Chuck Rippel “Sweetens the deal” on The Great Medium Wave Daylight DX Challenge!","author":"Jock Elliott","date":"March 7, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jock Elliott, KB2GOM After yesterday's post appeared, Chuck Rippel reached out to me and offered: To whomever logs the most stations using a GE SR-I or SR-II, I will donate that person, a >free< SR-I or SR-II restoration.\u00a0 Includes, parts, alignment, cleaning, etc....\u00a0\u00a0 The winner's only cost will be\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Mediumwave"","block_context":{"text":"Mediumwave","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/mediumwave\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/GE-Superadio-II-Chuck-Ripple-Mods-1024x737.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/GE-Superadio-II-Chuck-Ripple-Mods-1024x737.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/GE-Superadio-II-Chuck-Ripple-Mods-1024x737.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":55246,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2023\/01\/surprise-surprise\/","url_meta":{"origin":58293,"position":5},"title":"Surprise, Surprise!","author":"Jock Elliott","date":"January 12, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"By Jock Elliott, KB2GOM If you had been monitoring 29.620 around\u00a0 1615Z on January 5, 2023, it\u2019s just barely possible that you could have heard me leap out of my chair and do the \u201cAstonishment Dance,\u201d while yelling: \u201cAre you kidding me?!! Is this even possible?!!\u201d Let me set the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Ham Radio"","block_context":{"text":"Ham Radio","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/ham-radio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/photos-for-SWLing-blog-001-001-1024x624.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/photos-for-SWLing-blog-001-001-1024x624.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/photos-for-SWLing-blog-001-001-1024x624.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58293","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\/114"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=58293"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58293\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":58298,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/58293\/revisions\/58298"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=58293"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=58293"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=58293"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}