Here Are the Names of Hundreds and Hundreds of Broadcast Announcers, Commercial Spokesmen, Hosts, M.C.'S, and Narrators Who Wo

Here are the names of hundreds and hundreds of broadcast announcers, commercial spokesmen, hosts, m.c.’s, and narrators who worked for sponsored, sustaining, and special programs which featured or included the big bands. However unlikely some of these program titles seem, we have confirmed that they, indeed, had a name bandleader as a featured attraction or guest. Listed under each person’s name are select examples of the radio programs that they were a part of and the year(s) of that work. According to our sources, sometimes a program is called by its sponsor’s or product’s name and another time it’s referred to it by the star performer’s name - but they may be the same program. Many of the sponsored programs, as well as sustaining remote broadcasts, were heard in the USA on a network, such as NBC Blue or NBC Red, CBS, Mutual, or ABC, and typically originated in a major location, such as New York City, Hollywood / Los Angeles, or Chicago. The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) began operation in 1926. Its ownership was originally divided among the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) headed by David Sarnoff, General Electric (GE), and Westinghouse. WEAF served as the flagship station of NBC-Red and WJZ the anchor of NBC-Blue; both were in New York City. It was said that the colors represented either NBC’s color-coded program charts or the pencil lines which the American Telephone and Telegraph (AT&T) engineers drew to indicate the wire paths for each network. In terms of highest-rated programming, the NBC Red network bested the NBC Blue network, but the Blue presented lots of public service and cultural programming including dance band remotes. The Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) was started in 1928, based on the United Independent Broadcasters (UIB) network which William S. Paley had purchased. The UIB had received financial backing from the Columbia Phonograph Company, so its name was initially changed to the Columbia Phonograph Broadcasting Company, then, when Columbia Phonograph withdrew, the name was simplified to the Columbia Broadcasting System. In 1929, Paley bought WABC in New York City to be CBS’ flagship station. The Mutual Broadcasting System (MBS) was founded in 1934. It was different from NBC and CBS because, rather than offering most of its programming from studios in high-profile New York City and Hollywood, the Mutual member stations around the country cooperatively shared much of their programming. Not too many years later, because NBC and CBS had the most powerful stations and the best locations, MBS complained to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that they couldn’t get a competitive foothold. In 1941 the FCC decided it was not in the public’s interest for one company to operate more than one national radio network, forcing NBC to sell its Blue network. Edward J. Noble, whose fortune came from Life Savers candy, bought NBC-Blue and in 1944 it was renamed the American Broadcasting Company (ABC). There are three other ventures that we want to mention when considering the big bands on radio, and specifically during World War II: the Armed Forces Radio Service (AFRS), the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), and the American Broadcasting Station in Europe (ABSIE). The AFRS created its own programs like “Command Performance,” “G.I. Journal,” “Jubilee,” and “Mail Call.” They also featured “One Night Stand” broadcasts which were transcribed from the originating station for later airing through the AFRS, but also appear to have done their own remotes. The AFRS was later expanded to the Armed Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS). The BBC, started in 1922 and headquartered in London, is the world’s oldest national broadcaster. Its programs have kept to a high standard and are considered a public service. ABSIE was operated in 1944-45 by the U.S. Office of War Information (OWI) to support the Allied invasion of Europe during World War II. Starting in the late 1940s (but most prominently in the 1950s and ‘60s), other radio programs which featured big bands were syndicated to select stations on behalf of, for example, the Treasury Department, the National Guard, the Marine Corps, the Social Security Administration, or the Veterans Administration. BILL ABERNATHY MEL ALLEN HY AVERBACK Blue “A Date with the Duke” ‘45 AFRS “Command Performance” ‘44 AFRS “Jubilee” ‘52 Blue remote (Cedar Grove, New CBS “Moonlight Serenade” ‘42 Arthritis and Rheumatism Jersey) ‘39 CBS remote (New York City) ‘37 Foundation “Bob Hope Blue remote (New York City) ‘41-’42 (as “Melvin Allen”) All-Star Show: A Dream Come True” ‘49 Blue “Sunset Serenade” ‘41-’42 CBS “Saturday Night Swing Club” CBS “Judy Canova Show” ‘54 NBC remote (Cedar Grove, New ‘37 Jersey) ‘40 CBS “Red Feather Round-Up” ‘48 March of Dimes “March of Dimes JIM AMECHE Is On the Air” ‘50 CASWELL ADAMS Disabled American Veterans Navy “Billy May Show” ‘56 “Fund Appeal” Mutual (WOR, New York City) Navy “Les Brown Show” ‘53 “Nothing Serious” ‘42 NBC “Charlie McCarthy Show” ‘43 Navy “Stan Kenton Show” ‘57 Navy “Stand By for Music” ‘55? JOE ADAMS BILL ANDERS Navy “Navy Star Time” NBC “All-Star Parade of Bands” CBS “Broadway Is My Beat” ‘53 NBC “Bob Hope Show” ‘51-53 ‘54-’56 NBC “Bob Hope Swan Show” BOB ANDERSON ‘48-’49 MASON ADAMS AFRS “Jubilee” ‘43 NBC “Pepsodent Show” ‘48 Nat’l Guard “Let’s Go to Town” Office of Price Stablization” Stars ‘53-’54 for Defense” ‘52 ORVAL ANDERSON JOEL ALDRICH ABC “Screen Guild Theatre” ‘51 CBS “Perry Como Show” ‘55? CHARLES ARLINGTON BEN ALEXANDER CBS “Saturday Night Swing Club” ‘37 NBC “Martin and Lewis Show” ‘49 VAN DES AUTELS JACK ALLEN ZIV “Your Movietown Radio Nat’l Guard “Let’s Go to Town” ‘54 Theatre” MEL ALLEN BILL BALDWIN Red “Swing Concert / Joe Sullivan BILL BIVENS Benefit” ‘37 AFRS “Yank Bandstand” ‘45? CBS “Chesterfield Time” ‘43 CBS “Charlie McCarthy Show” HUGH BARTLETT ‘49, ‘52 BUDDY BLACK CBS remote (Hollywood) ‘50-’51 NBC remote (Toronto, Canada) ‘41 WGN (Chicago) remote ‘55 JACK BAILEY ANDRE BARUCH MARTIN BLOCK Blue “Duffy’s Traven” ‘44 CBS “Guy Lombardo Time” ‘50-’51 Nat’l Guard “Guard Session” NBC “Waltz Time” ‘41 ‘57, ‘63-’64 ART BALLINGER NBC “Your Hit Parade” ‘51 Nat’l Guard “Let’s Go to Town” ‘52-’54 NBC “Rudy Vallee Sealtest Show” syndicated “Lucky Strike ‘41 Presents” ‘40 NBC “Chesterfield Supper Club” ‘45-’50 KENNETH BANGHART HARRY BEAUMONT FORD BOND NBC “Best of All” ‘55 NBC “Concert in Miniature” ‘52 American Cancer Society “Cancer Crusade” ‘52 PAUL BEDFORD JIM BANNON NBC “Rudy Vallee Sealtest Show” Red “Chase and Sanborn Hour” ‘39 NBC “Concert in Miniature” ‘52 ‘40 Red “Kraft Music Hall” ‘34 RED BARBER JOHN BEGUE CBS “Old Gold Show” ‘44 NBC remote (Chicago) ‘52 ALLEN BONSER CBS remote (Hollywood) ‘42 GEORGE BARKLEY BERN BENNETT Treasury Dept “Guest Star” ‘50 AFRS “One Night Stand” remote KENNETH BOWLES (New York City) ‘45 CBS Old Gold Program” ‘34 CBS “Camel Caravan Rock and Roll NORMAN BARRY Dance Party” ‘56 NBC remote (Chicago) ‘37 ANDRE BARUCH TRUMAN BRADLEY BILL BRINGLE HUGH BRUNDAGE CBS “Hinds Honey and Almond simulcast by five New Orleans AFRS “Jubilee” ‘45-’46 Cream Program” ‘40 stations including WWL Mutual-Don Lee “Alvino Rey and CBS “Lady Esther Screen Guild “Buy Bonds By Radio” ‘42 his Music” ‘39 Theatre” ‘46 Mutual-Don Lee “Maxine Gray CBS “Lady Esther Serenade” ‘42 PAUL BRINSON Entertains” ‘39-’40 NBC “George Burns and Gracie Chartoc-Colman “Ted Lewis Allen Show” ‘40 Show” ‘47 GEORGE BRYAN NBC “Rudy Vallee Drene Show” ‘44-’46 CBS “Camel Caravan” ‘39 NBC “Tommy Dorsey Show” KEN BROADLY CBS “Dixieland Music Shop” ‘39 ‘42-’43 CBS remote (Los Angeles) ‘35 CBS “Peter Lind Hayes Show” ‘54 Red “Raleigh Cigarette Program NBC “Camel Caravan” ‘39 Starring Red Skelton” ‘41-’43 NORMAN BROKENSHIRE Brunswick Radios “Brunswick LARRY BRUFF Brevities” ‘29 MEL BRANDT CBS “Moonlight Serenade” ‘40-‘42 Mutual “Detect-A-Tune” ‘46 Christmas Seals “Guy Lombardo NBC “Monitor” ‘56 Show” ‘59 JIM BURKE CBS remote (Atlantic City), ‘54 GEORGE BROWN FRANK BRESSEE Mutual remote (Chicago) ‘53 AFRS “Golden Days of Radio” JIM BURTON Mutual-Don Lee “Alvino Rey and DOUG BROWNING DON BRIGGS his Music” ‘39 ABC “Nat’l Guard Assembly” ‘47 Mutual-Don Lee “Maxine Gray Blue “Sunset Serenade” ‘41 ABC “Paul Whiteman Hour” ‘46-’47 Entertains” ‘40 NBC “I Sustain the Wings” ‘43-’44 ABC “Paul Whiteman Record Club” NBC “Uncle Sam Presents” ‘43-’44 ‘47-’48 DAWS BUTLER Treasury Dept “Treasury Star Parade” ‘44 AFRS “Jubilee” ‘48 TRUMAN BRADLEY PAT CANEL HARVEY CAREY Red “Kraft Program” ‘33-’34 CBS “Let’s Listen to Lopez” ‘64 [ sic— HARRY CARAY? ] Red “Lucky Strike Hour” ‘33 CBS remote (Chicago) LARRY CARL EVERETT CLARK CBS remote (New York City) ‘65 NELSON CASE WBBM (Chicago) “Nate Gross Show” ‘46 Blue “Information Please” ‘38 KEN CARPENTER NBC “Coty Salute to Youth” ‘35 HARRY CLARK ABC “Philco Radio Time” ‘47-48 NBC “Lady Esther Serenade” ‘36 NBC remote (New York City) ‘38 CBS “Greater New York Relief AFRS “Command Performance” Fund” ‘40 ‘42-’46 CBS remote (Cedar Grove, New AFRS “Jubilee” WAYNE CHAIKIN Jersey) ‘41 CBS “Bing Crosby Show” ‘49-’53 NBC “Concert in Miniature” ‘53 CBS “Elgin Christmas Day Greeting WARREN CLARK to America” ‘45 CBS “Judy Garand Show” ‘52 CHARLES CHAN Mutual remote (Denver, Colorado) ‘53? CBS “Nelson Eddy Show” ‘52 NBC remote (Chicago) ‘51, ‘53 NBC “Bing Crosby Show” ‘51 BOB CLAYTON NBC “Biographies in Sound: ERNEST CHAPPELL Recollections At Thirty” ‘56 CBS “Spotlight Revue” ‘48 ABC “Ted Malone” ‘47 NBC “Charlie McCarthy Show” Blue “Chamber Music Society of ‘44-’49 Lower Basin Street” ‘43 FRED COLE NBC “Chase and

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