January 6, 1950: Ronald Colman stars in Halls of Ivy

January 6, 1950: In ‘The Halls of Ivy’, Ronald Coleman acted as the President of Ivy College.

After guest appearances on The Jack Benny Program, with his wife, 'The Halls of Ivy' became a popular show.  Ronald went on to write for the show, which transferred to television in 1954.  Colman won an Academy award for his work in 'Othello'.

January 5, 1940: First Demonstration of the FM Radio

January 5, 1940: 1941-The year that saw the first FM transmitter put into operation. Major E.H Armstrong developed the new medium, which was free of interference, static, and noise in thunderstorms. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) conducted the very first FM radio demonstration.

The story turned tragic for Major Edwin Howard Armstrong, an American engineer and Columbia University graduate. His invention, the FM radio, became a very popular broadcasting medium, although there were only a few people who knew that he was the man behind it. Even more hurtful for him was the fact that companies began to manufacture and sell FM equipment, ignoring all of Armstrong's patents.

As result, he filed infringement lawsuits, which caused him to lose his entire fortune. Eventually, in 1954, he committed suicide. His widow decided to finish what he had started and continued pursuing the lawsuits.

January 4, 1932: The Carnation Contented Hour Broadcast on NBC Red

January 4, 1932: The Carnation Contented Hour was aired by NBC Red. Serving as a showcase for top singers and musicians, the show enjoyed a lifespan of 19 years on network radio.

The Carnation Contented Hour was sponsored by the Carnation Milk Company. The program was a long-running radio music series that made its debut on April 26, 1931 and was broadcast by the regional NBC West Coast network. The full network series began on January 4, 1932 and lasted for two decades until the final broadcast on December 30, 1951.

The show took ""Contented"" as the theme of the opening. The musical variety show featured Josef Pasternack as conductor, and he remind at that position until he died of a heart attack during a rehearsal.

The show featured vocalist Buddy Clark, bass player Reinhold Schmidt, and soprano Josephine Antoine. The announcer was Vincent Pelletier. The program was produced by Harry K. Gilman and C. H. Cottington.

Until October 24, 1932, the program featured Gene Arnold and Herman Larson and was broadcast over NBC Blue on Mondays at 8 PM. Buddy Clark joined the cast on October 31, 1932. From October 2, 1949 until December 30, 1951 it was heard Sundays on the Columbia Broadcasting System, with Dick Haymes and Jo Stafford serving as co-hosts.

January 2, 1959: Four Successful Soaps air on CBS

 

January 2, 1959: Four successful radio soap operas were started on CBS namely Our Gal Sunday, This is Nora Drake, Mary Noble Backstage Wife and Road of Life.

Our Gal Sunday began as a Broadway show and then aired on CBS.  Nora Drake  ran successfully for 12 years.  Backstage Wife  followed a young woman who wants to become somebody in New York. The highly popular  Road of Life  lasted 18 years on radio. Together, the radio soaps were daytime drama favorites.