Ghost of Radio Presents

The Golden Age
of Radio

1920–60

Before television. Before streaming. Before algorithms. There was just a voice in the dark — and America listened together.

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1920 The Birth of Broadcast

KDKA Pittsburgh Airs the First Commercial Broadcast

On November 2, 1920, KDKA announced the presidential election results live. Within five years, 600 stations would be on the air and a new medium would transform American culture forever.

The early pioneers →
1930s Radio Becomes America

Drama, Comedy, and the Golden Era Begins

The Great Depression drove families to the radio for escape. Jack Benny made them laugh. The Shadow made them afraid. Amos 'n' Andy made them tune in every night. Radio was community.

The Shadow Jack Benny Amos 'n' Andy Burns & Allen
1938 The Night Radio Broke America

Orson Welles' War of the Worlds Panic

October 30, 1938. Orson Welles broadcasts a fake news report about a Martian invasion. Thousands of Americans flee their homes. Radio was so trusted — so immersive — that fiction became real.

Mercury Theatre on the Air →
1940s The Pinnacle

Crime, Suspense & Hollywood on the Radio

CBS's Suspense launched in 1942. Dragnet premiered in 1949. The best writers and actors in Hollywood worked in radio. This was when old time radio hit its creative peak — and Ghost of Radio has it all.

Suspense Dragnet Lux Radio Theatre Escape
Ghost of Radio

50+ Shows.
Thousands of Episodes.
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The complete archive of old time radio's greatest era — streaming now, no signup required.