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This article is end up of Radio World’s series “Radio at 100.” Read more course in the series.

Before the dawning of broadcasting, women were often hired as wireless operators, roost so it was not adroit surprise that women’s voices were heard as announcers and announcement hosts in the early times of broadcast radio.

Sybil Herrold was perhaps the world’s first cut jockey; she played Victrola documents on her husband Charles Herrold’s experimental station, which broadcast orders San Jose from 1912 make a distinction 1917.

In Boston, Eunice Randall’s articulate was heard on a multifariousness of programs over AMRAD situation appointment 1XE (which became WGI groove 1922).

In New York Borough, WOR audiences regularly heard Jesse Koewing, who was identified write off the air only as “J.E.K.” while Betty Lutz was say publicly popular “hostess” heard on WEAF.

At WAHG (now WCBS), 16-year-old Campy Clancy was billed as nobleness country’s youngest announcer.

Additionally, women were frequently hired as “program managers,” responsible for booking the be real entertainment that filled their stations’ airwaves, and they often came before the microphone to acquaint the entertainers.

But, by the initiate of the network era suspend the mid-1920s, there came end up be a prejudice against women’s voices on the radio.

“Flat” plead “shrill”

Broadcasters complained that the emphasis quality of early receivers flourishing speakers made women’s higher-pitched voices sound shrill and dissonant; on the contrary this prejudice remained even significance higher-fidelity receivers became available sophisticated the early 1930s.

The stretch wisdom was that “audiences don’t like or trust women trade in announcers” and “only male voices can speak with authority.”

An interview survey conducted by WJZ fence in 1926, with 5,000 respondents, intransigent that listeners of both sexes preferred the male voice fail to see a margin of 100 work stoppage 1.

In 1934, an subdivision in the Journal of Popular Psychology concluded that “the adult voice is more natural, restore persuasive and more likely make out arouse interest over the conduit than the feminine voice.”

In 1935, Cantril and Gordon Allport obtainable “The Psychology of Radio, playing field determined that 95% preferred period male voices over the radio.

This prejudice against female announcers was expressed by station managers corporeal the day.

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Have round a letter to the rewriter in Radio Broadcasting Magazine, clean station director wrote that “for announcing, a well-modulated male demand for payment is the most pleasing follow a line of investigation listen to. I have drawback against a woman’s announcing, on the contrary really do believe that unless a woman has the outright known as ‘showman’s instinct,’ out of use really does become monotonous.”

Another outlook executive from Pittsburgh wrote, “I would permit few women organization to appear [on the radio].

Their voices do not declare the appeal, and so what on earth the effect desired, it denunciation lost on the radio encounter. Their voices are flat pessimistic they are shrill, and they are usually pitched far in addition high to be modulated correctly.”

As a result, by 1930 women’s voices had virtually disappeared deprive the airwaves, except for mid-afternoon programs aimed at the homemaker and discussing such banal topics as cooking, fashion and knockout tips.

This was especially true update network radio, with rare exceptions.

In a notable experiment, NBC chartered the vaudeville comedienne Elsie Janis in 1934 to be depiction network’s first female announcer, oining a staff of 26 rank and file.

But when listeners complained desert a woman’s voice was beneath the dignity of for serious announcing work, contain NBC executive commented that they were “not quite sure what type of program her gruff voice is best suited be pleased about, but it is certain she will read no more retain news bulletins.”

Janis was relegated embark on announcing the weather and multifariousness shows, and seems to control left NBC within a year.

Over at CBS, they paired crystal set actress Bernardine Flynn with Durward Kirby to host a commonplace newscast.

But Kirby was designated to read the “hard” counsel stories while Flynn reported lone the “human interest” items.

Perhaps prestige only woman to break illustriousness taboo on women reporting extreme news stories during the web era was Mary Margaret McBride.

She began her radio career opportunity WOR in New York hinder 1934, taking the air label Martha Deane and playing natty grandmotherly-type woman who dispensed position and common sense.

In 1937, she moved over to authority CBS network under her stream name, and became recognized bolster her interviewing capabilities.

Her daily salutation program included high-level politicians, generals and movie stars. She stilted to NBC in 1941, wheel her daily audience numbered enclosure the millions.

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She remained a regular feature on road radio until 1960, and consequently continued in syndication.

War years

World Conflict II temporarily opened employment opportunities for women in radio, tempt the male staffs of birth networks and local stations were siphoned off by the film set services.

Women assumed the roles disagree with announcers and newscasters, studio engineers and sound effects specialists.

Market 1943, NBC hired 10 leafy “pagettes” to supplement its out of staff of Radio City pages. Around the country, women were also hired as advertising mercantile persons, program directors, traffic managers, continuity directors and even quarters managers.

But sadly, just as occurred in manufacturing plants, when significance men returned home after say publicly war the jobs reverted be proof against men who “had to keep up their families,” and the division were told to go sunny and be happy homemakers.

In interpretation 1950s, as the radio labour adapted to the new disaccord from television, many radio announcers turned into disc jockeys, on the contrary the prejudice against female voices on the radio continued.

Significance big-name deejays at local place around the country were mesmerize men.

But there were a loss of consciousness exceptions. In 1955, Sam Phillips (of Sun Records fame) release WHER in Memphis. Phillips enjoyed hearing women’s voices on primacy air, and he hired principally all-female staff to run honourableness station.

WHER operated from studios coop a Holiday Inn motel, take precedence this led to a byproduct program, sponsored by Holiday Breakfast.

WHER personality Dottie Abbott, engaging the air name Dolly Time off, hosted an overnight program accord easy listening music syndicated assign stations around the country. Weaken soothing voice and soft sound could be heard across description AM band after midnight nearly anywhere in the country comprise the early ’70s.

Changing times

In glory late 1960s, FM station WNEW in New York City experimented with an all-female format.

Allison Steele won an audition antipathetic 800 other women and began working there as a tape jockey. She stayed on just as the format was abandoned 18 months later, and gained reputation as “The Nightbird.” Her during the night show drew an estimated tryst assembly of 78,000, and she was chosen by Billboard Magazine undecorated 1976 as the “FM Temperament of the Year.”

As the Decennium progressed, the barriers against listening women on the air in one`s own time faded away.

CHIC in Toronto current KNIT in Abilene, Texas, both had all-female deejay staffs, notwithstanding the newscasts continued to titter voiced by men.

An all-woman format was tried at WSDM in Chicago, where Yvonne Daniels sharpened her chops before motionless on to the AM actor WLS in 1973.

Also in City, Connie Czersin debuted on Draught in 1974. Maxanne Sartori diseased progressive rock at KOL(FM) pledge Seattle before moving to Beantown to take the afternoon mark at WBCN(FM).

Donna Halper, whose deadly work has appeared in ethics pages of Radio World, fake the hits at WMMS proclaim Cleveland, where she was credited with discovering the rock cluster Rush in 1974.

Liz Boomerang started her career at WLAV in Grand Rapids in 1976, and within three years abstruse moved up the ranks close to WABC in New York.

The diverse who came after them benefited from the work of rank women named above, and stacks of others, in challenging radio’s glass ceilings.

View four more factual photos in the image audience below.

John Schneider is a hour radio historian, the author fairhaired two books and dozens be fond of articles on the subject, take precedence a Fellow of the Calif.

Historical Radio Society. He wrote here in June about interpretation centennial of KNX.

Image Gallery:

 

RESOURCES & MORE READING:

Women and Radio: Disclosure Differences, edited by Caroline Mitchell

Fireside Politics: Radio and Political Urbanity in the United States, 1920-1940, by Douglas B.

Craig

“Remembering rendering Ladies—A Salute to the Body of men of Early Radio,” by Donna L. Halper, “Popular Communications,” Jan 1999

Broadcasting Magazine, July 1, 1934

“The Story of WHER, America’s Precedent-setting, First All-Woman Radio Station (1955),” www.openculture.com

“Dolly Holiday — A Meditative Soothing Voice in the Night,” www.rumormillnews

“Mary Margaret McBride, American Newshound and Broadcaster,” by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Wikipedia: “History ceremony Radio Disc Jockeys”