Like Old-Time Radio? There’s an App for That
At several points in my career, I worked at stations that featured some kind of late-night drama or comedy from the golden days of radio, a time when people gathered around a giant console and listened to shows much like we watch TV today.
There were horror shows, adventure serials, lots of cop/detective dramas, plenty of soap operas and uncountable variety programs.
Fidelity was not good, the acting ham-handed at times and the sound effects cheesy, but they were hugely entertaining.
If you have a soft spot for old-time radio, which is why I was happy to find Vintage Radio, an app that offers access to 34,000 of this shows, mostly from the 30s and 40s. I think I’m going to give this a try.
About the Author
Alan Cross is an internationally known broadcaster, interviewer, writer, consultant, blogger and speaker. In his 30+ years in the music business, Alan has interviewed the biggest names in rock, from David Bowie and U2 to Pearl Jam and the Foo Fighters. He’s also known as a musicologist and documentarian through programs like The Ongoing History of New Music.
Related Posts
My Annual and Very Helpful Deconstruction of “A Visit From St. Nicholas” →
Bloc Party Singer Releases the First 3D-Printed Record →
The Hidden Cost of MP3s. It’s Worse Than You Might Think. →
There are two radio broadcasts I listen to regularly. One is the Secret History of Rock on Sunday nights and the other is old radio shows which are aired nightly for two hours (although I don't listen to it nightly…. most weeks).
I am a user of this app and enjoy it! The selection and amount of episodes is mind blowing! Well worth a look and listen.
Alan. I'm the developer of the app and wanted to thank you for the post. We've tried very hard to make this the very best app for lovers of old time radio. Afraid it still has a rough edge or two (like the confusing grace period) but initial releases are seldom perfect. We are working on an update that should fix those.
Our first app, and the first vintage radio app in the app store, is Vintage Radio Lite which has about 1,8000 episodes and has a sold 5 star rating with 325 reviews. We think this full version is even better and a great value with 2,500 episodes out of the box and a low cost subscription for access to the whole 38,000 episodes in our collection.
Thanks again and I do hope you love the app!
Michael