What is Old Time Radio?
Old time radio ("OTR") refers to radio shows from the golden age of radio broadcasting (from the 1920's - ~1962) when radio was the main form of entertainment. During the golden age of radio, family and friends their radio listening similarly to the way television is consumed today. This includes dramas, comedies, mysteries, westerns and variety music shows that performed by top name radio and movie talent of the era.  Programs, much like what is on television now, were acted out over the airwaves from suspenseful thriller's, detective, and even children's programs.

How do these shows still exist?
Although these programs were generally broadcast live, many of them were "transcribed" (recorded) onto 16" discs, which are similar to records but they were not made of vinyl, rather these transcriptions, or ET's (Electrical Transcriptions) were composed of a wide variety of materials.  The programs were recorded so that affiliate networks could broadcast that particular program as well. The ability to relay broadcast, etc. is more of a modern day achievement, and was not available at that time. Over the years, these old recordings were transferred onto a wide array of formats, from open reel tapes, vinyl records, VCR tapes, cassettes, DAT Tape, Compact Disc's, and now MP3s. It seemed that with every new technological advancement, old radio changed right along with it.

How Can I download these radio shows?
Click the "Download this Mp3 to my computer" button.  Once the download is complete, you can open the file and listen to the show using free programs such as iTunes, QuickTime, Windows Media Player, or WinAmp.  Many listeners copy the old time radio shows onto usb thumb drives, external hard drives, or mobile devices for on-the-go-listening.

What is MP3?
MP3 is defined as "MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3": a digital audio encoding format and is ideal for listening and collecting old time radio shows. You can save and store these relatively small files on your computer for playback and listening enjoyment.

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What radio stars are at the top of the website?
At the top of the banner you will see (left to right) images of Cary Grant, Jack Webb, Judy Canova, Orson Welles, Fred Allen, Agnes Moorehead, Bob Hope and Jack Benny.