March 7 In Radio History

In 1876...Alexander Graham Bell received U.S. patent for telephone

In 1933...the CBS Radio Network premiered the first daytime radio serial, "Marie The Little French Princess." It was a 15-minute show which aired until April 1934. Hilman Brown was producer and director of the serial and was one of respected people in radio. He was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1990.

In 1962...The Beatles made their broadcasting debut on BBC radio in England.


In 1985...The song "We Are the World" was broadcast on radio for the first time.


In 2001…The Recording Industry of America and the National Endowment for the Arts announced that Judy Garland's "Over The Rainbow" had been selected as their "song of the century." Rounding out their Top Ten were (#2) "White Christmas" by Bing Crosby, followed by "This Land Is Your Land" by Woody Guthrie, "Respect" by Aretha Franklin, "American Pie" by Don McLean, "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy" by the Andrews Sisters, "West Side Story" (album) by the original cast, "Take Me Out To The Ball Game" by Billy Murray, "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" by The Righteous Brothers, and (#10) "The Entertainer" by Scott Joplin.


In 2014…Newsman Bill McLaughlin, a foreign correspondent and bureau chief during a 25-year career with CBS News, and for two years the United Nations correspondent for NBC News, died of cardiac arrest at 76.


In 2014…Radio personality/programming executive/blogger Jack Roberts died at age 62.

Jack Roberts

Roberts,  who served as producer for Dick Cavett's and Oliver North's national radio shows and executive producer for L.A.-based Cable Radio Network (CRN),  also created and wrote the popular broadcast and music news blog "Hollywood Hills Group", which had an estimated 10,000 daily readers since its inception in 2011. His blog was very popular with radio/TV execs from L.A. to N.Y. and numerous record label presidents, personal managers, film and TV celebrities, recording artists and many, many others.

For more than 35 years, Roberts worked with some of the top celebrity broadcasters and air talent in major markets ranging from Los Angeles to New York and Boston.  Roberts’ experience ranged from working as a Top 40 format on-air personality in the northeast at a string of stations, including Boston’s WRKO, WMEX in Edgartown, MA; WXKS in Newton, MA; Providence, RI’s WPRO; WGUY in Veazie, ME; and WDRC in Bloomfield, CT, where he also became the station’s general manager and program director.

He eventually became general manager and program director at WWRC in Washington, DC, WMRE in Charles Town, WV; WBET in Sturgis, MI; and WHIL in Mobile, AL.