1925 Radio News From Warren County, NY

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In 1925, from morning to night, radio was bringing new experiences to its listening audiences in Warren County, NY.

“Getting up in the morning is not nearly so hard if you know that you are one of thousands who are doing the same thing and feeling the same way about it. Daily tuners-in on station WOR for its 7 am setting-up exercises are getting real joy out of their new early rising,” The Post-Star of Glens Falls reported on March 27, 1925.

“When the robin is calling to its mate between 6 to 7 Saturday night, April 4, turn your dials until your radio set is tuned to WGY Schenectady, and you will enjoy bedtime stories by the beasts of the jungle.

“The General Electric’s eastern station is going to broadcast the howls and growls and bleats and barks and roars, screeches and squeals of the animals of the Barnum and Baily Ringling Brothers Circus Menagerie from Madison Square Garden, New York,” the paper reported March 31.

“A touch of circus atmosphere will be added to by the introduction of one or two numbers on the steam calliope.”

In other 1925 radio news collected from Northern New York historic newspapers:

Radio provided a new outlet for politicians to build public support for controversial initiatives. “Gov. Al Smith announced today that tomorrow night he would carry his fight for tax reduction directly to the people through the radio talk to be broadcast through station WGY, Schenectady,” The Glens Falls Times reported on March 13, 1925. “From his chair in the executive chamber, the governor, from 9 to 9:30 pm tomorrow night, will talk through the air on ‘spending the people’s money.’”
“Clifford Adams, assistant secretary of the (Glens Falls) Y. M. C. A., has gone to Montpelier, Vt., where he will accompany on piano the whistler, Harold Arthur, today in the state capitol for broadcasting,” The Post Star reported on March 11.
“Mr. and Mrs. Daniel Wood, 23 Second Street, entertained at a radio party in their home in honor of the birthday anniversary of George Hoag,” The Post-Star reported on March 16.
“Two songs written by Miss Caroline Sumner, formerly of this city and a cousin of Miss Ruth V. Sumner, 44 Grove Avenue, will be sung on the late concert of KDKA Pittsburg tonight. Miss Sumner was a teacher at the Fort Edward Collegiate Institute. She is a member of the League of American Pen Women,” The Glens Falls Times reported on March 19.
“The ceremony attending the launching of the USS Saratoga, front-line air plane carrier, Tuesday afternoon, April 7, will be broadcast by WGY, Schenectady; WJZ, New York; and WRC, Washington. This is the first time that such an event has been broadcast,” The Glens Falls Times reported on April 1. “The broadcasting will begin at 12:45 o’clock in the afternoon.”
“Every fruit grower will find something of interest in the series of monthly talks to be delivered from WGY, Schenectady by members of the American Pomological Society, often called ‘the supreme court of horticulture,’” The Post-Star reported on March 31.
“Station WGN, Chicago, has polled school teachers and other interested in elementary education by radio, as to feasibility of conducting such a course. The idea is to learn exactly what and how to broadcast,” The Glens Falls Times reported on April 2.
The North Creek Electric Co. set up an outside speaker system for residents to listen to the live three-hour radio broadcast of President Calvin Coolidge’s Inauguration, The North Creek Enterprise reported on March 5. At Long Lake, friends gathered at the home of Harold Austin to listen to the broadcast.
“There are several radio fans in North River, each claiming to get better results than the others,” the North River correspondent reported in the Enterprise on March 12.
“The Fort Cralo Post of Rensselaer will present a radio pageant, ‘The Minute Men,’ on April 25 over station WHAZ (Troy), beginning at 10 p.m. Eastern Standard time,” The Glens Falls Times reported on April 4. “This is probably the first attempt to broadcast a pageant ever attempted and will carry a patriotic message to every listener.”
“Chimes and bells of New York City churches were distinctly heard Easter morning over the radio in Hartford (Washington County),” The Post-Star reported on Aug 15.
“Just before the Atlantic Homeric sailed for Europe, Marie Ivogan, famous colatura-soprano, who finished an American concert tour, sang her last song from the liner for the benefit of radio fans. Station WJZ (Baltimore) broadcast her voice by remote control,” The Glens Falls Times reported on April 15.
“Station WRNY will be the call letters of the new station to take the air soon in New York. The call letters stand for its owners’ name – Radio News , New York, and Hotel Roosevelt, New York,” The Glens Falls Times reported on April 15.
“South African dealers have wired to America for 500 short wave receivers that will be able to tune in on stations like KDKA and WGY, which broadcast routinely on short waves. South African fans have been hearing these stations often,” The Glens Falls Times reported on April 24.