The year 1939 saw a number of significant events in

radio broadcasting Radio broadcasting is the broadcasting of audio signal, audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a lan ...

. __TOC__

Events

*1 April – The rumor that

Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

is dead sweeps the United States, as millions of

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

radio listeners hear the Führer cut off in mid-speech during a shortwave relay of his address at the dedication of the German battleship ''Tirpitz'' in

Wilhelmshaven Wilhelmshaven (, ''Wilhelm's Harbour''; Northern Low Saxon: ''Willemshaven'') is a coastal town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated on the western side of the Jade Bight, a bay of the North Sea, and has a population of 76,089. Wilhelmsha ...

. *17 June – A trans-Atlantic radio broadcast features

coloratura Coloratura ( , , ; , from ''colorata'', the past participle of the verb ''colorare'', 'to color') is a passage of music holding elaboration to a melody. The elaboration usually takes the form of runs, trills, wide leaps or other virtuoso ma ...

soprano Ewa Bandrowska-Turska singing four songs by

Karol Szymanowski Karol Maciej Szymanowski (; 3 October 188229 March 1937) was a Polish composer and pianist. He was a member of the modernism (music), modernist Young Poland movement that flourished in the late 19th and early 20th century. Szymanowski's early w ...

from

Wawel Castle The Wawel Royal Castle (; ''Zamek Królewski na Wawelu'') and the Wawel Hill on which it sits constitute the most historically and culturally significant site in Poland. A fortified residency on the Vistula River in Kraków, it was established o ...

Kraków , officially the Royal Capital City of Kraków, is the List of cities and towns in Poland, second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city has a population of 804,237 ...

, Poland, for a United States audience on WENR. *15 July – Inauguration of

DZRH DZRH (666 AM) is a radio station owned and operated by MBC Media Group. The station’s studios are in the MMG Building, Star City, V. Sotto Street, CCP Complex, Roxas Boulevard, Pasay with transmitter along I. Marcelo Street, Brgy. Malan ...

, one of the oldest radio stations in the

Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...

. *29 July – In France, with war on the horizon, a package of decrees tightens the state's control of public radio and obliges all private stations to broadcast, unedited, the government's ''Radio-Journal'' in place of their own news programmes. *7 August – Official test transmissions begin from

Radio Andorra Radio Andorra (Ràdio Andorra in Catalan or Radio Andorre in French) was a commercial radio that broadcast by concession of the authorities from the Principality of Andorra between 1939 and 1981. Thanks to the neutrality of the Principality durin ...

. The station is ceremonially inaugurated two days later by the French Minister of Public Works, Anatole de Monzie. *September – The French government's radio for schools initiative ends until 1946. *31 August – The Gleiwitz incident, a

false flag A false flag operation is an act committed with the intent of disguising the actual source of responsibility and pinning blame on another party. The term "false flag" originated in the 16th century as an expression meaning an intentional misrep ...

attack on the German

Gliwice Radio Tower The Gliwice Radio Tower is a transmission tower in the Szobiszowice district of Gliwice, Upper Silesia, Poland. Nazi Germany staged a false flag attack on the tower in 1939, which was used as a pretext for invading Poland, beginning World War I ...

by Nazi German troops posing as Poles, is one of several border operations forming

Operation Himmler Operation Himmler, also called Operation Konserve, consisted of a group of 1939 false flag undertakings planned by Nazi Germany to give the appearance of Second Polish Republic, Polish aggression against Germany. The Germans then used propagand ...

to give a pretext for the

invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign, Polish Campaign, and Polish Defensive War of 1939 (1 September – 6 October 1939), was a joint attack on the Second Polish Republic, Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Slovak R ...

the following day. *1 September – At 18.55 local time BBC engineers receive the order to begin closing down all UK transmitters in preparation for wartime broadcasting: this marks the end of the

National National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

and Regional Programmes of the BBC. At 20.15 local time the BBC's Home Service begins transmission: this will be the corporation's only domestic radio channel for the first four months of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. *3 September **

Neville Chamberlain Arthur Neville Chamberlain (; 18 March 18699 November 1940) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from May 1937 to May 1940 and Leader of the Conservative Party (UK), Leader of the Conservative Party from ...

Prime Minister of the United Kingdom The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister Advice (constitutional law), advises the Monarchy of the United Kingdom, sovereign on the exercise of much of the Royal prerogative ...

, speaking from 10 Downing Street, announces on the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

at 11.15 local time (10.15 GMT) that "this country is at war with Germany". **

Fireside chat The fireside chats were a series of evening radio addresses given by Franklin D. Roosevelt, the 32nd President of the United States, between 1933 and 1944. Roosevelt spoke with familiarity to millions of Americans about recovery from the Great D ...

by the

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

, ''On the European War'', advocating U.S. neutrality. **

Prime Minister of Canada The prime minister of Canada () is the head of government of Canada. Under the Westminster system, the prime minister governs with the Confidence and supply, confidence of a majority of the elected House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons ...

Mackenzie King William Lyon Mackenzie King (December 17, 1874 – July 22, 1950) was a Canadian statesman and politician who was the tenth prime minister of Canada for three non-consecutive terms from 1921 to 1926, 1926 to 1930, and 1935 to 1948. A Liberal ...

, in English, and

Justice Minister A justice ministry, ministry of justice, or department of justice, is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a ...

Ernest Lapointe, in French, give an international radio address stating the Dominion's intention to declare war. *6 September –

William Joyce William Brooke Joyce (24 April 1906 – 3 January 1946), nicknamed Lord Haw-Haw, was an American-born Fascism, fascist and Propaganda of Nazi Germany, Nazi propaganda broadcaster during the World War II, Second World War. After moving from ...

makes his first broadcast for German radio, reading the news in English. *18 September – English-language propaganda radio programme ''

Germany Calling ''Germany Calling'' was an English language propaganda radio programme, international broadcasting, broadcast by Nazi German radio to audiences in the British Isles and North America during the Second World War. Every broadcast began with the sta ...

'' is first broadcast to the United Kingdom on

medium wave Medium wave (MW) is a part of the medium frequency (MF) radio band used mainly for AM radio broadcasting. The spectrum provides about 120 channels with more limited sound quality than FM stations on the FM broadcast band. During the daytim ...

nominally from Reichssender Hamburg station Bremen (via the coastal Norddeich radio station) and by

shortwave Shortwave radio is radio transmission using radio frequencies in the shortwave bands (SW). There is no official definition of the band range, but it always includes all of the high frequency band (HF), which extends from 3 to 30 MHz (app ...

to the United States. In today's London ''

Daily Express The ''Daily Express'' is a national daily United Kingdom middle-market newspaper printed in Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid format. Published in London, it is the flagship of Express Newspapers, owned by publisher Reach plc. It was first ...

'', pseudonymous radio critic Jonah Barrington nicknames the station's English-speaking broadcaster " Lord Haw-Haw". He is probably referring to German playboy journalist Wolf Mittler, who makes a few such broadcasts, but the name transfers to

cashiered Cashiering (or degradation ceremony), generally within military forces, is a ritual dismissal of an individual from some position of responsibility for a breach of discipline. Etymology From the Flemish (to dismiss from service; to discard ...

British Army officer Norman Baillie-Stewart (dismissed in December) and then to American-born Irish-raised

, with whom it is most associated. Baillie-Stewart and Joyce hold U.K. passports at this time, rendering themselves liable to prosecution for treason. The station also plays

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

music, prohibited on German domestic stations. *19 September – Popular British radio comedy show ''

It's That Man Again ''It's That Man Again'' (commonly contracted to ''ITMA'') was a BBC radio comedy programme which ran for twelve series from 1939 to 1949. The shows featured Tommy Handley in the central role, a fast-talking figure, around whom the other ch ...

'' with

Tommy Handley Thomas Reginald Handley (17 January 1892 – 9 January 1949) was an English comedian, best known for the BBC radio programme ''It's That Man Again'' ("''ITMA''") which ran between 1939 and 1949. Born in Liverpool, Lancashire, Handley went on th ...

is first broadcast on the BBC Home service, following trial broadcasts from 12 July. Known as "''ITMA''", and also featuring Jack Train and many others, it runs until Handley's death in 1949; the performers have initially been evacuated to

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

. *21 September –

WJSV broadcast day On September 21, 1939, radio station WFED, WJSV in Washington, D.C. made an audio recording of its entire 19-hour broadcast day. This undertaking was a collaboration between the station and the National Archives and Records Administration, Nation ...

: Radio station WJSV in Washington, D.C. records an entire broadcast day for preservation in the United States

National Archives National archives are the archives of a country. The concept evolved in various nations at the dawn of modernity based on the impact of nationalism upon bureaucratic processes of paperwork retention. Conceptual development From the Middle Ages i ...

. *23 September –

Invasion of Poland The invasion of Poland, also known as the September Campaign, Polish Campaign, and Polish Defensive War of 1939 (1 September – 6 October 1939), was a joint attack on the Second Polish Republic, Republic of Poland by Nazi Germany, the Slovak R ...

: The

Polskie Radio The Polish Radio (PR; Polish: ''Polskie Radio'', PR) is a national public-service radio broadcasting organization of Poland, founded in 1925. It is owned by the State Treasury of Poland. On 27 December 2023, the Minister of Culture and Nationa ...

network comes off the air when German forces fire on its Warsaw studio, terminating a live broadcast of Chopin's Nocturne in C minor, Op. posth. performed by Jewish pianist

Władysław Szpilman Władysław Szpilman (; 5 December 1911 – 6 July 2000) was a History of the Jews in Poland, Polish Jewish pianist, Classical music, classical composer and Holocaust survivor. Szpilman is widely known as the central figure in the Roman Polansk ...

. Szpilman will survive the Warsaw Ghetto and reinaugurate the station in 1945 by playing the same piece. The Raszyn transmitter is destroyed in the invasion. *6 November – ''Hedda Hopper's Hollywood'' debuts on radio in the United States with gossip columnist

Hedda Hopper Elda Furry (May 2, 1885February 1, 1966), known professionally as Hedda Hopper, was an American gossip columnist and actress. At the height of her influence in the 1940s, more than 35 million people read her columns. A strong supporter of the Hous ...

as host; the show runs until 1951, making Hopper a powerful figure among the

Hollywood Hollywood usually refers to: * Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California * Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States Hollywood may also refer to: Places United States * Hollywood District (disambiguation) * Hollywood ...

elite. *17 November – Radio station ZQI begins broadcasting in

Jamaica Jamaica is an island country in the Caribbean Sea and the West Indies. At , it is the third-largest island—after Cuba and Hispaniola—of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean. Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, west of Hispaniola (the is ...

, initially for an hour a week. *11 December –

Havana, Cuba Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.CMQ (from 1959,

state-owned State ownership, also called public ownership or government ownership, is the ownership of an industry, asset, property, or enterprise by the national government of a country or state, or a public body representing a community, as opposed to ...

Radio Rebelde) becomes the first affiliate for the

NBC Red Network The National Broadcasting Company's NBC Radio Network (also known as the NBC Red Network from 1927 to 1942) was an American commercial radio network which was in continuous operation from 1926 through 1999. Along with the NBC Blue Network, it wa ...

based outside of the United States and Canada. *12 December – James M. Cox gains control of WSB and a 40 percent interest in WAGA, both in Atlanta, Georgia. *22 December –

KORN Korn (stylized as KoЯn) is an American nu metal band from Bakersfield, California, originally formed in 1993 by James Shaffer, James "Munky" Shaffer, Reginald Arvizu, Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu and David Silveria, who were members of the band ...

begins broadcasting in Fremont, Nebraska, on 1370 kHz. *25 December **In his Christmas broadcast on

radio, King

George VI of the United Kingdom George VI (Albert Frederick Arthur George; 14 December 1895 – 6 February 1952) was King of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 until his death in 1952. He was also the last Emperor of Ind ...

quotes Minnie Louise Haskins' poem " The Gate of the Year". **

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English novelist, journalist, short story writer and Social criticism, social critic. He created some of literature's best-known fictional characters, and is regarded by ...

's ''

A Christmas Carol ''A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas'', commonly known as ''A Christmas Carol'', is a novella by Charles Dickens, first published in London by Chapman & Hall in 1843 and illustrated by John Leech. It recounts the ...

'' is read for the first time on American radio (CBS).

Debuts

Programs

*14 January – '' Honolulu Bound'' debuts on

.Dunning, John. (1976). ''Tune in Yesterday: The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio, 1925–1976''. Prentice-Hall, Inc. . *16 January – '' I Love a Mystery'' debuts on west coast

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a subsidiary of Comcast. It is one of NBCUniversal's ...

stations. *21 January – ''Brenthouse'' debuts on the

Blue Network The Blue Network (previously known as the NBC Blue Network) was the on-air name of a now defunct American Commercial broadcasting, radio network, which broadcast from 1927 through 1945. Beginning as one of the two radio networks owned by the ...

in the United States. *23 January – '' Doc Barclay's Daughters'' debuts on

. *13 February – '' The Carters of Elm Street'' debuts on

. *19 February –

Norman Corwin Norman Lewis Corwin (May 3, 1910 – October 18, 2011) was an American writer, screenwriter, producer, essayist and teacher of journalism and writing. His earliest and biggest successes were in the writing and directing of radio drama during th ...

's radio series ''Words Without Music'' is premiered on the

CBS Radio Network CBS News Radio, formerly known as CBS Radio News and historically known as the CBS Radio Network, is a radio network that provides news to more than 1,000 radio stations throughout the United States. The network is owned by Paramount Global. It ...

. *25 March – ''

Arch Oboler's Plays ''Arch Oboler's Plays'' is a radio anthology series written, produced and directed by Arch Oboler. Minus a sponsor, it ran for one year, airing Saturday evenings on NBC from March 25, 1939, to March 23, 1940, and revived five years later on Mutu ...

'' debuts on

. *3 April – '' Mr. District Attorney'' (1939–1952) debuts on

. *7 April – ''Author, Author'' debuts on Mutual. *29 May – ''The Affairs of Anthony'' debuts on the

. *29 May – '' When a Girl Marries'' debuts on

. *5 June – ''Caroline's Golden Store'' debuts on

. *18 June – ''

The Adventures of Ellery Queen ''The Adventures of Ellery Queen'' is the title of two separate television series made in the 1950s. They are based on the fictional detective Ellery Queen and the cases he solves with his father Inspector Richard Queen. ''The Adventures of Ell ...

'' (1939–1948) debuts on

.Dunning, John. (1998). ''On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio''. Oxford University Press. . P. 8. *2 July – ''

The Aldrich Family ''The Aldrich Family'', a popular radio teenage situation comedy (July 2, 1939 – April 19, 1953), was also presented in films, television and comic books. In the radio series' opening exchange, awkward teen Henry's mother called, "Hen-''ry-y-y ...

'' debuts on

. *3 July – '' Blondie'' debuts on

. *4 July – '' Alec Templeton Time'' debuts on

. *12 July – ''

'' debuts on the

BBC Home Service The BBC Home Service was a national and regional radio station that broadcast from 1939 until 1967, when it was replaced by BBC Radio 4. History 1922–1939: Interwar period Between the early 1920s and the outbreak of World War II, the BBC ...

. *6 August – '' The Dinah Shore Show'' debuts on the

. *3 September – '' Let the People Sing'' by J. B. Priestley, written for radio and read by the author. *11 September – '' Brenda Curtis'' debuts on

. *25 September – '' Singing Together'' debuts on BBC Radio schools service (1939–2001). *2 October – ''

The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes ''The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes'' is a radio drama series which aired in the USA from 1939 to 1950, it ran for 374 episodes, with many of the later episodes considered lost media.Dickerson (2019), pp. 276–279. The series was based on ...

'' debuts on the Blue Network (1939–1950). *7 October – '' Art for Your Sake'' debuts on

. *9 October – ''By Kathleen Norris'' debuts on

. *16 October – '' Against the Storm'' debuts on

. *17 October – ''Captain Midnight'' debuts on WGN. *19 October – '' Don Winslow of the Navy'' debuts on the

. *25 December – ''The Bartons'' debuts on the

Stations

* 28 July – KVAK, Atchison, Kansas, begins broadcasting on 1420 kHz with 100 W power (daytime only). *25 December – ''The Bartons'' debuts on the

. *October -

KOVO KOVO (960 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a sports format. Licensed to Provo, Utah, United States, the station serves the Provo area. The station is currently owned by Dell Loy Hansen, through licensee Broadway Media LS, LLC. It is an af ...

960 (then at 1210) signs on the air from Provo, Utah. *December – WCAR, Pontiac, Michigan, begins broadcasting on 1100 kHz with 1 KW power (daytime only).

Endings

*27 February – '' Alias Jimmy Valentine'' ends its run on network radio (

in the US). *7 May – ''Americans All, Immigrants All'' ends its run on network radio (

). *30 June ** ''Central City'' ends its run on network radio (

Red). ** '' Howie Wing'' ends its run on network radio (

). *28 July – '' Her Honor, Nancy James'' ends its run on network radio (

). *7 September – Radio Normandy signs off for the last time. *8 September – ''Calling All Cars'' ends its run on network radio (

West Coast network).

Births

*23 January – Vincent Duggleby, English personal finance radio presenter. *3 March – Larry Burkett (died

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

), American

evangelical Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide, interdenominational movement within Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes evangelism, or the preaching and spreading of th ...

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

author and radio personality. *4 March – Keith Skues, English radio presenter. *19 March – Bob Kingsley (died

2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...

), American country music personality. *7 May –

David Hatch Sir David Edwin Hatch, (7 May 1939 – 13 June 2007)
"''Just a Minute''" site w ...

(died

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

), English radio executive and performer. *30 August –

John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), better known as John Peel, was an English radio presenter and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original disc jockeys on BBC Radio 1, broadcasting regularly from ...

, born John Ravenscroft (died

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

), English DJ. *19 September – Louise Botting, English radio presenter and businesswoman. *18 December – Alex Bennett, born Bennett Schwarzmann, American

talk show A talk show is a television programming, radio programming or podcast genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Show', pp.3-4Erler, Robert (201 ...

host.

Deaths

* 9 March – Ernie Hare, American singer, known for '' The Happiness Boys'', 55 *

16 June Events Pre-1600 * 632 – Yazdegerd III ascends the throne as king (''shah'') of the Persian Empire. He becomes the last ruler of the Sasanian dynasty (modern Iran). *1407 – Ming–Hồ War: Retired King Hồ Quý Ly and his son K ...

–

Chick Webb William Henry "Chick" Webb (February 10, 1905 – June 16, 1939) was an American jazz and swing music drummer and band leader. Early life Webb was born in Baltimore, Maryland, to William H. and Marie Webb. The year of his birth is disputed. The ...

, American jazz drummer, 34 * 20 July – Sir Dan Godfrey, English conductor, 71 * 6 December –

Charles Dalmorès Charles Dalmorès (January 1, 1871 – December 6, 1939) was a French dramatic tenor. He enjoyed an international operatic career, singing to public and critical acclaim on both sides of the Atlantic during the first two decades of the 20th ce ...

, French tenor, 68 * 19 December –

Eric Fogg Charles William Eric Fogg (21 February 190319 December 1939) was an English composer, conductor and BBC broadcaster. His early works were influenced by Igor Stravinsky, though his later pieces owe more to Granville Bantock and Richard Strauss an ...

, English composer and conductor, 36 (killed by Underground train)

References

{{reflist Radio by year