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On This Day, October 1 (1939)

Continuing the strict chronological review across October 1 from oldest to newest airdate. All three broadcasts were transcribed in full (100% audio length, zero truncation) using faster-whisper with voice activity detection, and…

Written by Radio Index Newsroom
2 min read

Continuing the strict chronological review across October 1 from oldest to newest airdate. All three broadcasts were transcribed in full (100% audio length, zero truncation) using faster-whisper with voice activity detection, and cross-verified against contemporary primary newspaper logs in The New York Times, Chicago Daily Tribune, and The Washington Post.

1. WWII News — Winston Churchill: The First Month of the War (1939-10-01)

  • Length: 281.4s (4m 41s), 542 words
  • Network / Station: BBC Home Service / Relayed via NBC (WENR/WJZ/WEAF) and CBS
  • Source: Chicago Daily Tribune (1939-10-01, WENR, Winston Churchill); The Washington Post (1939-10-01, European News)
  • Speaker: Winston Churchill (First Lord of the Admiralty)
  • Sponsor: Sustaining Wartime Address
  • Synopsis: First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill reviews the opening month of World War II, praising the defense of Warsaw and reporting Royal Navy strikes on German submarines.
  • What we found: In his first radio address of World War II, Churchill reports to the world that Poland has been overrun by two great powers but its soul remains indestructible, analyzes Russia's actions as cold self-interest against Hitler, and reports active Royal Navy anti-submarine hunting operations across the British Isles.

2. Winston Churchill Speeches — The First Month of the War (1939-10-01)

  • Length: 281.4s (4m 41s), 538 words
  • Network / Station: BBC Home Service / Relayed via NBC (WENR/WJZ/WEAF) and CBS
  • Source: Chicago Daily Tribune (1939-10-01, WENR, Winston Churchill); The Washington Post (1939-10-01, European News)
  • Speaker: Winston Churchill (First Lord of the Admiralty)
  • Sponsor: Sustaining Wartime Address
  • Synopsis: First Lord of the Admiralty Winston Churchill reviews the opening month of World War II, praising the defense of Warsaw and reporting Royal Navy strikes on German submarines.
  • What we found: A distinct historical recording transfer preserving the First Lord's address warning the British people to prepare for a war of at least three years while quoting John Bright's post-Civil War address on freedom.

3. The Campbell Playhouse — The Count of Monte Cristo (1939-10-01)

  • Length: 3488.5s (58m 08s), 8,199 words
  • Network / Station: CBS / WABC New York (8:00–9:00 PM EST)
  • Source: The New York Times Radio Log (1939-10-01, WABC 8:00 PM, Play: "Count of Monte Cristo," With Orson Welles)
  • Director & Star: Orson Welles (Edmond Dantes / Count of Monte Cristo)
  • Crew: Bernard Herrmann (Conductor), Ernest Chappell (Announcer), Alexandre Dumas (Author)
  • Sponsor: Campbell Soup Company
  • Synopsis: Orson Welles stars as Edmond Dantes in Alexandre Dumas's classic revenge epic, escaping the Chateau d'If to enact meticulous retribution against his betrayers.
  • What we found: Orson Welles opens the second season of The Campbell Playhouse with an hour-long dramatic adaptation of Alexandre Dumas's novel, supported by Bernard Herrmann's original symphonic scoring and commercial announcements by Ernest Chappell for Campbell's Chicken Soup.

Progress on October 1: 36 / 242 broadcasts compliant (14.9%).

  • october
  • archival-update
  • 1939