Saturday, January 2, 2016

590 MIGHTY MEMORY #348

WARM ON THE FM DIAL? 

WARM finally went on the FM dial in the late 80s early 90s with the acquisition of 97.1 on the dial. For a brief time WARM simulcasted itself on what would be Hot 97. But back in the 1940s there was this news article about WARM applying for an FM license. The date of this article was March 4th, 1948. 
Thanks to Joe Klapatch who sent us these news articles for Mighty Memories # 352 to #348.

590 MIGHTY MEMORY #349

“BREAKFAST IN HOLLYWOOD” ON WARM 


During the 1940s WARM Radio ran a program at 11:00AM called “Breakfast In Hollywood”. The show was hosted by Tom Breneman. There was also a little piece of a promotion notice in the ad for a contest WARM was running on the radio at the time asking listeners to watch out for the WARM Scranton Good Neighbor. 
Breakfast in Hollywood was a popular morning radio show created and hosted by Tom Breneman who broadcast from 1941 to 1948 on three different radio networks: NBC, ABC and Mutual. These unscripted shows were spontaneous and involved much audience participation. Breneman's many guests included such stars as Jimmy Durante, Andy Devine and Orson Welles. 
Then radio personality Breneman was in Hollywood having lunch in 1940 with friends at Sardi's Restaurant on Hollywood Boulevard when he realized the location's potential for a radio program. He quickly found an audience when he began broadcasting his Breakfast on the Boulevard January 13, 1941, on KFWB Los Angeles. Breakfast at Sardi's aired on the Blue Network from August 3, 1942, until February 26, 1943, when the title was changed to avoid confusion with Sardi's in New York.
Breneman's program went through numerous title changes but was best known as Breakfast in Hollywood (1948–49). He had numerous sponsors, including Kellogg's cereals, Ivory Flakes, Planters Peanuts, Aunt Jemima Flour, Minute Man Soups and Alpine Coffee. By the mid-1940s, Breneman had ten million listeners. The popularity of the radio program was such that he created his own magazine, and in 1945 he opened his own establishment, Tom Breneman's Restaurant, located on Vine Street off Sunset Boulevard. Organist Korla Pandit was only one of the musical talents who performed at the restaurant. 

 Above is Breneman's own eatery that he broadcast from in the late 40s.

590 MIGHTY MEMORY #350

WARM AND LIVE THEATRE 


During the 1940s  WARM offered up live radio plays. Here’s an ad for the return of The Theatre Guild to AM 1400.

590 MIGHTY MEMORY #351

WARM AND THE MISS AMERICA
CONTEST


Ever since WARM Radio started they were always broadcasting events of national importance. But WARM always seemed to put in a local or statewide angle to bring listeners in.  One of the biggest events in the late 1940 was the Miss America pageant. WARM broadcast the contest but heavily promoted the role of a Pennsylvania entrant in its advertising which ran on the same day of the pageant. Again from September 6th, 1947 an ad from the Scranton papers Barbara Jo Walker was the last Miss America to be crowned in her swimsuit, as well as the last contestant to represent just a city, rather than her state. Walker represented Memphis. 
According to Wikipedia, the Pennsylvania representative was from Pittsburgh and her name was  Lillian Handford who was in the top 15.

590 MIGHTY MEMORY #352

JIMMY STEWART ON WARM RADIO 


The famed actor, Jimmy Stewart of “Rear Window”, “It’s A Wonderful Life” and many others actually was heard on WARM Radio during the late 1940s. From September 6th, 1947 here is the newspaper ad promoting the program. 
Thanks to our good friend Joe Klaptach for sending us the next series of articles.