America's Town Meeting of the Air
America's Town Meeting of the Air was a public affairs discussion broadcast on radio from May 30, 1935, to July 1, 1956, mainly on the NBC Blue Network and its successor, ABC Radio. One of radio's first talk shows, it began as a six-week experiment, and NBC itself did not expect much from it.
1935 promotional brochure for America's Town Meeting of the Air | |
| Genre | analysis, commentary, discussion |
|---|---|
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| Syndicates | NBC Blue Network (1935–1943) ABC Radio (1943–1956) |
| Hosted by | George V. Denny, Jr. |
| Recording studio | The Town Hall, New York City |
| Original release | May 30, 1935 – July 1, 1956 |
| Sponsored by | Reader's Digest (1944–1956) |
Broadcast live from New York City's Town Hall, America's Town Meeting of the Air debuted on Thursday May 30, 1935, and only 18 of NBC's affiliates carried it. The topic for the first show was "Which Way America: Fascism, Communism, Socialism or Democracy?" The moderator was George V. Denny, Jr., executive director of the League for Political Education, which produced the program. Denny moderated the program from 1935 to 1952 and had a major role in choosing weekly topics. Denny and the League wanted to create a program that would replicate the Town Meetings that were held in the early days of the United States.