The Housewives' Protective League was a daily CBS radio program that aired from 1948 to 1962, produced by such esteemed broadcasters as Allen Gray. During its run, the show explored a variety of issues from childrearing and health to more irreverent topics. Housewives was also the "Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval" of the airwaves, regularly pre-testing all its sponsor's products. The majority of the collection are scripts for daily broadcasts of the radio show The Housewives' Protective League and its predecessor Coffee Break.
Repository/Collector:
Special Collections in Mass Media & Culture, University of Maryland
American Women in Radio and Television (AWRT), now called the Alliance of Women in Media (AWM), is the preeminent organization for women in the broadcasting industries. AWRT was founded in 1951 in response to the National Association of Broadcasters' decision to dissolve its women's division. Today, AWRT has over 2,000 members and is a powerful advocate, educator and supporter of women in communications. The AWRT records, which span the years 1947 to 1999, mainly document the organization's yearly national conventions.
Repository/Collector:
Special Collections in Mass Media & Culture, University of Maryland
Papers document the work Dorrance did for FM Broadcasters, Inc. (FMBI), the Office of War Information (OWI) and the Broadcasters' Victory Council (BVC). Collection includes FMBI newsletters, BVC newsletters, Radio Background Material, an Information Guide published by the OWI and various speeches and memos written by Dorrance. The bulk of the material relates to the rise of FM broadcasting and the role broadcasters and radio could play in the war effort.
Repository/Collector:
Special Collections in Mass Media & Culture, University of Maryland
Contains correspondence, scrapbooks, discs, photographs, speeches, scripts, awards and magazine and newspapers articles documenting Kirby's early career in broadcasting, including his work with WSM, as Director of Public Relations for the National Association of Broadcasters, as a founder of Broadcast Music, Inc. and as the chief of the radio branch of the War Department during World War II. Also includes material relating to The Army Hour. Ten related transcription discs from the collection of Major Glenn Miller and the American Band of the Allied Expeditionary Forces Program have been transferred to the Library's audio collection.
Repository/Collector:
Special Collections in Mass Media & Culture, University of Maryland
Edythe Meserand (1908-1997) began her broadcasting career in 1926 at NBC, but had her greatest influence at WOR where she produced the first true radio documentary and began the station's long-running Children's Christmas Fund Drive. She was a founding member of American Women in Radio and Television (AWRT) and served as the organization's first president. The majority of the collection pertains to various radio and television programs she produced and to the early years of American Women in Radio and Television (AWRT).
Repository/Collector:
Special Collections in Mass Media & Culture, University of Maryland
Helen Sioussat (1902-1995) was Director of the Talks and Public Affairs Department at CBS from 1937 to 1958, where she oversaw as many as 300 broadcasts a year addressing such topics as government, labor, education, religion, civil rights and international affairs. She would go on to create the television program, Table Talk.
Repository/Collector:
Special Collections in Mass Media & Culture, University of Maryland
Irene Beasley (1904-1980) was a composer, singer, and radio personality nicknamed "the long, tall gal from Dixie." Beasley is best known for Grand Slam, her long-running musical quiz show which was broadcast from 1943 to 1953. Grand Slam was conceived, written, designed, produced, and emceed by Beasley. The collection documents Irene Beasley's broadcasting and singing career.
Repository/Collector:
Special Collections in Mass Media & Culture, University of Maryland
Martha Brooks (1908-1999) was a legendary New York broadcaster whose "Martha Brooks Show" aired over WGY-Radio Schenectady from 1937 to 1971. Originally an actress, Ms. Brooks (nee Irma Lemke) began with radio station WGY in 1931. Later, Ms. Brooks became a TV pioneer, on WGY's sister station, WRGB-TV by writing, producing and often starring in live, on-air productions. The Martha Brooks papers span the years 1924 to 1991 and consist mainly of photos from many of the early TV productions on which Ms. Brooks starred (and sometimes wrote).
Repository/Collector:
Special Collections in Mass Media & Culture, University of Maryland
Mona Kent (1909-1990) was a script writer for both radio and television, having written hundreds of scripts for the radio serial "Portia Faces Life" and contributing scripts to TV's "Captain Video" series. The collection primarily documents Kent's work on the radio soap "Portia Faces Life" from 1940 to 1956.
Repository/Collector:
Special Collections in Mass Media & Culture, University of Maryland
Contains NAB publications and memos, meeting minutes, photographs, convention programs and public service campaigns for use by member stations to promote radio and television. The association's library of broadcast-related books is now part of the LAB library.
Repository/Collector:
Special Collections in Mass Media & Culture, University of Maryland