The March of Time (radio program)
CBS sound effects chief Ora Daigle Nichols and George O'Donnell on The March of Time
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| Genre | News documentary and dramatization |
|---|---|
| Running time |
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| Country | United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| Syndicates | |
| Created by | Roy E. Larsen Fred Smith |
| Directed by | Arthur Pryor Jr. Donald Stouffer Thomas Harrington William Spier Homer Fickett |
| Produced by | Arthur Pryor Jr. Donald Stouffer Thomas Harrington |
| Executive producer(s) | Davidson Taylor (for CBS) |
| Narrated by |
Ted Husing Westbrook Van Voorhis Harry von Zell |
| Air dates | March 6, 1931 to July 26, 1945 |
| Sponsored by | Time Inc. |
The March of Time is an American radio news documentary and dramatization series sponsored by Time Inc. and broadcast from 1931 to 1945. Created by broadcasting pioneer Fred Smith and Time magazine executive Roy E. Larsen, the program combined actual news events with reenactments. The "voice" of The March of Time was Westbrook Van Voorhis. The radio series was the basis of the famed March of Time newsreel series shown in movie theaters from 1935 to 1951.
The March of Time had its origins in a 1928 radio series developed at WLW in Cincinnati, Ohio, by radio pioneer Fred Smith, who obtained permission to use material from Time magazine in his broadcasts. Later, Smith and Roy E. Larsen, the first circulation manager for Time, developed Time magazine's own radio program, which they called Newscasting. That program evolved into The March of Time, the first network presentation of a dramatized "news" format. At Smith's suggestion, the program included the "10 best radio actors", an "announcer extraordinary", a "splendid orchestra" and a "clever director."
"The March of Time was the first radio newsreel", wrote radio historian John Dunning, "dramatized news events, elaborately staged with sound effects and music, put together like a newspaper—often on deadline, with impact and accuracy its twin goals."
The March of Time began airing as a weekly series March 6, 1931, on CBS Radio on over 32 stations on Friday evenings. The half-hour program aired Fridays at 8:30 p.m. ET. In 1935 the program was trimmed to 15 minutes and aired five times a week, but after a year returned to its 30-minute weekly format. Suspended in 1939, the series was revived in 1941 with a new format, and lasted until 1945.
Time Inc. was the only sponsor of all of the shows; other sponsors included Remington Rand, the Wrigley Company, and Electrolux. The March of Time aired on CBS through October 7, 1937, and was subsequently broadcast on the Blue Network (October 14, 1937 – June 5, 1942), NBC (July 9, 1942 – October 26, 1944), and ABC (November 2, 1944 – July 26, 1945).
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