The Standard School Broadcast

The Standard School Broadcast was a weekly educational radio program that went on the air in 1928 and promoted music appreciation for students in the western United States. It was the oldest educational radio program in America. Based in San Francisco, California, the series was carried on NBC radio stations and via syndication. The Standard School Broadcast was devoted to music and American history. Carmen Dragon was music director of the programs for many years. The program's sponsor, Standard Oil of California, was honored with a Peabody Award for the series in 1958. In 1975, the program received the Peabody Institutional Award "for 47 years of continuous educational radio service".

The Standard School Broadcast began in October 1928 and was first heard in 72 schools via the NBC Pacific Network. Predating the comparable CBS Radio series The American School of the Air, it was the oldest educational radio program in the United States.

The series presented hundreds of topics including the science of music, music as drama, and non-classical forms including jazz and folk. Guests ranged from Dorothy Warenskjold to Louis Armstrong. It evolved from a simple lecture program accompanied by a string trio into a program that combined concert hall, stage and documentary, with a symphony orchestra conducted by Carmen Dragon and a cast of professional performers.

The Standard School Broadcast was a companion to the classical music radio program, The Standard Hour. Both were sponsored by Standard Oil of California. The Standard School Broadcast ran on NBC radio and, later, in syndication on the West Coast.

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