CHAPTER TWO
BIRTH OF THE MODERN CALL-IN TALK SHOW

World War Two ended in 1945 and America was ready for more relaxed styles of entertainment.

Over the course of the war, telephone and radio station equipment had improved to the point that telephone audio was suitable for radio broadcasting. There were still many rules regarding the use of telephone lines. As so often happens, advances in technology and human initiative made these rules obsolete.

Barry Gray (right) interviews Alan Freed at WMCA-AM after Freed was busted for payola in 1959

On an overnight show in late 1945, Barry Gray, a disc jockey at WMCA-AM in New York City, began conversing live on the air with his listeners during his recorded music program. It is rumored he did the on-air telephone talk without the knowledge of WMCA's management. One night Gray aired a live telephone conversation with popular big band personality Woody Herman who was at the peak of his music career. The call-in interview with Herman created a sensation.

WMCA's owners, sensing they had something hot, asked Gray to add more celebrity call-in guests to his show. Soon, Gray's program was one of the top rated programs in New York, leading WMCA and competing station WOR-AM to add more and more talk programming.

Post war technology allowed stations across the country to air listener call-ins. The introduction of the tape recorder made an on-air delay possible. Tape delays decreased the risk of objectionable words and comments, making radio station owners more interested in call-in shows.

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