The Five Radio Networks of NBC

In its early years NBC (the National Broadcasting Company) operated five different broadcast networks all labeled by color: Red, Blue, Orange, Gold, and White. OTR hobbyists are probably aware of the Red and Blue Networks but may not be familiar with the other colors.

On Jan. 4, 1923, the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T) started "chain" (or network) broadcasting which was then defined as "simultaneous broadcasting of an identical program by two or more connected stations." A rival network owned by the Radio Corporation of America (RCA) broadcast its first network program in December of that same year. In 1926 AT&T abruptly withdrew from the broadcasting field and after a series of complicated maneuvers RCA purchased the entire operation of their rival for one million dollars. They now owned both networks and decided to keep both running as separate entities. On Sept. 9, 1926, RCA formed NBC which had its premiere broadcast on Nov. 15. This broadcast joined 22 stations in the east and midwest which had basically made up the old AT&T network. This was the foundation of the Red Network. The Blue Network, coming mostly from the former RCA stations, was started up two months later.

There is some discrepancy on the number of stations in each of these two networks at the beginning. Some sources state that 25 stations constituted the Red Network and six others the Blue. What appears to be more likely was that there were 18 in the Red, five in the Blue, and eight that were available to supplement the "basic stations" of either network.

In practice, NBC was "national" only in its name since its programs only reached as far west as Denver. In December 1926 the network's board of directors voted to establish a third NBC network on the west coast. This was the Orange Network which was headquartered in San Francisco. The Orange Network had its inaugural program on April 5, 1927, and began regular broadcasting six days later. Basically the network "recreated" the same programs as were heard in the east over the Red Network. In 1936 the Orange Network dissolved into the Pacific Coast Red Network.

The Gold network started in 1931. This included five stations in the West and gave an outlet for recreations of the NBC Blue programming. NBC Gold was discontinued in March 1933 with some of the programs switching over to NBC Orange.

I've been unable to find much information on the NBC White Network. I do know that it was religious in its content and operated in the late 1920s and continued into the '30s. This was also referred to as the Watchtower Network.

Where did the networks get their color-coded names? One of the common stories was that they were named after the colored phone jacks used by the telephone company for switching. The real reason is just as bizarre. NBC documents tell us that the use of colored pencils to draw network lines on a map gave them their names.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) felt that NBC should not be allowed to operate two national networks and demanded that one of them (Red or Blue) be sold. The Supreme Court upheld the FCC position and so the Blue Network was put up for sale. Edward Noble, the maker of Life Savers, purchased it for $8 million. Everything that had belonged to the two networks now had to be divided up: stations, microphones, even wastebaskets. On Oct. 12, 1943, the sale was approved and Noble named his new network the American Broadcasting System (ABS). A year later this was changed to American Broadcasting Company (ABC).

From Illustrated Press, February 2005

Old Time Radio · Media · NBC · RCA · FCC · ABC · Edward Noble · Life Savers ·

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All-Time Favorite Radio Shows

Radio's Best Private Eye Show: This was a tough one. There were some real dandies in this category and picking the best was pretty hard. Philip Marlowe was great, as was Michael Shayne. The Fat Man and Mr. and Mrs. North were also tops. Johnny Dollar and Nero Wolfe were tough to beat. After much sifting and sorting, I did manage to come up with one name ... Sam Spade. He was rough and tough, sardonic and sarcastic, a ladies man, and smart as a whip. (Just how smart is a whip?)

Howard Duff played Spade to the hilt and the role fit him like a glove. Even today, hearing Duff's voice on TV, I am reminded of Sam Spade and all the adventures I indirectly shared with him. Spade was the best and I really dug him! (Sorry, I couldn't resist the pun.)

The Best Sidekick in Radio: This is another category that is overflowing with names. Almost every comedian had a sidekick. Many times the sidekick would be funnier than the star of the show. Jack Benny and Fred Allen specialized in this. Often it was a case of the sidekick topping the stars' joke over and over again. Network radio didn't really have too much ad-libbing, so when you heard Rochester topping one of Jack Benny's gags you knew that it was all planned. And it worked just fine. The star would get his laugh and then bask in the laughter from being topped by his sidekick.

To me, the best of these sidekicks was Elliott Lewis. He played a character named Frankie Remley and/or Elliott on The Phil Harris and Alice Faye Show. Frankie was a left-handed guitar player who always had a scheme that would get Phil and himself in trouble. The schemes were always outrageous and downright flaky. Every one of them was surefire things that couldn't go wrong but always did.

Any time Phil needed someone to repair or do something, Frankie would say, "Hold it, Curly. I know a guy ..." Well, Phil Harris knew the guy to do the job on his radio show ... Elliott Lewis.

The Best Performance by a Radio Actor: It might seem like old stuff to those who have been collecting radio shows for a long time, but stop and think. What was one of the very first radio shows you ever grabbed onto? Chances are that it was the Mercury Theater's version of The War of the Worlds. Right? This particular show became part of America's history and the star of that show became world famous. Orson Welles is the winner here, with second place not in sight!

The Best Performance by a Radio Actress: It seems that most of the really memorable radio performances were done by one woman, Agnes Moorehead. For a long time she brightened up the airwaves as The Shadow's girlfriend, Margo Lane, but she reached her peak as the terrified invalid on the classic Suspense show "Sorry, Wrong Number." This performance set a milestone in radio drama and a new standard for other radio people to strive for. It was the new state of the art. Agnes Moorehead was perfect!

The Best Horror Type Program: At one time or another most of the dramatic radio shows tried their hands at horror. Many times with varying degrees of success. A few specialized in this genre, most notably Quiet, Please; Dreadful John at Midnight; Macabre; and Inner Sanctum. The best of them all, however, was Arch Oboler's Lights Out. If you remember an old radio show that really made your skin crawl, chances are that it was on the Lights Out show.

From slimy creatures that crawled out of your cellar to a chicken heart that continued to grow, to the sudden disappearance of everyone on earth, Lights Out covered them all ... and more! My favorite had a person turn inside out but still remain alive. Think about it. I did and it scared me silly. Exactly what it was intended to do. Lights Out, a legend in its own time!

These have been my own personal picks. You probably don't agree with some or all of my selections but that's what made old-time radio shows great. There was something for everyone.

From Illustrated Press, March 1985

Old Time Radio · Suspense · Drama · Boris Karloff · Arch Oboler · Lights Out · Howard Duff · Sam Spade · Elliott Lewis · Phil Harris · Orson Welles · War Of The Worlds · The Shadow · Agnes Moorehead ·

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Sandy Hook Records Catalog

The Bells of St. Mary's and Holiday Inn: Two complete radio musical dramas with Bing Crosby, Ingrid Bergman, Dinah Shore. Screen Guild broadcasts from 1947 and 1943, including the all-time favorite "White Christmas." (S.H. 2049)

Louis Armstrong Live in Concert: Classic Louis, recorded at the Nice Jazz Festival, February 1940. With Jack Teagarden, Barney Bigard, Earl "Fatha" Hines, Arvell Shaw, Sid Catlett, Velma Middleton and the one and only Louis in his prime. (S.H. 2050)

Ella Fitzgerald and Her Orchestra: (The famous Chick Webb Band.) Two NBC bands remote from the Roseland Ballroom in New York City, February 26 and March 4, 1940. The hot swing band lettin' loose! (S.H. 2051)

Dick Tracy in B Flat, or "For Goodness Sakes, Isn't He Ever Going to Marry Tess Trueheart?": The first comic strip operetta of all time, complete as broadcast February 15, 1945, with Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, Dinah Shore, Jimmy Durante and many more! (S.H. 2052)

Judy Garland in Annie Get Your Gun: Rare recordings from the never-released 1949 original soundtrack. With Keenan Wynn, Howard Keel, Frank Morgan. Songs recorded by Judy and the cast just before she was fired from the picture! (S.H. 2053)

The Nat "King" Cole Show: Live broadcast recordings from Nat "King" Cole's 1957 NBC TV series, with Nelson Riddle and His Orchestra. Includes "Unforgettable", "Thou Swell", "Mona Lisa", "Autumn Leaves" and many other "King" Cole favorites. (S.H. 2054)

Selections from the Sandy Hook Records 1981 catalog, distributed by Radiola, Box C, Sandy Hook, CT 06482

Old Time Radio · Music · Drama · Judy Garland ·

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