Radio Classics
Encyclopedia
Radio Classics is a US
old time radio network owned by RSPT LLC. It provides the programming content for Sirius XM Radio's 24-hour satellite radio
channel of the same name. Radio Classics also syndicates the Radio Spirits-branded program When Radio Was
weekly to over 200 terrestrial radio stations. In addition, Radio Classics has a monthly online subscription service, providing subscribers with unlimited streaming and twenty hours per month of downloads of old time radio shows that have appeared on past When Radio Was, Radio Super Heroes, Radio Movie Classics, or Radio Hall of Fame (special edition of When Radio Was that focuses on National Radio Hall of Fame inductees) installments.
Shows broadcast by Radio Classics include The Jack Benny Program
, Abbott & Costello, Gunsmoke
, The Mysterious Traveler
, and The Shadow.
The Sirius XM channel, carried on channel 82 on XM
(where it was on channel 164) and Sirius
(where it was on channel 118), is hosted by Greg Bell, who had previous radio experience as a program director, news director, sports director, anchor, and reporter. Shows are played in two-hour blocks of programming which are rotated in different time slots during the week. This allows the audience in various time zones to be able to hear a show at convenient times. Commercials and Sirius XM promos are played before, after and during the old radio shows, though the amount of advertising time does not exceed eight minutes per hour. Occasionally, the original vintage commercials are broadcast, though the majority of the spots are modern commercials provided by Sirius XM and/or their sponsors.
Prior to February 1, 2009 XM and Sirius had separate Radio Classics channels, with different programming on each. They were combined as part of the larger merger between the two satellite radio services.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
old time radio network owned by RSPT LLC. It provides the programming content for Sirius XM Radio's 24-hour satellite radio
Satellite radio
Satellite radio is an analogue or digital radio signal that is relayed through one or more satellites and thus can be received in a much wider geographical area than terrestrial FM radio stations...
channel of the same name. Radio Classics also syndicates the Radio Spirits-branded program When Radio Was
When Radio Was
-History:The series began as a local program in Chicago, hosted by Carl Amari, who was the founder of Radio Spirits, Inc., which sells tapes and CDs of old time radio programs. Former CBS Radio executive Dick Brescia heard an in-flight version of the program, and soon mounted a nationally...
weekly to over 200 terrestrial radio stations. In addition, Radio Classics has a monthly online subscription service, providing subscribers with unlimited streaming and twenty hours per month of downloads of old time radio shows that have appeared on past When Radio Was, Radio Super Heroes, Radio Movie Classics, or Radio Hall of Fame (special edition of When Radio Was that focuses on National Radio Hall of Fame inductees) installments.
Shows broadcast by Radio Classics include The Jack Benny Program
Jack Benny
Jack Benny was an American comedian, vaudevillian, and actor for radio, television, and film...
, Abbott & Costello, Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke
Gunsmoke is an American radio and television Western drama series created by director Norman MacDonnell and writer John Meston. The stories take place in and around Dodge City, Kansas, during the settlement of the American West....
, The Mysterious Traveler
The Mysterious Traveler
The Mysterious Traveler was an anthology radio series, a magazine and a comic book. All three featured stories which ran the gamut from fantasy and science fiction to straight crime dramas of mystery and suspense.-Radio:...
, and The Shadow.
The Sirius XM channel, carried on channel 82 on XM
XM Satellite Radio
XM Satellite Radio is one of two satellite radio services in the United States and Canada, operated by Sirius XM Radio. It provides pay-for-service radio, analogous to cable television. Its service includes 73 different music channels, 39 news, sports, talk and entertainment channels, 21 regional...
(where it was on channel 164) and Sirius
Sirius Satellite Radio
Sirius Satellite Radio is a satellite radio service operating in North America, owned by Sirius XM Radio.Headquartered in New York City, with smaller studios in Los Angeles and Memphis, Sirius was officially launched on July 1, 2002 and currently provides 69 streams of music and 65 streams of...
(where it was on channel 118), is hosted by Greg Bell, who had previous radio experience as a program director, news director, sports director, anchor, and reporter. Shows are played in two-hour blocks of programming which are rotated in different time slots during the week. This allows the audience in various time zones to be able to hear a show at convenient times. Commercials and Sirius XM promos are played before, after and during the old radio shows, though the amount of advertising time does not exceed eight minutes per hour. Occasionally, the original vintage commercials are broadcast, though the majority of the spots are modern commercials provided by Sirius XM and/or their sponsors.
Prior to February 1, 2009 XM and Sirius had separate Radio Classics channels, with different programming on each. They were combined as part of the larger merger between the two satellite radio services.
External links
- Radio Classics
- Weekly Schedule for Sirius XM's Radio Classics channel
- Old Time Radio Blog maintained by Sirius XM programmer Greg Bell