First Commercial Broadcast “Voice of Firestone” aired on 3-22-1928
Saturday, March 22nd, 2008
Today in radio history, the first commercial broadcast “The Voice of Firestone” was aired. Sponsored by the Firestone Tire and Rubber Company on the NBC network. ABC aired the show on the same day and time starting 1954 after a dispute over the time slot when NBC wanted to change the time. The television and radio show were simulcast and when NBC wouldn’t back down Firestone took the show to ABC until it went off the air in 1955. Show had one of the longest runs in the history of radio being on the air for twenty-seven years.
This is one of the few remaining recordings of the musical series from 1953:
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In this NBC network/NBC-TV net simulcast the program celebrating the completion of the program’s twenty-fifth year on the air. The first selection is, “Strike Up The Band” by George Gershwin. The first half hour was heard on radio and television, the second half hour was heard on television only.
