VANCOUVER, Wash. – For Women’s History Month, Re-Imagined Radio celebrates with a tribute to women who made history as radio storytellers. The March episode, “Radio Women,” features eight talented women who contributed to the growth of radio beginning in the 1930s as writers, comedians, actors and hosts.
“Radio Women” premieres at 1 p.m. March 18 on KXRW-FM (99.9), Vancouver, and KXRY-FM (91.1 and 107.1), Portland. Subsequent broadcasts and streams will be provided by local, regional and international broadcast partners.
Initially, content created by women was classified as ‘women’s shows,’” said John Barber, Re-Imagined Radio writer, producer and host, and faculty member in WSU Vancouver’s Creative Media and Digital Culture program. But, as the episode makes clear, “the imagination and creative ideas of women went far beyond this narrow programming category.” The women featured are:
Lucille Fletcher, writer for CBS, best known for writing “The Hitch-Hiker” and “Sorry, Wrong Number”
Edith Meiser, writer who introduced Sherlock Holmes to American radio audiences in the 1930s
Ruth Woodman, writer for “Death Valley Days”
Mary McBride, interview host and writer for “The Mary Margaret McBride Show”
Jean King, talk show hostess and singer for “Lonesome Gal”
Cathy Lewis, actress best known for “My Friend Irma”
Margaret Lynch, comedy writer and actress for “The Couple Next Door”
Gracie Allen, comedian who starred with her husband, George Burns, on “The Burns and Allen Show”
Re-Imagined Radio premieres episodes on the third Monday of the month on community radio stations KXRW.FM and KXRY.FM. Each episode is streamed globally and is then available as a podcast. Information and listening opportunities are available at reimaginedradio.fm.
Community Partners
Re-Imagined Radio draws on community voice actors, Foley artists, musicians, sound artists and engineers. Partners include KXRW-FM, KXRY-FM, Marc Rose and Holly Slocum Design.
About Re-Imagined Radio
Re-Imagined Radio was begun by Barber in 2013 to celebrate radio storytelling. ”We select, produce and perform classic and contemporary stories across a spectrum of radio genres, from dramas to comedies, from oral to aural histories, from documentaries to fictions, from soundscapes to sonic journeys, from radio to sound art,” Barber said.
About WSU Vancouver
As one of six campuses of the WSU system, WSU Vancouver offers big-school resources in a small-school environment. The university provides affordable, high-quality baccalaureate- and graduate-level education to benefit the people and communities it serves. As the only four-year research university in Southwest Washington, WSU Vancouver helps drive economic growth through relationships with local businesses and industries, schools and nonprofit organizations.
WSU Vancouver is located on the homelands of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe and Peoples of the Lower Columbia Valley. We acknowledge their presence here. WSU Vancouver expresses its respect towards these original and current caretakers of the region. We pledge that these relationships will be built on mutual trust and respect.
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MEDIA CONTACT(S)
Brenda Alling, Office of Marketing and Communication, 360-546-9601, brenda_alling@wsu.edu