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A few months ago the Little Theatre Group were busily engaged in rehearsing for the big pageant, the “Trial of Joan of Arc,” special artists was coming from the East to take part. The expenses were mounting high – every effort must be put forth to attract a big crowd and so they immediately decided upon an advertising campaign.

It was decided to use radio as one of the publicity features, and someone hit upon the happy idea of presenting scenes from the “Trial of St. Joan” over Radio Station WIL. It was very successful and the excerpts proved very popular. It also introduced to the WIL listening audience a voice whose clearness, distinction and quality has won a place on WIL’s staff. The owner of this pleasing voice is none other than John Francis Eschen, known as Frank Eschen.

Mark Twain, through his writing, made Hannibal, Missouri widely known. We trust that Frank Eschen, who comes from the same little town, will add to its fame. After jumping about the country for a number of years pursuing an elusive education in a number of different institutions for that express purpose, he finally landed in the University of Missouri – tarried a while and stepped forth armed with a sheepskin – “Bachelor of Journalism.”

Ventured into the world of the theatre (whose main road leads to radio) in which he created the role of Warden Brady in Martin Flavin’s “The Criminal Code,” appeared in “Saturday’s Children,” “He Who Gets Slapped,” “Trial of Joan of Arc” and others.

Frank’s first radio experience was gained as announcer over Station KFRU in Columbia, Missouri. Through diligent work he has become a “Bachelor” of Radio and has renounced his earlier loves, the theatre and newspaperdom.

(Originally published in Radio and Entertainment 9/3/1933).

Without benefit of ballyhoo, Marvin Mueller’s Treasure Chest…Fridays at 6 p.m. on KMOX has become one of the most popular programs on the air…proving again that an entertaining program makes its own friends…Marvin does a number of grand impersonations during each program, including Montgomery Mouse, bosom friend of the famous Mickey Mouse, which may account for the program appealing to children and grown-ups alike.

(Originally published in Radio and Entertainment 8/26/1933).

Uncle Billy isn’t a venerable old man with whiskers and spectacles; in fact, he isn’t old at all!

Really, he is Don Hunt, an artist of long standing at KMOX and far too young to have some 5,000 nephews and nieces. He is the sort that all little boys would want to be like and the type that little girls would like to have for their Prince Charming when they grow up. He is blonde and tall and amusing, this Uncle Bill who appears each afternoon at five o’clock to sing to little girls and boys and tell them fairy tales.

Some 2,000 of them write in to him each week seeking membership in his Peter Pan club and telling him when their birthdays are so he can keep them in his Lucky Book and have the Cuckoo bird wish them happy birthdays. He keeps close tab of all and has them recorded in case he should forget one of so many relations. No danger of his forgetting, though, for he has the Lucky Book full of them, up to little Benjamin Ballow of East St. Louis whose birthday is December 27.

And does he like those letters he receives! We found him poring over a huge stack of them which he reads and answers every day. He showed proudly the Cuckoo bird which is his sole assistant in these afternoon broadcasts. He fingered excitedly through them to show what the different authors said to him in these letters, which he described as the very “breath of radio.”

Being virtually hurled through the air one night some seven years ago quite by chance at KMOX, he became an announcer there. Since that time, he has sung and played and done dramatic sketches in stations from one end of the country to the other. He even wrote the music for and produced a play on Broadway.

One of his most successful skits was with Gwen of “Myrt and Marge” when he played in a travelogue called “Cinderella and the Cross-Eyed Bear” over KFI in Los Angeles.

Uncle Billy went to school here and has the delightful knack of remembering when he was small and the things that appealed to his very fanciful imagination. Some of the stories he tells his young followers are from a book his mother bought him when he was five years old. He learned to recite them in a high piping voice long before he could read.

Colorful figures from fairyland appeal to him and he likes to think that he is making five o’clock a happy time for little boys and girls throughout the 49th State and in far away places. In his pocket he has a snapshot of a chubby little boy who truly is his nephew.

Each youngster who becomes a member of his club receives a button, a long letter cautioning them to eat spinach and be generally model children, as well as an elaborate certificate of membership. He records their names and then they are full-fledged members of the eternally young club of which he is such an admirable exponent.

He plays and sings and likes most to do dramatic sketches which show how nicely (sic) romantic life can be. He has lived in the West and ridden cowboy ponies and listened to the howl of coyotes. Most of all he likes to drive open Fords across the Western plains which he has done several times.

A gay and charming fanciful person is he – “Bill – your Uncle Bill.”

(Originally published in Radio and Entertainment 3/26/32).

Radio station WIL has contributed much to the growth of St. Louis. Thirty-five years ago WIL broke all radio records in capturing almost 100% of all radio receivers, numbering about 1,200 in St. Louis and several thousand more within the 300-mile radius reached by the radio phone of the Benwood Company, 1110 Olive Street, which cooperated with the Star in broadcasting St. Louis’ first concert.

The event was a big step forward in local wireless history. It was the first elaborate radio phone entertainment to be given in the Middle West. On the program were Nelson Cuniff, director of Public Welfare, Harlan Eugene Read, Max Steindel, famous cellist with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Jean and Charles Granese, feature vocalists at the Orpheum Theater of that day, Mrs. Karl Kimmel, well-known soloist, Charles Borelli, pianist, and Dr. Charles Klenk, radio expert. In addition, there were selections on a player piano.

Mr. L.A. Benson, founder of the corporation and now president of the Missouri Broadcasting Corp. and owner and operator of Station WWIL in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., did all the announcing and programming in addition to engineering the entire broadcast.

(Text of newspaper ad published 2/5/1957)

Holland E. Engle, popular rapid-fire KMOX announcer was one of the first artists to be heard on the radio. Holland was just a youngster of thirteen when Dr. Frank Stanton first put Station KDKA, the pioneer broadcasting station of the world on the air from his garage in back of his home in East Pittsburgh, Pa., and as Holland had a short wave transmitter with some youngsters in the town, he became vastly interested in this new form of broadcasting. So the next day found Engle headed for Pittsburgh which was eighty miles away from his home.

Anyone who knows a youngster of thirteen knows that they usually get what they go after, and of course Engle and the two boys with him finally convinced the friendly inventor they should see the new station.

Not long after that, through a friend connected with the General Electric Company these young radio “hams,” as they were called, were fortunate enough to get hold of some tubes and other equipment and built themselves a broadcast station. Engle laughingly said “And what a station, if it didn’t spill over we could be heard clear across town.”

And that was the beginning of a very colorful life for the young man who today is one of the country’s best-known radio announcers.

Engle soon became connected with several of the stations that were springing up all over the country and in the summer when there was no school took long trips just for the privilege of broadcasting from these new stations. He played the piano and crooned much in the style of the well-known “Little Jack Little” and found that it soon became a profitable occupation. “In fact,” says Engle, “it was so profitable that while still going to college I quit school and took up radio as a serious business.”

Since that time Engle has broadcast from over 100 of the country’s biggest stations. He has in the past four years been station manager of two large broadcasting stations, and came to St. Louis sixteen months ago to take up the duties of Announcer with KMOX where he is now located.

(Originally published in Radio and Entertainment 2/13/1932).

By Nancy Frazer

Invisible To Their Audience, These Modern Master Showmen Must Use Their Descriptive Powers And Vocal Tricks With Split Second Efficiency

Circus ringmasters without the whips – and without silk hats; [this] describes announcers as I see it.

Without the blare of the circus top and the rollicking music which would make anything colorful, these subtle-toned masters of ceremonies get the listener in the proper mood to accept and appreciate each separate program. The can conjure up a picture as impelling as ever, these figures of another era, through tinsel, gay moving crowds and stentorian tones which exhorted each and every one to “see the daredevil defy death for your amusement” ever got.

Through intonations and facile voice shadings, announcers in charge of programs visualize the act about to go on in their minds and then parade it over the ether waves with all the reality of a real show. It’s a gift and it is a new school of showmanship that radio has brought about.

When radio was young, entertainers were put on the air to put themselves across but that was a long time ago. The program which does not have an announcer to prepare the public for it is a rarity in these days. In fact, the manner in which a program gets over is largely due to how the announcer handles it and the mood into which he gets his listeners to experience it.

Perhaps when television gets into full swing they will go back to the colorful garb which so characterized their forebears in the field, but that is only a conjecture, for who could imagine six-foot-two Billy Lang, announcer at WIL in swashbuckling garb and a shiny top hat!

In addition to being on regular schedule to take charge of programs, most of them at the different stations have special programs or take part in different features presented throughout the day. It isn’t exactly an easy life to be constantly on call with split second precision nor is it exciting but these men have larger followings and greater possibility for popularity than real ringmasters ever had.

There are four at each, KMOX, KWK and WIL who divide up the eighteen hours of the broadcasting day.

France Laux, senior announcer at KMOX, handles all the baseball broadcasts as well as the sports announcements, and does straight announcing for part of the evening broadcasts.

Holland Engle’s voice is heard from remote control and he splits the evening announcements with France Laux. He is Uncle Jim on the Pet Koko program, sings as Dr. Coocoo several times a week and is one of the continuity writers in his spare moments.

Bob Holt is regular announcer in the afternoon and at night and conducts the daily “Farm and Home Hour.”

Harold Bolande (accent on the last syllable) is a recent acquisition from WDAF Kansas City, and is the first voice heard on the station in the morning. He announces what programs there are in the morning before eight o’clock, reads the news flashes and conducts the Public Interest program each Monday.

Ray Schmidt assists France Laux at the baseball broadcasts and relates the thrilling events at all boxing and wrestling matches.

At KWK, Bob Thomas is the Senior announcer and is in charge of the sports broadcasts as well as being vice-president of the station. He helps prepare the stunts that are provided daily during the Frank and Ernest program as well as being Ernest of the team.

John Harrington, powerful and six feet in height, does some of the sports reviews and is on schedule in the night and afternoon as is Del King. Del King does two vocal broadcasts each week and is on the Dad and Jean and Helen and Henry programs each morning. Bill Vincent, who is in reality Bill Hirth, continuity writer, serves as pinch-hitter when someone doesn’t show up at the proper moment or fills out when the others are taking their vacations.

Franklyn MacCormack, beloved as the Old Captain of the Dream Boat program at WIL, is also program director at the station. He announces the features in the morning and splits the work at night.

Neil Norman has appeal as a commercial announcer and is on duty in the afternoon and at night as is Billy Lang, who also handles the remote control broadcasts and is heard nightly on the Night Watchman program.

Garnett Marks, who has recently come to the station starts off the broadcasting day at seven o’clock and announces until nine. He is the news announcer during the morning.

Throughout the day when the minute shows are paraded these men figuratively crack the whip for each ring presentation.

(Originally published in Radio and Entertainment 6/25/32).