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Issues related to the popularity of and need for local musicians on radio programs in the first half of the 20th century are examined. Topics include the rise of radio stars, prohibitions against the use of recorded music, salaries and versatility of the musical talent, efforts by the American Fedration of Musicians to protect live talent, and trends in the 1940s and 50s toward recorded music.

Homemaking shows were introduced to radio as early as the 1920s as a way to make the medium appealing to female audiences. Programming that carried domestic themes was popular in Midwestern states although it was not unique to the region. Fourteen former radio homemakers serving stations in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska and South Dakota reminisce about their radio days.

Many local television stations feel they can cover national stories better than their networks do. So local news directors increasingly send their own reporters, taking advantage of new technology. In [...]