The year 1934 saw a number of significant happenings in radio broadcasting history.
Events
- 1 January â In New Zealand, station 3YL Christchurch is opened.
- 14 January â The Lucerne Frequency Plan, reallocating long and short wave frequencies in Europe, comes into force.
- February â The government of France suppresses radio reporting of the Stavisky Riots.
- 26 March â In New Zealand, station 4YO Dunedin is opened.
- 1 April â NIROM (Nederlandsch-Indische Radio-omroepmaatschappij), the Dutch East Indies Radio Broadcasting Corporation, begins broadcasting from studios in Batavia and Surabaya.
- 6 May â "Day of the Saar": all Germany's radio stations broadcast propaganda material aiming to influence the result of the 1935 Saar status referendum.
- 28 June â Fireside chat: U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt broadcasts a Review of the Achievements of the Seventy-third Congress.
- 1 July â The Federal Communications Commission is created, replacing the Federal Radio Commission in the United States.
- August â At the first congress of the Union of Soviet Writers, several of the union's most prominent figures, such as Alexander Serafimovich and Marietta Shaginyan, comment on the merits of radio as a medium for writers.
- 30 September â Fireside chat: On Moving Forward to Greater Freedom and Greater Security.
- 7 October â In the United Kingdom, the new high-power longwave transmitter at Droitwich takes over from Daventry 5XX as the main station radiating the BBC National Programme.
- 10 December â WJBO is relocated from New Orleans to Baton Rouge and relaunched as WJBO 1150AM.
- EKCO introduces its distinctive round bakelite radio cabinets in the United Kingdom.
- date unknown â Radio Misr is launched in Egypt, the first radio station in the Arabic-speaking world.
Debuts
Endings
Births
- 1 January â Alan Berg (died 1984), Denver-based liberal radio talk show host, previously an attorney.
- 30 January â Tammy Grimes (died 2016), American actress and singer, host of the final season of CBS Radio Mystery Theater.
- 4 March â John Dunn (died 2004), British radio presenter.
- 25 April â George Bogle, minister and religious broadcaster in Detroit, Michigan.
- 10 May â Gary Owens (died 2015), American radio host and voice actor.
- 5 June â Bryon Butler (died 2001), British radio football correspondent.
- 5 August â Gay Byrne (died 2019), Irish broadcaster.
- 18 December â Michael Freedland (died 2018), British journalist, biographer and broadcaster in London (You Don't Have To Be Jewish).
Deaths
- 8 June â Dorothy Dell, 19, US actress
- 28 July â Marie Dressler, 65, Canadian-born actress, whose 1933 birthday party, hosted by MGM, was broadcast live
- 30 August â Don Lee, 54, pioneer California broadcasting mogul.
- 10 September â George Henschel, 84, singer and pianist (a few months after his first radio performance as a singer)
References