A different world, that period of time from the 1950s to the 1970s, long before Social Media, cellphones and TikTok. A period of time where much of mainstream media was geared toward that vast audience known as Heartland America – sometimes referred to as “middle America” or in less complimentary terms, “The Rustbelt” or “The Flyover States”. It was a holdover from the period where most of the country did reside East of the Rockies and West of the Mississippi River when America was considered more rural than urban and, for the most part, much more conservative in political views than its coastal counterparts.
And mainstream media plugged into that; having spokespeople who appealed to middle America in a way which made them household names for generations. One of those spokespeople, who became a mainstay since he first appeared on radio in the early 1950s was Paul Harvey. He was one of the most popular and enduring voices on radio from 1952 until 2007 when he stopped broadcasting regularly and stopped entirely by 2008 months before his death.
He made no bones about his political leanings as a staunch supporter of Senator Joe McCarthy and J.Edgar Hoover as well as being a big proponent of the Death Penalty along with a general disdain for the “come alive” generation of the 60s. He nevertheless maintained a professional decorum on the air and kept the innuendos to a minimum.
As a sample and a reminder of what radio commentary was like in 1974, here is a broadcast of Paul Harvey’s News And Commentary from ABC Radio on December 15, 1974.
