1932 in radio

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The year 1932 saw a number of significant happenings in radio broadcasting history.

Events

• 8 January – Pittsburgh radio activist and catholic priest, Father Cox, and his army of unemployed men return home after a protest march on Depression era Washington, D.C.
• 1 March – Both NBC and CBS go to Hopewell, New Jersey to provide live coverage of the Lindbergh kidnapping.
• 24 March – A radio variety show is broadcast from a moving train for the first time, when Belle Baker hosts a show on a train traveling around the New York area. It was broadcast on the New York City station WABC. She talked first about the weather then, about local news regarding home-towns or stations of the train with the radio.
• 14 May – The BBC moves into its new headquarters, Broadcasting House in London.
• 26 May – The Canadian Radio Broadcasting Act is passed, providing for the establishment of the Canadian Radio Broadcasting Commission.
• 1 July – Following nationalization of the Australian Broadcasting Company, the Australian prime minister, Joseph Lyons, officially inaugurates transmissions from the twelve stations of the Australian Broadcasting Commission, forerunner of today's Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
• 20 October – CBS Radio returns WJSV (today WFED) in Alexandria, Virginia to the air, after a three-month period of silence. CBS has purchased the station from namesake James S. Vance, citing the heavy connections existed behind the scenes with Vance and the Ku Klux Klan. It has operated and programmed WJSV since 1929, unintentionally making CBS a proxy with the Klan. In addition, WJSV is also moved from Mount Vernon, Virginia to the aforementioned Washington, D.C. suburb.
• 19 December – The BBC Empire Service (ancestor of the BBC World Service) begins international broadcasting from a shortwave facility at its Daventry transmitting station in England.
• Undated – the founder of WJBO AM,Valdmeer Jensen sells the station to the Manship Family.

Debuts

• 4 January – The Carnation Contented Hour debuts on NBC Red Network.
• 4 January - WEEU, Reading, Pennsylvania, begins broadcasting on 830 kHz with 1 KW power (daytime only).
• 12 January – Ed Sullivan joins CBS.
• 15 February – George Burns and Gracie Allen become regulars on The Guy Lombardo Show on CBS.
• 29 March – Jack Benny is heard on the radio for the first time on Ed Sullivan's show.
• 2 May – The Jack Benny Program debuts on the NBC Blue Network.
• 29 June – The comedy serial Vic and Sade debuts on NBC Blue Network.
• 5 October - The Adventures of Captain Diamond debuts on NBC Blue Network.
• 10 October - Chandu the Magician debuts on KHJ, Los Angeles.
• 10 October - Betty and Bob debuts on the Blue Network.
• 23 October – Fred Allen's first radio program, the Linit Bath Club Revue, debuts on CBS.
• 30 October - Bring 'Em Back Alive debuts on NBC.
• 6 November - Manhattan Merry-Go-Round debuts on NBC.
• 7 November - Buck Rogers in the 25th Century debuts on CBS.
• 8 November - Presenting Al Jolson debuts on NBC.
• 2 December - Charlie Chan debuts on the Blue Network.

Closings

• 30 April - Alice Joy, the Dream Singer ends its run on network radio (NBC).
• 28 May - The Camel Quarter-Hour ends its run on network radio (CBS).

Births

• 27 April – Casey Kasem, radio personality, best known as host of the nationally syndicated Top 40 countdown show American Top 40.
• 13 September – Dick Biondi, National Radio Hall of Fame and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Top 40 and Oldies disc jockey.
• 9 December – Morton Downey, Jr. (died 2001), controversial and influential American radio and television talk show host of the 1980s who pioneered the "trash talk show" format.