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05 December 2023

(Until 05 December)

Shortwave Radio 1940

Greg Poppleton's Phantom Dancer swing jazz radio show

Shortwave broadcasting by the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra from New York to Latin America in 1940 is your Phantom Dancer Feature this week. And below are some relevant paragraphs on shortwave broadcasting taken from a 1942 article in ‘RCA Review’.

The Phantom Dancer is your weekly non-stop mix of swing and jazz from live 1920s-60s radio and TV every week.

LISTEN to this week’s Phantom Dancer mix (online after 2pm AEST, Tuesday 5 December) and weeks of Phantom Dancer mixes online at, at https://2ser.com/phantom-dancer/

SHORT

From ‘RCA Review’, 1942…

“AN EXPANDING horizon of steel towers, tall wooden poles, and networks of elevated antenna wires attests to the growing international broadcasting activities of NBC stations WRCA and WNBI at Bound Brook, New Jersey.

NBC has provided this service for many years. International activities have been stimulated in recent years, first, ih point of time, through the action of the Fed­eral Communications Commission authorizing commercial operation, and second, by the more important contribution this service brings to National Defence.

The Bound Brook plant contains NBC’s international transmit­ting facilities plus the WJZ transmitting facilities. The original property was purchased for these combined facilities in 1925 when RCA built its first short-wave broadcast transmitter, the predecessor of the present busy stations.

The original site consisted of 54 acres. Recently the expanding scope of NBC’s international activities resulted in the purchase of an additional 16 acres, making a total of 70 acres, most of it devoted exclusively to international transmitting antennas.”

WAVE

“It has been the writer’s privilege to be associated with radio for 26 years and with broadcasting for 20 years.

Rarely has there been an opportunity in those eventful times for any form of communication to demonstrate such unique feats as are now becoming accepted common­ places in international broadcasting.

Barely 16 years ago the first rebroadcast from across the seas took place. Scheduled rebroadcasts from the far corners of the earth have since become matters of but casual interest.

But only in recent months has the bewildered victim of catastrophe, propaganda, and censorship so fully appreciated the modern miracle of radio which enables him to listen, perhaps secretly, at night.

The following is an example of the technical character of the WRCA 9670-kc signal received in Rio de Janeiro from the steerable antenna.

It covers from 6.00 to 7.45 P.M. E.D.S.T. on May 15, 1941. Reception was on a common receiver with six feet of wire for an antenna.

Carrier strength …  Very Strong
Fading-Depth … Very slight to slight
Rate of fading … Very slow to slow
Interference from other stations … None
Static ….Very weak
Background noise … None
Quality Overall rating … Excellent.”

5 December PLAY LIST

Play List – The Phantom Dancer
107.3 2SER-FM Sydney
LISTEN ONLINE
Community Radio Network Show CRN #630

107.3 2SER Tuesday 5 December 2023
12:04 – 2:00pm (+11 hours GMT)
National Program
5UV Adelaide Monday 2:30 – 3:30am
5GTR Mt Gambier Monday 2:30 – 3:30am
3MBR Murrayville Monday 3 – 4am
4NAG Keppel FM Monday 3 – 4am
2MIA Griffith Monday 3 – 4am
2BAR Edge FM Bega Monday 3 – 4am
2BRW Braidwood Monday 3 – 4am
2YYY Young Monday 3 – 4am
7RPH Hobart Monday 3 – 4pm
3VKV Alpine Radio Monday 6 – 7pm
7MID Oatlands Monday 3am – 4 and 6 -7pm
2MCE Bathurst Wednesday 9 – 10am
1ART ArtsoundFM Canberra Friday 10 – 11am
and Sunday 11pm
Reading Radio (QLD) Friday 1am – 2
2RRR Ryde Friday 11am – 12
2ARM Armidale Friday 12 – 1pm
5LCM Lofty FM Adelaide Friday 1 – 2pm
6GME Radio Goolarri Broome Saturday 4am – 5am
Denmark FM (West Australia) Saturday 10 – 11am
Repeat: Wednesdays 10 – 11pm
7LTN Launceston Sunday 5 – 6am
3MGB Mallacoota Sunday 5 – 6am
3BBR West Gippsland Sunday 5 – 6pm
2SEA Sapphire Coast Eden Sunday 9 – 10pm

Set 1
Tommy Dorsey
Daydreams Come Teue at Night (theme) + Why Fall in Love witha Stranger? + Dime a Dozen
Dick Jurgens  Orchestra (voc) Al Galetti
‘The Treasury Show’
Garden Room
Hotel Claremont
Berkeley Ca
ABC
9 Oct 1949
Wedding Day
Dick Jurgens Orchestra Vocals – Lee Castle
‘The Treasury Show’
Garden Room
Hotel Claremont
Berkeley Ca
ABC
9 Oct 1949
That Old Black Magic
Dick Jurgens Orchestra
‘The Treasury Show’
Garden Room
Hotel Claremont
Berkeley Ca
ABC
9 Oct 1949
Medley: Miss You  |  Was That the Human Thing to Do?  |  My Blue Heaven  |  Them There Eyes  |  Makin’ Whoopee + CloseDick Jurgens Orchestra (voc) Lee Castle
‘The Treasury Show’
Garden Room
Hotel Claremont
Berkeley Ca
ABC
9 Oct 1949
Set 2
Tommy Dorsey on Shortwave in Spanish
I’m Gettin’ Sentimental Over You (theme) + Dark Eyes
Tommy Dorsey Orchestra
‘Carnival of Broadway’
Hotel Astor Roof
WNBI/WRCA NBC Shortwave NYC
19 Jun 1940
Polkadots and Moonbeams
Tommy Dorsey Orchestra (voc) Frank Sinatra
‘Carnival of Broadway’
Hotel Astor Roof
WNBI/WRCA NBC Shortwave NYC
19 Jun 1940
March of the Toys
Tommy Dorsey Orchestra
‘Carnival of Broadway’
Hotel Astor Roof
WNBI/WRCA NBC Shortwave NYC
19 Jun 1940
Deep Night + I’m Gettin’ Sentimental Over You (theme)
Tommy Dorsey Orchestra (voc) Frank Sinatra
‘Carnival of Broadway’
Hotel Astor Roof
WNBI/WRCA NBC Shortwave NYC
19 Jun 1940
Set 3
Jazz TV
I Left My Baby
Count Basie Orchestra (voc) Jimmy Rushing
Seven Lively Arts
‘Sound of Jazz’
WCBS TV NYC
8 Dec 1957
Dickie’s Dream
Count Basie Orchestra
Seven Lively Arts
‘Sound of Jazz’
WCBS TV NYC
8 Dec 1957
The Train and the River
Pee Wee Russel (cl) Jimmy Giuffre (cl)  Danny Barker (g) Milt Hinton (db) Jo Jones (d)
Seven Lively Arts
‘Sound of Jazz’
WCBS TV NYC
8 Dec 1957
Blues My Naughty Sweetie Gives to Me
Pee Wee Russel (cl) Jimmy Giuffre (cl)  Danny Barker (g) Milt Hinton (db) Jo Jones (d)
Seven Lively Arts
‘Sound of Jazz’
WCBS TV NYC
8 Dec 1957
Set 4
Set 5
Les Brown Orchestra
How High The Moon
Les Brown Orchestra
Palladium Ballroom KNX CBS LA
16 Aug 1945
Coastin’ Along
Les Brown Orchestra
Palladium Ballroom KNX CBS LA
16 Aug 1945
I Wish I Knew
Les Brown Orchestra (voc) Doris Day
Palladium Ballroom KNX CBS LA
16 Aug 1945
Show Me The Way To Go Home
Les Brown Orchestra (vov) Butch Stone
Palladium Ballroom KNX CBS LA
16 Aug 1945
Set 6
Cootie Williams
Round Midnight (theme) + 711
Cootie Williams Orchestra
‘One Night Stand’
Savoy Ballroom
Harlem
AFRS Re-broadcast
12 Feb 1945
Do Nothin’ Till You Hear From Me
Cootie Williams Orchestra
‘One Night Stand’
Savoy Ballroom
Harlem
AFRS Re-broadcast
12 Feb 1945
Don’t Blame Me
Cootie Williams Orchestra
‘One Night Stand’
Savoy Ballroom
Harlem
AFRS Re-broadcast
12 Feb 1945
Perdido
Cootie Williams Orchestra
‘One Night Stand’
Savoy Ballroom
Harlem
AFRS Re-broadcast
12 Feb 1945
Set 7
Duke Ellington Orchestra
Take the A-Train (theme) + Bensonality
Duke Ellington Orchestra
Blue Note
WMAQ NBC Chicago
30 Jul 1952
All of Me
Duke Ellington Orchestra (voc) Bette RocheBlue Note
WMAQ NBC Chicago
30 Jul 1952
Bakiff
Duke Ellington Orchestra
Blue Note
WMAQ NBC Chicago
30 Jul 1952
The Hawk Talks
Duke Ellington Orchestra
Blue Note
WMAQ NBC Chicago
30 Jul 1952
Set 8
Trad Jazz
Theme + Maple Leaf Rag
Wild Bill Davison
‘This is Jazz’
WOR Mutual NYC
19 Apr 1947
Basin Street BluesGeorge Brunis & Albert Nicholas
‘This is Jazz’
WOR Mutual NYC
19 Apr 1947
Mahoganny Hall Stomp
Louis Armstrong All-Stars
‘All-Star Jazz Show’
NBC TV
30 Dec 1957
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