This Week in Texas Methodist History December 19, 2021 Advocate Publishes Methodist Radio Programs December 1943 Commercial radio began with the opening of a station in Pittsburgh in 1920. As consumers snapped up the small appliances the radio impacted all areas of society. Advertising and entertainment were obvious areas in which the radio’s impact was revolutionary. So too were politics and religion. FDR’s Fire Side Chats brought words of reassurance and unity during the Depression and World War II. On the other hand divisive voices such as Father Coughlin spread racism and disunity. Broadcast technology was simple enough and local radio stations were eager to fill air time. Methodists took advantage of the new medium. The Methodist Home in Waco became famous for its radio broadcasts which featured the children’s choir. Methodists all over Texas and New Mexico developed a special bond with the Home through the radio programs. Some of the most prominent preachers broadcast their sermons. In December 1943 the Southwestern Advocate advised its readers of those programs. I thought you might like to know who was on the air Houston, Paul Quillian, Dallas, Umphrey Lee and Homer Vanderpool Brownwood Chet Henson Temple Roy Langston Corpus Christi William Wallace San Antonio A. P Shirkey Laredo Richard Heacock Austin Edmund Heinsohn Temple Allen Peacock Waco G. P. Comer Denton Phillip Walker