Radio Election of 1924 Story aired: Friday, October 29, 2004
Wafting through the airwaves in 1924, via this novelty called radio, was music for the jazz age. 1924 was the year of Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue," bootleg liquor, and red hot flappers. The year also marked a new era in political campaigning. Radio became the instrument politicians used to get their message across, and the first politician to use it with great affect was Calvin Coolidge.
As the incumbent president, Coolidge surrounded himself with his buddies from Amherst College, successful Madison Avenue advertising men, to shape his image and advise him how best to utilize broadcast radio.
A new exhibit called "1924: The Radio Election - Presidential Campaigning in the Coolidge Era" is on display at the historic Northampton Museum in Northampton, Massachusetts. Kerry Buckley is the museum's director and recently spoke with Here & Now producer April Peavey.
The exhibit runs from Oct 1, 2004 to Feb. 6, 2005 46 Bridge Street, Northampton MA 01060 Visit the link below for more information.
Guests:
Kerry Buckley, director of the Historic Northampton Museum and Education Center in Western Massachusetts
