The programs made significant contributions to the history of radio storytelling

VANCOUVER – Alan Ladd was a popular American movie star in the 1940s and early 1950s who started a company, Mayfair Productions, to syndicate radio programs, including “Box 13” and “The Damon Runyan Theater.” The programs made significant contributions to the history of radio storytelling. Re-Imagined Radio samples from them for its latest episode, titled “Syndication,” which premieres on April 15 at 1 p.m. on KXRW-FM (99.9), Vancouver, and KXRY-FM (91.1 and 107.1), Portland.

Ladd, best known for his 1953 movie “Shane,” frequently performed in radio adaptations of movies. He created Mayfair with Bernie Joslin in 1948 to broadcast rights to its content to any radio station or network anywhere in the country. The costs would be affordable for the stations, and the shows would reach a wide audience.

“Box 13” (1948 – 49) is considered Mayfair’s primary contribution to radio entertainment. It featured a retired newspaper reporter turned novelist (played by Ladd) who writes novels about mystery and adventure and, along the way, becomes an unofficial detective faced with life-threatening adventures. “The Damon Runyon Theater” (1949 – 51) was based on the character-rich stories of newspaper columnist Damon Runyon.

Re-Imagined Radio premieres episodes on the third Monday of the month on community radio stations KXRW-FM and KXRY-FM. Each episode is streamed globally and is then available as a podcast. Information and listening opportunities are available at reimaginedradio.fm. 

Community Partners

Re-Imagined Radio draws on community voice actors, Foley artists, musicians, sound artists and engineers. Partners include KXRW-FM, KXRY-FM, Marc Rose and Holly Slocum Design with Sidney Nguyen.

About Re-Imagined Radio

Re-Imagined Radio was begun by Barber in 2013 to celebrate radio storytelling. ”We select, produce and perform classic and contemporary stories across a spectrum of radio genres, from dramas to comedies, from oral to aural histories, from documentaries to fictions, from soundscapes to sonic journeys, from radio to sound art,” Barber said. 

About WSU Vancouver

As one of six campuses of the WSU system, WSU Vancouver offers big-school resources in a small-school environment. The university provides affordable, high-quality baccalaureate- and graduate-level education to benefit the people and communities it serves. As the only four-year research university in Southwest Washington, WSU Vancouver helps drive economic growth through relationships with local businesses and industries, schools and nonprofit organizations. 

WSU Vancouver is located on the homelands of the Cowlitz Indian Tribe and Peoples of the Lower Columbia Valley. We acknowledge their presence here. WSU Vancouver expresses its respect towards these original and current caretakers of the region. We pledge that these relationships will be built on mutual trust and respect. 

Information provided by WSU Vancouver Communications.