The History of the Radio, Car Talk, and Car Donations
1900-1930: Discovery – Testing – Mainstream
Wireless Telegraph was mainly used by Navy Fleets in the San Francisco ports and with NYC broadcasts of opera as a means of reporting. While the radio was still in its testing phases, WWI (1914 – 1918) arose.
April, 1917. All amateur wireless stations are ordered shut down, silent, so that the Government can use radio for defense purposes. The war is important to radio technically as the vacuum tube, invented earlier by de Forest is improved for war communication, and all other radio patents are pooled for defense reasons.1
The wartime ban was lifted in 1918. In 1920, the KDKA became the first station to receive a government license to broadcast the Harding-Cox presidential election. By the late 1920s, NBC and CBS were the first radio networks formed.
1930-1940: Radio as Big Business
With the Depression underway, President Roosevelt had radio conversations with the American people often to give them hope. President Roosevelt became the “radio president.” In 1934, the FRC was replaced with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), which extended across long-distances and for non-governmental uses. 3 Conflicts arose between the newspapers and materials shared via broadcasting. Agreements were made not to share material until it is published and channels like CBS created an Associated Press (AP) department From 1939 to 1945, WWII was underway.
1940-1975: Radio in Wartimes
The “post war affluence” of WWII, results in the next generation being raised with a radio in the home. More investments started going towards television, but radio continued to adapt with the times. Over the course of the next thirty years, the country endured three more wars – the Cold War (1947-1991), Korean War (1950-1953), and Vietnam War (1955-1975).
The Magliozzi Brothers
The Boston brothers Tom and Ray Magliozzi, Cambridge locals functioning as “grease monkeys” in their day jobs – or at least that’s what they wanted you to think! Truth be told, both brothers graduated from MIT. In 1973, the brothers opened Hacker’s Haven, in Cambridge, MA – a do-it-yourself approach garage. As the brother’s careers developed, the garage later took a more conventional approach to mechanics and became the Good News Garage.5
Being Discovered – Car Talk Radio
In 1977, WBUR invited the Magliozzis in to discuss car repairs with other professionals. Tom accepted the invitation and the next week he brought along his younger brother Ray.
Anyway, Vic called, asking if Tom and Ray would sit in with four other grease monkeys on a call in talk show about car mechanics. And when Thomas showed up that next time the studio was empty. Vic Wheatman had been fired! There was a letter saying, “You’re on your own, have a good time, and try to watch your language.” 6
The brothers were soon given the weekly program Car Talk which gained a large local following. In 1987, after ten years on the air, Car Talk premiered on NPR. In the next five years, they made an appearance on The Tonight Show (1988), launched the newspaper column “Click and Clack Talk Cars” (1989), and won a Peabody Award (1992).
“Click and Clack” – appeared in over 330 newspapers
Cartalk.com – more than 100,000 unique visitors per week – that’s 1.8 Million visitors per month
Car Talk’s Podcast is the number one automotive podcast with over 300,000 downloads per week
Car Talk Radio – A Day In The Life
Alongside Car Talk, the Magliozzi brothers’ lives continued. Tom Magliozzi received a doctorate in marketing, taught at Boston University and Suffolk University, and ran a consulting business. Ray Magliozzi continued to work at the Good News Garage. After 35 years on WBUR, the brothers officially went off the air in 2012. Two years later, on Monday, November 4th, 2014 – Tom passed away from Alzheimers at 77 years old. The impact of the Magliozzi brothers on the radio is undeniable. After eight years off the air – their presence continues as an iconic piece of radio history. On behalf of partner Car Talk, we want to thank Doug, Ray, and everyone at Car Talk for their efforts, generosity, and time – in loving memory of Tom Magliozzi.
Car Talk Car Donation
At Advanced Remarketing Services (ARS), we help individuals donate cars to charity. We see every car donation as an opportunity to give back via cars for charity. ARS has streamlined a process for donating a car that is simple for donors, tax deductible, and is leading the industry with 80% of proceeds going to charity.
Donate Your Car, Truck, Van, SUV, Boat or Trailer to the benefit of National Public Radio through the Car Talk Vehicle Donation Program.
The Car Talk Vehicle Donation Program is one of the most efficient vehicle donation programs in the country. We achieve this efficiency by using a central charity, Cars For Charity, to maintain your tax deductibility and a nationally licensed vehicle dealer, Advanced Remarketing Services, to handle title processing and vehicle sale.
1 https://www.californiahistoricalradio.com/radio-history/100years/
2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdfrC7zz8Nc
3 https://www.mtsu.edu/first-amendment/article/809/federal-radio-commission
4 https://www.fasttrackteaching.com/ffap/Unit_8_Early_1900s/U8_Radio_Pics.html
5 https://www.cartalk.com/content/tom-and-ray-magliozzi-bios
6 https://www.cartalk.com/content/car-talk-background-information
7 https://www.npr.org/2014/11/03/357428287/tom-magliozzi-popular-co-host-of-nprs-car-talk-dies-at-77