Radio Index
NBC University Theater
Description
In 1944, NBC brought WORLD'S GREAT NOVELS to radio, offering high quality adaptations of the great works of literature; some colleges offered college credit. In 1948 the series was re-titled NBC UNIVERSITY THEATER OF THE AIR and production moved to Hollywood, first broadcast July 30, 1948. In 1948 the Peabody was awarded to the NBC University Theatre for 'an hour's dramatization of some of our finest novels and short stories... launched as an experiment in July, 1948.' Fear of the shows being too 'high brow' kept listeners away, so NBC removed 'University' from the title for a time (NBC Theater of the Air), then restored it. Frequent day/time/length changes; almost all shows survived in good audio quality.
NBC University Theater was a brand the National Broadcasting Co. applied to a category of radio programming. Although it was not actually a university, some colleges and universities participated by including some of the programming in their curriculum. NBC University Theater's most well-known radio series was The World's Great Novels. NBC used the name "University Theater" or similar from about 1923–1947.
Wikipedia. CC BY-SA 4.0. Updated Jul 25, 2025.
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