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The January-February 2004 issue of the Spurred Back Radiogram features a story about Kate Smith, titled "The Songbird of the South." It also includes articles about soap operas on Radio Free Europe and Edith Meisner's serenade to World War II listeners. The issue lists the Spurred Back friends who have contributed $50 or more in the past year. The Board of Directors and officers of Spurred Back are also mentioned. The President reflects on the organization's 50th anniversary and plans for the upcoming convention. The location is still being determined, and a virtual component may be included. The selection of shows for recreation at the convention is open to input from members. The Spurred Back Archives will be moved to a new facility, and the Radiogram will now be published bi-monthly. The article "Bridging Borders with Broadcasts" discusses how Radio Free Europe used American radio techniques behind the Iron Curtain to captivate audiences in Czechoslovakia, Welcome to the reading of the January-February 2004 issue of the Spurred Back Radiogram. Your reader is Bill Roth. The cover of this issue shows a close-up of Kate Smith smiling and winking at us. Beneath her is the title of this featured story about her, The Songbird of the South. At the top are the titles of some of the articles within. They are Soap Operas on Radio Free Europe, Edith Meisner, Serenade to America Sues World War II listeners. The first page inside gives a listing of Spurred Back friends and states, Spurred Back graciously extends its gratitude to these individuals who have contributed $50 or more to Spurred Back during the past 12 months. If you wish to be a sponsor of Spurred Back and join this select group, your tax-deductible donation to Spurred Back can be mailed to Alexander Chamberlain at 2625 Middlefield Road, number 171, Palo Alto, California, zip code is 94306-2516. Thank you. Next we come to a listing of the Board of Directors for Spurred Back. The President is Timothy Knopfler, and the Board consists of Sean Dougherty, Zach Eastman, Corey Harker, Walden Hughes, Phil Oldham, and Robert Teves. The officers of the organization are the Vice President, Robert Teves, the Treasurer, Alexander Chamberlain, the Secretary, Scott Mahan, the Activities Chair, Walden Hughes, Membership Chair, Sean Dougherty, Acquisitions and Restorations, Corey Harker, and the Elections Chair is Sandy Hughes. Our Editor is Patrick Luciano. The column from the President goes as follows. Greetings Spurred Back members. As we stand on the precipice of our 50th anniversary, it's a profound moment to reflect on our humble beginnings, the very first meeting that set the course for an extraordinary journey. One cannot help but ponder the response had we questioned, did you know your dreams and efforts would endure over 50 years? The debt of gratitude is owed to that initial gathering where the seeds of passion and vision were sown by our founders, which blossomed into the welcoming haven we now call Spurred Back. The meticulous choreography of our 50th anniversary convention is well underway, orchestrated by the Spurred Back Board of Directors. The location remains a work in progress, with cost, accessibility, and logistical considerations under scrutiny to ensure the utmost enjoyment for our esteemed members. In acknowledgment of the times, we're exploring the incorporation of a virtual component, offering a window of participation for those with limited travel capacity, a notion once deemed science fiction, but which is now an everyday reality. Once the location takes its final form, the spotlight turns to the selection of shows for recreation. Sentimental classics like Sorry, Wrong Number and War of the Worlds linger on the list, but your input, dear members, is the linchpin. Your thoughts and suggestions, actors and actresses you'd like to see, we're all ears. Send your input to info at spurredback.com with the subject 20th Anniversary Convention. Your voices shape the narrative. In the upcoming 60 days, the Spurred Back Archives will find a new home in a state-of-the-art facility, promising both financial prudence and greater access. Details and visuals will grace the pages of Radiogram, which is now making its first bi-monthly pilgrimage, a shift embraced by our membership in response to mounting publication costs. A tip of the hat to board member Zach Eastman for making our first virtual convention from October 2023 available in YouTube. Simply type Spurred Back in the search window and a treasure trove of videos awaits your exploration. Special gratitude to our long-standing friend, advocate and all-round good guy, Greg Oppenheimer, whose unwavering support echoes through his online productions. Walden Hughes and Zach Eastman's live interview with Greg during our convention is just a glimpse of what's to come. Now I return to the upcoming convention. A moment to address the inquiries flooding my inbox about involvement in our radio recreations. It begins with a simple note to info at spurredback.com or president at spurredback.com. Express your interest in acting, writing, producing or sound effects. To our younger members, the torchbearer is you. Skills vital to preserving our legacy are ephemeral and your participation ensures continuity. A heartfelt thanks to our board members for their unwavering commitment to propelling our organization forward, confronting challenges with resilience. Oh, and let's not forget, it's election time. Please remember to complete and return your Spurred Back ballot. Until next time, stay safe and stay tuned. Timothy Knopfler. Our first article, this one, comes with a drawing across the top half of the page that shows a man's hand thrusting through what looks like a steel wall or iron curtain. In his hand is a paper with the title of the article. On it, bridging borders with broadcasts. By the way, both this article and the next come with several sidebars. With your permission and in the interest of continuity, I will save these sidebars until after the ends of each of the stories. Bridging Borders with Broadcasts. In the realm of radio, a listener's allegiance knows no borders. Whether tuning in from the bustling streets of Pittsburgh or the historic alleys of Prague, the universal appeal of well-established American radio techniques has found success even behind what was then called the Iron Curtain. This revelation comes courtesy of Radio Free Europe, an anti-communist radio station that defied geopolitical constraints in 1955 to connect with audiences in Czechoslovakia, Hungary, Romania, and Bulgaria. Under the stewardship of William Raphael, former writer and producer for renowned figures like Kate Smith, James Melton, Sammy Kay, and Bob Crosby, Radio Free Europe seamlessly integrated quintessential American radio methods into its broadcasts. These techniques ranged from soap operas and roundtable discussions to quiz shows and singing commercials with a political twist, managed to captivate audiences on the other side of the Iron Curtain. As Raphael explained, commercial radio was a rare phenomenon in the countries behind the Iron Curtain, where stations were formerly either state-owned or operated on a subscription basis but under autocratic control, and they were merely mouthpieces of the communist regime. The introduction of these formats was not without its challenges. Convincing the scriptwriters, many of them exiles, that American methods could effectively resonate with their compatriots required tact and patience. As Raphael emphasized, we didn't want to railroad through our ideas. We felt that Radio Free Europe belongs to the exiles. It's actually been called a home station in exile, so we had to show our European friends. To demonstrate, Raphael and his staff began with a hard one. They offered a quiz show, which faced immediate skepticism during a trials show at Camp Vat Valka, a haven for Czech and Slovak refugees. Contrary to expectations, however, the show not only succeeded but became a weekly fixture, offering refugees the chance to win coveted prizes in a society where such luxuries were scarce. Prizes were items that were hard to come by, at least hard to come by in a proletariat society. Such items as nylons, metal kitchenware, small electrical appliances, and even hot hands were prizes. The result was that these quiz shows, laden with humor targeting the communist regime, became a staple of Radio Free Europe's broadcasts. The same kind of fun was provided by the station's composers and lyricists, who infused sapphire into music, creating songs that poked fun of the communists. From full-length compositions like the MIG Polka, commemorating the escape of Polish fliers, to satirical music versions of the news, Radio Free Europe employed a diverse musical approach to engage its audience. Short jingles echoing America's radio channels and commercials, saturation content, Radio Free Europe employed a diverse musical approach to engage its audiences. Short jingles echoing radio's commercials, saturation campaign technique, reinforced key messages throughout the day. One of the most smarting musical campaigns followed a speech by Konstanty Rokosławski, the Polish Minister of Defense. Ostensibly, a poll of us. One of the most smarting musical campaigns followed a speech by Konstanty Rokosławski, the Polish Minister of Defense. Ostensibly, a poll, but regarded by Poles as a Russian, in which he referred to solutions affecting the Polish army as important to your country and also to the growth of our army. Seizing on this slip, RFE immediately began pelting Poland with a barrage of rhymes like this. You are honest, Rokosławski, thanks for the cue, it's your army, it's our country, alas, too true. Other more serious, less lyrical RFE station breaks were of this sort, quote, the main shortcoming in the diet of Czechoslovakian children is the deficiency of vitamin C. Yet, the communists are selling one kilogram of oranges for 14 kronie, even though they are buying them abroad for one kronie per kilogram, end quote, or, quote, the will of the people, even where it is not allowed to express itself, can overthrow a regime, end quote. An unarmed but united people is always, and still is today, a greater power than an occupation force and a police force. Beyond entertainment, soap operas served as effective propaganda weapons, addressing daily life under communism through relatable stories. Programs like Within Four Walls stated the problems of daily life under communism and stated them in terms of a middle class family living in Warsaw. Additionally, Three Old Friends, a program in Bulgaria, featured satirical comments by three Bulgarians, a patriot, a hardcore communist, and a treacherous opportunist. Raphael proudly declared at the time that, quote, we really weren't so much different from a commercial network. We had a sponsor, the American people who supported Radio Free Europe through their contributions to the crusade for freedom. We also had a product, freedom, ours and theirs. And we had competition, the communist regime, which would stop at nothing to keep their people from listening to Radio Free Europe. But we succeeded. For one example, on radio in Poland's Radio Warsaw, they'd broken their policy of officially ignoring Christmas and started broadcasting Christmas carols, end quote. While public opinion polls were not possible in iron country countries, refugees' letters and press and radio protests by the communists made it clear that American radio techniques were winning many listeners to Radio Free Europe. Perhaps the greatest tribute to the effectiveness of commercial radio formats was the fact that in several cases, programs introduced to Radio Free Europe had been copied by the communist regime radios. Raphael noted that it didn't bother him at all, so long as we continued to get letters like the one from Poland, which said, quote, even music sounds better over Radio Free Europe, end quote. In the end, as long as letters like that, one from Poland, poured in, Radio Free Europe remained steadfast in its mission to break down barriers and deliver the message of freedom across borders.