The Columbia Workshop of the Air

The Columbia Workshop of the Air showcased radio technology, mostly through radio plays, but also through documentaries and experimental programs. Each program was designed to illustrate some aspect of radio production and technology even as it entertained and informed. The first episode, "Comedy of Danger-The Finger of God," for example, featured in its second part ("Finger of God") a parabolic microphone to capture audio from a cast moving about the stage, rather than standing around a microphone.

Over the years, the show had several directors, each one of whom put his own stamp on the show. For example, the first director and creator of the show, Irvin Reis, was particularly interested in technology; the third, Norman Corwin, had a social conscience which led him towards current affairs and societal issues.

Contributors included many of the great names of the era, such as Orson Welles and Stephen Vincent Benet.

For more information, see Wikipedia.