Bill Stidger's fascination with radio broadcasting began in Detroit in 1921 when he became the first "aerial preacher," and later in Kansas City when he inaugurated the first radio prayer meeting. His first national broadcast was in Boston in 1928 over WHDH, the Blue Network for New England.
His book, Edwin Markham, was reviewed by fellow preachers over the radio in 1933 across the country, setting a precedent for promoting books widely and quickly following publication. On October 7, 1934, he began morning broadcasts of "The Goodwill Radio Chapel Service," over Radio Station WHDH. Six months later, Bill initiated a new hour long program, weekly, entitled "Great American Personalities," which had an initial New England audience of 150,000 and over the following fifteen months through June, 1936, built to 500,000 listeners.
From June, 1936, until the end of October, 1936, Bill conducted a national radio program over the Columbia Network entitled "Happy Days," sponsored by the Democratic National Committee for the Re-election of Franklin Delano Roosevelt in his 1936 Presidential Campaign.
"Great American Personalities" resumed on November 8, 1936, and continued until the Fleischmann's Yeast program, "Getting The Most Out of Life," aired on September 27, 1937. "Getting The Most Out of Life" continued through 1939 and comprised more than 400 broadcasts. In September, 1938, Bill introduced the first course in radio preaching in the country at Boston University's School of Theology in which classroom talks were supplemented with Sunday afternoon broadcasts over Boston's WORL.
From 1940 through 1947, Bill was involved in a number of different broadcasts and programs, including "Thanks to America," broadcast in 1943-44 on WJZ over the Yankee Network for Church of the Wildwood; and with Milton Cross, "Crusade for Christ," broadcast over 150 stations, in 1947.
The selections below are from "Getting The Most Out of Life."
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