Early Podcasts

In the 80s and 90s, when listening to late-night radio, I’d catch an episode of *Unshackled!

*Unshackled! is a radio drama series produced by Pacific Garden Mission, in Chicago, Illinois, that first aired on September 23, 1950. It is one of the longest-running radio dramas in history and one of a very few still in production in the United States. Wikipedia

Unshackled originated in Chicago—just down the street from our city mission, also in Chicago. I loved listening to the first-person testimonials of how people’s lives changed. Something about listening in the darkness to hope and light created a warm glow inside of me.

Then we heard that Star was going to be on Unshackled!. Star was already a star at our place, but this elevated her even further: a mega-Star. Notes were posted about when her episode would air.

Anyway, the other day I had a flash memory, thinking about Star going downtown to the Unshackled! studio to record her testimonial and wondered if the digital footprint of that episode might be available to listen to today:

I found her!

 

From 1987. Today testimonials are not a large part of what churches do—and I can see why. There were tons of fake testimonies that, rather than glorified God, glorified the person telling the story; they got off on the attention. Before the internet and other ways to vet someone’s background, grifters could go from one scam to another mooching off unsuspecting, kind-hearted individuals/groups, such as ours.

Anyway, reflecting on Unshackled! I thought about how it was a predecessor of today’s podcast.  From their website:

The UNSHACKLED radio program began under the leadership of Pacific Garden Mission's Superintendent Harry Saulnier. On September 23rd 1950, the first UNSHACKLED recording session was scheduled. The script was written by John Gillies, who worked at WMBI (Moody Bible Institute) in Chicago. Clear channel radio giant WGN agreed to air the program. This first program was about the famous Billy Sunday -- Chicago baseball player turned evangelist.

So for close to 75 years the show has been on the air. Though it’s nothing like ‘Call Her Daddy’, I salute the unwavering perseverance of Unshackled!

 

I think Star is in this pic