SYNDICATION

Written, Produced, Hosted by

John F. Barber

Creative Commons Attribution-Non-Commercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States License.
©2024 Re-Imagined Radio. All rights reserved (except those granted by the Creative Commons license)

Re-Imagined Radio
Season 12, Episode 04, April 15, 2024

Final draft

SYNDICATION

Alan Ladd's Mayfair Productions

Re-Imagined Radio
Season 12, Episode 8
Final Draft

Premier broadcast: April 15, 2024

Written, produced, hosted by
John F. Barber

Sound design, Music composition, Post-production by
Marc Rose

Graphics by Holly Slocum

Synopsis
Re-Imagined Radio samples from Box 13 and The Damon Runyon Theater, both offered by Paramount movie star Alan Ladd's Mayfair Productions as syndicated radio programs. Privately produced radio storytelling. With syndication, private companies create and license transcribed (recorded) programs to radio stations and/or radio networks.

Syndication allows programs to reach wide audiences, radio stations to save money on production costs, and listeners to hear compelling, immersive radio storytelling.

Credits
Written, produced, and hosted by John F. Barber
Sound design, music composition, and post production by Marc Rose
Promotional graphics by Holly Slocum with Sydney Nguyen

Color Code
Yellow highlighted text = sound effect(s), either pre-recorded or created for episode. Pre-recorded audio is used as content in this episode.

Magenta highlighted text with strike through = text deleted for episode timing

MUSIC = pre-recorded

MUSIC = bespoke, created for this episode

COLD OPEN
SFX: SAMPLE FROM EPISODE #1, BOX 13, "THE FIRST LETTER"
THEME AND ANNOUNCER
MUSIC: RIR THEME
ANNOUNCER
Welcome to Re-Imagined Radio, a program about radio storytelling. With each episode we explore how dialogue, sound effects, and music can combine to promote storytelling and engage your listening imagination. We also like to  include the stories behind the story. The history. The connections. Trivia. And we always strive to answer the questions, "So What?" and "Why Is This Important?" This episode is no different, and here to tell you about it is John Barber, producer and host.
HOST OPEN
HOST
Hello everyone. Welcome to Re-Imagined Radio. This episode is called "Syndication."
"Syndication" is a practice where private companies create and license radio content to radio stations and networks.
We focus on Mayfair Productions, a radio syndication company owned by Alan Ladd, star of Paramount Pictures' Shane and other movies.
We sample two of his syndicated radio series, Box 13 and The Damon Runyon Theater. Both are good examples of compelling and immersive radio storytelling.
MUSIC: FOR TRANSITION
HOST INTRODUCTION (BOX 13)
HOST
We began with the opening from Box 13, offered by Ladd's Mayfair Productions. Ladd produced the 52-episode series, contributed to some of the scripts, and starred as Dan Holiday, a retired newspaper reporter with a unique way of finding ideas for his new career writing mystery and adventure novels. He advertises for them in his former newspaper.
Holiday's ad reads, 'Adventure wanted. Will go any place, do anything. Box 13, Star-Times." Weekly episodes of the radio series are based on Holiday replying to letters he receives at Box 13.
Holiday becomes an unofficial detective, meets and deals with colorful characters, and has life threatening adventures along the way.
We sample from the first episode, broadcast August 22, 1948. Holiday's first letter is from a woman needing help confronting her blackmailer of five years.
The episode is entitled "The First Letter." Thanks for listening, and enjoy.
MUSIC: FOR TRANSITION
SFX: CROSS FADE MUSIC TO FOOTSTEPS ON SIDEWALK
BOX 13
SFX: SAMPLES FROM EPISODE 1, "THE FIRST LETTER, BOX 13.
??MUSIC: FOR TRANSITION??
HOST CONCLUSION (BOX 13)
We just listened to "The First Letter," the first episode of Box 13, a weekly radio mystery and adventure series produced by and starring Paramount Pictures movie star Alan Ladd.
Visit the episode page at our website, reimaginedradio dot FM, and learn more.
MUSIC: RIR THEME FOR BREAK
THE FUSEBOX BREAK
HOST
This is Re-Imagined Radio. I'm John Barber, producer and host. I'd like to tell you about The Fusebox Show, produced by Marc Rose. Each episode is a carnival of quick witted and quirky conversation and commentary about current day events and news. Here's a sample.
SFX: THE FUSEBOX SHOW TEASER 
HOST 
Learn more, and subscribe to The Fusebox Show podcast at their website, thefuseboxshow dot com.
MUSIC: RIR THEME, FADE UNDER AND OUT FOR THE FOLLOWING
HOST INTRODUCTION (DAMON RUNYON)
HOST
This is Re-Imagined Radio. We're talking about syndication, the production of radio content by private companies. Our focus is Mayfair Productions, owned by Paramount Pictures star Alan Ladd. In addition to Box 13, Ladd's company also produced and syndicated The Damon Runyon Theater. Episodes were based on short stories by Damon Runyon, American newspaper and short story writer noted for his stories about unusual and eccentric characters.
Russell Hughes, writer for Ladd's Mayfair Productions, was the first to adapt Runyon's stories for radio.
Runyon's stories are almost always told by a narrator using a combination of formal language and Brooklyn slang. He avoids contractions. And speaks only in the present tense. Hughes carries this over from the print to radio stories. British actor John Brown, voicing the narrator character, is sometimes pompous. Sometimes humorous. Always compelling.
The first episode, titled "Tobias the Terrible," was broadcast January 2, 1949. It begins with an introduction to the new series. Let's listen . . .
DAMON RUNYON THEATER
SFX: SAMPLES FROM EPISODE 1, "TOBIAS THE TERRIBLE," THE DAMON RUNYUN THEATER. SAMPLES END WITH MUSIC. USE THIS MUSIC AS TRANSITION TO . . .
HOST CONCLUSION (DAMON RUNYON)
HOST
We just listened to "Tobias the Terrible," from The Damon Runyon Theatre series, produced and syndicated by Paramount movie star Alan Ladd's Mayfair Productions.
More information and listening opportunities are available at our website, reimaginedradio dot FM.
MUSIC: RIR THEME FOR BREAK
THE RIR BREAK
HOST
This is Re-Imagined Radio. I'm John Barber, producer and host. With each episode we explore radio storytelling using voice, sound effects, and music. Here are some examples . . .
SFX: RE-IMAGINED RADIO AUDIO TRAILER
HOST
More information and listening opportunities are available at our website, reimaginedradio dot FM.
Re-Imagined Radio is also available as podcasts. Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts, or, our website.
MUSIC: RIR THEME. DUCK UP, THEN DUCK UNDER THE FOLLOWING.
HOST
That concludes this episode of Re-Imagined Radio, "Syndication." With syndication, private companies create and distribute radio programs. 
Syndication allows programs to reach wide audiences, radio stations to save money on production costs, and listeners to hear compelling, immersive radio storytelling.
We sampled from Box 13 and The Damon Runyon Theater, both offered by Paramount movie star Alan Ladd's Mayfair Productions.
Podcasts of Re-Imagined Radio are available at our website, reimaginedradio dot FM, or the major podcast distribution platforms.

This episode of Re-Imagined Radio was written by John Barber.
Sound Design, music composition, and post-production by Marc Rose.
Graphic design by Holly Slocum with Sydney Nguyen.
We produce Re-Imagined Radio with support from KXRW-FM (Vancouver, Washington) and KXRY-FM (Portland, Oregon).
This is John Barber, producer and host. Thank you for listening.
MUSIC: RIR THEME UP, THEN DUCK UNDER THE FOLLOWING
ANNOUNCER CLOSE
ANNOUNCER
This is a production of Re-Imagined Radio. To learn more, visit our website, reimaginedradio (all one word, no punctuation) dot FM. 
Please join us again for another episode of Re-Imagined Radio where we will continue our exploration of radio storytelling.
MUSIC: RIR THEME UP, AND TO END.