Well, there was once something people did for entertainment
before television. It was called radio. Yes, that thing in your bedroom
or living room that plays the same music ad nauseam, or broadcasts talk radio-
or as it really should be called, "rant radio in which the listener can never
get a word in edgewise." A long time ago (not really long- only 60 years
or so), this medium came into being. With this medium there was the music,
the talk (i.e.: news), and annoying personalities. But, there was something
more. Something that let you use your imagination- that let you become
part of the story. It was the radio play. These radio plays did everything
without you having to leave your house. It told little children bedtime
stories, told adults adventurous spy and detective stories. Even soap operas,
better acted back then, for the housewife. All the listener had to do was
think of what these people and places looked like, and he was there. The
truly amazing thing was the fact that sometimes, not on the networks, but
in the smaller stations, all these characters were played by the same people.
The dashing leading man on your favorite soap could be the clown on your
child’s favorite children’s program. It was amazing that these people, overlooked
by the networks, could do so much. The same rings true of
Remember WENN
, an overlooked little show that takes you inside the independent radio
station that was on the air more than fifty years ago. This might be a
glimpse into someone’s childhood, or a picture of a past that someone wished
that they had. The personalities of the leading characters on the program
are as recognizable as people you know in real life: the woman who has been
the same age for ten years, the dashing leading man, the befuddled grandfather
and nosy grandmother, annoying big brother, the girl next door, and so many
others. All in one little Pittsburgh radio station that seems so
real
, but never existed at all. The realness of this place, a station full
of "people" we care about, this is the magic of
Remember WENN
. This is why we love it. We have watched these characters over the
past four years change and grow, much like the radio characters they portray.
Such character development is rare on sitcoms and such on today’s television.
The quality of dialogue and acting that is displayed on
WENN
is also a treat to watch. This program is as addictive as an old soap
opera... and a lot better, too
.