The Voice in the Night Unheard by Scholars: Herb Jepko and the Genesis of National Talk Radio

Abstract

Radio scholarship is an emerging field of study among broadcast historians and much remains unexplored. There exists little investigation into how early FCC clear-channel radio stations provided the first platform for national radio communication. Much of historical scholarship recognizes Larry King's satellite-distributed program as the pioneering stride in national overnight talk radio. This study examines new archival evidence that reveals Herb Jepko used clear-channel signals to broadcast the first national overnight talk radio program.

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Miles Romney

Miles Romney is a doctoral candidate at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University. His research interests include early broadcast history, talk radio as a mass communication medium, and sports broadcasting.