Novik and LaGuardia

Talk Story about Morris Niovik, an 86 year old retired radio executive, who was Mayor LaGuardia's director of communications from 1938-45, & who continued to produce a weekly radio show with him until LaGuardia's death in 1947. According to Novik, LaGuardia was the first politician to understand & use radio to teach, to entertain & to unite the various ethnic groups in the city. LaGuardia's famous Sunday broadcasts on WNYC started on Dec. 7, 1941. He spoke about the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor appealing to the public for calm. When he realized the enormous impact that his speech had made, he decided to do a regular series of Sunday-morning broadcasts on WNYC. He'd select a few things from letters he recieved during the week & start talking on the air. He never had a prepared script. He gave his listeners practical advice about everything from world affairs to the price of tomatoes.

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