You Are There 1947-50

“You Are There” throws you directly into the action, presenting “live” audio broadcasts where reporters have to scramble to keep up with breaking news. The series ranges freely in time and space, sending reporters to the Spartans at Thermopylae, Julius Caesar at the Senate, Joan of Arc at Rouen, Lee and Grant at Appomattox, and the Peary expedition near the Pole. Even if you know the history at hand, the show manages—by the sheer newsiness of its coverage—to make these events as engaging as the latest headline.

The demands of covering a world-wide war in the '40s drove a chain of innovations at CBS. They honed the news presentation format we now take for granted: live, remote, multipoint reports where personnel in the field would be introduced—and often interrogated—by a calm and commanding anchor at the New York newsroom. With WWII over, it made sense to use the same crew and techniques on documentaries and special programs such as “You Are There”, a category we’d eventually call “infotainment”.

All the familiar news report patterns are present, from the anchorman at his desk to the newsmen at the scene, with interruptions and tosses, background commotion, microphone handling noises, and shouts to citizens (no matter the era) to “watch that cable”.

Features
• Complete, locally stored episodes—no wireless connection needed to play
• Sleek and simple episode list and playback controls
• Full-width progress/seek bar to quickly jump to any spot
• Background audio support, for switching between apps
• 59 episodes, with running times from 26:59 to 34:55

As with nearly all the classic radio shows, these recordings are considered orphan works: copyrights have lapsed and assorted versions of mixed quality can be found in old-time radio collections.

It was common practice at the time to air episodes more than once. Rather than repeat those shows, this collection provides the recording with the best audio quality.