McBride, Mary Margaret, 1899-

Variant names
Dates:
Birth 1899-11-16
Death 1976-04-07

Biographical notes:

Radio commentator and author.

From the description of Mary Margaret McBride papers, 1926-1975. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 70982067

Mary Margaret McBride (1899-1976) was a journalist and the host of an immensely popular daily radio program from the mid 1930s into the 1950s.

From the description of Photographs from the Mary Margaret McBride collection, 1934-1968, and undated. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 488719037

Biographical Note

1899, Nov. 16 Born, Paris, Mo. 1919 B.J., University of Missouri, Columbia, Mo. Reporter, Cleveland Press 1920 1924 Special and feature writer, New York Evening Mail 1926 Contributed to Cosmopolitan, Saturday Evening Post, Good Housekeeping, and other magazines Published with Paul Whitman Jazz: A Story of Paul Whiteman. New York: J. H. Sears & Co. 1927 Published with A. Williams Charm. New York: Rae D. Henkle Co. 1929 Published with Helen Josephy Paris Is a Woman's Town. New York: Coward-MCann 1930 Published The Story of Dwight Morrow. New York: Farrer & Rinehart 1931 Published with Helen Josephy London Is a Man's Town. Coward-McCann Published with Helen Josephy New York Is Everybody's Town. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons 1932 Published with Helen Josephy Beer and Skittles, a Friendly Modern Guide to Germany. New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons 1934 1935 Woman's page editor, Newspaper Enterprise Association, New York, N.Y. 1934 1940 Radio broadcaster as Martha Deane for station WOR 1936 Received Women's National Exposition of Arts and Industries medal for greatest contribution to radio for the year Published Here's Martha Deane. Garden City, N.Y.: Garden City Publishing co. 1937 Received Wall Paper Institute medal for outstanding contribution to stimulation of interest in the home 1937 1941 Radio broadcaster for CBS 1938 University of Missouri, Columbia, Mo., award for distinguished service in journalism 1940 Radio Guide award for distinguished service to radio Published How Dear to My Heart. New York: Macmillan Co. 1941 Published America for Me. New York: Macmillan Co. 1941 1950 Radio broadcaster for NBC, station WEAF 1943 Winner of the All-American Rose, named for McBride in her honor 1945 Published Tune In for Elizabeth. New York: Dodd, Mead & Co., 1946 King Haakon Award for war broadcasting 1950 Distinguished Honor award, Haitian Government Silver Medallion, Governor of the Virgin Islands One World Award 1950 1954 Radio broadcaster for ABC 1952 Chosen as one of America's Twelve Master Salesmen 1953 1956 Syndicated newspaper columnist 1954 1960 Broadcaster for NBC 1959 Published A Long Way from Missouri. New York: Putnam 1960 Broadcaster for New York Tribune Radio Published Out of the Air. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday 1968 Published The Growing Up of Mary Elizabeth;. New York: Dodd, Mead 1970 Litt. D., William Woods College, Fulton, Mo. 1976, Apr. 7 Died, Shokan, N.Y.

From the guide to the Mary Margaret McBride Papers, 1926-1975, (Manuscript Division Library of Congress)

Biographical Note

Mary Margaret McBride (1899-1976) was a journalist and the host of an immensely popular daily radio program from the mid 1930s into the 1950s. Her first program, Martha Deane, was broadcast on station WOR from 1934 until 1940. In 1937 CBS hired her to host a fifteen-minute talk show under her own name, but her most popular program, a forty-five-minute interview and talk show on NBC, ran from 1941 until 1950.

McBride's daily program featured interviews with over twelve hundred leading public and political figures of her time, such as entertainers, other radio personalities, authors, educators, doctors, and adventurers, but she also talked with average people who had interesting stories to tell. Interviewees included Eleanor Roosevelt, Governor Thomas E. Dewey, Frank Lloyd Wright, Bob Hope, Carl Sandburg, Margaret Bourke-White, Zora Neale Hurston, Tennessee Williams, Joe DiMaggio, a man leading a campaign to improve teenage driving skills, a female test pilot, the woman who invented crossword puzzles, and the American Mother of 1942.

McBride's interviews provide a highly personal perspective on American life during the Great Depression through World War II, its aftermath, and the beginning of the Cold War. They constituted the first thirty minutes of her show and were followed by informal discussion of household matters and advertising. Commercials were targeted at McBride's primary audience -- women -- who eagerly purchased the products she promoted and made McBride a favorite with sponsors. Her popularity with listeners and sponsors alike allowed her to retain both editorial and commercial control of her program.

McBride moved to ABC in 1950. She died on April 7, 1976, at age 76.

From the guide to the Photographs from the Mary Margaret McBride Collection, 1934-1968, and undated, (Recorded Sound Reference Center, Motion Picture, Broadcasting and Recorded Sound Division Library of Congress)

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Subjects:

  • Radio broadcasting
  • Radio broadcasting
  • Radio journalism
  • Radio talk shows
  • Radio talk shows
  • Women in radio broadcasting
  • Women in radio broadcasting

Occupations:

  • Authors
  • Radio journalists
  • Women journalists
  • Women journalists
  • Women radio producers and directors
  • Women radio producers and directors
  • Women radio talk show hosts
  • Women radio talk show hosts

Places:

  • United States (as recorded)

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