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Christmas Memories (12/22/1961)

December 22, 2023, 11:00 pm

Derek, 25 December 1941, by Leslie Adkin (Source: Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, Te Papa Collections Online)

Tonight’s presentation of “Christmas Memories” with Studs Terkel brims with voices and memories of childhood Christmases from long ago. Studs first offered this special program on WFMT in 1961, and this is our annual rebroadcast of that perennial favorite.

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Meet the Host

Studs Terkel (1912-2008) radically redefined the concept of radio interviews. For 45 years starting in 1952, WFMT was his homebase. His daily radio show was a pillar of WFMT’s programming, with its eclectic and astute mix of music and conversation. Studs juxtaposed interviews with the many of the 20th century’s most significant figures with the voices of uncelebrated, working people from Chicago. As a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Studs helped established oral history as a popular and socially ambitious literary genre. Some of his titles include: Division Street, Hard Times, Working, Race and And They All Sang (Adventures of an Eclectic Disc Jockey). Studs was also a recipient of the National Book Award.

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Christmas Memories (12/22/1961)