The longest running dramatic series in radio history is Unshackled! and it's still being produced every week, complete with live cheesy organ music, folie artists providing live sound effects and original morality plays, each proving "that Christ can break the fetters of sin and set the sinner free." Unshackled! has been produced weekly since 1950 by The Pacific Garden Mission in Chicago, and can be heard on 1,550 radio stations, in 147 countries. It's the radio equivalent of Chick Tracts and Reefer Madness.
Hearing Unshackled! is like listening in on radio's past, which is how I feel when I listen to th great Paul Harvey. I've stumbled onto Unshackled! broadcasts while driving cross country several times, so I was overjoyed to discover that their programs for the last seven years are online in Realaudio and Windows Media Player format. Check out this episode from December, 2001 (streaming realaudio), in which an evil father buys pot for his son, just so he can confiscate it and then flush the pot and his son's head down the toilet! But the good times dont stop there - check out the capsule descriptions for each show. The shows are catalogued with capsule summaries like "Alcohol, Hobo, Blindness," "Jewish, Mental Illness, Marijuana" or "Country Music, Bigamy, Pride."
Negotiations are now underway to bring several Unshackled! episodes to WFMU's Aircheck program this summer.
Shit Ken! How have you failed so far to put up "Immorality, Party Life, Karate" as a homepage slogan for WFMU??? I'm getting that tattooed on my forehead today.
Posted by: Fatherflot | May 05, 2005 at 02:32 PM
I have discussed your suggestion with the other members of WFMU's Joke Administration Committee and the matter is now under review.
Posted by: Joke Administrator Ken | May 05, 2005 at 05:26 PM
I swear, I'm frickin' shackled to 'unshackled'. I'm addicted to that show. It's the best!
Posted by: BDM | April 09, 2009 at 09:18 PM