Dorothy Gordon has had a distinguished career in radio, both in the field of music and with children’s programs. She founded youth forums and is director and moderator of the New York Times Youth Forum. Here she describes some of her earliest experiences in broadcasting.

I started my concerts in 1923 over WEAF. At the station there was a glass window that separated the studio from a sort of waiting room outside.

My announcer was Graham McNamee. We were having a great deal of fun together before I went on the air because I was so frightened of this thing. There was this little tiny round instrument in front of me. I said, “Well, what happens?”

He said, “Well, you just stand right there—and you just sing.”

I said, “Oh no, I just can’t. There’s no audience, no people.”

I think a stage person always needs that relationship between audience and artist.

I was frightened to death—scared as scared could be, and I said, “But nothing will happen. Don’t tell me that I sing into this thing, and then it goes out and someone hears it!”

He laughed at me. He said, “Of course you will be heard. You’ll be heard by more people than you realize.”

All I could think of was that my boys, little youngsters, were up in our apartment with wires across the whole ceiling of the nursery and earphones on their ears desperately trying to listen to me. I didn’t know at that time what they got. I found out later. They said they heard nothing but squawks and curious sounds that didn’t sound at all like mother.

Suddenly I saw a great deal of excitement outside of the glass window which separated the studio from the waiting room. People running back and forth and signaling to one another. Graham McNamee, who wanted to know what it was all about, opened the door and went out. Being an artist I knew the show must go on so I went right on singing this soft beautiful little Brittany lullaby. All the time I was wondering what in the world was going on—whether the place was on fire. My accompanist got worried but I went on nevertheless.

Out there in the waiting room was my husband whose face would sort of light up, and he had a grin from ear to ear, so I knew that there was no catastrophe of any kind. Something very pleasant seemed to be happening.

When I finished and got off the air, Graham McNamee walked in and said to me, “I have a very interesting thing to tell you. We had word that they heard you in Cape Town.”

That did something to me which has never left me . . .

As I traveled about the country, the various radio stations would invite me to sing and to perform in relation to my concert program. I wasn’t paid. I would just go