Ted Malone

Ted Malone (May 18, 1908 - October 20, 1989) (born Frank Alden Russell, the son of a grocer), was an American radio broadcaster. He became interested in oral performance when he attended high school in Missouri. He was also a debater in college, and graduated from William Jewell College in 1928.

He was one of the few broadcast interpretationists recorded in the history of radio. Malone had a career in radio for more than forty years.

Malone began work as an announcer & ukulele soloist at KMBC, Kansas City, Missouri, in 1929.

Malone's Between the Bookends program was broadcast on the CBS radio network beginning in 1935 and was presented two to five times a week for thirty years. During its first year of broadcast, Newsweek reported that the program had received more fan mail than any other network sustaining program. Malone actively sought poetry contributions from his listeners. He published the works in a regular anthology, Ted Malone's Scrapbook. Malone was popular enough to be called "The Voice of Poetry" by the Library of Congress; when the "Between the Bookends" radio show was in danger of cancellation, the fans of the program were able to convince the network to keep the show on the air. Andy McKay, an associate of Ernie Kovacs said that the program inspired Kovacs to create his character, Percy Dovetonsils. As his popularity increased, Malone began writing for other programs, and soon became production manager, production director, and program director at his radio station.

During World War II, Malone began to do other types of broadcasts, such as variety shows and quiz shows, and went overseas to broadcast as a war correspondent, providing human interest soldier stories for his listeners. By 1957, Malone had established his own company, "Ted Malone Productions". The firm offered production and consultation for radio, television and the film industry.

Death Malone died in 1989 spending more than 60 years in broadcasting and its development.

Works His works include: The American album of poetry, (January 1, 1938) A Listener's Aid to Pilgrimage of Poetry: Ted Malone's Album of Poetic Shrines (NBC) by Ted Malone (January 1, 1939) Ted Malone's Mansions of imagination album: A listener's aid to "American pilgrimage" (1940) Ted Malone's Scrapbook: Favorite Selections From Between the Bookends (1941) American pilgrimage, (January 1, 1942) Between the Bookends with Ted Malone Volume Five (Hardcover - 1942) Pack up your troubles: A collection of verse (January 1, 1942) Yankee doodles: A book of American verse, (January 1, 1943) The Pocket Book of Popular Verse (1945) Ted Malone's Adventures in Poetry (1946) The All-American book of verse;: Yankee doodles (January 1, 1948) Ted Malone's Favorite Stories (1950)