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TuneInVintage Radio For Modern Listeners.
The Good Old Days of Radio Show is a podcast that presents the period of American radio commonly known as “The Golden Age”. During this time, audiences were thrilled by comedy, mystery, suspense, and horror, produced by the some of the greatest writers, directors, composers, and famous stars of the time.
In this show we present the best of these radio shows. Each show is carefully selected by record collector John Tefteller as an outstanding example of this classic art form.
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The Story Behind The Good Old Days of Radio Show.
In 1992, John Tefteller brought the first Good Old Days Of Radio Show to the airwaves on local Southern Oregon station, KOPE-FM. For three hours every Saturday and Sunday night, thousands of listeners of all ages tuned in to hear the show, earning it ‘the highest rated radio program’ in its time slot.
Latest Episode
Thursday April 2, 2026
Episode 479: Crime Classics: The Crime Of Bathsheba Spooner
This week, we’re back with another fascinating entry from Crime Classics. Host John Tefteller is joined by Karl Schadow and Steven C. Smith to take a closer look at the dry narration of Lou Merrill as Thomas Hyland, one of radio’s most unique storytellers. The featured story dives into a real case from 1778, the shocking murder of Joshua Spooner, planned by his wife, Bathsheba Spooner, who would go down in history as the first woman executed for murder in the United States. It’s a dark tale, but like all Crime Classics episodes, it’s told with a surprising mix of sharp humor and historical detail.
Recent Episodes
Tuesday March 31, 2026
Episode 478: Advance Release: Report From the Future
Want to hear what 1950 thought “the future” would sound like? We have an unusual program for you today, an NBC pilot from 1950 called Report from the Future, dramatized news broadcasts delivered as if they’re being reported from years yet to come. It’s part radio drama and part faux newscast. The program jumps through imagined headlines: a manned rocket launching into space, the (fictional) discovery of Cleopatra’s tomb, and a baseball slugger breaking Babe Ruth’s home run record. To make it all seem more believable, the show even folds in “expert” interviews from the era, including a rocket engineer and Major League star Ralph Kiner. More than anything, it plays like a time capsule of mid-century optimism, capturing what Americans in 1950 expected science, exploration, and pop culture to achieve in the decades ahead.
Thursday March 26, 2026
Episode 477: Crime Classics: The Triangle On The Round Table
This week, we’re back in the world of Crime Classics with another offbeat entry, “The Triangle on the Round Table.” Host John Tefteller is joined by Karl Schadow and Steven C. Smith to dig into this 1953 episode, which takes the familiar legend of King Arthur and turns it on its head. Forget shining armor and noble quests, this version leans into dark humor and sharp writing, with knights who feel a lot more like modern, flawed humans than storybook heroes. William Conrad stars as a weary, battle-worn King Arthur, caught in a story full of tension, betrayal, and cynicism.
Tuesday March 24, 2026
Episode 476: The Shadow & Blondie
Today, John Tefteller sits down with Jerry Haendiges, one of the true pioneers of vintage radio collecting and preservation. Jerry takes you back to the very beginning, when he was literally rescuing transcription discs from radio stations in 1965, back when a lot of places were just tossing them out. He talks about the formation of SPERDVAC (one of the major groups dedicated to saving radio drama), and why digitizing rare recordings matters, especially if we want younger listeners to ever discover this stuff. Jerry also breaks down how he went from collector to key player in syndicating classic radio to stations all over the U.S. We also play full broadcasts of The Shadow and Blondie, two of Jerry’s favorite shows.
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Meet Your Host
John Tefteller has been collecting vintage radio programs since 1971. He is one of the foremost collectors of records and original radio transcriptions in the world.
John grew up in Southern California, and for decades he scoured flea markers, thrift stores, estate sales, garage sales, and private collections for records. Over the past almost 50 years of hunting, John amassed one of the largest private archives of vintage records and radio recordings.