For centuries, the voices of women were anything but heard. One woman, despite working in a male dominated industry, projected her words loud and live, reaching millions of listeners across the country. Her name? Mary Margaret McBride.
Early Life
Born in Paris, Missouri, McBride was the oldest of five children and the daughter of a Baptist minister in the area. When she was 11 years old, she was sent to live with her great-aunt to study at William Woods Preparatory School.
Her dream was to be a writer and her tuition was funded by her aunt. Unfortunately, the two did not mix well. When she expressed her hopes to her great-aunt, her tuition was cut. To continue to attend school, she found a job at a local newspaper, building her portfolio and slowly gaining experience. She went on to attend the University of Missouri and received a degree in journalism in 1919.
Building a Career
During the 1920s and early 1930s, she worked as a reporter and journalist for various papers and publications like the Cleveland Press and the New York Evening Mail. She even wrote freelance for a period, producing work for the Saturday Evening Post, Cosmopolitan, and Good Housekeeping.
In 1934, McBride took on the role that would define her career and legacy for decades to come. She had auditioned for the Women's Program on the radio station WOR and was later offered her own position on air. McBride created a persona known as "Martha Deane" and aired daily until 1940. She took the role head on, creating a backstory with a family and grandchildren. She eventually forgot their names and dropped the elaborate venture, but ended up keeping her iconic name.
At the height of her fame, she had 6-8 million listeners and was interviewing people who were well known artists, entertainers, and politicians. She became such an icon that she only selected specific advertising to be on her program and they had to be products that she had personal experiences with, just not alcohol or tobacco.
Later Life
After battling a long time illness, she passed in her home in New York in 1976. Her programs were ran for years even after her death and she will forever be known as the "First Lady of Radio."
Sources:
https://historicmissourians.shsmo.org/mary-margaret-mcbride
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