chuck schaden

Chuck Schaden is recognized nationally as the man who has done more to preserve Radio's Golden Age than anyone else in America. Born in Chicago on June 29, 1934, Schaden began collecting old radio programs during the 1960s. By the end of the decade, he had close to 1,000 shows in his possession.

Schaden began sharing his collection of vintage programs with listeners when he began his own show, Those Were The Days. The show debuted May 2, 1970 over WNMP/Evanston, later known as WLTD. The show moved to WNIB/Chicago in 1975, where it remained for 25 years. Today, Those Were The Days can be heard every Saturday afternoon on WDCB/Glen Ellyn.

Schaden has hosted many other old-time radio shows in the Chicago area, including the WLTD/WXFM series The Hall Closet, WBEZ’s When Radio Was Radio and WBBM’s Old-Time Radio Classics. Throughout his career, Schaden’s infectious enthusiasm and attention to detail have brought the sounds of yesteryear to new generations of listeners.

In 1974 he co-produced and co-starred with Jim Jordan, radio’s original Fibber McGee, in a seven-part series, Fibber McGee and the Good Old Days of Radio sponsored coast-to-coast by Chrysler Air Temp.

In 1987, Schaden donated his large collection—which had grown to include over 50,000 hours of radio broadcasts—to The Museum of Broadcast Communications.

In 2006-07 he hosted the nationally syndicated old-time-radio series When Radio Was, replacing Stan Freberg.

Chuck Schaden retired from broadcasting in 2009. Today he can be found at his own website "Speaking Of Radio" with recollections, celebrity interviews and broadcasts made during his impressive career.

Chuck Schaden was inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame in 1993.