| Running time | 15-30 minutes |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Languages | English |
| Home station | WLW, Cincinnati, Ohio |
| Creators | Ed Byron |
| Recording studio | Cincinnati |
| Air dates | 1930 to 1972 |
| Audio format | Mono |
| Opening theme | "Caprice Viennois" by Fritz Kreisler |
Moon River was a long-running late-night American radio program which originated from WLW in Cincinnati, Ohio. A combination of soft, "dreamy" music and romantic poetry set to organ accompaniment, the program aired from 1930 to 1972.
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Described as "one of the few programs designed to put people to sleep" by onetime announcer Bill Myers,[1] Moon River was created by writer Ed Byron at the behest of WLW station owner Powel Crosley, Jr., who ordered the writer to come up with a poetry show which could accommodate the station's new organ. Retreating to a speakeasy with violinist Virginio Marucci, Byron sketched out some notes, including his original poem that opened the show. At one point, Marucci began playing Fritz Kreisler's "Caprice Viennois," a piece which Byron's poem brought to mind. Both the poem and the musical piece would open the program for its entire forty-two-year history.[1][2]
A show with a loyal following over the years, Moon River was canceled by WLW in 1953 in an effort to modernize the schedule, but revived the next summer due to continued listener outcry.[3] In the decade after the program's final broadcast in 1972, a series of Moon River concerts were held in Cincinnati which recreated the program in front of a live audience.[1]
In 1995, WMKV revived it, with Myers as narrator, for a four-year run.
Many performers passed through Moon River over the years. The following is only a partial list.