The Radio Hour

When I was a child in the 1950s, radio was an important part of our life. Listening to Kindergarten of the Air was a must before I went to kindergarten each day. When I was older I would listen to Billy Bouncer (Norman Swain) read children's stories on the 3KZ breakfast program before I went to school. I was also aware of the quiz show programs on the radio and of course the serial programs broadcast at various times each day. The best known of these programs was Blue Hills written by Gwen Meredith and broadcast twice a day on ABC radio. When we visited my grandmother everyone in the house remained silent so that she and my great aunt could listen to Blue Hills.

The Radio Hour by Victoria Purman is set at the ABC radio station in Sydney where Martha Berry works as a secretary. Martha is fifty, lives with her mother who is unwell and at work is generally unappreciated as she fills in, working in a variety of jobs as required, in the drama department. The year is 1956 and television is coming to Australia later in the year. It is important that when this happens people can still listen to their favourite programs on the radio.

When a new radio serial, As the Sun Sets, is to be created, Martha is appointed as secretary to the producer of the new show, a young man in his mid-twenties with no experience in producing a radio show. The novel deals with the challenges faced by Martha, and women in general, working in a male dominated world in the 1950s. The men made the decisions and, in most cases, expected their female staff to be at their beck and call. Some of the men also behaved inappropriately with their female staff and the women were generally told to live with it. It was the men who made the decisions and took the credit for work done in their departments.

Martha soon realises that the new program will not go to air unless she steps in and starts writing the scripts for each episode. As shows such as As the Sun Sets are largely listened to by women, Martha begins to insert issues of particular concern to women into the program. Soon the radio station is inundated with letters regarding the program and providing suggestions for other themes that could be included. 

Meanwhile, Martha's boss happily takes credit for the success of the show though as he is almost always perpetually drunk he is unaware of how women, in particular, are reacting to the program. The actors know the true story and they band together to support Martha achieve the credit she deserves.

This is a work of historical fiction though the names of some of the staff working at the ABC at the time appear from time to time. Gradually times have changed and it is becoming accepted that women can work in management roles. The idea that women must leave the workforce if they marry has disappeared. However, unfortunately some of the attitudes of men towards women in the workforce, as described in this novel, still exit in some workplaces today.

Radio Hour is the Monash University Alumni Book Club book for March-April 2026. 

The unofficial history of Blue Hills radio serial - ABC

Norman Swain celebrates 21 years in radio - YouTube