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1968 The Hobbit (Harold Innocent)
Release Date: 1968.10.01
Readers: Harold Innocent
Language: English
Translator: n/a
Organisation: KPFK-FM Pacifica Radio
ISBN: n/a
Duration: ~10 hours
Unabridged: Unlikely
Country: USA
Licenced: Yes
Format: Radio broadcast
Background
KPFK is a US radio station in Los Angeles, USA which belongs to the community-owned Pacifica Radio Network. KPFK also produced a monthly publication ‘The Folio‘ which listed radio schedules, articles, and listener information, providing insights into the station’s counterculture, social justice, and educational programming. In the late sixties they maintained the Pacifica Players ensemble of actors, allowing them to perform numerous works in-house. One of their number at this time was the noted British actor, Harold Innocent, evidence from listings in the folio.
Production
One of the earliest complete American radio readings of The Hobbit, predating the 1973 Mind’s Eye dramatisation. The work consists of 22 master units and a standard 7-inch studio reel at 7.5 ips holds about 24–28 minutes of audio. The tapes are still preserved and referenced as Master Archive ID: Pacifica Radio Archives BB2222.01-.22. Whilst no mention is made in the folio of who the reader was, it has been reported by listeners that it was Harold Innocent and it is confirmed that Innocent was active with the station in October 1968, from the evidence of other listings in that month.
1968 Original Broadcast
The October 1968 folio featured reflections by Michell Harding, illustrated by Ron Cobb, on The Hobbit which was to feature from Oct 1st as one of the segments alongside songs, news for kids, and other readings in the Programs for Young People afternoon show.
KPFK broadcast part of a reel, or a specific chapter-segment, each day as part of the show. This stretched the 22 reels of content across 33 calendar days. Each part went out 1st October 1968 – 15th November 1968 with an exception for 11th November which is Armistice Day and regular programming was suspended.
1974 Re-broadcast
Just a few months after the death of JRR Tolkien, in September 1973, the production was re-serialised in January 1974 for The Morning Read as a month-long Tolkien Memorial, hosted by Ruthie Buell (“Uncle Ruthie”) and Joe Adams. They aired one full master reel per day. A standard 7-inch studio reel at 7.5 ips holds about 24–28 minutes of audio ideal for the 30-minute broadcast slot with room for intro/outro music and any gaps being filled from the Caedmon recordings of Tolkien reading short extracts of his works. By playing a full archival reel each morning, they condensed the 7-week 1968 schedule into a tidy 22-day “Tolkien Month.”