numbers station
On the Air: Tuning In to Secret Wars Live from Cuba
Saturday, January 19, 4:30 pm
- Under deep cover, a spy waits by a shortwave radio ready to copy down a long string of numbers.
- Dictatorships jam signals beaming in from clandestine stations operated by opposition groups.
- The first act of a conquering rebel group or invading army is to take over the radio station.
- Sarcastic and seductive voices: In World War II Lord Haw Haw, Tokyo Rose, and Ezra Pound tried to demoralize the troops and the folks back home.
- Urban gladiators like Skyhawk, Lt. Columbo and Switchblade take to Channel 6 on Citizens Band radio for a keydown. The winner takes the frequency. The loser is a “mud duck.”
Radio producer and audio archivist David Goren hosts a listening session and informal discussion about the way radio is used in battles of ideology and territory. The session will include a live tuning of a Cuban numbers station intended for Cuban spies in the United States.
