Recently viewed: The King's Speech

A fine film, of course. But I had an interesting memory watching it: how much more powerful and more engaging oratory is on the radio than on television. My first experience of this was hearing Adlai Stevenson. But even earlier, with sporting events, I remember hearing Joe Louis fights on the radio with my dad, a far more engaging experience than watching sports on TV later. Television is more hypnotizing, and radio gives freer reign to the imagination. Even today I'd rather hear a baseball game on the radio than watch it on television. During the Cuban missile crisis, stationed in Germany, I heard JFK on the radio, not TV. Powerful moments indeed.