How a Prison Fire Helped Create CBS News

When CBS was founded in 1927, its radio programming focused on entertainment, music, and fun. That all changed when a horrific prison fire broke out at the Ohio Penitentiary in 1930. CBS aired on-the-spot coverage of the event, with Otto "Deacon" Gardner, an inmate in the prison, at the microphone. At the time, Gardner's gripping broadcast captured the attention of audiences across the country and started CBS on the path to creating the hard-hitting news that would define the network for nearly a century. Brooke sits down with historian A. Brad Schwartz , author of the recent piece CJR piece " The Eyewitness" , to talk about this largely forgotten event in radio history and what it tells us about the type of radio reporting that speaks to listeners and builds trust with audiences. On the Media is supported by listeners like you. Support OTM by donating today ( ). Follow our show on Instagram , Bluesky , TikTok and Facebook @onthemedia, and share your thoughts with us by emailing onthemedia@wnyc.org.

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How a Prison Fire Helped Create CBS News is an episode from On the Media by WNYC Studios.

This episode is 00:35:36 long.

This episode was published on Apr 29, 2026.

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