This is a snippet from Breaking Walls Episode 99: New Year's 1948 On The Air

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Much like Tuesday nights in 1948, NBC also dominated Wednesday’s audience. CBS managed just a single show in the top-ten and NBC’s only competition came from the American Broadcasting Company.

At 8PM Eastern Time, live from Hollywood over NBC, The Dennis Day show took to the air.

Jack Benny’s famous Irish tenor had been given his own solo show in October of 1946. He was zany… easily confused, and exhibited many of the same characteristics as his character on the Benny show, even if in solo show storyline, the same name and voice was said to be a coincidence. The show’s rating would be a healthy 18.2 in January of 1948.

Opposite The Dennis Day show on ABC, Lionel Barrymore took to the air in Mayor of the Town.

With the New Year here, it was a good time for the characters to sit in reflection—that is, if the Mayor’s housekeeper, Marilly—voiced by Agnes Moorehead—could just manage to keep quiet. Along with Ms. Moorehead and Mr. Barrymore, Mayor of the Town featured Conrad Binyon, Priscilla Lyon and Gloria McMillion.

Despite a rating that peaked at 18.9 in February, Mayor of the Town left ABC’s airwaves at the end of the season. In late May, Noxima’s agency announced the sponsor was cancelling its sponsorship, effective June 30th, after four seasons.

It was revived on MBS on January 2nd, 1949 with Mutual Benefit Insurance as the sponsor, but managed no higher than a 5 point rating in any month for the remainder of the season.

Mayor of the Town departed the radio airwaves for good on July 3rd, 1949.