Music & the Spoken Word has been broadcast continually on the Salt Lake City-based KSL radio since 1929, making it the United States' longest-running national radio program carried continuously on a network.[2] The program has received two Peabody Awards, and was inducted into the National Association of Broadcasters Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2004, and the National Radio Hall of Fame in 2010.[3] The program made its television debut in October 1949, and is currently the longest-running non-news program on television. It airs in syndication on television.
The Choir's first network radio program, Music & the Spoken Word was first transmitted on July 15, 1929. The organ, choir, and announcer shared a single microphone that was attached to the ceiling of the tabernacle. The announcer stood on a ladder in order to speak into it. A telegraph was used to alert the sound engineer at KSL radio to start the broadcast.[6]Anthony C. Lund was the director of the Choir for the first program, with Earl J. Glade, the general manager of KSL, as its director and producer.[7]
Beginning in 1930, Richard L. Evans became the program's first regular host. Evans held this role until his death in 1971, when he was succeeded by J. Spencer Kinard.[8] Lloyd D. Newell hosted the program from 1991 to 2024.[8]
In 2004, in conjunction with its 75th anniversary, Music & the Spoken Word was inducted into the National Association of Broadcasters' Radio Hall of Fame. It is one of only two radio programs to have been inducted, the other being the Grand Ole Opry.[9]
Through early 2020, the program's continuous new weekly broadcasts led to it becoming the longest continuous weekly program in television and radio broadcasting history.[11] The program has occasionally aired reruns when the Choir is on concert tours.[12]
In March 2020, the Choir suspended activities due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, Music & the Spoken Word went on hiatus and broadcast reruns. By April 2020, these reruns were augmented with new studio segments recorded in the Tabernacle by Newell with a skeleton crew.[12][13][8]
In July 2021, the Choir announced that it would begin to resume operations.[14] New episodes of Music & the Spoken Word officially resumed on October 24, 2021, originating from the LDS Church's Conference Center with no studio audience.[15][16] Due to the Omicron variant, the Choir suspended operations again in December 2021, extending a pre-scheduled hiatus for the holiday season through March 2022. At the time, Music & the Spoken Word resumed broadcasts from the Salt Lake Tabernacle for the first time since March 2020.[17]
On December 10, 2023, Newell announced he would depart his role with the Choir and Music & the Spoken Word in July 2024 to fill a role as a mission president.[18] In March 2024, the First Presidency announced that Derrick Porter would become the new host, with Newell's final episode being on June 16, and Porter debuting on June 23.[19]
Broadcast
Each broadcast revolves around a specific theme which is usually based on a religious and uplifting topic which have included family, hope, faith, Christmas, patriotism, joy, peace, kindness, etc., and are usually broadly Christian in application.
Music
The Choir performs both sacred and secular pieces that correspond with the chosen message. In addition to hymns and sacred anthems, the Choir has performed Broadway songs, such as "Climb Ev'ry Mountain" from The Sound of Music, patriotic American songs, such as "America the Beautiful", as well as a wide range of other selections. The broadcast also regularly features an organ solo played by one of the tabernacle organists.
The Grammy Award-winning Choir is a 360-voice choir that was founded in Utah in 1847, one month after the Mormon pioneers entered the Salt Lake Valley.
Called "America's Choir" by U.S. President Ronald Reagan, all members of the choir are volunteers and are not remunerated. The Choir is led by director Mack Wilberg.
In addition to Music and & Spoken Word, the Choir performs regularly throughout the year, including annual Christmas, Pioneer, and various other concerts, as well providing music for the LDS Church's general conference. The Choir has also been on national and international tours.[20]
The Orchestra at Temple Square was created in 1999 in order to increase the aesthetic and musical quality of performances. The Orchestra frequently provides accompaniment for the weekly radio and TV broadcasts.
The Salt Lake Tabernacle organ is a very visible and notable part of the building. The original organ was made by Joseph Harris Ridges (1827–1914), a native of Australia, and contained seven hundred pipes. However, the number of pipes is now 11,623, making it one of the world's largest pipe organs. The current organ is largely the work of G. Donald Harrison of the former Aeolian-Skinner organ firm. It was completed in the late 1940s. The organ has undergone a few minor modifications since that time.[21]
The organ is currently played by five main organists when accompanying the Choir. Richard Elliott, Andrew Unsworth, and Brian Mathias are full-time organists, while Linda Margetts and Joseph Peeples are part-time organists.[22]
The "Spoken Word"
The program features inspirational messages, constituting the eponymous "Spoken Word". The original writer, producer, and announcer of the spoken portion of the broadcast was Richard L. Evans, who continued in that capacity for over forty years until his death in 1971. At that time the writing and announcing assignments were split, with a committee doing the writing. J. Spencer Kinard was the announcer from 1972 until he stepped down in 1990. Lloyd D. Newell served as the host of the program from 1991 to 2024, when he was succeeded by Derrick Porter. According to Newell, Gordon B. Hinckley, then a counselor in the LDS Church's First Presidency, instructed him that "each message should be an 'inspirational gem'", and that when writing the messages, he should consider "whether they would enlighten and inspire listeners and have an insight or perspective that is wide and interesting and encouraging."[8]
International broadcasts
The program has been broadcast in other languages, with the opening sequence and Spoken Word segment either subtitled or dubbed in the respective language. On July 30, 2023, a pilot began for a dedicated Spanish-language edition of Music & the Spoken Word,: it contains the same performances as the English-language version, but uses a rotating cast of Spanish-language announcers and other imagery specific to Spanish culture.[23][24]
The program is broadcast from the Salt Lake Tabernacle, more commonly called the Mormon Tabernacle. The dome-shaped building was built between 1864 and 1867 on the west center-line axis of the Salt Lake Temple and is located inside Temple Square. The overall seating capacity of the building (since its renovation) is 7,000, which includes the Choir area and balcony gallery. The central feature of the tabernacle is the large pipe organ.
