Missouri will host the pilot project for an initiative to make radio history available through a national archive.
The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that the Radio Preservation Task Force, overseen by the Library of Congress, is collecting and cataloging radio recordings. Missouri is the pilot in part because of preservation efforts already made in St. Louis and Kansas City.
Task force director Josh Sheppard says there has never previously been a concerted effort by one federal institution to trace old recordings. He says at least 75 percent of recorded radio has been discarded or destroyed.
The Missouri Broadcasters Association has reached out to all 380 member stations, seeking recordings for the archive.
