Bob Trout
You probably know llial lie is a
star announcer anil roinmonta-
lor for I ho Columbia Kroa«l(*asl-
insi System, but ilitl you know
that lie was born and reared in
Hake County?
tty HOYT
ROBERT Trout occupies a front-
rank position ns Columbia net¬
work announcer and news com¬
mentator. He has presented Presi¬
dent Roosevelt to CBS listeners vir¬
tually every time tin* Chief Executive
has spoken over the air. His other
varied activities have included an¬
nouncing the Professor Quiz show, a
feature spot on llnl Kemp’s "Time to
Shine” program, and doing a Sunday
broadcast called “Headlines and His¬
tory'' — which lie himself writes.
Boh is one of the busiest heralds in
the service of the Columbia system.
If bulletins from war-torn Europe
hear n special significance, he almost
invariably reads them. Another func¬
tion of his is that of coordinator of
news roundup from the capitals of
Europe. His style of delivery is clear
and calm; his diction picturesque.
His voice is full-toned.
No Idea of a Radio Career
Had anyone told Trout several years
ago that he would one day blossom
into an nee announcer and commenta¬
tor, he would doubtless have laughed
the suggestion off as being fantastic.
For a career in radio was the last
thought in his mind. Truth is, his op¬
portunity in this field was literally
thrust upon him. Executives who
heard his first efTort thought that he
possessed admirable possibilities. Yet
they had to argue with him two hours
before they succeeded in persuading
him to sign a contract with them.
Even after that, Boh stuck to the
conviction that lie would never go
places in radio unless lie wrote and
produced his own shows. He trained
his sights on that goal. And his aim
proved unerring. Today, as previously
mentioned, ho authors “Headlines and
History," and, in accordance with his
long-standing wish, is introduced with
proper formalities before he begins
his running-fire of commentary.
Trout was born on a farm in Wake
McAFEi;
County, North Carolina. October 15,
BIOS. Early in life lie developed an
ambition to be a locomotive engineer,
and to draw cartoons 1*4 ween train
runs. A restless spirit held him in
sway. He upset his family by leaving
home unceremoniously on repeated
occasions. His rambles took him to
Washington, New York, and else¬
where.
He set some kind of record for the
number ami variety of odd-jobs he
filled. These consisted of errand hoy
on Wall Street, cab driver, debt col¬
lector, filling-station attendant, assist¬
ant at an analytical laboratory, and
seaman. A longing for adventure grew
within him. He felt that he would ex¬
plode if he didn't find outlet for it.
Became a Writer
A seafaring life beckoned.
По
sailed
the North Atlantic on the S. S. Presi-
'/ей/
Roosevelt, completing two cross¬
ings. Then an urge to turn author
and recount his vagabond experiences
in print— in the vein of Jack London,
his hero— enslaved him. So to Green¬
wich Vi liege. New York, he betook
himself; and armed with a rusty type¬
writer and generous quantities of pa¬
per, lie aimed his literary guns at the
highest targets.
He had attained a measure of suc¬
cess when pneumonia struck him down
in late spring of 1931. He conva¬
lesced at his North Carolina home;
after which lie started back for New
York. En route for bis destination.
Trout stopped, out of curiosity, to in¬
spect the radio studios of WJSV, in
Washington. He had written ahead to
the program director for permission
«»
do that. The latter liked Trout's
literary style so well that he pre¬
vailed upon his caller to write a series
of radio sketches.
Boh addressed himself to that chore
nearly a mouth; then, deciding that
broadcasting was fun hut unattractive
in a financial sense, lie pulled up liis
stakes and prepared to resume his
journey to Greenwich Village.
A very short while before his sched¬
uled departure, however, an announcer
resigned in a huff, and on a moment’s
notice, Trout, bewildered by the speed
and twist of events, was rushed to the
microphone. His debut required him
to read from the Alexander (Yn.) Ga¬
zette for five minutes. “I was quite
nervous, therefore very dignified and
formal,” Boh remembers. “However,
that was just what the station wanted,
because The Gazette is the oldest
daily newspaper in the I'nited States.”
Finally Signed a Contract
This program over. Boh made ready
to duck out of the Studio and gel go¬
ing on his way — no more foolish¬
ness, either. Announcing was devoid
of appeal to him. Only writing cap¬
tured his imagination. Most of all.
he desired to braid magazine articles
and write books. Before ho had a
chance to pursue these objectives fur
ther. officials of WJSV cornered the
budding author, and, after subjecting
him to a good deal of pressure, got
