I used to love to lie in bed late at night listening to Long John Nebel, but he also used to weave stories about the Empire State Building slowly turning on giant ball bearings, and the wick farms where the highest quality candle wicks were grown. I think his best shows may have been the annual Halloween seances in an effort to contact Harry Houdini. Nebel was a true classic and a great story spinner. He had me half believing the Empire State Building story for a few weeks.
I had to take my 5 tube Silvertone under the covers with the antenna wire wrapped around my hand to keep from disturbing my parents and keep the signal strong enough. If I remember correctly, all of the listener input came by Western Union teletype. Sure have come a long ways there.