From August 1963 to March 1964, there was barely a peep out of ABC Radio about its radio drama plans. Then, word came out that Ed Byron was named as executive producer. This was a very big announcement that gave near-instant credibility to the endeavor.
The announcement was reported in newspapers in early April 1964, but a more detailed summary of T5's status was in the 1964-04-06 Broadcasting. Byron was known for his role in the creation of one of radio's biggest and most profitable franchises, Mr. District Attorney, The program spawned comic books, movies, and eventually two different television series. He knew radio drama from the bottom up, from its earliest days, and he knew how to navigate a vastly different radio market than the golden age he helped create.
The article notes that the originally planned length of 50 minutes for the program was scaled back to 25 minutes...
because it was the judgment of network programmers that today's radio audience has listeing habits which would not sustain the longer format.
There would be many changes to adapt to the new habits of the listening audience. First, CBS had made Suspense and Johnny Dollar weekend programs, where the listening was generally more relaxed and there was less competition with information radio such as news, traffic, and sports. T5 was intended as a daily program, but ABC could only recommend a time for the broadcasts. Stations could choose when the broadcasts would be for their markets.
The 21 minute limit on the program was roughly 19 when you deduct 1 minute for the show opening and another minute for the show credits. The producers believed that the compressed time was needed for the faster pace of the 1960s. It's likely that listening while driving in a car was considered, and the shorter time would be more likely fit typical driving times. This short broadcast time did pose a challenge to the writers in terms of character and plot development. The anthology format meant that there were no continuing characters. Plots had to move, and there was no time for summarizing what happened earlier in the story for those who may have tuned in late.
T5 was conceived to be a modern effort that took into account the changes in pace and lifestyle of its target audiences. When Byron emphasized that T5's scripts would be new, and no old scripts would be used, he meant it. It didn't turn out exactly in that way, because some scripts from Suspense, Two Thousand Plus, and Murder at Midnight would end up being adapted for the program. The great majority of scripts, more than 240 of the 260, were new. The scripts had a mix of new and veteran authors. The program met most of its goals to produce fresh material.
The music needed to be fresher, and newer. This is a time before the Beatles had their influence, and jazz was considered to be young and hip in the early 1960s. This was an image that T5 wanted to convey and an audience it wanted to attract... but that will be reviewed later.
Byron was in his late 50s when he assumed the role of executive producer. To jump ahead to an unfortunate event in the T5 saga, Byron died at age 59. He passed away the day after T5's eightieth episode, not even one-third of the way into its inaugural season. Before the launch of the series, Byron's illness was already preventing his attendance at press events to promote the series. His illness was known, but the time of his passing away was sooner than expected. A major reason why T5 lasted only one year was that it did not have Byron as a champion inside the walls of ABC. His stature in the business, his diligence, his ability to navigate the marketplace, and the wisdom of how to articulate T5's vision to executives, sponsors, and affiliates was critical. He surely had the desire to fight for the series to be renewed for a second year.
This newspaper clipping from the 1964-05-07 Jackson TN Sun has information about Byron's life and radio career.
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