L'Almanacco dell' Aria

PROGRAM HISTORY

L'Almanacco dell' Aria was a series of fifteen-minute radio information programs broadcast in Italian over station WEVD (named for Eugene V. Debs) in New York City, between March 1942 and September 1942, weekdays from 5:30 to 5:45 p.m. The program, written, produced and announced by Stefano Caporale, featured weather and news reports, as well as announcements of anniversaries of famous events and persons, and the history of the saint of the day. The program was sponsored by Pastene & Co., merchandisers of Italian imported olive oil, coffee, pasta, tomatoes, tuna, and other products. L'Almanacco dell' Aria ran until September of 1942 when Italian imports were forbidden by the American government.

Stefano Caporale was born in Castil frentano Abruzzo, Italy on March 13, 1906. He left Italy in 1924 when, as a college student at the Istituto Tecnico, he refused to conform to the Fascist party. Coming to New York, with no knowledge of English, Caporale managed to work as salesman of Italian food products and wines. In 1941, Caporale began producing L'Almanacco dell' Aria for Pastene and Company. Paid only twenty-five dollars a week, Caporale wrote each show at home until the late afternoon when he would leave to broadcast the show at the WEVD studios. After L'Almanacco dell' Aria left the air, Caporale went to work for the Voice of America, Office of War Information, producing Italian broadcasts. Aften the war, he went into business for himself. Caporale died on November 2, 1971, leaving a wife and three children.

SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE

L'Almanacco dell' Aria collection covers the period March 1941 to September 1942. Be advised that the majority of documents are in Italian; however, some correspondence and headings on scripts are in English. The collection includes scripts of programs and commercials, and correspondence dating from February to May 1942. Additional materials include Pastene & Co. commercial spots heard throughout the day on WEVD during 1941 and 1942. The collection reflects the concerns and preoccupations of the Italian-American community during a tense, wartime period. Scripts include news from Pearl Harbor, and announcements of such war-related measures as the sale war bonds, registration for the reserves, and the cutting off of auto sales. Commercials for Pastene & Co. reflect important elements of Italian-American culture, in particular strong, continuing links to Italy. The rather limited correspondence in the collection does offer a glimpse at the grass roots popularity of the L'Almanacco dell' Aria and Pastene & Co. products.

PROVENANCE

The L'Almanacco dell' Aria collection was donated to the Broadcast Pioneers Library of American Broadcasting by Virginia L. Caporale in April 1995.

SERIES DESCRIPTION

Series 1: Daily Scripts and Commercials, 1941-1942

This series contains scripts of the daily L'Almanacco dell' Aria program and scripts of commercials appearing during the program, dating 1941 to 1942. Subjects taken up in the scripts include weather, current events, announcements of the anniversaries of historical events and persons, and the histories of the saint of the day.

Series 2: Correspondence, 1942

This series consists of a folder of correspondence, dating February to May 1942, relating to L'Almanacco dell' Aria program and Pastene & Co. products. Some of the correspondence is in Italian.

Series 3: Pastene & Co. Daily Spots, 1941-1942

This series contains scripts of Pastene & Co. commercial spots aired throughout the day on station WEVD between 1941 and 1942. Commercials are in Italian, and feature a time and date of airing. Some hand-written notations appear on the scripts.

For further information, contact the Library of American Broadcasting.