Audio Maverick Podcast: How One Man In Radio Paved The Way For Podcasting

There's a perception that radio and podcasting are media competitors. Both formats are audio, and both formats compete for listeners' attention in the same places, such as the vehicle and the commute.

In reality, radio is the precursor to podcasting. The golden age of radio glistened with shows ranging from dramas to game shows, mysteries to horror.

CUNY TV is the City University of New York’s 24-hour television station and is New York’s leading public educational channel. Established in 1985, CUNY TV is committed to extending CUNY’s academic mission to connect and uplift the diverse experiences of New York communities through relevant and meaningful stories and offer lifelong learning opportunities to all New Yorkers.

CUNY TV’s first original podcast Audio Maverick, a love letter to audio from a historical lens, which premiered on May 1st, 2025. Audio enthusiasts can listen to Brown’s story in full across the entire season, reflecting on the impact of one man across an entire industry. This podcast is distributed by Multitude Productions, based in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NY.


This nine-part limited series documentary spotlights the life and career of a true maverick in audio, Himan Brown. In the golden age of audio (1930s - 50s), Brown directed over 30,000 radio shows across every major radio network, working alongside some of the biggest-name stars of the time. Brown’s legacy in radio not only impacted the world of broadcast, but can be felt today in broadcast and podcasting alike.

Through the lens of Brown’s career, the podcast looks at the birth of radio and how his programming attracted millions of families into their living rooms every night. The podcast utilizes archival material of some of the most famous audio dramas, contemporary interviews with media scholars, and discussions with a new generation of audio mavericks who Brown inspired.

Brown, who died a month before his 100th birthday in 2010, was known for his wide-ranging talents as a producer over his seven-decade career, collaborating with actors including Helen Hayes, Frank Sinatra, Boris Karloff, Peter Lorre, Gregory Peck and Orson Welles. He started his broadcast career as a teenager, launching his first show in 1927, before beginning his studies at Brooklyn College.

He received the American Broadcast Pioneer and Peabody awards, and was inducted into the National Radio Hall of Fame in the 1990s. Throughout his life, he remained engaged with his alma mater, teaching audio drama there and producing programming for the college’s radio station – today’s WBCR-AM – even after reaching age 90. He was presented with an honorary doctorate by the college in 2003.

The son of Jewish immigrants from present-day Ukraine, Brown was known for his commitment to Jewish culture. This dedication was reflected in his work, as his first broadcast opportunity involved reading newspapers with a Yiddish dialect. To continue this legacy, the Himan Brown Charitable Trust endows the Himan Brown program at the 92nd Street Y, providing programming for seniors in the community.

The Audio Maverick creative team includes veteran producer Sarah Montague, whose many audio documentary and drama programs include “The Fall of the City: Prophetic Classic,” “Titanic: Unsinkable Myth,” “The Radio Stage” and “T is for Tom: The Radio Plays of Tom Stoppard.”


The podcast’s host, Margot Avery, has performed “The Portable Dorothy Parker” in festivals and theaters across the United States and United Kingdom since 2012.

Sound designer John deLore has helped to create the unique sounds of many programs in our ears today, including “The Paris Review Podcast,” “In the Dark” (from the New Yorker), “Weight for It” and “Delejos,” an episode from the CBC show “Love Me.”

Composer Allison Leyton-Brown has created works for television shows including “The Good Wife,” and in the podcast realm has made music for “In the Dark,” “Unfinished: Short Creek,” “Imposters” and “This American Life.”

“It has been a privilege to get to know Himan Brown through his life and work,” said Montague. “An architect of what made Golden Age Radio great, he kept company with cops and robbers, heroes and housewives, pirate ships and ‘Grand Central Station.’ He was also a visionary about all that audio drama could and might be, and everyone in the field today is part of his legacy.”

Check out Audio Maverick. It's essentially the history of how radio paved the way for podcasting, and one of those most influential people during radio's golden age.