Ninety years ago this month, Ohio State Penintentiary inmante number 52607, Ollie Meloay, penned this article for the July 1928 issue of Radio News detailing the role that radio played for the men serving time. Meloay estimated that there were between 900 and 1000 sets inside the walls, and speculated that there were probably more sets there than in any other equal area in the world.

Loudspeakers were not permitted, so all of the prisoners used headphones. Many cells contained two pairs of headphones to allow both cellmates to listen. The corridors of the cell block contained hundreds of aerials stretched from the cells to the opposite wall 25-30 feet away. Despite the relatively short antennas, the prisoners were able to pull in not only Ohio stations, but those from New York and Chicago. The author noted that many of the African-American men favored southern stations such as KWKH Shreveport.

The warden had no objection, noting that prisoners listening to the radio were unlikely to hatch escape plots or cause trouble. In fact, the harshest punishment the warden could threaten would be to take away a man’s radio.

Most of the sets were “home” made, constructed by the men themselves. The author (who identified himself as a bank robber doing a long sentence) was the owner of a one-tube set. The prison library contained many books on radio, and they were among the most popular.