Viva América

Viva América was an American musical radio program which was broadcast live over the CBS radio network and to North and South America over the "La Cadena de las Américas" (Network of the Americas) during the 1940s (1942–1949) in support of Pan-Americanism during World War II.[1] It was also broadcast for the benefit of members of the armed forces in Europe during World War II over the Armed Forces Network.[2] All broadcasts of this program were supervised under the strict government supervision of the United States Department of State and the Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs (OCIAA) as part of the United States Cultural Exchange Programs cultural diplomacy initiative authorized by President Franklin D. Roosevelt (via Voice of America) during World War II through the Office for Coordination of Commercial and Cultural Relations (OCCCRBAR) and the Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs directed by Nelson Rockefeller.[3][4][5][6][7][8]

Nelson Rockefeller - Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs (1940)
OCIAA-Nelson-Rockefeller

Viva Amėrica
GenreClassical music
Popular music
Latin music
Bolero
Country of originUnited States
Language(s)English, Spanish
SyndicatesCBS Network of the Americas
StarringAlfredo Antonini
Juan Arvizu
Nestor Chaires
Eva Garza
Elsa Miranda
Los Panchos Trio
Luis G. Roldan
John Serry Sr.
AnnouncerHarry Kramer
Produced byOffice of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs
Executive producer(s)Edmund Chester
Original release1940 –
1949
Sponsored byVoice of America

This imaginative program represented a unique collaboration between government and private industry during the turbulent World War II era in an effort to foster cultural exchanges and cultural diplomacy throughout the Americas as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Good Neighbor policy.[9][10] It featured live performances of the CBS Pan American Orchestra under the musical direction of the noted conductor Alfredo Antonini.[11][12] By 1945, performances by the orchestra on the CBS "La Cadena de los Americas" radio network were enjoyed by audiences in twenty Latin American nations and throughout North America.[13] As a result of its cultural authenticity, it emerged over the years as the network's most popular musical program.[14]

Viva América was primarily conceived in an effort to foster benevolent diplomatic relations throughout the Americas during World War II by showcasing the talents of a wide variety of respected professional musicians from both North and South America.[15] In this regard, it proved to be highly successful and functioned under the direct supervision of the Department of State as a cultural exchange program (as opposed to a propaganda program).[16] The collaborative performances by musicians who were featured on the program also served to introduce large audiences in the United States to innovative forms of Latin music including the Mexican Bolero.[17] Included among the renowned soloists were: Juan Arvizu (the Mexican "Tenor with the Silken Voice");[18] Nestor Mesta Chayres (Mexican tenor - aka "El Gitano De México");[19][20] Eva Garza (Mexican songstress);[21][22][23] Terig Tucci, (Argentine composer/arranger)[24] Miguel Sandoval (Guatemalan composer/conductor), Elsa Miranda (Puerto Rican Vocalist/Actress), Los Panchos Trio (Latin vocalists)[25][26] Manuolita Arriola (Mexican vocalist)[27] and John Serry, Sr. (an American concert accordionist and featured soloist).[28][29]

External audio
audio icon You may listen to the Chilean cueca dance La Palma as sung by Los Panchos Trio with Alfredo Antonini's Viva America Orchestra in 194? here
audio icon You may listen to Alfredo Antonini's CBS Pan American Orchestra with John Serry Sr. and the mexican singer Luis G. Roldan performing the boleros Esta Noche Ha Pasado and Tres Palabras in 194? here on archive.org

Broadcasts of this program were personally supervised by Edmund A. Chester, Vice President at the CBS network and Director of Latin-American Relations and Short Wave Broadcasting (1940 - 1948).[30][31][32][33][34][35] Mr. Chester could often be found visiting the control room at the CBS broadcast studios in New York City in order to enjoy his series of live concerts and to exchange insights with his staff of musicians and recording artists. At the governmental level, they were closely monitored by the Office of Inter-American Affairs through the Office for Coordination of Commercial and Cultural Relations (OCCCRBAR) under the direction of Nelson Rockefeller and the Department of State.[36] In recognition of their efforts to foster greater understanding between the peoples of Cuba and the United States on this program, both Edmund Chester and William S. Paley were awarded the Carlos Manuel de Cespedes National Order of Merit by the Cuban government - its highest civilian honor.[37]

External images
image icon Photograph of Nestor Chayres and Manuolita Arriola on "Viva America" for CBS Radio in 1946
Here on Getty images
image icon Photograph of Los Panchos Trio and Manolita Arrioa on "Viva America" for CBS Radio in 1946
Here on Getty Images
image icon Photograph of Alfredo Antonini conducting on "Viva America" in 1946
Here on Getty Images

The onset of the post World War II era precipitated the onset of the Cold War and the initiation of new governmental oversight of the broadcast industry. As a consequence of these developments, exclusive control for the La Cadena de las Americas was essentially transferred to the Department of State from Voice of America in 1948.[38] As the focal point for American foreign policy shifted away from South America toward Europe broadcasts of this program were terminated (circa 1949) and the broadcasting links provided to South America by the Columbia Broadcast System CBS were eliminated.[39]

Several historic master disk transcriptions of this program were recorded during live broadcasts and preserved on 78 RPM vinyl disks for Voice of America. They were archived by the Department of State until the 1970s and have since passed into private collections.

References
  1. Dissonant Divas in Chicana Music: The Limits of La Onda Deborah R. Vargas. University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, 2012 p. 152-155 ISBN 978-0-8166-7316-2 OCIAA (Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs), FDR's Good Neighbor Policy, CBS, Viva America, La Cadena de las Americas on google.books.com
  2. The Directory of the Armed Forces Radio Service Series Mackenzie, Harry. Greenwood Publishing Group, Westport CT, 1999 p. 21 ISBN 0-313-30812-8 Viva America on https://books.google.com
  3. "Viva America". radiogoldindex.com. Archived from the original on February 6, 2012. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
  4. The New York Times, January 8, 1941, pg. 8
  5. The New York Times, January 1, 1942, pg. 27
  6. The New York Times, May 10, 1942, pg. SM10
  7. The New York Times, February 28, 1943, pg. X9
  8. The New York Times, January 18, 1942, pg. 27
  9. Media Sound & Culture in Latin America & the Caribbean. Editors - Bronfman, Alejandra & Wood, Andrew Grant. University of Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, 2012 p. 47-49 ISBN 978-0-8229-6187-1 Pan Americanism, FDR's Good Neighbor Policy CBS, Viva America and Alfredo Antonini on Books.Google.Com See Pg. 49
  10. Dissonant Divas in Chicana Music: The Limits of La Onda Deborah R. Vargas. University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, 2012 p. 152-158 ISBN 978-0-8166-7316-2 FDR's Good Neighbor Policy, CBS, Viva America and Eva Garza on google.books.com
  11. The New York Times, June 9, 1946, pg. 49
  12. The New York Times, November 5, 1983, pg. 34
  13. Dissonant Divas in Chicana Music: The Limits of La Onda Deborah R. Vargas. University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, 2012 p. 152-155 ISBN 978-0-8166-7316-2 OCIAA (Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs), FDR's Good Neighbor Policy, CBS, Viva America, La Cadena de las Americas on google.books.com
  14. Beyond the Black and White TV: Asian and Latin American Spectacle in Cold War America. Han, Benjamin M. Rutgers University Press, 2022 "Viva America" cultural authenticity and the most popular musical show on the La Cadena de las Americas on Google Books
  15. Beyond the Black and White TV: Asian and Latin American Spectacle in Cold War America. Han, Benjamin M. Rutgers University Press, 2022 "Viva America" and Cold War cultural diplomacy on Google Books
  16. Dissonant Divas in Chicana Music: The Limits of La Onda Deborah R. Vargas. University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, 2012 p. 152-155 ISBN 978-0-8166-7316-2 OCIAA (Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs), FDR's Good Neighbor Policy, CBS, Viva America on google.books.com
  17. Media Sound & Culture in Latin America. Editors: Bronfman, Alejanda & Wood, Andrew Grant. University of Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, 2012, Pg. 49 ISBN 978-0-8229-6187-1 https://books.google.com See pg. 49
  18. The New York Times, May 5, 1941, pg. 32
  19. "Bassanonline". www.bassanonline.it. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
  20. The New York Times April 23, 1944, pg X5
  21. The New York Times, January 23, 1944, pg. X9
  22. "Artist Biography: Eva Garza | Frontera Project". frontera.library.ucla.edu. Retrieved March 26, 2019.
  23. Dissonant Divas in Chicana Music: The Limits of La Onda Deborah R. Vargas. University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, 2012 p. 155-157 ISBN 978-0-8166-7316-2 Eva Garza and Viva America on google.books.com
  24. The New York Times, January 18, 1942, pg. 27
  25. Los Panchos Trio; Alfredo Antonini and His Viva America Orchestra, La Palma; Rosa Negra (in Spanish), Internet Archive, Pilotone, retrieved March 26, 2019
  26. Beyond the Black and White TV: Asian and Latin American Spectacle in Cold War America. Han, Benjamin M. Rutgers University Press, 2022 Los Panchos and the Viva America program on Google Books
  27. Photograph of Manolita Arriola and Nestor Chayres for "Viva America" CBS on Getty Images
  28. Settel, Irving (1967) [1960]. A Pictorial History of Radio. New York: Grosset & Dunlap. p. 146. LCCN 67-23789. OCLC 1475068.
  29. Media Sound & Culture in Latin America. Editors: Bronfman, Alejanda & Wood, Andrew Grant. University of Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, PA, USA, 2012, Pg. 49 ISBN 978-0-8229-6187-1 https://books.google.com See pg. 49
  30. Beyond the Black and White TV: Asian and Latin American Spectacle in Cold War America. Han, Benjamin M. Rutgers University Press, 2022 "Viva America" Edmund Chester - brainchild behind the formation of the La Cadena de Las Americas on Google Books
  31. Dissonant Divas in Chicana Music: The Limits of La Onda Deborah R. Vargas. University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis, 2012 p. 152-155 ISBN 978-0-8166-7316-2 OCIAA (Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs), Edmund Chester, FDR's Good Neighbor Policy, CBS, Viva America, La Cadena de las Americas on google.books.com
  32. The New York Times, May 10, 1942, pg. sm10
  33. The New York Times, October 16, 1973, pg. 46
  34. Time, June 1, 1942
  35. Time, March 2, 1942
  36. Anthony, Edwin D. (1973). "Records of the Radio Division" (PDF). Records of the Office of Inter-American Affairs. Vol. Inventory of Record Group 229. Washington D.C.: National Archives and Record Services - General Services Administration. pp. 25–26. LCCN 73-600146.
  37. Beyond the Black and White TV: Asian and Latin American Spectacle in Cold War America. Han, Benjamin M. Rutgers University Press, 2022 "Viva America" Edmund Chester William S. Paley and the Carlos Manuel De Cespedes National Order of Merit on Google Books
  38. The New York Times, July 2, 1948, pg. 1
  39. "State Dept. to Record All Shortwave Airings as NBC, CBS Check out on "Voice"", The Billboard July 10, 1948 p. 8
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