''Viva América'' was an American musical radio program which was broadcast live over the

CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...

radio network There are two types of radio network currently in use around the world: the one-to-many (simplex communication) broadcast network commonly used for public information and mass media, mass-media entertainment, and the two-way radio (Duplex (teleco ...

and to North and

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

over the "La Cadena de las Américas" (Network of the Americas) during the 1940s (1942–1949) in support of

Pan-Americanism Pan-Americanism is a movement that seeks to create, encourage, and organize relationships, an association (a Union), and cooperation among the states of the Americas, through diplomatic, political, economic, and social means. The term Pan-Amer ...

during World War II. It was also broadcast for the benefit of members of the armed forces in Europe during World War II over the

Armed Forces Network The American Forces Network (AFN) is a government television and radio broadcast service the United States Armed Forces provides to soldiers stationed or assigned overseas, and is headquartered at Fort Meade in Maryland. AFN comprises two sub ...

. All broadcasts of this program were supervised under the strict government supervision of the

United States Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy of the United State ...

and the

Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs The Office of the Coordinator of Inter-American Affairs, later known as the Office for Inter-American Affairs, was a United States agency promoting inter-American cooperation (Pan-Americanism) during the 1940s, especially in commercial and econ ...

(OCIAA) as part of the United States Cultural Exchange Programs

cultural diplomacy Cultural diplomacy is a type of soft power that includes the "exchange of ideas, information, art, language and other aspects of culture among nations and their peoples in order to foster mutual understanding". The purpose of cultural diplomac ...

initiative authorized by President

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

(via

Voice of America Voice of America (VOA or VoA) is an international broadcasting network funded by the federal government of the United States that by law has editorial independence from the government. It is the largest and oldest of the American internation ...

) during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

through the Office for Coordination of Commercial and Cultural Relations (OCCCRBAR), and the

directed by

Nelson Rockefeller Nelson Aldrich "Rocky" Rockefeller (July 8, 1908 – January 26, 1979) was the 41st vice president of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977 under President Gerald Ford. He was also the 49th governor of New York, serving from 1959 to 197 ...

This imaginative program represented a unique collaboration between government and private industry during the turbulent

era in an effort to foster cultural exchanges and

throughout the Americas as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Good Neighbor policy. It featured live performances of the CBS Pan American Orchestra under the musical direction of the noted conductor

Alfredo Antonini Alfredo Antonini (May 31, 1901 – November 3, 1983) was a leading Italian-American symphony conductor and composer who was active on the international concert stage as well as on the CBS radio and television networks from the 1930s through the e ...

. 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. As a result of its cultural authenticity, it emerged over the years as the network's most popular musical program. Viva América was primarily conceived in an effort to foster benevolent diplomatic relations throughout the

Americas The Americas, sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America and South America.''Webster's New World College Dictionary'', 2010 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio. When viewed as a sing ...

during

by showcasing the talents of a wide variety of respected professional musicians from both North and South America. 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). 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 Bolero is a genre of song which originated in eastern Cuba in the late 19th century as part of the trova tradition. Unrelated to the older Spanish dance of the same name, bolero is characterized by sophisticated lyrics dealing with love. It h ...

. Included among the renowned soloists were:

Juan Arvizu Juan Nepomuceno Arvizu Santelices (known as Juan Arvizu; May 22, 1900 – November 19, 1985), was an acclaimed lyric tenor in Mexico and a noted interpreter of the Latin American bolero and tango on the international concert stage, on the radio an ...

(the Mexican "Tenor with the Silken Voice");

Nestor Mesta Chayres Néstor Mesta Cháyres (aka Nestor Chaires, Ciudad Lerdo, February 26, 1908 - Mexico City, June 29, 1971) was an acclaimed tenor in Mexico and a noted interpreter of Spanish songs, boleros and Mexican romantic music on the international conce ...

( Mexican tenor - aka "El Gitano De México");

Eva Garza Eva Garza (May 11, 1917 – November 1, 1966) was a Mexican-American singer and film actress who acquired international recognition in the 1940s and 1950s during the Golden Age of Mexican cinema. She collaborated on live radio shows and films wit ...

( Mexican songstress);

Terig Tucci Terig Tucci (June 23, 1897 – February 28, 1973) was an Argentine composer, orchestrator, conductor, violinist, pianist, and mandolinist. He was a leading advocate of music for the tango in the United States who collaborated with the singer ...

, (

Argentine Argentines, Argentinians or Argentineans are people from Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical, or cultural. For most Argentines, several (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their ...

composer/arranger)

Miguel Sandoval Miguel Sandoval (born November 16, 1951) is an American actor. He is known for his role on the NBC/ CBS drama series '' Medium'' (2005–2011), where he played D.A. Manuel Devalos. Biography Sandoval was born in Washington, D.C. He began wo ...

(Guatemalan composer/conductor),

Elsa Miranda Elsa M. Miranda (14 February 1922 – 27 April 2007) was a noted Puerto Rican singer who was featured on radio and television in the United States during the Golden Age of Radio in the 1940s. As a naturalized Argentinian, she was also active as ...

(Puerto Rican Vocalist/Actress), Los Panchos Trio (Latin vocalists) Manuolita Arriola (Mexican vocalist),

Kate Smith Kathryn Elizabeth Smith (May 1, 1907 – June 17, 1986) was an American contralto. Referred to as The First Lady of Radio, Smith became well known for her renditions of "God Bless America" and "When the Moon Comes over the Mountain". She began ...

(American contralto), Pat O'Brien (American actor) and John Serry, Sr. (an American concert accordionist and featured soloist). Broadcasts of this program were personally supervised by Edmund A. Chester, Vice President at the

network and Director of Latin-American Relations and Short Wave Broadcasting (1940 - 1948). Mr. Chester could often be found visiting the control room at the

broadcast studios in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

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

and the

Department of State The United States Department of State (DOS), or simply the State Department, is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the country's foreign policy and relations. Equivalent to the ministry of foreign affairs ...

.''Time'' - Radio: La Cadena, June 1, 194
William S. Paley, La Cadena de las Americas on Content.time.com
/ref> 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 William Samuel Paley (September 28, 1901 – October 26, 1990) was an American businessman, primarily involved in the media, and best known as the chief executive who built the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) from a small radio network into o ...

were awarded the Carlos Manuel de Cespedes National Order of Merit by the Cuban government - its highest civilian honor. The onset of the post World War II era precipitated the onset of the

Cold War The Cold War was a period of global Geopolitics, geopolitical rivalry between the United States (US) and the Soviet Union (USSR) and their respective allies, the capitalist Western Bloc and communist Eastern Bloc, which lasted from 1947 unt ...

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. As the focal point for American foreign policy shifted away from

toward

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

broadcasts of this program were terminated (circa 1949) and the broadcasting links provided to South America by the Columbia Broadcast System

were eliminated."State Dept. to Record All Shortwave Airings as NBC, CBS Check out on "Voice"", The Billboard July 10, 1948 p. 8
/ref> Several historic master disk transcriptions of this program were recorded during live broadcasts and preserved on 78 RPM vinyl disks for

. They were archived by the Department of State until the 1970s and have since passed into private collections.

References

External links

Archive.org - Album - ''La Palma''; ''Rosa Negra''
- CBS Viva America Orchestra and Los Panchos Trio - Conductor Alfredo Antonini
Frontera.library.ucla.edu - ''Asi'', ''Esta Noche Ha Pasado'',''Somos Differentes'' and ''Tres Palabras'' - Sound recordings of Alfredo Antonini conducting the CBS Pan American Orchestra with vocalist Luis G. Roldan at the University of California Los Angeles on fronter.library.ucla.eduWorldCat.Org Library holdings worldwide of audio albums by The Viva America OrchestraWorldCat.Org Library holdings for The Viva America Orchestra: Conductor Alfredo AntoniniLibrary of Congress holding of ''Latin American Music'' - Viva America Orchestra: Conductor Alfredo Antonini
* ttps://www.gettyimages.co.nz/detail/news-photo/viva-america-a-cbs-radio-program-featuring-latin-america-news-photo/905996020 Photograph - CBS Radio Program ''Viva America'' (1946) on GettyImages {{DEFAULTSORT:Viva America American music radio programs United States Department of State 1940s American radio programs CBS Radio programs Cultural exchange Good Neighbor policy