Or the suggestion of a friend. Or something in the newspaper. Sometimes these things happen by accident. In this case it has lasted for half a century. Each Saturday afternoon, from early December to late April, live broadcasts of complete performances from the stage of the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City can be heard.
Today there is an international network that includes hundreds of local stations.
That radio was the first of several to transmit the world of opera to my eager ears. They included our old floor model Philco in the living room, several more table models progressing through ever more technically refined receivers, various car radios, and a couple of portables with earphones which I could have used in the days when I had to abandon Verdi and Wagner and Puccini for at least part of the afternoon to make the collection rounds for my paper route. And more than tunes. The intermission features of the broadcasts are almost legendary among listeners. Following the first act, you often hear interpretations of the opera being aired.