Website review
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What is Relic Radio?
Relic Radio is a website and podcast network devoted to old-time radio — the serials, mysteries, thrillers, horror shows and sci-fi dramas that aired during radio's golden age. It gathers those vintage broadcasts into eight themed podcasts and updates them daily, so instead of hunting through archives you can subscribe in a podcast app, download episodes to a computer, or play them directly on the site.
How it's organized
The catalog is split by genre and series, which matters if you already know what you like:
- Horror and sci-fi — series such as Dimension X, The Weird Circle, Space Patrol and The Haunting Hour.
- Mystery and thriller — Case Closed! and Relic Radio Thrillers, with shows like The Adventures of Philip Marlowe, Crime Classics and The Screen Guild Theater.
- Drama and anthology — Strange Tales and other feeds carrying CBS Radio Mystery Theater and similar programs.
Episodes are usually posted with the series name, the story title and, where known, the original broadcast date. Some entries note that no air date is available, which is normal for surviving recordings from that era.
Who it suits
It works well for listeners who want curated, ready-to-play vintage audio rather than a research project, and for podcast-app users who prefer a steady drip of episodes. If you need scholarly context, complete series runs or verified broadcast metadata, treat this as an entry point and expect to look elsewhere for depth.
A practical next step
Pick one feed matching your taste — say the horror feed for The Weird Circle, or Case Closed! for detective serials — and listen to a single episode before subscribing broadly. Old-time radio varies enormously in audio quality and acting style, and one half-hour sample tells you more than any description.
How can I listen to Relic Radio podcasts?
You can listen to Relic Radio in three ways: on the website itself, by subscribing in a podcast app, or by downloading episodes to play on your computer. The site groups its old-time radio shows into eight podcasts by genre, so you can follow only the categories you like rather than everything at once.
Ways to listen
| Method | Best for | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Play on relicradio.com | Trying a show before committing | Tied to a browser; less convenient on the move |
| Subscribe via a podcast app | Regular listening and automatic new episodes | You need a podcast app and to pick which of the eight feeds to follow |
| Download and play locally | Offline listening or keeping a personal archive | You manage files and storage yourself |
A practical example
Suppose you enjoy mystery and crime. You could subscribe to the "Case Closed!" feed for shows like The Adventures of Philip Marlowe, and separately to Relic Radio Thrillers for adaptations such as The Screen Guild Theater's This Gun For Hire. If horror is more your taste, "The Horror" and "Strange Tales" carry series like The Weird Circle and The CBS Radio Mystery Theater. Because the site publishes across several genre feeds, subscribing to all eight will fill your queue quickly; start with one or two.
Next step
Open the episode list on the site, note which category a show belongs to, then search that podcast name in your usual podcast app and subscribe there. If you would rather not use an app, use the site's player or download link for the same episode.
For broader context on the era and its series, the Library of Congress and Internet Archive hold related radio collections worth browsing alongside Relic Radio.
What old time radio shows are featured on Relic Radio?
Relic Radio is a hub for old-time radio (OTR) programming, organized into eight podcasts by genre. The homepage highlights individual episodes rather than a fixed show roster, and the featured titles change as new episodes are posted.
Shows featured in the page evidence
- Science fiction: Dimension X ("Knock"), Space Patrol ("The Sleepwalker")
- Horror: The Weird Circle ("The Spectre of Tappington"), The Hermit's Cave ("The House of Murder")
- Mystery and thriller: The Adventures of Philip Marlowe, Crime Classics, The Screen Guild Theater ("This Gun for Hire"), Sherlock Holmes, Crime Does Not Pay
- Suspense and drama: The CBS Radio Mystery Theater ("Afraid to Live, Afraid to Die"), The Haunting Hour ("The Skyscraper Mystery")
- Anthology and historical drama: Cavalcade of America, Voyage of the Scarlet Queen
How to use this
Because the site presents a rolling feed of episodes, treat the list above as a sample, not a catalog. If you want a specific series, use the site's search box (seen in the page evidence) or browse by podcast category. For a general sense of the era's best-known titles, reference resources like the Library of Congress or Internet Archive can help you compare what Relic Radio is currently offering.
What genres of old time radio does Relic Radio cover?
Relic Radio covers old time radio across a broad genre range, organized into eight separate podcasts rather than one mixed feed. Based on the shows highlighted on the site, the main categories are:
- Horror — e.g., The Weird Circle, The Hermit's Cave
- Science fiction — e.g., Dimension X, Space Patrol
- Mystery and detective / thriller — e.g., The Adventures of Philip Marlowe, Crime Classics, The Screen Guild Theater, Sherlock Holmes
- Strange Tales — a catch-all feed for suspense and supernatural-adjacent drama, e.g., The CBS Radio Mystery Theater, The Haunting Hour
- General drama and anthology — e.g., Cavalcade of America, Voyage of the Scarlet Queen
A practical way to decide: if you want one genre at a time, subscribe to the individual feed (Horror, Science Fiction, Case Closed!, Strange Tales, Relic Radio Thrillers); if you'd rather sample widely, follow the main site and pick episodes by title. Episodes are updated daily and can be played on the website, downloaded, or followed in a podcast app.
Next step: browse the "New on RelicRadio.com" list on Relic Radio and note which category label appears under each story — that label tells you which of the eight podcasts it belongs to.
Is there a cost to subscribe to Relic Radio?
Relic Radio does not charge a subscription fee for its podcasts. The site describes itself as offering "eight podcasts offering old time radio from a variety of genres," and it presents three ways to listen: subscribe in a podcast app, download episodes to a computer, or play them directly on the website. Nothing in the site's own description ties payment to access.
The "Subscribe" link on the site points to a page that mentions PayPal, which can look like a paywall at first glance. In practice, that link is the show's support/donation route — a way for listeners who enjoy the archive to contribute to hosting and production costs. It is separate from the act of subscribing to the podcast feed itself, which is free through any podcast app.
How to decide what applies to you
- If you just want to listen: use the podcast app of your choice, or the in-page player on Relic Radio. No account or payment is needed for that.
- If you want to support the show: the Subscribe/contribute page is optional, not a gate.
- If you see a payment prompt inside a podcast app, check whether it's the app's own premium tier rather than a Relic Radio charge.
Practical next step: open the site's Subscribe page once to confirm what it actually asks for before entering any payment details, and start with a single episode — for example, a Dimension X or CBS Radio Mystery Theater installment listed on the homepage — to test the free listening path first.
How often are new episodes added to Relic Radio?
Relic Radio is updated daily. The site describes itself as featuring eight podcasts with old time radio from a variety of genres, and its front page lists newly added episodes under a "New on RelicRadio.com" heading. The daily cadence applies across the network, so different shows may publish on different days while the site as a whole sees new material each day.
H3 What that means in practice
- If you follow one specific podcast, expect a new episode roughly weekly rather than daily.
- If you follow several of the eight feeds, you will usually find something new every day.
- Episodes are available by subscribing in a podcast app, downloading to a computer, or playing on the website.
A practical next step: pick two or three genres you like, such as horror, science fiction, or mystery and thrillers, subscribe to those feeds, and check the site's new-episodes list for anything outside your usual rotation. The daily update pattern suits listeners who want a steady supply rather than a single weekly appointment.
For comparison, other old time radio archives work at different rhythms: Internet Archive adds material irregularly as volunteers upload it, while OTR.Net and similar catalog sites tend to be static reference collections rather than daily feeds. Relic Radio's daily update is the main reason to check it regularly rather than treat it as a one-time library.
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