From May, 1934 to April, 1948 Gladys M. Petch was heard regularly over WNYC talking about Norway. The programs Sunlit Norway Calls, Spirit of the Vikings, Norway Fights On, and News of Norway were underwritten by the Royal Norwegian Information Service. While most of these broadcasts were aired via transcription disc, it appears that during WWII, Petch was in the WNYC studios, as evidenced by these broadcasts we found at the National Library of Norway site.

In this WNYC broadcast from February 17, 1942 Petch interviews Mrs. Johanesson, a recent escapee from Nazi-occupied Norway.

In this WNYC broadcast from December 31, 1942, Petch presents a special Christmas program about the Norwegian struggle against the Nazis.

The Norwegian collection includes more than a dozen of these WNYC sourced broadcasts often beginning with our newscaster and a reference to "your city station" or "city station listeners" and closing with "This Municipal Broadcasting System" or "This is New York's Own Station". Listen to some of them at: National Library of Norway.

Petch, a native of Norway, came to the United States in 1928 after broadcasting in Europe, including a stint teaching English over the air in Oslo. She reportedly was also the first English language speaker to broadcast from Rome and Prague.  Described as a "radio consultant" to the Royal Norwegian Information Services, Petch had signed up with the Chicago-based Redpath Bureau, an agency for speakers and lecturers. In their promotional literature in the 1940s they described her as "the woman with the perfect radio voice." They went on to say:

"Though naturally and decidedly feminine, Mrs. Petch's voice is possessed of a clearness rarely associated with female radio artists. Her delightful speaking accents are transmitted without distortion, leaving with the listener an impression of extraordinary vocal quality. Her descriptions of the land of the Vikings are vivid and life-like. Her views and depictions of the works of Sigrid Undset and Ibsen, of the triumphs of Amundsen, are exceedingly entertaining and educational..."

Writing in the January-February, 1946 WNYC Masterwork Bulletin, outgoing Station Director Morris Novik commented: "Mrs. Petch brings you many interesting human interest stories of the people of Norway including some she just picked up on her recent trip to Oslo where she had an audience with King Haakon who commended her on the fine work she did during the war for the Norwegian people."

For a look at Petch's Redpath Bureau brochures check out the University of Iowa library collections. Many thanks to retired broadcaster and public relations man, Walt Santner and Ken Sims for bringing Gladys M. Petch to our attention and providing a load of links to her broadcasts and brochures. Thanks also to Lisbeth.Johannessen and Rudi Pedersen, Sound Engineer at the National Library of Norway.

The above photo is from the December 1931 edition of Radio Digest. It illustrated a piece written by Petch titled, "Blondes Preferred But ---Where Are They?" The magazine introduces her by saying she was on "her fourth broadcasting trip to the U.S. where she has been lecturing on the traditions, customs, literature and present-day life of Norway."

In 1939 the King of Norway presented Petch with the Order of St. Olaf the highest honor that can be given by Norway to a citizen of another country. The November 7, 1945 edition of Radio Daily reported that Petch had recently left New York to visit Norway for the first time in six years. According to the Norwegian Information Center, she was scheduled to have "an audience with King Haakon in appreciation for her work here."