Gabriel Heatter facts for kids

Gabriel Heatter (born September 17, 1890 – died March 30, 1972) was a famous American radio speaker. He was well-known during World War II for starting his shows with, "There's good news tonight." This phrase became his signature saying.

Early Life and Early Career

Gabriel Heatter was born in Brooklyn, New York City. His parents were immigrants from Austria. Gabriel found school a bit tough, but he loved to read. When he was young, he helped William Randolph Hearst with his campaign to become mayor in 1906.

After high school, Heatter started working as a reporter. He wrote for a small newspaper called The East New York Record. Later, he joined the Brooklyn Daily Times. This led him to get a job with Hearst's bigger newspaper, the New York Journal.

Starting in Radio

In December 1932, Gabriel Heatter was asked to speak on the radio. He was invited by Donald Flamm, who owned the New York radio station WMCA. Heatter was supposed to debate someone, but that person couldn't make it. So, Heatter had most of the show to himself. People really liked what he had to say.

A few months later, he began working for WOR radio station. He was a reporter and a speaker there. His audience grew even bigger in 1934. That's when WOR became the main station for a new radio group called Mutual Broadcasting.

Reporting Big News

Heatter covered important news events. One of his most famous reports was about the trial of Bruno Hauptmann. Hauptmann was accused of kidnapping the baby son of the famous pilot Charles Lindbergh. In 1936, Heatter had to report on Hauptmann's execution. The event was delayed, so Heatter had to keep talking on air without a script. He waited for updates on when it would happen.

Heatter showed great skill and calm during this time. He kept listeners informed without making things too dramatic. This earned him a lot of praise from critics and the public.

In 1948, Heatter's Sunday night radio show changed. It used to be called Brighter Tomorrow and shared stories of American success. The new show was named Behind the Front Page. It used a dramatic style to tell current human interest stories. This weekly show was in addition to his 15-minute nightly news program on Mutual.

"There's Good News Tonight!"

Gabriel Heatter became famous during World War II. One night, American forces sank a Japanese destroyer. Heatter started his radio show by saying, "Good evening, everyone—there is good news tonight." This phrase quickly became very popular. Many people wrote letters and called in to say they liked it.

Heatter was already known for trying to find positive and true stories. He especially liked stories about brave dogs. In 1939, he was one of the first to talk about the group Alcoholics Anonymous on national radio. He helped them reach a wider audience. Because of his positive approach, another speaker, Alexander Woollcott, made a funny poem about him: "Disaster has no cheerier greeter/than gleeful, gloating Gabriel Heatter."

Later Years

Gabriel Heatter stayed with Mutual radio for many years. However, over time, new broadcasters started to become popular. Many of these new voices moved to television or began their careers there. Heatter retired from radio in 1961.

In 1915, he married Sadie Hermalin. She passed away in 1966. After his wife's death, Heatter lived in Miami, Florida with his daughter. He died in 1972 from pneumonia.

His daughter, Maida Heatter, became a well-known cookbook writer. His son, Basil Heatter, is a novelist. His nephew, Merrill Heatter, was a television writer and producer.