January 25 Illinois History Minute
It’s January 25th, the day in 1937 when “The Guiding Light” went on the air from Chicago on NBC Radio. It’s the show that in one episode asked the questions ------
The Guiding Light was created by soap opera pioneer Irna Phillips, and set in the fictional Chicago suburb of Five Points. The show’s title originally referred to the lamp burning in the window of the kindly Reverend John Ruthledge, the calm center in a storm of heartbreak, jealousy and intrigue. The show’s early years included radio’s first out-of-wedlock baby. There was plenty more in store, as The Guiding Light aired on radio, then television, until 2009.