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The Make Believe Ballroom carries on the traditions of past hosts Martin Block, Al Jarvis, William B Williams, and Steve Allen by bringing you the greatest hits of the 1930s and 1940s.
The Make Believe Ballroom hit the airwaves over WNEW radio in NY on February 3, 1935. With the exception of brief periods, the program has been broadcast almost continuously since then. Jeff Bressler is the current host of The Make Believe Ballroom.
No cover, no minimum, just sit back and enjoy. The Ballroom is heard across the U.S. on public broadcasting, community, and college radio stations. The Ballroom is also available through your favorite podcast provider.
You are invited to record a request! Just click on the microphone on the lower right of the page!
Virtuoso of the Virtual Turntable
Lenny is the microphone-shy buddy of Jeff Bressler, who lives down the block and maintains the Make Believe Ballroom's record playlist of thousands of big band-era songs. He is genuinely the Virtuoso of the Virtual Turntable!! Lenny recently retired to Florida but occasionally pokes his head in as the Producer Emeritus and now hosts the weekly Ballroom feature "Lenny from Down the Block's Record Pick of the Week."
Studio Audience
Not his last name like Ed Norton from The Honeymooners, it's his first name. Norton lives three doors down from the Make Believe Ballroom Crystal studio and comprises the entire studio audience.
Host
Jeff Bressler is a 35-year veteran of the radio industry. He has broadcast NASCAR racing, spent ten years as the Director and on-air anchor of Motor Trend Radio, and twenty years as the past news and motorsports anchor of Auto World Radio.
Jeff did fill-in work for music radio stations in the New York metropolitan area.
Jeff Bressler was an avid listener as a youth to the William B. Williams version of the Make Believe Ballroom broadcast over WNEW 1130 AM in New York.
Bressler recently commented, "After a 35-year radio career, I still cannot believe that I was asked to fill the shoes of past Make Believe Ballroom hosts, including one of my broadcast idols, William B. Williams, to carry on the traditions of this excellent program. The show had been almost continuously broadcast for the past 88 years. Hosting such an iconic program comes with a tremendous amount of responsibility.
I am highly gratified that over 50 public, university, and community radio stations play the show each week. I am also delighted that, through podcast versions, the show is heard by thousands more each week.
I hope to keep the show going strong to its 100th Anniversary and beyond. In my estimation, the 1930s and 1940s were the golden age of American music, laying the foundation for the Great American Songbook. This music must continue to be played for generations to come."
Jeff also has a new book out, titled Big Band Vignettes, that takes a lighthearted look at some big band personalities of the 1930s and 1940s. It is available on Amazon and Kindle.