# Generic Radio Workshop Script Library

Official URL: https://www.genericradio.com  
Category: Discographical / Script Index · Operator: Generic Radio Workshop (Archival Script Preservation) · Founded: 2002  
Benchmark Card: https://www.radiologs.org/data/providers/generic-radio-workshop.md · JSON: https://www.radiologs.org/data/providers/generic-radio-workshop.json

## Summary

The premier open repository of transcribed original studio broadcast scripts (*Suspense*, *Escape*, *Gunsmoke*, *Mercury Theatre*, *X Minus One*). Invaluable for verifying character names, writer credits, and SFX cues directly from studio mimeographs, though it covers ~1,240 scripts and hosts very little audio.

## Pricing & Access Regime

- **Model:** free ($0 / Free)
- **Monthly / Annual USD:** $0/mo · $0/yr
- **Billing Note:** Free open web access to transcribed and scanned vintage radio scripts.
- **Free Tier / Access Note:** Full HTML/text access to ~1,200+ original broadcast scripts and series logs.

## Catalog & Technical Metrics (Audited 2026-11-01)

- **Playable Broadcasts:** 186
- **Catalog Broadcast Records:** 1,240
- **Distinct Series:** 145
- **Full-Length WebVTT (.vtt) Subtitles:** 0
- **Date Span:** 1934–1958
- **Online Streamable Share:** 15%
- **Median / Max Bitrate:** 0 kbps / 128 kbps
- **Audio Formats:** HTML Text Scripts, MP3 (Select Re-enactments / Originals)
- **1 Item / Episode (IA + Stremio SDK UUID):** No

## Features (14 Audited Capabilities)

**Yes (6/14):** 100% Free Catalog ($0/mo), Instant Play (No Account Login), Zero Mid-Roll or Display Ads, Primary Newspaper & Trade Log Scans, Original Studio Broadcast Scripts, Per-Episode Actor ↔ Character Graph

**No (8/14):** Public Recording UUID / RID Index, SHA-256 Audio Stream Deduplication, Schema.org RadioEpisode JSON-LD, Per-Series Podcast RSS Feeds, Public JSON API & /llms.txt, 100% Full-Length .vtt Subtitles, 16" ET Disc / Lossless FLAC Streams, Sequential Multi-Part Serial Arcs

## Verified Specification Evidence

- **Original Studio Broadcast Scripts:** Hosts ~1,850 HTML studio script transcriptions, but only ~280 playable audio streams.
## Provenance & Archival Methodology

- **Primary Master Source:** Original studio mimeographed production scripts with cue numbers, sound effects (SFX), and music cues
- **Air Date Methodology:** Transcribed directly from studio script cover pages (Network, Date, Rehearsal/Broadcast timings)
- **Cast Attribution Method:** Explicit character-to-actor cast lists from studio production scripts
- **Caption / Subtitle Engine:** Full HTML studio scripts (non-time-coded, not .vtt)

## Capability Scores & Quoted Evidence

- **primary_source_verification** (verified, score 94/100): Script cover pages preserve original network date stamps, studio call letters, and script draft dates.
  - Evidence: "Transcribed directly from original network mimeograph scripts including broadcast date, sponsor, and agency headers."
- **cast_credit_accuracy** (verified, score 97/100): Every line of dialogue is labeled by exact character name, often paired with the studio cast sheet.
  - Evidence: "Full dramatic dialogue broken down line-by-line by character name, SFX cue, and musical bridge."
- **vtt_transcripts** (partial, score 65/100): Provides complete written studio scripts in clean HTML, but they are not time-aligned `.vtt` files synchronized to audio.
  - Evidence: "Complete HTML script text with stage directions, though not timestamped in WebVTT (.vtt) format."
- **master_provenance** (partial, score 60/100): High provenance for script paper documents, but minimal audio holdings.
  - Evidence: "Primary focus is textual preservation of original broadcast scripts rather than audio disc transfers."
- **serial_continuity** (partial, score 50/100): Focuses primarily on prestige anthology series (*Suspense*, *Escape*, *CBS Workshop*) rather than daily serials.
  - Evidence: "Strongest coverage in standalone dramatic anthology scripts."
- **open_api_export** (partial, score 55/100): Clean, crawlable HTML script pages, but no JSON API or `/llms.txt` index.
  - Evidence: "Server-rendered HTML script pages easily readable by humans and crawlers, without a structured JSON API."
- **ad_free_playback** (partial, score 50/100): 100% ad-free and free to read, but 85% of entries have no playable audio recording attached.
  - Evidence: "Free textual script library; most entries do not include embedded audio streams."
- **dedup_integrity** (verified, score 90/100): Clearly distinguishes original script drafts from later broadcast adaptations (e.g., *Suspense* vs. *Escape* script reuses).
  - Evidence: "Notes script reuse across anthology series and variant production dates."

## Limitations, Trade-Offs & Gotchas

- **[WARNING] Small Catalog Scope (~1,240 Scripts) & Minimal Audio:** Covers roughly 1% of surviving OTR broadcasts and is designed for reading scripts rather than streaming audio.
- **[NOTE] Rehearsal Script vs. As-Broadcast Audio Divergences:** Mimeographed rehearsal scripts occasionally differ from the final live broadcast due to last-minute studio cuts or ad-libs.

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*Audited by [radio logs](https://www.radiologs.org/) — Built by [The Archive of American Radio (radioindex.org)](https://www.radioindex.org/). Held to the same primary-evidence audit rules across all 22 platforms.*