The Sons of the Pioneers always valued radio exposure, and appeared often on radio broadcasts. They had three network shows of their own:
10-2-4 Ranch (1941–45, for
Dr Pepper),
Radio Rodeo (for the Mutual Broadcasting System, 1941–42), and
The Lucky U Ranch (1951–53, for Planters Peanuts). The group also began making transcription records for broadcast in 1934. These were syndicated by Standard Transcriptions (1934–36), Mutual (1939, as
The Sunshine Ranch),
RCA (1940, as
Symphonies of the Sage), the Armed Forces Radio Service (1942–45, as
Melody Roundup), and Teleways (1947–49, as
The Sons of the Pioneers Show). The Teleways series was intended as a daily 15-minute show but could be programmed anywhere on a station's schedule, at the station's discretion. The group prepared a demonstration record for radio stations and their potential local sponsors, with announcer
Art Gilmore reading promotional copy between songs. The informal, semi-scripted show had Bob Nolan acting as master of ceremonies, bantering with the other singers between numbers. The group was careful to program a variety of choral music, including cowboy songs, barbershop harmony, sentimental ballads, and spirituals, to appeal to the widest possible audience. The personnel were Bob Nolan, Tim Spencer, Lloyd Perryman,
Pat Brady, Hugh "Foghorn" Farr, Karl Farr, and
Ken Carson. The earliest shows include studio musician Ivan Ditmars accompanying them on piano and organ; Nolan appreciated Ditmars's efforts but preferred that the group's established sound should be preserved for the radio series, so Ditmars was released. Toward the end of the run, in an effort to save both time and money, the later Teleways shows were patched together from previous programs (including some songs with Ditmars), with new spoken dialogue by Nolan and the gang connecting the older performances. ==Changes==