items made of luminous material were made into items to help in blackouts. At least one show offered a "Plane Spotter" premium, showing silhouettes of various types of allied and enemy aircraft, like those used by Office of Civilian Defense personnel. One subset of radio premiums were cryptological, mostly based on cipher disks. Ovaltine Foods issued these for Little Orphan Annie and Captain Midnight. At least once a week, secret messages were broadcast at the close of an episode, each of which was invariably a preview of the forthcoming episode. These could be deciphered with one of the "decoder" premiums. A spoof on this was depicted in the movie A Christmas Story. Radio premiums got more multifunctional over the years, and by 1950, some of them had as many as four separate features. The Sky King radio program had several of the most innovative premiums. But by that time, the radio shows were phasing out because of the increasing influence of television. Further reading Hake's Price Guide to Character Toys Ted Hake (New York: Avon Books Tomart's Price Guide to Radio Premium and Cereal Box Collectibles Tom Tumbusch (Dayton, OH: Tomart Publications Jim Harmon, The Great Radio Heroes (MacFarland, 2001). Trivia In September 2006, Bill McMahon offered a presentation entitled "Old Time Radio Premiums" explaining in detail, why premiums were offered and constructed. The presentation was among the events held at the annual Mid atlantic nostalgia convention in Aberdeen, Maryland. External links Radio Premium Exchange Radio Premium History WheatiesWings Old-Time Radio Premiums Book Review for Radio Premiums Old-Time Radio Convention, OTR Premiums Presentation, September 2006 Radio in the United States