Recently, a team of talented Pakistani musicians and artists took long road to Mumbai, via Dubai, possibly to make history, for this was first time in recent memory that Pakistanis had gone to India to create background score for a Bollywood film. The film in question is Pooja Bhatt's Paap, and former Vital Sign Shehzad 'Shahi' Hasan, cinematographer Faisal Rafi, singer Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and studio session player and keyboardist Faiz Ali Naqvi, were foursome representing world of Pakistani music in India. Strings enjoyed considerable success with Dhaani. Probably most hyped album of year, with lead single Chaaye Chaaye being standout favourite. String gave soundtrack for Spiderman 2 which was a remarkable effort. Junaid Jamshed's Dil Ki Baat was understated but assured and notwithstanding JJ's quite public and tortured ruminations over religion and music, album showed that JJ is still competent at middle of road pop and that Shoaib Mansoor still has magic touch. Shahzad Roy's Rab Jane was hobbled by his illness and yet catches fire while Karavan's Gardish seems to have suddenly picked up and was sold like hot-cakes. Schahzad Mughal's Jhoom Lay was one of most pleasant of surprises of year. So this proves that our music industry has dared to move forward with hope rather than skepticism.

People tired of comedies dependent on shock humor or silliness will appreciate timelessness of old-time radio. The title characters of Fibber McGee and Molly, a show that aired from 1935 through 1956, argue about who’s spending money, who’s doing chores, and why hall closet is packed with so much junk. Listeners will realize that some facets of American life haven’t changed that much. Jokes about war bonds aside, McGees and other comic families of yesteryear aren’t too different from modern families – and they manage to be funny without gross-out gags.

Listeners interested in drama and intrigue can enjoy a wide selection of titles. Long before they hit small screen, lawyer Perry Mason, Lone Ranger, U.S. Marshal Matt Dillon, and Detective Sgt. Joe Friday of Dragnet solved crimes on radio. RUSC’s library includes episodes of more than 40 detective series and nearly 60 dramas and thrillers.

In ’30s, ’40s, and ’50s, millions of families gathered around radio in evenings to catch their favorite shows. Life was simpler back then, but shows that appealed to nuclear family of 1950 can still capture imagination of 21st-century listeners of all ages. For more information and access to thousands of downloads, check out rusc.com.