Josh's Office AM Radio (Desk-Top News Receiver)

Used for receiving news broadcasts in the bullpen.

5 appearances

Appearances in the Narrative

When this object appears and how it's used

5 moments

S1E18 · Six Meetings Before Lunch

The Jackal: A Momentary Reprieve

The small AM tabletop radio is the initiating prop: Toby pushes its button to cue the jazz track that becomes the audible backbone for C.J.'s lip‑synched performance. It functions as a ritual trigger, turning background tension into a set piece of communal release.

Before: Sitting on Josh's desk, powered and at hand; ready but silent.

After: Playing through the number then fading out as the jazz ends; remains in place on the desk.

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S1E18 · Six Meetings Before Lunch

Matchmaking Under 'The Jackal' — Leo Plants Sam with Mallory

A small tabletop AM radio supplies the jazz backing for C.J.'s lip-synch; Toby pushes its button to start the track, making it the audible engine of the room's release and the cue that frames Toby's protective ritual and C.J.'s performance.

Before: Sitting on the press-room desk, plugged in and available as a portable playback source.

After: Still on the desk as the jazz fades, having provided the musical cue that punctuated the celebration and then subsided back into ambient noise.

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S1E7 · The State Dinner

Donna's Warning: Indonesia's Brutal Practice Ups the Stakes

A small AM radio provides background storm reportage that frames the scene's urgency; its low‑fidelity updates punctuate Josh's mood and justify his focus on FEMA/Red Cross coordination rather than prolonged debate about Donna's research.

Before: On Josh's desk, tuned to news about the storm; emitting low-level bulletins.

After: Continues to play in the background as staff move through the bullpen and into Leo's meeting, providing ongoing aural pressure.

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S1E7 · The State Dinner

Triage and Turf: Storms, State Dinner, and a Power Struggle

The AM radio provides background news — reports about the storm — giving immediate situational context that frames the urgency of Josh's call and Leo's FEMA/Red Cross directives. Its breathy bulletins anchor the meeting in real-world crisis.

Before: Sitting on Josh's desk, powered on and broadcasting low-fidelity news bulletins.

After: Remains on and broadcasting as staff move to triage tasks; continues as ambient informational source.

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S1E7 · The State Dinner

Hickory: Bartlet's Call to Harold Lewis

A tabletop radio/speaker (represented in the briefing as the speaker-phone line) transmits Harold's frail voice; the crackle and dropouts give the conversation texture and urgency, dramatizing the fragility of contact between the White House and the cutter.

Before: Sits on or near the briefing table, powered and patched into the Hickory's radio feed.

After: Remains the tenuous lifeline as the President promises to stay on the line; its continued functioning is precarious and central to the scene's suspense.

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