Radio Project Memoir
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University of Illinois at Springfield Norris L Brookens Library Archives/Special Collections Radio Project Memoir R118. Radio Project Memoir Interview and memoir 5 tapes, 367 mins., 2 vols., 104 pp. Narrators discuss the history of radio, especially its development in Springfield: advertising, station managers, Springfield stations, and other Illinois and Midwestern stations. Interviews by William Ortman, 1973 OPEN: see individual names for legal release See individual collateral files Archives/Special Collections LIB 144 University of Illinois at Springfield One University Plaza, MS BRK 140 Springfield IL 62703-5407 © 1973, University of Illinois Board of Trustees Radio Project Memoirs Al Germond (26 pages) James Palmer (26 pages) Dan Rion (18 pages) Kenneth E. Spengler (10 pages) William Wheeler (24 pages) Volume I These interviews are a part of a special project on the history of radio, especially its development in Springfield, Illinois. People interviewed include radio announcers, program directors, and station managers. The interviewer was William Ortman. COPYRIGHT@ 1986 SANGAMON STATE UNIVERSITY, SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording or by any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Oral History Office, Sangamon State University, Springfield, Illinois 62708. Preface This manuscript is the product of tape recorded interviews conducted by William Ortman for the Oral History Office on February 7, 1973. Rosalyn Bone transcribed the tapes and Linda Jett edited the transcript. Al Germond talks about the early beginnings of radio nationally, the use of Springfield radio and the current status of the media. Readers of the oral history memoir should bear in mind that it is a transcript of the spoken w:>rd, and that the intervie\\'er, narrator ~ editor sought to preserve the informal , conversational style that is inherent in such historical sources. SangaJIDn State U:rl.versity is t responsible for the factual accuracy of the memoir, nor for views essed therein; these are for the reader to judge. The manuscript may be read, quoted and cited freely. It may not be reproduced in 'Whole or in part by any means, electronic or mechanical, without pe1lllission in writing fran the Oral History Office, Sangamon State University, Springfield, Illinois, 62708. A1 Germond, February 7, 1973, Springfield, Illinois. William Ortman, Intervi~r. A: TAX waf~ started up as a radio station with those original call letters, ironically enough. Its first broadcast was on November 12, 1923. Q: 'Ihis is TAX? A: 'Ihis is TAX. And that was in Streator, Illinois. The station was OWled and operated by the Williams Hardware Canpany which was the l~gest hardware store in that city at that time. Very little is really knfi about the early days of TAX. I'm just getting, nCM, into sare newsp per research based on sane of the Streator newspapers that I've been go· through in the State Historical Society. The start of this particul station in Streator was very similar to the start of many, many stat~ons in the lhited States. 1he first radio station went on the air on a regular basis in this country in the SUIIIIIer of 1920. '!here are ~ stations that basically claim to share this honor. 'Ihe first is VMJ, l'ilich was in Detroit and owned by 'Ihe Detriot News, vilich still is the daily newspaper there. The second station was KDKA, which was set up in East Pittsburgh, Permsylvania. by the vestinghouse Ccmpany. 'Ihere is a b~ argtlllEilt and a big debate as to who was the first on the air, but we 11 just give them both credit, so we don't go through this argunant. Q: This was 1920? A: [In] 1920. 'Ihe SUIIIIIer and fall of 1920. Now these ~ stations 1Ere canparatively large in size. They operated with a p~r of 500 watt , l'ilich 'litiS considered extranely po\\erful in those days. And, as such they enjoyed fairly wide coverage and listenership. Now, there 'WB.S second breed of radio stations that was IlllCh lower in power and, c restricted to a DDJCh smaller area. Now these \\'ere stations that l.\er up by city goverrments, praninent marrufacturing finDs, private cit radio amateurs, investors, and people of that sort. wrAX was one of these stations. It wnt on the air primarily to advertise the CJiiiller of the station, WilliaoB Hardware Caupany, and to pramte the sale of r . io receivers, mich this hardware store happened to sell as a side line. 'Ihe early progrmmi.ng consisted of one hour, nine to ten o'clock, on M:mday and Thursday evenings. In other wrds, this station was "on" for a grand total of tw hours per '!Neek. Q: Ch M:mday and Thursday? A: Ch M:>nday and Thursday evenings. '1he ~r of this station was t\Ellty watts. And surprisingly enough, after its first ~ek of oper it received reception reports--reports fran listeners as far east as Al Germond 2 Jersey and as far sout:h\est as Texas, ~ich just \Ent to show what aenty watts , in the old days, w:>Ul.d do. Q: New Jersey and Texas. A: As with all of the early radio stations, all progranrning was live, and, in this case, was supplied by local talent fran the Streator area. A characteristic of all early radio stations was a large roan, not UQ].ike the size of the average type living roan. In one corner might be h~ed some of the transmitting equiJIIleilt. In another corner, a piano, a lot of heavy drapes for acoustic shielding, and a microphone. The microphore ~d be used by both the piano artist and the staff announcer. Other mre refined stations had organs and other musical instru:nents. But the use of recordings on the radio did not cane along until sanewhat later, When disc recording and playbaCk equipment was perfected. You \Ere talking about three letter calls. Early broadcasting was regulated by the Depart::ment of Ccm:nerce. And the Depart:rnent of Cannerce had what they called their radio bulletins, which they published once a month. It was samthi.ng that the goverrmmt printing office churned out. And it: was, basically, a registration and a registry of all radio stations then on the air: ship radio stations, police radio stations, and cannercial, and amateur stations. And the first call letters in radio toere generally three prefix calls: WWJ, WHB, WEW, KWK. I've trentioned stations that are, in fact, still in operation: v.GN, WLS. Later on--l.Ell no--later on, but maybe 1923--of course KDKA has set the precedent for the four letter call, but they also started issuing four letter calls to other stations: WIAX, wrAB in Q.lincy. 'There are numerous calls of this sort: KMJX. But the three letter call is now not in use. Its use is, in fact, forbidden by a directive of the FCC, [Federal Ccmm.mications Cao:nission] that, unless for historical purposes, you seek to use this call--in other wrds, if you own a radio station that at one t:in:e had a three letter call. lhere' s no other way you can get one. So all calls are now on a four letter basis. Also, about this time, it was decided that all radio stations operati.pg \ESt of the Mississippi River w:ruld have the K prefix--and again ther~ are exceptions to this, and all stations east of the Mississippi Rivet ~d have theW prefix. And of course, we have KYW in Philadelp~·a,' KDKA in Pittsburgh, KQV in Pittsburgh, WBAP in Fort W:lrth, Texas, in Kansas City, Missouri. These are exceptions to the rule of who is, know, east or west of the Mississippi River. Vbile we're talking abol!t call letters, I n:entioned KCMO, Kansas City, Missouri--~ the lo¢ation of it. Call letters have maant certain things. WLS in <ll.ic~o was started by Sears Roeruck and Canpany, and WLS IIEant the v.orld s largest store. ~. owned by the Chicago Tribune, meant \\10rld' s greatest newspaper. OOX in St. Louis, the K ueant KirbiXXI, which \ola.S where the station started ou.t--Kiroood, a suburb of St. louis--and the Ml maaning Missouri. '1he TAX in WI'AX, returning to our subject here, according to several accounts I have heard, and I have no confirmation of this, but the TA¥. maant tacks, maaning that the hardware store that owned the station sild carpet tacks, nails, and things like that. Actual!y, there's no \ola.Y f knowing until "i.E get a hold of a primary source up there as a member . f the station. ' Al Germond 3 Ckay. As I po:inted out :in the history of V.CBS--wrAX :in 1928, started sharing time with WCBS in Springfield, 1210 [spot on the AM dial]. !his was after both stations had officially been licensed by the federal radio ccmnission, and they ~re regular stations. Also, about this t:ine, Wl'AX was authorized to operate with a ~r of 100 watts, ~ch was an increase :in its original p~r of tva1ty watts, ~ch at that time, v.nuld have meant a substantial increase in its operation. Q: Wtat year W!lB this? A: I belive it was 1928. If it 1 s not 1928, it is for certain in 1930 when the station nnved to Springfield. Q: 'lhis 'NB.S only a twenty-five watt station now, wasn 1 t it? A: NOW" wait.