The Carolina Antenna SUMMER 2004 VOLUME #10 ISSUE #2

Home , Calvary Radio Network, Francis Barraud, Public Radio East, WAZZ, WBTM, WCKB

CAROLINAS CHAPTER OF THE ANTIQUE WIRELESS ASSOCIATION

ISSUE # 10 SUMMER 2004 VOLUME #2

senting club bank account is going PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE down slowly, and the one showing club expenses is climbing, slowly. BY RON The problem is, if something is not LAWRENCE, done soon the two lines are going to KC4YOY cross and then we're going to have a CC-AWA problem. PRESIDENT Something we have done since we formed the club is to give all dues paying members free admission to I'm sitting at the computer writing the Annual Charlotte Conference. this on Sunday morning the day While we only have about 45 mem- after the CC-AWA Annual Confer- bers, if all of them took advantage ence. What a great 3 days, when I of this it would mean $450 of lost got home Saturday afternoon I was income. So this benefit is most as tired as I think I have ever been, likely going to end with this years but it was fun and we will do it meet. It was also suggested that again. I'm not going to do a full clubs at $10 are too cheap. The report here since we've been prom- Board of Directors will be discuss- ised a double page spread in the ing this at our next meeting, along next OTB for a full meet report. with updating our By-Laws.

On Thursday afternoon we had our Several vendors talked to me Friday annual CC-AWA membership meet- and Saturday of the meet saying ing, the main topic of discussion that we should go up on the vendor was club finances. The cost of doing space rental, there are two sides to antique radio club "business" is this, one is that the vendors are going up every year. With the making money off of the event and advances of PC and computerizing should be willing to pay more, the our clubs database we can generate other side is it's the vendors that graphs to help make it easy to see most of the attendees come to see what's going on. The graph shows and if vendor space rental is too two converging lines, the one repre- much the vendors won't be there. 2

This is going to require a lot of research. CC-AWA EVENT SCHEDULE The bottom line is if you enjoy what the club does, hosts a world class All CC-AWA swap meets listed annual conference, publish a really below take place on Saturday morn- nice newsletter, hosts four mini/ ings from 8 AM to 12 noon. swap meets each year, and also Admission is always free. publish a web page, the money to do it is going to have to come from 2004 somewhere. FALL SWAP MEET The next event of the CC-AWA October 23, 2004 calendar is our Spring Swap Meet at City Lake Park Spencer Shops, the North Carolina Jamestown NC Transportation Museum, on Satur- CHRISTMAS PARTY day May 8th. As always admission is December 18, 2004 FREE, Vendor set-up is only $5. Remember, these are Saturday 2005 morning events that start early, between 7 & 8 AM and are all done WINTER SWAP MEET before noon. Don't show up at 11 January 29, 2005 o'clock and expect to see anything Caughman Park except folks packing up. That's just Columbia SC the way these things work. You can find detailed driving directions to 29TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE this and info on all CC-AWA events March 24-26, 2005 by visiting our web page at - Charlotte NC http://www.cc-awa.org. SUMMER SWAP MEET I'm like to thank Judy and Barker May 7, 2005 Edwards for a heroic effort to Valdese NC produce that latest issue of our newsletter, "The Carolina Antenna". FALL SWAP MEET Judy has been very sick and has October 22, 2005 spent weeks in the hospital in the Jamestown NC last several months, but she insisted on working on the newsletter while CHRISTMAS PARTY still confined to the bed, and in- December 17, 2005 structing Barker on how to get the printing done properly. Judy and 2006 Barker along with Laura Carter 30TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE make up our crack newsletter com- March 25-27, 2006 mittee. Thanks for a GREAT job Charlotte NC guys.

EDITOR’S NOTE BARKER EDWARDS

In the last two issues of the Carolina Antenna we have been running an article about Major Howard Things kicked off at 12noon on Armstrong testifying in front of the Thursday with CC-AWA member Senate Interstate Commerce Kirk Cline hosting a tube collectors Committee in 1943. So far we have forum, this was followed with Jim run the first two of the three-part Barnard showing and telling all series. I am sorry to say that we about his passion for collecting have been unable to obtain the last Zenith transistor radios. Jim had on and third part of the series. We will display 50 Zenith transistor sets. make every effort to find it and bring it to you in a future issue.

CHARLOTTE SPRING MEET REPORT

The 28th Annual "Spring Meet in Next came long time CC-AWA the Carolinas", the annual confer- member Dr. Dennis Osborne and a ence of the Carolinas Chapter of the very interesting talk about the RCA/ Antique Wireless Association took Riders Chanalyst, what Dennis place Thursday, Saturday March 25 claims to be "the greatest advance -26-27, 2004 at the Sheraton ever made in the history of servicing Charlotte Airport Hotel. This was instruments", and he had the data the tenth year at the Sheraton for to back it up. the Charlotte Conference and it continues to be an outstanding site for a radio meet. Again this year the "radio meets gods" smiled on us and we had fantastic spring weather. There were 329 registered attendees not including spouses and other family members. Next came an interesting panel discussion on "Preservation vs. There were 141 flea market spaces Restoration" lead by Paul Farmer. sold. The Friday afternoon Old There were many interesting ques- Equipment Auction had 110 lots tions, answers & opinions passed with just over $6,000.00 in total back and forth with the audience. sales. Again this year this was a pure auction in that all the items submitted were by conference attendees, there were no large estate lots in the auction. 4

Wrapping up the afternoon pro- Conference before, our "LeManns gram session was the CC-AWA Start" requires that EVERYONE annual membership meeting. One must be out of the flea market area of the main topics discussed were before anyone is allowed to enter. the rising costs of running a radio There is no buying, selling or club and hosting a "national level" displaying of merchandise before radio conference. The members in the 8AM start time. attendance agreed that it would be necessary to increase both dues and As always the first few hours things conference fees in the future. moved at a furious pace, there were lots of radios seen being carried Following the close of the member- past the registration tent on the way ship meeting we boarded the hotel to their new owners cars and trucks. shuttle bus and several private cars to journey to the Open Kitchen for a fine dinner of Italian food.

The flea market is followed by the Old Equipment Auction in the afternoon and the annual banquette on Friday evening, which is wrapped up with an open house in the Con- test room to view the entries in the The first day of the conference was Old Equipment Contest and wrapped up with a great talk by Dr. socialize for a while. Harold Cones about his new books on Zenith and the process of doing the research for the books. Dr. Cones really had everyone in the palm of his hand for almost 2 hours. Very interesting.

Saturday morning the great spring time weather continued for the second flea market session. On Saturday we also have our special Friday morning was a bright and Saturday only admission of just $5 sunny Carolina spring day and there and "Radio Rescue" where the were several hundred radio collec- public is encouraged to bring their tors waiting patiently for our 8AM old radios out for our experts to traditional "LeManns Start". In case identify and offer their opinions as you haven’t attended the Charlotte (Continued on back outside cover) 5

While living with Francis Barraud THE STORY OF NIPPER in Liverpool, Nipper discovered the phonograph, in Francis’s photo- graphic studio. Nipper would listen attentively to the old phonograph, and Francis "often noticed how puz- zled he was to make out where the voice came from". This scene must have been indelibly printed in BY BARKER EDWARDS Francis's brain, for it was three years after Nipper died that he com- Nipper is one of the best-known mitted it to canvas. In 1898 Barraud advertising trademarks that has completed the painting of Nipper ever been produced. He got the and registered it February 11, 1899 name Nipper because of his ten- as "Dog looking at and listening to a dency to nip the backs of visitors' Phonograph". Francis then decided ankles. Though not a thoroughbred, to rename the painting "His Nipper had plenty of bull terrier Master's Voice" and tried to exhibit and a trace of fox terrier in him. He it at the Royal Academy, but was never hesitated to take on another turned down. He had no luck in try- dog in a fight, and had a fondness ing to get some of the magazines to for chasing the pheasants! print it. He was told "No one would know what the dog was doing" was He was found as a stray in 1884 and given as the reason! lived in Bristol, England with his master, Mark Barraud, a theater Since the phonograph that Francis stage set painter. When Mark died Barraud used in the original paint- destitute in 1887, Nipper was taken ing was an Edison-Bell cylinder to Liverpool, England by Mark's machine, he decided to take the younger brother Francis also a painting to the Edison Bell struggling artistic painter. Eventu- Company, and see if they were ally Nipper would spend his latter interested in buying it. The Edison years with his first owner’s widow, Bell Company was not interested, who took him to live with and they told Francis that her in Kingston-upon- "Dogs do not listen to Thames in Surrey, phonographs.” After his England. Nipper passed visit to the Edison away in September of Company, Francis was 1895 and was buried in a given the advice to garden at Kingston-upon- repaint the horn from Thames, in an area that is black to gold, as this now the rear lot of the would brighten the Lloyds Bank on Clarence painting up and could Street. There is a plaque possibly help him sale it. on the wall at the bank Only known picture With this in mind, he stating this. of Nipper visited the home of the 6

It was also in 1900 that a seemingly innocuous request led to the even- tual disappearance of "His Master's Voice" as a label trademark. Emile Berliner, the U.S. inventor of the gramophone, born in Germany, asked Barry Owen to assign him the copyright of "His Master's Voice" The original painting with an Edison-Bell phonograph for America. Owen agreed, as he did in 1904 to a similar request from newly formed Gramophone Japan. Emile Berliner brought the Company in the summer of 1899 painting to the United States, where with a photograph of his painting it was used as his logo, until it was and a request to borrow a brass acquired by his successor in horn. Mr. Barry Owen, manager of America, Eldridge Johnson, who the Company talked with Francis formed the Victor Talking Machine Barraud about his painting and Company, and became the owner of asked if the painting was for sale what would become the most and if Francis could change the famous trademark in the world, and phonograph in the painting to their make Nipper the most famous dog own make, a Gramophone. Francis in the world. The U S trademark told him that the painting was for registration (No. 34,690) for The sale and that he could make the "His Master's Voice" trademark was changes if they would let me have a granted to Emile Berliner on July machine to paint from. 10, 1900. After years of legal strug- gles with outside agents, Johnson On September 15, 1899, the and Berliner joined their American Gramophone Company sent Francis interests in 1901 and the Victor a letter making him a formal offer Talking Machine Company was of £50 for the painting and a incorporated. It was agreed that further £50 for the full copyrights Victor would gain marketing rights which he accepted. The deal was to America and Japan, while the confirmed on October 4, 1899 when Gramophone Company of England a representative from the Gramo- would provide for Europe and Asia. phone Company saw the revised Victor became synonymous with painting for the first time. The quality recording worldwide, and Gramophone Company used the was finally acquired by RCA in painting for the first time the 1929. The Gramophone Company following year on the Company's merged with the Columbia Record Supplement for January Gramophone Company in 1931 and 1900 and Nipper, the Gramophone became EMI (Electric and Musical Dog, made his first appearance on Industries). British 'His Master's Voice' record label in 1909. The painting and title Meanwhile Francis Barraud spent were finally registered as a trade- much of the rest of his working life mark until 1910. painting 24 exact copies of his 7

original, as commissioned by The FOLK ART, TRAMP ART OR Gramophone Company. He produced the copy in precisely the PRISON ART? same way he created the original, BY ROBERT LOZIER by painting the dog with the Edison cylinder phonograph and Most of us are caught up in the rat then painting over it with the race with no clue how to get out Gramophone. It is rumored that if without financial ruin. It seems you look at the original at just the that there was a time when folks right angle you can see traces of had more quiet time to spend on the cylinder machine beneath. arts and crafts for pleasure. If you look back into magazines like Popular Mechanics or Popular Science of the 1920’s and even into the 1960’s, you will always see articles on how to build some sort of ships model, airplane, bird feeder or knick knack shelf using simple shop tools. Often these projects called for unorthodox materials or simply cast-off stuff. On the high seas and in prisons you see the use of unorthodox materials taken to unimagined extremes… Francis Barraud painting 1 of 24 copies of “His Master’s Voice” So it is that even the humble Following his death in 1924, other matchstick came to be a building artists carried on the tradition material for thousands of projects. until the end of the decade. The A little Web searching will find "His Master's Voice" painting is fantastic matchstick creations like now displayed at EMI Music's the 8 or 10 foot high exact replica Gloucester Place headquarters. of the great cathedral in Cologne, One replica is on display at the Germany; full sized violins and Capitol Records Building in guitars. On a local scale, I found a Hollywood, California. three mast sailing ship made of the ‘lowly lumber’ recently at the local flea market. So I guess it was inevitable that sooner or later I would come across a radio covered in matchsticks. PRISON ART? I know nothing about the set “His Master’s Voice” except that it must have been made sometime in the mid 50’s to 8

don’t have anything like it.” So within an hour, Kirk Cline and Bruce Hutchins were passing by to tell me that Bruce was in the process of fixing up two radios with matchstick covered cabinets for another Carolina collector, Lew early 60’s. The radio is built from a Magrish! Man! What were the kit and the standard styrene cabinet odds? is completely covered in burnt matchsticks. I just had to know what these sets looked like and Kirk was e-mailing me pictures just two days later. Lew followed up with more pictures a few days later….

It could have been prisoner tramp art but I’m thinking most prisons of that time would not have permitted a radio in a cell. But the fact that the TRAMP ART? radio is a kit set could have fit into As you can see this rather boxy little an inmate teaching program. Also set shows someone with a great deal note that the speaker opening is of patience and high level of crafts- very small and an earphone jack is manship but maybe not so much fitted on the left side out of view. artistic imagination. The chassis Maybe a trustee inmate could have appears to be salvaged from a late used the radio without having to 40’s set that probably had a give the ‘privilege’ of hearing the set Bakelite chassis that got smashed. I to other inmates. Or is this just the count about 2,400 burnt match- evening tinkering of some factory sticks in this creation. Impressive! worker at a card table in the living room as he and the family watched I Love Lucy or the Garry Moore Show? What’s your thought?

Well I thought that the set was interesting enough to put on display at the MAARC meet in Beltsville, MD. I wrote a paragraph on the set and put in the statement “I bet you 9

20th. Century and with that in mind has located another interesting set that definitely fits the Folk Art theme even though matchsticks just stayed in the ashtray or burned in the stove while it was being built.

FOLK ART? MORE FOLK ART? The second of Lew’s sets is wild in every way! Now here we see someone with real artistic imagination to go along with tremendous patience but maybe not as much skill as a craftsman. The precision of execution is just not there…. But I’m not complaining….

Not only does the builder apply a streamline theme to the cabinet Another neat set done by someone form, but notice that strips of that was trying to turn out a Folk darker wood are used to accentuate Art kind of cabinet; but again, did the curves and radials and to not show the highest levels of outline the entire cabinet. While my craftsmanship. The base of the set and Lew’s other set use burnt cabinet is and strips of cigar box matchsticks, apparently this person lumber with some parts stained a did not use them in making this set. darker color to provide contrast. Again the chassis appears to be salvage of a generic All American Five.

Thanks Lew for sharing your sets with us…. Lets hope that there are more examples out there similar to these just waiting to be collected. It is not as obvious as to the origin of the radio chassis in this set. If I had to guess, I’d say it came from one of the little steel cabinet sets you could buy for about $9.00 just before WW-II

So there are at least three matchstick radios here in the Carolinas…. Lew regards his radios as having something to do with the Arts & Crafts movement of the early 10

By the 1940s, twenty-five stations RADIO HISTORY IN were broadcasting in North Caroli- NORTH CAROLINA na, and a similar number were under construction with licenses for operation. World War II (1941-'45) witnessed a shortage of personnel and equipment across the country. North Carolina was no exception. But public demand for information about the war focused attention on news. Expanding profits during World War II were a factor in the large post-war increase in the num- In North Carolina, radio broadcast- ber of stations. ing began in March 1922 with WLAC at N.C. State College. WBT FM (frequency modulation) was in- in Charlotte and other stations in troduced in North Carolina during Asheville and Raleigh followed this period and grew enormously af- shortly thereafter. ter World War II. This rapid growth resulted in greater competition for Interest in the technical aspects ra- audiences and advertising and a ther than programming and service corresponding decline in profits. characterized the early years in Radio station construction slowed. North Carolina. The number of sta- These and other events were pre- tions remained small with low pow- cursors of the television era in the er and irregular programming until late 1940s and early 1950s. the late 1920s. By then, radio stations increased power and im- Radio station licenses increased in proved facilities. Network affiliates the 1960s and 1970s. By 1992, there became an important factor in sta- were 391 radio stations in North tion programming. Advertising de- Carolina (229 AM and 162 FM). veloped slowly. -University of North Carolina School of Journalism & Mass Com- In the 1930s, programming became munications (http://www.unc.edu/ more elaborate and the number of ~bsemonch/radio.html) stations increased gradually:  Charlotte, NC-WBT (1922) and WHVN (1928)  Raleigh, NC-WPTF (1924)  Asheville, NC-WWNC (1927)  Winston-Salem, NC-WSJS (1930)  Gastonia/Charlotte, NC-WSOC (1933)  Durham, NC - WDNC (1934)

 Elizabeth City, NC - WCNC (1939)

Better Burlington-these call letters JUST WHAT DO THOSE LOCAL once belonged to Burlington's first CALL LETTERS STAND FOR? radio station, now WPCM 920 AM. The current WBBB, at 96.1, has no Scan the dial at the top of any hour connection with the city 45 miles and you are certain to get a taste of west of Raleigh. Owner Curtis the aural alphabet soup known as Media stuck this call sign on 96.1 radio call letters. In the United FM when they shuffled several of States, AM and FM stations, with a their radio formats around in few notable exceptions, begin with a 1998. "K" west of the Mississippi River  WBIG We Believe In and a "W" to the east. The other Greensboro-these call letters letters are up to the individual sta- belonged to Greensboro's first tions. Similar to personalized radio station which signed on in license plates, stations can pay the 1925. When the station went off FCC for a call sign of their choosing. the air in 1986, 102.1 FM out of Here's the story behind some of the Redisville briefly assumed them Raleigh-Durham area call signs, under a country format. The past and present. Many serve as letters now reside north of here in subtle reminders of a station's past the District of Columbia. formats, ownership or even the history of the region.  WBOB Bob-for one week in April 2004, 93.3 FM in Washington,  WAFR Africa-call letters of NC, had these calls which repre- NCCU's first radio station, which sented their handle. was also the first black public radio station in the United States.  WBTM World's Best Tobacco Market-these call letters represent  WARR W arrenton-represents Danville, Virginia's one-time the first four letters of the station's tobacco supremacy. location and city of license.  WCAS Class-handle of an AC  WAUG St. Augustine’s College- station which used to operate here, partial acronym of the school now known as WFXK. which owns the station.  WCCE W e're Cam pbell for  WAZZ Easy-Fuquay-Varina's Christian Education-intended to 103.9 FM was known as "Easy describe the mission of Campbell 103.9" with an easy listening for- University, the station's owner. mat under these calls in the late 1980s.  WCEC W e Cover East Carolina-an acronym describing  WBAG Burlington & Graham- the coverage of a now-defunct the city of license and nearby Rocky Mount AM station, whose Alamance County seat, both of FM side is today's WTRG "Oldies which are served by the station. 100.7".

 WBBB W e're Building a  WCHL Where Chapel Hill

Listens-acronym representing a roughly to match former slogan for the station that  WDTF Dedicated To Family- also incorporates its city of license. described the format of this former  WCKB Where Carolina Keeps Christian station. Also bore a Building, Where Christians Keep striking resemblance to owner Believing-the former was used Curtis Media's flagship AM WPTF. when the Dunn station signed on The station is now WDNZ. in 1946; the latter, following its  WDUR and WDNC Durham , shift to a Southern gospel format. North Carolina-the city of license  WCPE (trick question!)-though for both stations. many think this classical station's  WDWG Dog-the handle of this call letters represent composer country station. Carl Phillip Emmanuel Bach, they actually stand for nothing. The  WERO Arrow -this station once station just did not have the extra had an "all rock and roll money to apply for specific calls. oldies" (A.R.R.O) format, and was called "Arrow 93.3".  WCPS Coastal Plains Station- refers to the region in which city of  WESQ Wesleyan-derivation of license Tarboro is located. North Carolina Wesleyan College, which started the station.  WDBS Duke Broadcasting Service-former sponsor of the sta-  WETC We Entertain Tobacco tion when Duke University Country-reference to the promi- operated it. WDBS is now known nent cash crop of North Carolina as WFXC. at the time.

 WDCC Departm ent of  WEWO Wonderful Environment, Community Colleges-represents Wonderful Opportunity- state agency overseeing interesting slogan for the current community colleges. This station, WFLB while a Laurinburg FM. based at Central Carolina  WFJA Frank James Abbott- Community College in Sanford, the late founder/owner of this was the first to operate from a Sanford station. North Carolina community college campus.  WFTC World's Finest Tobacco City-another set of  WDCG Durham's Country tobacco-era call letters, these Giant-when WDNC-FM became a referring to Kinston, NC's chief country station in 1974, it assumed industry. these call letters. The station is today CHR G-105, but the calls  WFTK Working For The King, remain, reminding radio enthusi- Fifty Thousand (K) Watts- asts of this station's past. describes both the format and the daytime power of this Christian  WDNZ, WDNC-simulcast of station. Durham's WDNC with call letters

 WFVG Watch Fuquay Varina (WJLC has occupied three spots Grow-represented the communi- on the dial, 97.5, 95.3 and 98.3). ties of Fuquay Springs and Varina  WKIX and WKXU Kicks- that this station served. The two slogan associated with a legendary towns merged as Fuquay-Varina in Top 40 outlet, later associated the 1960s. with the country format. The call  WFXC & WFXK Foxy- sign WKIX has been at four variations on the handle of this separate spots on the dial since its station. inception to the area in 1959, while WKXU recently found a new home  WGBR Goldsboro-describes the on the dial when 101.1 FM became station's city of license. talk WZTK.  WHEV Henry E. Vail-former  WKNC Wolfpack-North owner of the Garner station now Carolina-derivative of the univer- known as WRTG. sity's mascot.  WHHT H. H. Toms-former owner  WKNS Kinston, North of a Durham station once heard at Carolina-represents this station's 1580 and later 1590 AM before city of license. signing off the air in 1951.  WKRX and WRXO Roxboro,  WHLF Halifax-the station is lo- North Carolina-the stations' city cated in Halifax County, Virginia. of license.  WHNC Henderson, North  WKSI "Kiss"-former call letters Carolina-the station's city of of Greensboro's 98.7 FM, which license. was once known as "98.7 Kiss  WHPE High Point Enterprise, FM", and later "98.7 Kiss Where His Praises Echo-station Country". Now known as WOZN- was once owned by the High Point FM Enterprise newspaper, but is now  WKTC Katie Country-handle of owned by the Bible Broadcasting a station which used to operate Network, which found a more- here, now known as WYMY. appropriate meaning for the call sign.  WKVE K-Love-this Semora- licensed station is an affiliate of K-  WICE Ice-"Cool"-is the handle of Love Christian Music Network, the station, and ice definitely fits and the WKVE calls are a deriva- that description. tion of the network's name.  WITN Washington-variation of the  WLHC Life in the Heart of station's city of license, Carolina-an acronym for the Washington, NC. The call letters station's slogan. are still in use on TV channel 7 in Eastern North Carolina.  WLLE Willie-handle of this R&B station now known as WDNZ.  WJLC JLC Properties-the former owner of these stations  WMFR W e Make Furniture 14

Right-was located in High Point, known as WCBQ. the furniture capital of the world.  WOZN "Zone"-the station's han-  WNAO News and Observer- dle is "98-7 The Zone". represented the newspaper which  WPCM W e Play Country founded and owned the stations Music, We Play Carolina's Music- now known as WBBB and WRBZ. former call letters of the country  WNBR News and Business station now known as WKXU. Radio-present-day WCRY in These call letters, now on Fuquay-Varina was known by Burlington's 920 AM, currently these call letters briefly when they give reference to the beach music aired a business news format. heard here and made popular along the Carolina coast.  WNOH N.O. Harris-the founder of the station, which is now known  WPJL W e Proclaim Jesus as WCLY. The same family which Lord-represents the mission of owns present-day Harris Beer this Christian station. Distributors in Raleigh.  WPTF W e Protect The Fam ily  WNCT North Carolina Televi- -the slogan of the former Durham sion-once co-owned with WNCT- Life Insurance Company, which TV, one of the state's earliest TV owned the station from 1925-1991. stations. The station shared the call letters with the current WQDR from 1947  WNCU North Carolina -1973 and with WRDC-TV 28 from Central University-represents the 1977-1991. station's owner, North Carolina Central University. The station  WPWZ Power-the handle of this had also unsuccessfully applied for urban station. WNCC.  WPXX Picks-referenced the  WNND and WWND The Wind handle of this station before it -the "wind" handle originated in became WKVE. this area with Fuquay-Varina's for-  WPYB We Promote Your mer WNND, 103.9 FM, which Business-the station's slogan. brought the smooth jazz format to the Raleigh area. The station  WQDR Quadrophonic Rock- dropped the handle and call letters an unsuccessful sound in 1995 before dropping the jazz transmission system used by this format the next year. Curtis Media former rock outlet which copied the smooth jazz format and employed four channels of audio the "wind" handle at 102.9 FM in instead of the two used with 1998 under the calls WWND. They stereo. When the station switched gave the handle, format and call from it's critically acclaimed album sign up in early 2001. rock format to country in 1984, rock fans said the call letters really  WOXF Oxford-the station's city stood for "We Quit Doing Rock." of license and location. Now

 WQMG Quality Music for  WRSN Raleigh's Sunny- Greensboro-apparently a former represents station's handle, slogan. adopted in 1996 when the former WZZU dumped classic rock for  WRAL and WRNC Raleigh or soft adult contemporary. Often Raleigh, North Carolina-the sta- criticized when they played classic tions' city of license. The WRNC rock, they format change to soft calls now belong to an expanded rock did not make any long-time band AM station in Warner- listeners happy, especially when Robbins, Georgia. the popular syndicated "John Boy  WRBX and WKBX-original and Billy" was without a local owner Stuart Epperson owned outlet for a short time after the WKBX 1500 AM in Winston- switch. Former listeners said Salem and wanted similar calls for derisively that the new letters his new station. WRBX is now stood for "We Really Stink Now" WRTP-AM.  WRTP and WRTG Research  WRBZ Raleigh's Buzz- Triangle Park-refers to area represents the handle of this served by these stations station.  WSHA Shaw University-  WRCO Wynne Radio represents the station's owner, Company-in 1924, William A. Shaw University. Wynne's Raleigh-based radio  WSSB Whisbee-Handle this sta- company started what is now tion used in the Top 40 days of WPTF and adopted call letters to memorable call letters, though it's reflect the company name. unclear whether the call letters or  WRDT Raleigh Durham 's the handle came first. Talk-represented a short-lived  WSTS Winning Souls Christian talk format at this dial Through Song-the meaning of the position, now known as WDNZ. call letters for the Southern Gospel  WRDU Raleigh-Durham- station, though it is doubtful if this reference the metro area served by acronym was in use during the the station and the FAA code for station's Laurinburg days. the local airport, Raleigh-Durham  WTIK Where Tobacco Is King International. These call letters -reference to Durham's former once belonged to local television status as a major tobacco station WRDC, channel 28, from processing center. its sign on in 1968 through 1977.  WTCD Triangle's CD-  WREV-Reidsville-City of license represented the handle of this of the station at 102.1 FM, now NAC/Smooth Jazz station, when it WJMH. was CD-103.9. This was a fidelity-  WRQM Rocky Mount- intensive format, so the handle derivation of the station's city of made reference to compact discs, license. known for their exact replication 16

of audio. WTCD is now black Christian format. gospel WNNL.  WYLT Lite-described the format of  WTEB Where Tomorrow's this station when it was lite A/C. Education Begins-the parent  WYRN We're Your Radio station of Public Radio East is Neighbor-an acronym reflecting a located on the campus of Craven former slogan. Community College in New Bern, so this acronym plugs the school.  WYYD Wide-chosen to describe the sound quality available with  WTRG Triangle or Triangle quadraphonic sound, an unsuc- Radio Gold-the first refers to the cessful form of FM stereo using region served by this station; the four channels instead of two. Now second is a reported acronym known as WBBB which may have also been used.  WXDU and WDUK Duke  WTSB Triangle Sports University-both acronyms repre- Broadcasters-named for the licen- sent the school in Durham. see of this Selma station. These WDUK, a commercial station not same call letters once belonged to affiliated with Duke, merged with a now silent station in Lumberton, WTIK in 1951. WXDU is Duke's NC, where they stood for "Where Campus station. Tobacco Sells Best".  WZTK The New Zeitgeist of  WUNC University of North Talk-do not know if this is the Carolina-station is owned by the official meaning of this new University of North Carolina talker's call letters, but on day one Board of Governors. of "FM Talk 101.1", one of the  WVOT Voice of Tobacco-the morning personalities said this is current WRDU-FM began life as the meaning behind "ZTK". WVOT-FM in Wilson, a major Zeitgeist is a German word that tobacco market in eastern North means the spirit of the time or the Carolina to this day. spirit characteristic of an age or generation.  WVTF Virginia Tech Foundation-name of the non- profit group running Virginia Tech's public radio outlet.

 WXJC The "Cross" of Jesus Christ-nifty set of call letters that belonged to Calvary Satellite Radio's Raleigh station from 2001- 2002; the "X" represents the cross. The station is now known as WAJC.

 WYFL Where You'll Find Love-references the station's  WZZU Zoo-this station went 17

(Charlotte Spring Meet- continued from page 4) to the value of the piece and afterwards the individual can have their item sold in our "Radio Rescue Auction". At about 7AM on Saturday morning I was a phone guest on Don Russell’s morning show on pioneer station WBT talking about the conference and "Radio Rescue". I met about ten people that attended the conference and brought radios for "Radio Rescue" just because they heard to radio show. Many thanks to WBT for their support on this. Gary Carter WA4IAM hosted the first of what we plan to be an annual event at 9AM the Vintage Amateur Radio Forum. About a dozen guys took part in a lively discussion. Saturday morning is always busy, we also had the final judging of the old equipment contest entries.

The Radio Rescue auction which also includes items submitted by our flea market vendors, netted more than $115.00 for the club in proceeds for item that were donated to the auction with the money going to the club.

The conference wrapped up early in the afternoon following the annual members luncheon. This may not have been the biggest Charlotte meet, but it was close and was without a doubt one of the best.

We’re already working on the 2005 Conference that will take place on Easter weekend, March, 24-25-26. See ‘ya there.

Ron Lawrence, CC-AWA President & Conference Chairman