Variety (Sep 1938)

Wednesday, September 28, 1938 RADIO VARIETY 43 HARTFORD HAS A TASTE OF FLORIDA Hartford, Sept. 27. Hitting Hartford at high speed, hurricane drew the.three local radio stations off the air for varying periods while a flpod in progress at the same time shuttered four local theatres, three of them for one day, and the other for at least a week. WTIC, WDRC and WTHT were forced off the air. At New Britain WNBC was also forced off the air as were all other stations in the state, with the exception of one, WTAR, in Waterbury, unaffected in any way by the hurricane. WNLC in New London had its entire trans- mitting unit located on a dock, de- stroyed by a tidal wave. At station WTHT all commercial committments were cancelled from Wednesday through Friday. WTIC and WDBC maintained their com- mercial committments, but cancelled all sustaining programs to broadcast special bulletins. Both stations made breaks on commercials' to broadcast urgent messages and bulletins. The 50,000 watter WTIC and WDRC were forced off the air late In the afternoon when high winds dashed to the ground power lines leading to their respective trans- mitters in Unionville and Bloomfield. WTHT escaped this fate because its transmitter is located in the same building with its studios. WTIC returned to the air about 11 p.m. the same night and WDRC at its regular time at 7 a.m. Thursday (22). For some time Wednesday, WTHT, wtih the exception of WATR, was the only station in - the state to be on the air and was practically the only means of communication .outside the city as telephone, Western Union and Postal lines were ineffective. Instant that WTIC went off the air, General Manager Paul W. Morency organized WTIC's entire staff on a 24 hour emergency basis under Program Director Tom Mc- McNinch 111 Again Washington, Sept. 27. Although supposedly all over his stomach trouble, FCC Chair- man Frank R. McNinch is back in the hospital again, with no indication when he will regrab the reins. Returned for a rou- tine check-up and was still in the institution a week later. Reports circulated again he will ask to be relieved of the Communications headache be- fore the Congressional appro- priations committees start ask- ing their annual questions. Cray, as ways and means were found to be of assistance to state and civic authorities and to individuals in disseminating flood and hurricane in- formation and advice. The station's 7.5 meter short wave transmitter WIXO was made avail- able by Plant Manager J. Clayton Randall to the American Radio Relay League for personal messages and for flood and hurricane reports which were coming in rapidly over Trans- Radio press wires to the Trans-Radio Central Connecticut Bureau estab- lished in the WTIC studios. A five meter amateur network was temporarily established in the Hart- ford area by Engineer Fred Edwards who located his short-wave trans- mitter in the station's laboratory to speed personal messages to points where telephone communication and electric power failed. The station augmented its local and state news coverage by reports from hams from all parts of the state. An estimated 500 hams were in operation through- out the entire period of the flood, sending information, news, advice and rendering other sorts of service. Bridgeport, Sept. 27. Big wash-out expected to nick Pleasure Beach, city - operated amusement park, for more than $25,000. Biggest loss was damage to new pier built in spring. WICC transmitter's location on Pleasure Beach made it tough going for broadcaster. Roton Point Park, South Norwalk, hit throughout for more than $100,- 000 property wreckage, tidal wave getting dock, seawalls, roads and sev- eral rides. ANOTHER CRISIS BRINGS NEW CASE OF RADIO PUBLIC SERVICE IN HURRICANE Boston Daily Praises Stations—Many Off Air as Big Blow Topples Antenna—Messages, and News Get Right-of-Way Boston, Sept. 27. Many a precedent was broken by local radio stations here after the hurricance swept through New England. Because other key cities suffered much more damage, Boston became not only a rescue center, but a focal point of news dissemi- nation. All Hub stations were swept off the air as the high wind smashed towers or lotherwise jammed up power sources. WNAC and WAAB, key stations of the Yankee and Co- lonial nets, respectively, were back on the air about 30 minutes after they lost their power at Squantum. Engineers under Paul Demars rig- ged up an emergency circuit which gave WNAC and WAAB transmis- sion. These stations, for hours, were the only means of broadcasting messages into isolated areas, and early Wednesday night WAAB an- nounced that it would broadcast all during the night. At the same time it was announced that personal mes- sages would be broadcast to the flood areas—and Wednesday night, Thursday and Friday about 5,000 messages were broadcast—many of them repeated several times. k These two stations with the Yankee and Colonial Network news services kept between 75 and 80 men and women working on the flood broadcasts; and there were some volunteers from outside who stepped in to help the work along. One woman came into the Yankee- Colonial headquarters ahd volun- teered to answer phone calls which were awamping the board. She worked three hours on the job. Direct line was run into- the state house here and Wednesday night numerous bulletins were sent put from various state departments. WEEI, Boston, also sent out per- sonal messages Thursday. They were off the air Wednesday night but resumed Thursday morning. WBZ was dead Wednesday night, all day Thursday, and resumed broad- casting Friday. WCOP was off only three and a half hours, and also broadcast messages Thursday. WHDH was off Wednesday night and Thursday. WMEX was off all Wednesday night. WORL could not resume until Friday morning after being blanked at 4.45 Wednesday aft- ernoon. Boston Post, breaking precedent in the usual rivalry between radio and press, commended the work of WNAC in their handling of the dis- aster news and personal messages. Albany, N. Y:, Sept. 27. Socony sponsored a half-hour evening Albany Area flood broadcast over WABY via the station's mobile short wave transmitter, with ■ Gen- Manager Harold D. Smith r -.entry returned to his desk after a longe period of recuperation in Florida, working alongside of Forrest Willis. It was the first time this *ype of salvo had been on a commercial basis here. Keeping an eye to a sponsor's business, Smith interrupted Willis to note the fact that a Mobiloil station, within their sight and partly flooded, was still pumping gas and oil. Worcester's Tribulations Worcester, Sept 27. Worcester's two radio stations, WTAG and WORC, were heavy losers in the hurricane. WTAG's three tall steel towers in nearby Holden, erected early last year, were blown flat. Plans for immediate re- construction are under way. Two .of WORC's three poles in Au- burn, which are a part of that sta- tion's antenna system, were snapped off, putting the station out of com- mission until Sunday. Two of the three WTAG towers were 360 feet high, the other ?60. All were designed to withstand a wind velocity of 115 miles an hour. About an hour before the WTAG towers went down, the station had shifted to its emergency power plant because the service from the Holden electric station failed. After the fall of the towers, the station was oT the air for six minutes and then resumed service on its auxiliary transmitter in a penthouse on the roof oL the Telegram and Gazette building, and using the antennae on the Bancroft hotel and Park building. About two hours later the station went off the air again for 12 minutes, and then resumed uninterrupted ser- vice. •*b Emergency Stations Providence, Sept. 27. Hard hit because of lack of elec- tric power and flooding of valuable technical and tuning equipment, Providence's * Radio stations WJAR, WEAN and WPRO, are running on emergency rations. Estimate of monetary loss is Impossible at this time. WPRO lost it's towers ahd tech- nical and tuning equipment when cellars were flooded along Barring- ton Parkway. Station was off the air from Wednesday (21) to Friday (23) midnight It is how operating under it's own power. A tractor and motor are being used as a generating unit. WJAR operated from its power station in Rumford. All programs, day and night, have been restricted to the broadcasting of emergency messages to persons throughout the country. Bill Goodwin barking the NBC si« for first time in nine years as an- nouncer. Does the deed on - Bob Hope's Pepsodent show. .. he who laughs best The "Guffaw Club" was a popular WKRC "stunt broadcast." From the stage of a local movie theatre, a contest for the loudest and most conjtagious guffaws was broadcast. Prizes were given, laughs were plenti- ful. All Cincinnati enjoyed another unique WKRC broadcast. Some people call it "showmanship." We think it's simply part of our daily job—operating Cincinnati's aggressive radio station. WKRC* COLUMBIA'S STATION FOR CINCINNATI 550 Kilocycles. Owned and operated by Columbia Broadcasting System. Represented by Radio Sales: New York • Chicago Detroit • Milwaukee • Charlotte, N. C. • Los Angeles • San Francisco