Re: [IRCA] Where were you on 22 November 1963?

["Bob Foxworth" <rfoxwor1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> > Where were you on 22 November 1963?

That year I got a job as 8p-mid "air talent" at the 1340
in Winston Salem NC. I had a written contract!! making
the princely sum of $88/week (my overnight in Durham
paid 65 so I was happy to move). The contract was
basically a joke, except for the non-compete 6 month,
the 1st of only 2 times in my life I ever had one.

I was living in a rented spare bedroom in some guy's
house along with another jock, one "Bob Kelly" on the air.
"Kelly" drove one of the famous Corvairs (rear engine
and all that) that Ralph Nader made famous. I had a
55 Olds and I think that was the car I then drove in
those years.

We all had fake air names, copied from real,authentic
successful jocks in other markets. This was the
doing of the PD, who made the princely sum of $300
per week. More on him later.

I was home during the day and tuning around on my
RCA 810-K1 and tuned past WDNC with the first
JFK bulletin, I had just finished a log on 540 WRIC
Richlands Va, as I recall, for a report that never
got sent. I and everyone else, was on hand at the
station within the hour. No "phone tree" (I did not
even have a phone, anywhere) -- we just showed up.

We dumped format, actually the on-air jock and
the secretary made that decision. PD was not
then to be found, for some unknown reason. One
of them made the decision to call in a local minister
who did an impromptu, unscripted eulogy which
was quite moving and garnered a lot of good local
press coverage, as none of the other stations had
done this. I think it was around 2:15 PM. We played
the Star Spangled Banner out of the eulogy and
then went classical. People had to go home to find
and bring in classical LP's to play. I think the
station's record library fit on one shelf.

You can imagine the print media, limited by the
choke-point of the AP wire (just like us) all
frantically tuning in all the radio media to try and
get that little bit of "extra" that they did not have,
and imagined we did. That's how the eulogy got
picked up so well. That was a nice coup for us.

Or else, just to see how far behind the curve we
were.

The then-missing PD (his initials were JHV) soon
materialized and demanded we "return to format"
(a tight playlist Top-40). The market leader in
Top-40, WTOB 1380 didn't do that and neither did we.
Hal, the PD, was overruled on the format question
by everyone else there, and groused for 3 days
wishing they would "get him into the ground so we
could get back to format" as he was heard to say,
more than once.

Our station was regarded as a lightweight in the
Top 40 ratings compared to TOB. I think the eulogy
bit got us more favorable PR than anything else
that was done - and it was opposed by the PD !

I was just turning 21 then. Like just a few things in
a lifetime, I remember that afternoon with great
clarity, but much less of the surrounding days.
Not having a TV, I never saw the Ruby shooting.
Hrd about it from a girl I knew, the next day.
That girl (then) Susan Cash still (presumably) has
my high school ring, the price I paid for not
accepting her "suggestion" of marriage.

Hard to now imagine life without TV, a phone, no
FM radio*, computer/internet, hardly even an
address, just a PO box. But we managed,
and had a full life with many experiences.

*The station actually had a RCA 10 kW FM
but it just simul'd the AM and no one cared
if it was off the air. A piece of coupling
line in the driver stage once opened up and it
was off the air until I figured out how to repair
it with a torch, fixing a crystallized solder joint.
I think it was a BTA-10F, It had six 673
mercury recifiers that were always tripping
the rig off. I will never forget that purple glow.

I remember loggings of KHVH-1040 from
the Hawaiian Village Hotel on some Sunday
mornings when WHO was silent on the 810
that year I spent in W-S. Had just a small loop.
Staying up until 3 AM was just something we did.

As PVZ remarked, I too heard nothing about it
(the anniversary) on any of the media coverage
I got today.

It's a different world now. But, as with every
year, there is much to give thanks for, as we will
do tomorrow, and afterwards.

Be well, all,

- Bob                                    2240 est


_______________________________________________
IRCA mailing list
IRCA@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
http://montreal.kotalampi.com/mailman/listinfo/irca

Opinions expressed in messages on this mailing list are those of the original contributors and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the IRCA, its editors, publishing staff, or officers

For more information: http://www.ircaonline.org

To Post a message: irca@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx