Subject: [removed] Digest V2003 #258
From: "OldRadio Mailing Lists" <[removed]@[removed];
Date: 6/30/2003 9:03 PM

To: <[removed]@[removed];

    ------------------------------

                                The Old-Time Radio Digest!
                                  Volume 2003 : Issue 258
                             A Part of the [removed]!
                                     ISSN: 1533-9289

                                     Today's Topics:

      Clear Channel Stations                [ "Jim Hilliker" <jimhilliker@sbcglob ]
      The K/W call letter boundary          [ "Jim Hilliker" <jimhilliker@sbcglob ]
      DVD about radio in Japan              [ <paladin@[removed]; ]
      RE:Daytime Only Radio                 [ "Tim Lones" <timl2002@[removed] ]
      AM reception then and now             [ "A. Joseph Ross" <lawyer@attorneyro ]
      Re Queen For A Day                    [ Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed] ]
      A kiss and Godiva, [removed]'t yo  [ Derek Tague <derek@[removed]; ]
      Alan Jay Lerner                       [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]
      Herb Shriner and Kate on OTR          [ Kenneth Clarke <kclarke5@[removed]; ]
      July 1st birthdays                    [ Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed]; ]
      Review of Book on WWII Radio          [ Sean Dougherty <seandd@[removed] ]

    ------------------------------

    Date: Sun, 29 Jun 2003 23:46:19 -0400
    From: "Jim Hilliker" <jimhilliker@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Clear Channel Stations

    Hello. I've read with great interest in recent days the posts about the
    Clear Channel AM radio stations and why today in general, one can't hear
    these distant stations as much or more reliably as in years gone by.

    It's due to a combination of reasons.  Yes, before World War II, there were
    800 AM stations or less on the Standard Broadcast Band frequencies, 550-1500
    before 1941 and 540-1600 after 1941, and now up to 1700-AM.  Today,clsoe to
    5,000 stations are on the congested AM band.

    During the late-1920s, '30s and '40s, the DX magazines and radio hobby
    publications were full of letters written by DXers who heard not only the
    powerful clear channel stations of 50,000 watts, but many lower-powered
    stations.  Ofcourse, many of these hobbyists had copper-wire outdoor
    antennas to help in their reception or an indoor loop-antenna.  Also, many
    stations transmitted with a
    non-directional/omni-directional signal that could get out in all
    directions.  After 1945, many stations went to a directional antenna signal
    pattern, so their signals were sent more or less only in one or two
    directions.  However, clear channel stations mostly transmitted with a
    non-directional antenna, helping them get out at night throughout the
    nation.

    Up until the 1960s, a true Clear Channel radio station was on a frequency
    which was not used by any other radio stations in the USA from sunset to
    sunrise.  They were known as Class I-A Clear Channel stations, such as
    KFI-640 in Los Angeles, WLS-890 in Chicago, WSB-750 in Atlanta, KSL-1160 in
    Salt Lake City, WHAS-840 in Louisville, WWL-870 in New Orleans, WBAP-820 in
    Fort Worth, TX, WNBC-660 in New York City, (now WFAN), KOA-850 in Denver and
    others.

    At night, especially cold winter nights,compared to summer nights filled
    with static and more noise, these powerful AM stations could be heard in
    dozens of states and in some cases, coast-to-coast, if conditions were
    especially good.  This was based on the 11-year sunspot cycle, and in years
    of low number of sunspots, propagation of AM radio signals at night was
    excellent many times.  I used to hear WLS-Chicago, WCCO-Minneapolis on 830,
    WCAU-1210 in Philadelphia, WWL-870 in New Orleans and WHAS-840 in Louisville
    quite often.

    Then, slowly but surely, the FCC started to "break down" the clear channels,
    allowing local stations to be added onto the previously clear channel
    frequencies.
    For instance, in the west, radio listeners once could hear WMAQ-670 in
    Chicago,
    but by the 1970s, the FCC allowed KBOI in Boise, Idaho to broadcast on 670,
    which blocked out WMAQ in the west.  A new station in Las Vegas, NV, KDWN
    came on the air on 720, blocking out WGN-Chicago in the west.  Once we heard
    WCBS-880, but later KRVN in Lexington, Nebraska. was allowed on 880.  And
    that was only the beginning.  A daytimer in Los Angeles, KGBS on 1020 was
    allowed to go on the air 24 hours a day, and DXers no longer heard historic
    KDKA on 1020 from Pittsburgh, PA.  And for years, WABC-770 in New York had a
    legal fight over allowing KOB in New Mexico on 770, a fight which WABC lost
    eventually.  (KOB is now KKOB).

    By 1980, the FCC eroded the clear channel AM frequencies even more by adding
    more stations.  Here in the west, a station came on 890 from Utah, so we can
    mno longer hear WLS.  New stations came on 880 in western states in CA, OR,
    WA, etc,. and we no longer heard KRVN reliably, let alone WCBS.  1210 became
    clogged with new stations in Utah, Washington and elsewhere, so that blocked
    out KGYN in Oklahoma and WCAU, now WGMP.   In Glendale-Los Angeles, another
    previous longtime daytime-only station, KIEV-870 (now KRLA-870) was allowed
    to go on the air 24 hours a day, so we could no longer hear WWL in New
    Orleans on 870.  And on it went.

    Stations that previously had only one 50,000 watt station at night now have
    many stations on those frequencies, and that is why in many cases, thanks to
    the FCC de-regulation of clear channel AM stations, we can't hear these
    distant stations anymore, or not much more than 750 miles, which is all the
    FCC will allow now to protect the signal of the clear channel stations.

    I can hear my western clears, such as KOMO-Seattle, KEX-Portland, KSL-Salt
    Lake, but I have a hard time lately hearing KOA in Denver and haven't heard
    stations very far east in a long time, 10 years or so.  But I used to use a
    special receiver and antenna and don't [removed], I once got clear
    channel stations like WLS and KOMA-Oklahoma City on clock radios in my
    bedroom in the 1960s and '70s.  Don't think you can do that anymore, can
    you?  So, you can see that the AM and has become more congested with these
    new stations on the old clear channel frequencies.

    For more information, there's an excellent 6-part article on the history of
    the clear channel AM stations at [removed], The Broadcast
    [removed] to contents, then general history, and go to the articles by
    Mark Durenberger, "the Clear Channel Matter", which first appeared on the
    trade publication Radio World a few years back.  Very informative look into
    the past and present history of Clear Channel radio stations on the AM band,
    which many of you will enjoy.

    Jim

    ------------------------------

    Date: Sun, 29 Jun 2003 23:51:19 -0400
    From: "Jim Hilliker" <jimhilliker@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  The K/W call letter boundary
    X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: from multipart/alternative
    X-Converted-To-Plain-Text: Alternative section used was text/plain

    Hi again!

    In answer to Arte's question, when did the FCC start the W's east and K's west
    of the Mississippi rule?  This was started not by the FCC, but one of its
    predecessors, the [removed] Department of Commerce Radio Division, and they started
    this rule in January 1923.  There are about 30 stations today that are
    exceptions to the W/K Mississippi boundary today.

    Since I'm not an expert on this, I will direct you to the excellent article by
    a friend and fellow radio historian Thomas H. White, on his site on early [removed]
    radio history.
    His article on the W/K call letter rules then and now are at:

    [removed]

    It's a very informative story and answers all your questions on why some early
    stations such as KDKA are in the east and stations such as WKY and WBAP are in
    Texas and Oklahoma.  Thomas also has a super article on the mystique and
    history of the 3-letter calls on AM stations and other outstanding features on
    early [removed] radio history.  Those into radio history will like his site a lot!

    Jim

      *** This message was altered by the server, and may not appear ***
      ***                  as the sender intended.                   ***

    ------------------------------

    Date: Mon, 30 Jun 2003 01:42:21 -0400
    From: <paladin@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  DVD about radio in Japan

    For those who can endure subtitles or can understand Japanese, a recent DVD
    release may be interesting. A comedic look at radio broadcasting in Japan,
    the title "Rajio no Jikan" literally translates as "Radio Time", but for the
    US release has been transformed into "Welcome Back, Mr. McDonald." The full
    meaning only becomes apparent near the end.

    The 1997 award-winning film is based on a staged play about a radio melodrama
    being broadcast live at midnight in contemporary Japan. The film has a link
    with Japan's history of old-time radio in the character of the security guard
    who was once a sound effects man.

    Radio drama still exists today, but is targeted to the late night audience,
    primarily those with night jobs or teenage students who study at "juku"
    (private schools) or home until late into the night. They turn on the radio
    to escape the stress of long hours of study with melodramatic romances aimed
    at young women and science fiction or animation influenced fantasies for
    young men.

    The story follows the production of a contest winning story by a young
    housewife. She has written a typical romance and won the contest as she was
    the only entrant. The radio professionals constantly call her "Sensei," a
    term of respect given most often to teachers or venerated academic types.
    However, they show their real disdain as they proceed to change her play into
    a Hollywood influenced space disaster story through a series of last minute
    changes.

    The first change comes scant minutes before air time when the influential
    star of the show demands her name be changed from Ritsuko to Mary Jane and
    that she becomes a successful big city defense lawyer instead of a small town
    housewife working at a pachinko parlor. Her co-stars also begin demanding or
    suggesting equal changes. Each little change leads to others until the
    original play no longer exists and the studio is in chaos.

    (One related trivia point is that in Japan the McDonald's clown is named
    Donald not Ronald.)

    This is worth a look for those wondering about radio in non-English speaking
    countries.

    A few questions for those on the list knowledgeable and experienced in the
    media:

    1) Watching this movie, I wondered with what frequency last minute changes
    occurred in OTR. Did they ever lead to any calamitous consequences or
    inconsistencies? Did stars ever demand changes?

    2) I have read that movie producers and directors often hold writers and
    their product in low esteem, given how many hands a script can pass through
    before completion, and that television tends to be a collaborative or staff
    effort. Was the OTR writer (as opposed to writer/producer or writer/director)
    held in different regard than other media? Were they able to see a greater
    percentage of their work reach the end product?

    The IMDB has a lot of information on this movie
    ([removed]) with several links to English newspaper
    reviews.

    Michael Emry
    Tokyo, Japan

    ------------------------------

    Date: Mon, 30 Jun 2003 01:43:08 -0400
    From: "Tim Lones" <timl2002@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  RE:Daytime Only Radio

    There are still quite a few daytime only stations in the USA. In my
    hometown, Canton, Ohio there are 2, WRCW AM 1060 which for years has signed
    off no later than 6PM even in mid-summer when presumably they could have
    signed off as late as 9PM. WINW 1520 AM also is daytime only.  The other
    former daytimers in Stark County (where Canton is located) run so little
    power at night it would seem to be hardly worth the [removed] examples:

    WTIG 990 Massillon 112 watts at night (though I hear this station fairly
    well.) (8-10 miles west of here)
    WDPN 1310 Alliance 480 night [removed] this station is about 15 miles
    east of here can hardly hear it at all at night

    WCER 900 Canton 75 watts at night can hear somewhat most of the night but
    get interference  from CHML in Hamilton, Ontario and I am fairly close to
    WCER's transmitter.

    Tim Lones
    Another DXer

    ------------------------------

    Date: Mon, 30 Jun 2003 01:43:19 -0400
    From: "A. Joseph Ross" <lawyer@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  AM reception then and now

>     Date: Sat, 28 Jun 2003 18:59:43 -0400
>     From: "Mark Kinsler" <kinsler33@[removed];

>     If you used to be able to receive distant AM radio stations and are now
>     unable to do so, the great likelihood is that your present radio is an
>     especially rotten one, or that something is wrong with its antenna, or
>     that you are now living in a location that's particularly disadvantageous.

    It also could be that the AM band is much more crowded now, the FCC has been
    licensing
    stations on channels that were once "clear" channels, and former daytime-only
    stations now
    have nightime authorization.

    A. Joseph Ross, [removed]                           [removed]
     15 Court Square, Suite 210                 lawyer@[removed]
    Boston, MA 02108-2503           	         [removed]

    ------------------------------

    Date: Mon, 30 Jun 2003 09:53:03 -0400
    From: Joe Mackey <joemackey108@[removed];
    To: otr-net <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Re Queen For A Day

       Thomas Mason wrote --

>        I remember one time when a family was in line after just coming
>     from a funeral.  Their house had burned down with a couple of their
>     family members burnt to death.  The woman of the family was bragging to
>     everyone in line that she was a shoo-in to be Queen because of her
>     recent misfortunes.

       I recall (not very well) a comedy rountine from years back (can't
    recall who it was, but it was from the '50s or early '60s) who had
    hilarious spoof of the show, which I had watched on a semi-regular basis
    (it was a favourite of my mothers).  The comic set up the scene with the
    unfortunate women who had all sorts of problems: her husband left her
    for a younger woman, she was penniless, the children were in rags and
    starving, everyone in the family were practically on their death beds
    from various rare diseases, along with high medical bills, the house
    burned down, the cow went dry, the crops failed and on and on the litany
    of problems went.  Lucky woman!  She was selected to be Queen For A Day
    and was told "and now Mrs Jones, we have this lovely gift that was
    selected just for you!  This lovely AM/FM transistor radio" (or some
    other useless item).  :)
       Joe

    --
    Visit my homepage: [removed]

    ------------------------------

    Date: Mon, 30 Jun 2003 09:53:24 -0400
    From: Derek Tague <derek@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  A kiss and Godiva, [removed]'t you?

    It's me again, Gang!...

        ...You were expectin' maybe Zina Bethune?
        I had prev'ly wrote about the practice of buttering up reseach librarians:

>     As for providing a female liberrian, er, librarian with a box of candy,
>     I've found that a family-size bag of M&M's will do the job just as nicely.
>     There's no need to spend your reearch money on a Whitman's Sampler, or a
>     package courtesy of Ms. Farmer or Mr. Stover.

    ...to which Elizabeth McLeod [removed]

    On the other hand, don't think they can't *tell* if you're cheaping out.
    Anything short of Ghiradelli or Godiva, and you might as well hang a sign
    around your neck that says "I'm A Piker." (Me, I prefer caramels. And not
    those cheap ones in the polybag from the supermarket, either.)

        Point taken, Liz; however, do you think if I could afford to buy ANYBODY
    Godiva Chocolates, I would need to supplement my income by taking on
    free-lance research jobs?

    Yours in the Milky Way,

    Derek Tague

    ------------------------------

    Date: Mon, 30 Jun 2003 09:53:38 -0400
    From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  Alan Jay Lerner

    I am reading the book, "On the Street Where You Live" by Alan Jay Lerner of
    "My Fair Lady" fame. In it he says, and this is a direct quote from the book,
    "Immediately upon graduation from college I became a radio writer, on the
    theory that anything I wrote in the morning of my twenties was bound to teach
    me something. And it did.

    At one point I was writing five daytime shows a week, comedy for Victor Borge,
    twenty minutes of comedic material for a Tuesday night show called "The
    Raleigh Room," and a one hour program on Sunday called "The Philco Hall Of
    Fame."

    I have found nothing in the standard reference works for Olde Tyme Radio. Can
    anyone elaborate on this.

    Ron Sayles
    Milwaukee, Wisconsin
    Hometown of [removed] Kaltenborn and Spencer Tracy

    ------------------------------

    Date: Mon, 30 Jun 2003 13:02:41 -0400
    From: Kenneth Clarke <kclarke5@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Herb Shriner and Kate on OTR

              Yes, Kin Shriner still plays Scotty Baldwin on "General
    Hospital".  As far as Wil Shriner is concerned, I haven't heard
    anything of him in many years.

              I heard the announcement  of Katherine Hepburn's
    demise last night on the news.  They reported that she was
    96 at the time of her passing.  Did she ever perform on OTR?
    If she did, it was probably on something like "Lux Radio
    Theatre" or "Mercury Theatre of the Air" recreating one of her
    movie roles.  Does anyone know (a) whether she ever did
    actually perform on OTR, and (b) which of these programs are
    currently available?

    Sincerely,
    Kenneth Clarke

    ------------------------------

    Date: Mon, 30 Jun 2003 15:45:57 -0400
    From: Ron Sayles <bogusotr@[removed];
    To: <[removed]@[removed];
    Subject:  July 1st birthdays

    July, another new month.

    The flower for July is Larkspur and the birthstone is Ruby

    Holdays in July are:

    July 1 - Canada Day (Canada)
    July 4 - Independence Day

    July 1st births

    07-01-1881 - Josef Pasternack - Czenstachown, Poland - d. 4-29-1940
    conductor: "Atwater Kent Concert"; "Carnation Contented Hour"
    07-01-1899 - Charles Laughton - Scarborough, England - d. 12-15-1962
    actor: "Three Ring Time"; "Columbia Presents Corwin"; "Blue Ribbon Town"
    07-01-1901 - Irna Phillips - Chicago, IL - d. 12-23-1973
    actress, writer: Mother Moran "Today"s Children"; "Guiding Light"; "Road of
    Life"
    07-01-1907 - Bill Stern - Rye, NY - d. 11-19-1971
    sportscaster: "Carnival of Champions"; "Colgate Sports Newsreel"
    07-01-1909 - Madge Evans - NYC - d. 4-26-1981
    panelist: "Leave It to the Girls"; "Who Said That?"
    07-01-1911 - Alvino Rey - Oakland, CA
    bandleader: "Horace Heidt and His Brigadiers"
    07-01-1916 - Olivia De Havilland - Tokyo, Japan
    actress: "Plays for Americans"; "Your Hollywood Parade"; "Lux Radio Theatre"
    07-01-1925 - Farley Granger - San Jose, CA
    actor: "Lux Radio Theatre"
    07-01-1931 - Leslie Caron - Boulogne, France
    actress: "Lux Radio Theatre"
    07-01-1934 - Jamie Farr - Toledo, OH
    actor: Armed Forces Radio
    07-01-1934 - Jean Marsh - London, England
    actress: "Earplay"

    02-21-1938 - Wolfman Jack - Brooklyn, NY - d. 7-1-1995
    disc jockey: Mexican Border Radio"
    08-06-1917 - Robert Mitchum - Bridgeport, CT - d. 7-1-1997
    actor: "Family Theatre"; "So Proudly We Hail"
    08-08-1910 - Sylvia Sidney - The Bronx, NY - d. 7-1-1999
    actress: "Lux Radio Theatre"
    12-23-1913 - Anton M. Leader - Boston, MA - d. 7-1-1988
    director: "Murder at Midnight"; "Suspense"; "Words at War"
    12-25-1891 - Tony Wons - Menasha, WI - d. 7-1-1965
    host: "Tony Wons Scrapbook"; "House by the Side of the Road"
    --
    Ron Sayles
    Milwaukee, Wisconsin
    Hometown of [removed] Kaltenborn and Spencer Tracy

    ------------------------------

    Date: Mon, 30 Jun 2003 21:07:39 -0400
    From: Sean Dougherty <seandd@[removed];
    To: [removed]@[removed]
    Subject:  Review of Book on WWII Radio

    I thought there might be interest in the following review of "Radio Goes to
    War: The Cultural Politics of Propaganda During World War II" by Gerd
    Horten.

    Has anyone read this?  How does it compare to "Words at War?"

    Sean Dougherty
    SeanDD@[removed]

    [removed]

    --------------------------------
    End of [removed] Digest V2003 Issue #258
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