The Rural Voice, 1977-11, Page 6moved with his family to town in 1912. When his father died in
1915 he had to quit school in Grade 8 and go to work. He worked
in a furniture factory for a time then as chauffeur to a local doctor
where he picked up the nickname "Doc". In 1924 he was
working in Western Foundary for 10 hours a day then selling
radios between 7 and 8 p.m. before rushing to the local theatre
where he worked as a projectionist from 8 to 11.
His interest in radio though was growing and when he heard
the agency for a well-known radio line was available, he took it
on and set up the shop from which the first radio broadcast was
to originate.
So this young man didn't have the money to put into a losing
proposition which 10 BP most certainly was. But those who had
come to rely on the station came to the rescue after the venture
threatened to fall through after four years of struggle. The idea
of a Radio Club came up and 300 members joined providing a
dollar each per year. The money went toward buying new
equipment and the staff was doubled as another radio enthusiast
George Howson helped out. Programming took place about three
times a week for an hour or so and Sunday services were
broadcast from the local churches.
John Langridge, the present manager of CKNX radio recalls
some of the stories Doc used to tell about the early days. The
radio shop which also served as a studio was on main street in
Wingham, one of the lowest places ih town. Somedays, Mr.
Langridge recalls, the signal just wouldn't travel well and
there'd be a call from radio owners saying they couldn't get the
signal. Doc would load up the little transmitter and take it up to
his house located up on this hill, and start broadcasting again
and would be greeted by telephone callers saying that was much
better.
Thursday nights saw a special program in the early days that
featured music, news and often reports on hockey games
completed moments earlier. In fact Doc recalled the story once of
doing an "on -the spot" broadcast of a ball game in Teeswater
using his car as a studio. During the game an errant drive sent
the baseball through the car window and into the makeshift
radio.
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The Thursday night programs included all the local talent Doc
could round up. For a long time it was a highlight of the week for
people to jam into the small broadcasting studio to watch these
programs. Contests were conducted to determine how far away
the programs could be heard. With a power of only 10 watts in
those days before the proliferation of radio stations the signal
was actually picked up as far away as Detroit. and with its
connections with DX Programs, headquartered at Newark New
Jersey, 10 BP went on air one day monthly at 4-5 a.m. in the
morning when the airwaves were comparatively free and was
heard through freak conditions in Australia.
But by 1935 something had to be done. The hobby could be a
hobby no longer. Doc applied for a commercial licence.
Commercial licences for towns the size of Wingham were
unheard of. Colonel Steele was in charge of broadcasting in
Canada at the time and it appeared that Doc wouldn't be
successful. But the local Member of Parliament threatened to
filibuster unless a licence was granted and finally Steele relented
and•agreed to give "the tiny farm community their own radio
station."
It was the beginning of the real growth of the station. Not that
things were an immediate success. It was the Depression
remember. Advertising was sold at 50 cents a spot and revenue
in the first month was $65.50, just over $2.00 per day.
John Langridge recalls Doc coming into the station one day
years later, and looking over the comparatively large staff and
saying to him, "You know I remember the day when I didn't
need all you guys."
With the staff egging him on, Doc pulled out a little book that
he'd kept as his log in those early days. It showed that in the
morning he went out and went up and down the street selling
advertising then came back to the station and read the ads over
the air while he performed the rest of the programming duties.
"Look there", he said. pointing to the book proudly, "I made
two dollars that day."
But slow as it may have been the growth had begun. By 1941
there was a full time staff of 13 persons. One of the early staff
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