Radio Memories Vol. 21

In early 1973, Studio Engineering Supervisor Tom Bradford decided to split up the maintenance responsibilities in the studio. While each of us could repair anything that broke down during our regular shifts, each of us was assigned a set of equipment to manage overall. This was in preparation for the modernization and re-cabling of the entire studio plant, the construction of a new studio and control room, and the decommissioning of the old production Studio A, the home of our daily newscasts. Because of my radio experience, I was assigned the audio plant. 

Because it was impossible to do this extensive work while on the air, we took turns working overnights between 12 AM and 8 AM. My first turn at the overnight shift was in February 1973 during which I replaced the passive resistor-based audio distribution system with an active distribution amplifier system. These distribution systems were necessary because most of the equipment was shared among multiple locations in the station. For example, the audio from the air monitor had to be shared with the Master Control, Production Control, and speakers in both studios. 

On Friday night, February 9, 1973, the great southern snowstorm began, dropping the first flake that would become up to two feet of snow across central SC, an area that normally sees 1 to 2 inches of snow per week. Fortunately for me, at the time I was driving a Volkswagen Karmann Ghia and I was able to get home as the dawn was breaking with few problems, thanks to the engine being in the rear of the car. My wife, Susan was working the 4 – 7 PM shift at Baptist Hospital at the time, and by the time for her next shift, the snow depths had reached a point at which most cars could not drive safely. So each afternoon, I’d drive her to work at 4 PM, then back home at 11 PM, then I’d drive to WIS by midnight.

I remember two events from that time that happened on the same day. One TV-related and one not. 

I worked the Midnight to 8 AM shift on Monday, February 12th alone in the station. The station signed on at 6:45 every weekday morning with the live “Bob Bailey” show. Bob was the Clemson Agricultural Extension Agent for Richland County. His show was primarily for farmers, delivering farm reports and crop futures and the like. He always closed his show with a short poem, “He who sows the sod and waits for the seed to break the clod, he trusts in God.” That morning around 6:15, I got a call from my relief telling me that he was having difficulty getting his car started. A few minutes later the switcher operator called with a similar problem. As I hung up the phone, Bob showed up in Master Control, something he had never done before to tell me that there was no floor crew in the studio and it was dark. 

I had already fired up the cameras but had left them “capped” so that no light came through the lens while the Plumbicon tubes in then warmed up.  I uncapped the cameras from the control units in Master Control, ran down to the studio, which had been set up the night before, turned the studio lights on, and pointed the cameras at the setup charts that Bob was holding. I went back upstairs and set up the cameras using both sides of the charts. Bob turned them around when I asked. Once set up, I went back to the studio and framed both cameras around Bob seated at the desk and locked them down.

I ran the sign on at 6:43 AM and at 6:45 I gave Bob a 5-second cue over the “Squawk Box”, punched up camera 1, and turned on Bob’s microphone.  Bob and I did the show with just the two of us. A little after 7 the rest of the morning crew finally got to the station, including the morning news announcer, to get ready for the 7:25 Report that ran in the first hour of The Today Show. 

With the morning shift engineer in the station drinking his coffee, I decided to leave early. I walked out the front door of 1111 Bull Street into a cold grey dawn. The snow had continued over the weekend and there were now 14 – 16 inches of snow on the ground. And there was slushy ice on the streets. Fortunately, because of the snow, there was almost no traffic on the streets.

As I approached the train overpass on Gervais Street in my bright red 1970 Volkswagen Karman Ghia, I noticed that I was slipping a bit, even with the weight of my engine over my real-wheel drive. At the corner of Gervais and Harden Streets, I noticed that some of the drivers who had stopped at the stop light were digging themselves out to get moving again. I began to adjust my speed as I approached the stop lights in order to avoid coming to a full stop at a red light. 

I successfully navigated the lights at Gervais and Millwood, Millwood at Woodrow, and Millwood at Maple and I was beginning to feel a little cocky. However, as I approached the intersection of Millwood and Devine Streets, another driver pulled out in front of me and slowed down enough for him to make the green light, but I was not going to make it. Dang! 

With that driver turning off before the intersection there was no other traffic on the road. Well, almost no other traffic; a car stuck in the snow and ice with a police car nearby. The policeman was helping the driver dig out. 

The light turned red. I was going to have to stop to avoid running it. I looked at the light. I looked at the policeman. He looked at the light. He looked at me, and I carefully and deliberately ran the light, slowly.  After passing the light, which was clearly still red, I looked in the rearview mirror to see if he was going to get in his car and pull me over. To my delight, he stepped out to where I could easily see him and applauded! I guess he was happy to not have to dig someone else out of the slush. 

Sometimes, you are very lucky!

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Photo Credits: COLAtoday