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WHIS Success Story Began In 1922(CPag* 3 ! automatic equipment, and onApril 21. 1963 was back in F.Mmusic cfelcimers and gut- bisinessl# *• V*-** m 1w iUwn? % *Small But Selectlbbuckets pfcrJEag put M’.IbQly tu-es filled more Cecil Surratt’s“RFD Jamboree. a daily pro- | The WHIS-FM audience todaygram, was the first organized country mus:c shows. Bill Hie- ,kock originated The Circle 6 Ranch. which from the first jwas one of the most popular shows on WHIS After Hiekock moved on. the show was taken over by “Scoop *n Snoop.” and despite various chances in title, the program itself still boasts a higher audience rating than most network shows in this area.room and lounge. The West corner of this section houses a well-equipped art department a n d | photographic dark room.Immediately behind the spa-is admittedly small and selective cious lobby and offices is a film by AM standards, preferring the department, extensive record li-souod of big bands and stand- brary, radio control room eon-amis, svmphonv orchestras and taining the most advanced AM classes’ to combos and rock ’n equipment, the completely auto-roll Nevertheless, recognizing its matic FM facility, and the audio responsibility ;.s broadcasters to Production control room where even a small audience. WHIS all local continuity Is converted has continued to expand and im- t0 Ampex tare audio cartridges prove its FM service. To permit *or ^x^1 radio and television.motorists to enjoy the benefits of There are two large television FM. ertical polanzation was in- studios, one equally accessible to“Scoop ’n Snoop?” In the beginning. 0. C. Young “filled time” by reading and commenting on items in the local newspaper. between cliff-hanger movie serials. Ray Brooks, cameraman. often ad libbed with him. and sarcastically dubbed Young “Scoop ” 0. C. was just as quick to hang the tag of “Snoop” on Ray. Their keen humor, quick-wit repartee and unrehearsed comic shenanigans keep Scoop’n Snoop much in demand for personal appearances today.With the death of Pat Flanagan in 1958, the managerial duties fell to John Shott. Like his father, Jim, John had adream, too: someday WHISwould have its own home.Slow Workstalled Basically, a frequencymodulation wave is a horizontal signal. In order for automobileRadio Control for production of Hve radio programs. The main TV studio covers 1,673 sq. feetantennas to pick up the FM of floor space, and is 24 feetbeam, WHIS Installed a vertically polarized antenna. Then inhigh. This portion of the building extends both below and above iJanuary, 1966, WHIS-FM con- the office level. The structure;verted to full dimensional stereo also contains vast prop rooms,broadcasting to provide the very finest in recorded sound.stemaroas. and a comolete work shop for building sets, main-Eventually the time was ripe taining electronic equipment, etc.and the opportunity presenteditself to purchase a beautifulsite in the foothills of East River Mountain, diagonally 1.200feet below the transmitters towering above the mountain’s top.Not too far from town — not toodose la. 252!;Plans were drawn up for the unique structure required for radio and television purposes. Once the general plan was approved,bids were let and a contract en-At many times during the in- tered into with Corte Construe*hrea® tion Company.tervenmg years, the seemed merely that — at least to the staff and artists trudgingup and down three steep stairs of steps to the loft” in theTough TerrainMunicipal Building! But it was jV’J.necessary to move slowly and j0CKcarefully in planning a newhome for WHIS. ‘We wantedto be sure that we would comeup with the best possible facilities that would serve ourpurposes for a long, long time and would be a credit to t h e community,” Mr. Shott said.With television growing byleaps and bounds, radio — like the movies — went into a doleful •lump. Who wanted to just listen to “Amos 'n Andv” when they could see them, too? Good question, but radio — practicallygasping ts last breath — found the answer. Music! Throw out soap operas, stories, “shows ” Let those who wanted to watch, watch ... but radio was a medium for listening companion. That realization was radio’s salvation. With post-warminiaturization and transistorization, radio made a dramatic comeback. Radio transistors went everywhere people went, and everywhere people went,they listened! Today, the radio industry is grossing far more in time sales than it ever dreamedpossible!And aExcavation began in the early Spring of 1965, and once more terrain presented a stumbling— or stumbling stone, in this case. The combination of rock and shale made excavationdifficult, lengthy and costly. It was referred to by the impatient staff as our WO.000 hole in the ground.”The trials and tribulations encountered in the fictional “Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House” sound trivial compared to the construction of a broadcast facility. Scott Shott, brother of John and senior attorney for the National Broadcasting Company’s Hollywood studios, came home to help and to assume theposition of manager of WHIS-TV. George Hendrick, former Sales i Manager, had been named manager of Radio, as John succeed-! ed Hugh Shott as general man-a personal j ager of Broadcast activities forthe Daily Telegraph Priming Company.Beneath the 13,500 square feet of floor space in the new building is a maze of miles of cable, pipes and wiring as part of the intricate electronic schematic for broadcast purposes, a 11 engineered under the direction of Kenneth Dick, WHIS’s Chief Engineer and his staff.Overnight MoveIThe radio portion of the build- ! ing was electronically ready for joccupancy by late December, j 1966. The physical move took place between sign off at midnight, December 26, and sign on at 5:45 a.m. December 27. !On January 3. 1967 all office personnel reported for work at Broadcast Center — despite the deepest snow of the year. Again, there was one hitch: due to inclement weather and late ; arrival of vital equipment, it was necessary to delay actual telecasting from the new studios, leaving a small technicalcrew in the otherwise deserted Municipal Building “loft.”On January 16, again between sign off and sign on. complete operation of WHIS-AM-FM-TVat Broadcast Center became a reality. All without loss of a single minute of air time — an engineering feat thought to be impossible.The Daily Telegraph Printing Company, proud owner of the new facility, estimates overall costs at $500,000, including land, construction, total energy system. additional equipment and furnishings. Paved drives and landscaping are yet to come!End of a dream? Not by a long shot.“The broadcasting industry Is still comparatively young and growing,” says General Manager John Shott. “Now we have a facility of our own to permit us to grow with it! Our next major step will be installation of local color telecasting, and much of the necessary equipment is now on order.”great11------atnewidea InSKIRTLESS SWEATERSCOPENHAGEN, Denmark (WNS) — Elsie Moeller and Ger-The reddish-brown brick a n d | da Arne, who made college extry — FM! Fifteen years after WHIS had written FM off as arad.o was sweeping the coua-1 concrete block structure is split- j penses by designing mim-sldrtslevel, with offices of normal ceiling height extending alongloss, it dusted off its old federal the front overlooking East Cum-authorization to transmit at 104 5 j beriand Roadon the megacycle band, renewed its license, bought the fancy newlast semester, have switched to knitting maxi - pullovers thissemester. “O u r sweaters are and some 150 I sufficiently long so that they re-yarrds below, and down the West quire no skirts to go with them,”side to the employee’s snack explained Miss Moeller.
Newspaper Details
Bluefield Daily Telegraph
Bluefield, West Virginia, US
Sun, Apr 09, 1967
Page 17
Full Page
Clipped by
Sammi B.
NA 10 May 2021
Other Publications Near Bluefield, West Virginia
Bluefield Evening Leader
Bluefield Daily Leader
Bluefield Sunset News
Bluefield Sunday Telegraph
The New Daily Telegraph
