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Thursday, December 7, 2023

Radio History: December 7


➦In 1907...Arch Oboler born (Died at age 79 – March 19, 1987). He was a playwright, screenwriter, novelist, producer, and director who was active in radio, films, theater, and television. He generated much attention with his radio scripts, particularly the horror series Lights Out, and his work in radio remains the outstanding period of his career. Praised as one of broadcasting's top talents, he is regarded today as a key innovator of radio drama.

➦In 1921...KWG (now 1230 AM) in Stockton, CA was licensed. It was initially licensed to the Portable Wireless Telephone Company as the second formally licensed broadcasting station west of the Mississippi River. In addition, it traces its history to an earlier amateur station operated by Paul Oard. Today it is owned by IHR Educational Broadcasting and airs inspirational "Catholic Talk Radio" programming.

➦In 1930…Experimental Boston TV station W1XAV broadcast a video portion of CBS radio’s “The Fox Trappers” orchestra program.

➦In 1938...The St. Louis Dispatch begins a two-year experiment to deliver newspapers by radio facsimile, first transmission via W9XZY KSD-AM (now KTRS). It was the world’s first daily newspaper transmitted by radio signals to facsimile printers located in homes. The daily special edition of the Post-Dispatch was published for two years. The newspaper was dubbed the “radio edition” and was transmitted via ultra-high frequency.




➦In 1941... For most Americans, news of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor came as an interruption to their favorite radio programs on an otherwise tranquil Sunday afternoon on December 7th, 1941. An Associated Press bulletin at 2:22 PM Eastern Standard Time first reported the attack to mainland news organizations and radio networks. After confirming the initial bulletin with the government, the major radio networks interrupted regular programming beginning at 2:30 PM, bringing news of the attack which was still in progress,

In  New York City,  station WOR broke into the local broadcast of the Giants and Dodgers game while CBS informed listeners of the attack at 2:25 PM EST.  NBC broadcast their first bulletin nearly 4 minutes later at 2:29:50 PM . Within minutes the CBS radio network broke into normal programming with more information read by announcer John Daly.

Honolulu NBC radio affiliate KGU, provided the first and most comprehensive radio coverage of the event. What was not known at the time was that Japanese planes, still swarming overhead in Honolulu, had used the station's signal to guide their planes to Hawaii.

While the attack was still in progress a reporter for KGU radio climbed to the roof of the Advertiser Building in downtown Honolulu with microphone in hand and called the NBC Blue Network on the phone with the first eyewitness account of the attack,  "This battle has been going on for nearly three hours... It's no joke, it's a real war" said the reporter.     Ironically, a Honolulu telephone operator interrupted the broadcast after 2 ½ minutes declaring a need for the line for an emergency call.

The attack on Pearl Harbor was an unannounced military strike conducted by the Japanese navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on the morning of December 7, 1941. It resulted in the United States' entry into World War II. The attack was intended as a preventive action in order to keep the U.S. Pacific Fleet from influencing the war that the Empire of Japan was planning in Southeast Asia against Britain and the Netherlands, as well as the U.S. in the Philippines. The attack consisted of two aerial attack waves totaling 353 aircraft, launched from six Japanese aircraft carriers.

The attack sank four U.S. Navy battleships (two of which were raised and returned to service later in the war) and damaged four more. The Japanese also sank or damaged three cruisers, three destroyers, and one minelayer, destroyed 188 aircraft, and killed 2,402 and wounded 1,282.  Japanese losses were minimal, with 29 aircraft and five midget submarines lost, and 65 servicemen killed or wounded. One Japanese sailor was captured.

The nation's only Sunday afternoon newspaper was the only paper in the country that got word of the attack on Pearl Harbor into its regular edition.  On Sunday, Dec. 7, 1941, Publisher George B. Utter stopped the presses to get the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on the front page. While the attack occurred at 2:22 p.m. EST, the Sun reported it as 2:23 p.m. in its headline. With history altered by a minute, the Sun got the story in its regular Sunday edition.

Note: America First Committee, referenced at the end of the story above, was an isolationist organization that was opposed to America becoming involved on the War in Europe.

The committee claimed a membership of 800,000 and attracted such leaders as General Robert E. Wood, the aviator Charles A. Lindbergh, and Senator Gerald P. Nye. Though failing in its campaigns to block the Lend-Lease Act, the use of the U.S. Navy for convoys, and the repeal of the Neutrality Act, its public pressure undoubtedly discouraged greater direct military aid to a Great Britain beleaguered by Nazi Germany. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the committee dissolved and urged its members to support the war effort.

➦In 1941...Chattanooga Choo Choo by The Glenn Miller Orchestra was the number one song in the U-S.


➦In 1947...NBC Radio presented the “Horace Heidt Youth Opportunity Program” for the first time. The talent show earned Dick Contino, an accordionist, the $5,000 prize as the program’s first national winner. Over the years Heidt gave some big stars their big starts: Art Carney, Frankie Carle, Gordon MacRae, the King Sisters, Alvino Rey, Ken Berry, Frank DeVol, Al Hirt and many others.

➦In 1955...Robert Sarnoff was elected president/CEO of NBC. Sarnoff, the eldest son of network founder David Sarnoff, was promoted to put NBC on the road to economic self-sufficiency, replacing the rather flamboyant (and big spending) president/CEO Pat Weaver.

➦In 1959... Montreal’s later-to-become legendary “Top 40” radio station, CKGM, signed on for the first time, at 980 KHz with 10,000 watts.  Today it is all-sports CHRF with 50,000 watts.

➦In 1960...WABC-AM, launched its "Top 40" format. Courtesy of musicradio77.com, the Top40 WABC tribute site.  Here's the Day One line-up:

  • 6AM     HERB OSCAR ANDERSON
  • 10:00   Breakfast Club - Don McNeill
  • 11:00   CHARLIE GREER
  • 1:00     FARRELL SMITH
  • 3:00     JACK CARNEY
  • 6:00     Newscope
  • 7:30     CHUCK DUNAWAY
  • 10:00   SCOTT MUNI
  • 12Mid   BIG JOE'S HAPPINESS EXCHANGE
  • 4:00A   BILL OWEN

Plus, here's an early WABC aircheck.  July 3, 1961 was Dan Ingram's first day on-air at WABC.

➦In 1977…Peter Goldmark, developer of the LP (long playing) 33 1/3 rpm record and the first commercial color television system, died in a car accident at the age of 71.

➦In 1994...Radio personality Howard Stern talked a man out of trying to kill himself.

➦In 1999...The RIAA filed a lawsuit against file-sharer  Napster file-sharing, on charges of copyright infringement.

➦In 2014...New York-based Radio, TV personality John Bartholomew Tucker died at age 84.  Along with Big Wilson, Tucker was one of the last two hosts of the long-running NBC Radio weekend show Monitor. On TV in the early 70’s he hosted a morning show on WABC-TV called A.M. New York, which served as the genesis for what is now Good Morning America.

Priscilla Barnes s 66
🎂HAPPY BIRTHDAYS:
  • Actor Ellen Burstyn is 91. 
  • Country singer Gary Morris is 75. 
  • Singer Tom Waits is 74. 
  • Actor Priscilla Barnes (“Jane the Virgin,” “Three’s Company”) is 66. 
  • Announcer Edd Hall (“The Tonight Show With Jay Leno”) is 65. 
  • Bassist Tim Butler of Psychedelic Furs is 65. 
  • Actor Patrick Fabian (“Better Call Saul”) is 58. 
  • Actor Jeffrey Wright (“Westworld”) is 58. 
  • Actor C. Thomas Howell is 57.
  • Actor Kimberly Hebert Gregory (“Kevin (Probably) Saves the World”) is 51. 
  • Rapper Kon Artis of D12 is 49. 
  • Singer Nicole Appleton of All Saints is 48. 
  • Singer Frankie J (Kumbia Kings) is 47. 
  • Country singer Sunny Sweeney is 47. 
  • Actor Shiri Appleby (“UnREAL,” “Roswell”) is 45. 
  • Singer Sara Bareilles is 44. 
  • Actor Jennifer Carpenter (“Limitless,” “Dexter”) is 44. 
  • Actor Jack Huston (“Boardwalk Empire”) is 41.

✞REMEMBRANCES
  • In 1977..Peter Carl Goldmark, Hungarian-American engineer (developed the 33-1/3 rpm LP phonograph record format), dies in a car accident at 77
  • In 1990..Dee Clark, American pop singer ("Raindrops"), dies at 52
  • In 2008..Dennis Yost, American vocalist, dies at 65
  • In 2011..Harry Morgan, American actor (December Bride; M*A*S*H, 1975-83 - "Col. Sherman Potter"; AfterMASH; Dragnet - "Bill Gannon"), dies in his sleep at 96
  • In 2020..Chuck Yeager, American test pilot who was the 1st man to break the sound barrier, dies at 97
  • In 2020..Dick Allen, American baseball infielder (7 × MLB All-Star; NL Rookie of the Year 1964, Philadelphia Phillies; AL MVP 1972, Chicago White Sox), dies at 78

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