"Jack" Cleary
WN2Q
(WOLF)
In
February 1941 I went to Buffalo and took exam for my amateur
license. Passed and received call W8VSP. Much of my success
was due to Les Schmidt-W8TJK. Les was a transmitter operator
at WOLF and a year after I got my license, it was February
1942, Les rapped on my door about 9P.M. one night and asked if
I would like to work for WOLF. The next day I walked out to
the transmitter, interviewed with Dave Foote the chief
engineer, and he hired me.
At
that time the transmitter engineers at WOLF were Dave Foote,
Les Schmidt, Bert Kelley, and another fellow whose name I
can't recall. All these fellows were hams. I was hired to take
over at the studio for Stu Green who was going into the army.
In July of 1942 Les Schmidt went into the army and I started
working at the transmitter. Eventually, Bert, Dave, and the
other fellow went into service. That's when Tom Crimmins and
Alf Carlson joined WOLF engineering as transmitter operators.
The three of us kept things working. As I recall operating
hours extended from 6a.m. until sign-off at 2a.m. the next
morning.
My
starting salary was $20 per week. By July 1946 1 was making
$40 per week. In July 1943 I left WOLF for the Merchant
Marine. I was getting $22 per week at WOLF working full time
at the transmitter. My first year in the Merchant Marine I
sailed coastwise and returned to home port of New York City
and would come home for a few days and work at WOLF studio and
transmitter. Then Id go back to my ship for another trip. In
June 1946 I left the Merchant Marine and came back to WOLF
studio on the night trick at $34 per week. Started at 6p.m.
and ran controls till 2a.m. sign off. Working conditions at
WOLF were great and my time with them was the happiest and
least stressful of all the places I have ever worked. It was a
fun place to be in the early'40s.
During the war Don Muir was
chief engineer at WOLF. I think he had come from the police
departments radio station. All the transmitter guys were hams.
The war had ended and NY became put of the FCC 2nd district so
all calls of the fellows working Syracuse radio became W2
calls.
By
July 1946 my salary was raised to $40 per week. And in
November 1946 it was raised to $48 because I had obtained my
First Class Radiotelephone License. Prior to that time I
operated at the transmitter on a Restricted Radiotelephone
License, which the FCC allowed because of the shortage of
operators during the war years. I also had a Second Class
Radiotelegraph License for my Merchant Marine service. There
was an unwritten agreement among stations back in the 40's
regarding hiring engineering or on-the-air talent from another
station. In 1947 a job opened up at WFBL for a studio operator
and I heard about it. I went to Sherm Marshall, head of WOLF,
and told him I was interested. He made a call and I started
work at WFBL on January 1, 1947 as studio and field engineer
at $190 per month. WFBL was a CBS affiliate station running
5000 watts day and night. At sundown we would go directional.
Sign-on was 5a.m. with the Deacon Doubleday Farm Show and sign
off at 12 midnight. Jim Kelley was chief, Walt Stonger was
studio supervisor and Harold Mabes was transmitter
supervisor.
WFBL
studios were on the 11th floor of the Onondaga Hotel. The
property at 433 South Warren Street had been purchased and was
being renovated for studios and business offices. Walt Songer
and Bob Aller put full time installing studio equipment on the
second floor and I was hired to relieve Bob. I was the only
ham at the studio; all the fellows at the transmitter were
active amateurs at that time.
Some
other items of interest: WOLF transmitter was a
250-watt Collins with associated equipment. One guyed tower
and a small cinder block building consisting of transmitter
room, small sleeping room with bunk beds and toilet. It was
located at Van Rensselaer and West Kirkpatrick Sts. in
lowlands often referred to as Oil City.
WOLF
Studios:
Located on the second floor of the Chimes Building on South
Salina and West Onondaga Sts. Business offices and studios
consisted of studio A and studio B, a control room, and an
adjacent small announcer's studio. This was used in 95% of the
days operation. I dont ever remember Studio A being used for
on-air programs. Studio B was used for musical and religious
programs. On-air programming was 78 r.p.m. records in 15 and
30-minute segments. Pop bands, singers like Bing Crosby, a
five minute news break every hour on the hour, a half hour
classical program from 2p.m. to 2:30p.m. and a western show
for a half hour in the early evening. At 10p.m. the very
popular Sandman Serenade program started and ran till sign-off
at 2a.m. It consisted of all 78rpm records selected from
call-in requests. People would call starting a 9a.m. all day
long, even after the night operator left at 9p.m. The
announcer and control operator would take the calls right up
till 2p.m. RCA equipment included the control board and two
turntables. Records only were played, no tapes.
WFBL: The control console and
audio racks were Western Electric equipment, custom built, all
industrial black. The music library was a file of 16" World
transcription discs and two turntables. Two studios plus a
small recording studio. Entering from the 11th floor hallway
was like coming into a living room. Rugs on the floor, leather
sofa and chairs, large monitor speaker, low, pleasant
lighting. Programming was all picked up from the CBS network
from about 10a.m. with the Arthur Godfrey Show, soap opera
drama programs, plus local news, sports, and some music. I
would work live remote programs from the Syracuse Hotel
Ballroom at 11:30p.m. till midnight signoff several nights a
month.