Tuesday, April 11, 2017

WCBN STUDIOS


 
WEQN Control Room, 1953,  Jim Halleran at control board 


WEQN Studio, 1953.  Chuck Reynolds, newscaster
delivering the Lucky Strike News
. 

American Tobacco Company's    Lucky Strike cigarette business was a dependable sponsor for newscasts.  Their ad agency sponsored news programming on student-run campus radio stations nationwide, and maintained a well-organized support program for affiliate stations.  They provided scripts and publicity materials to affiliate stations.


WQRS Control Board 1953


KVSQ Control Room 1953
T
erry Godwin at controls, Jim Evans standing.


John Szucs and Chuck Reynolds
WEQN Teletype Room, 1953


East Quad Council Room, Fall 1953
Foreground: lounge furniture for residents and conference table.  WEQN Workroom in the distance beyond the piano,  An old four-drawer dresser against back wall was used for WEQN equipment storage.
WEQN Special Christmas Program, December 1953.
Kathy Kneske, Gerry Jakowsky
Bob Keysmith, Bibi Lamarque.


WEQN.  "Mister Tibbs" sitting atop wood equipment racks  When the three stations KVSQ, WEQN, and WQRS, were first connected to form the Campus Broadcasting Network, station-to-station switching was done manually at each station.  If no one was expected to be available to make the switch, the job was assigned to WHTBIS (whoever happens to be in studio).  WTHBIS morphed into Mr. Tibbs.  Tibbs-the-pumpkin met an untimely death after sitting atop a warm equipment rack for a few days.


The new WEQN Control Board, handmade by Chief Engineer John F. Bennett during the summer of 1955.   It was a masterful piece of work: an anodized aluminum panel in a beautifully finished wood cabinet.   And it was totally impractical. There were no shelves or any other flat surfaces where DJs could stash records.  The DJs hated it.   Eventually other volunteer staff members installed it in a new cabinet with a flat top. 



In 1955 WEQN moved into new studios, a part of a larger project called "Operation Ransom"This project was partially funded by at the East Quad Council through a loan from the University administration; hence the name "Operation Ransom."   During the reconstruction work,  WEQN moved into temporary space, a small room once known as the "Pressing Room".   Fortunately most of the construction work took place during the summer of 1955 so the station was forced to use pressing room only for a few weeks at the start of the fall semester.

East Quad north basement before Operation Ransom.   Note the large conference room and the small space occupied by WEQN.





East Quad north basement after Operation Ransom.   The former WEQN space has been converted to two music-practce rooms.  The old conference room now includes larger space for WEQN, space for the newly-founded Benzinger Library, and a larger maintenance shop for the building maintenance department. The East Quad Council now meets in a much smaller space. 



WEQN staff reviewing (or pretending to review) the floor plans for the new studio.  From left; Gene Moulton, Tom Engle, Bob Keysmith, John Szucs.   Neal McLain standing behind.



Dick Ballard in the temporary East Quad "studio" located in a large room (officially called a "pressing room") during Operation Ransom construction.


John Szucs reading the news.
Lucky Strike Newscast from the temporary WEQN studio in the Pressing Room.


Neal McLain working on a carrier-current transmitter in the temporary studio (pressing room) at WEQN (by now called WCBN-EQ).  After the three stations were interconnected we began to add transmitters in Women's Residences on "The Hill."  This might have been one of those transmitters.


WCBN-EQ in its new control room, Tuesday November 6, 1956.   WCBN covered the Presidential Election in which Republican Dwight D. Eisenhower won the election over the Democratic nominee Adlai Stevenson.

Sunday, April 9, 2017

REMOTE BROADCASTS PART I





BASEBALL GAME, FERRY FIELD
SPRING 1954 

WCBN crew outside the pressbox.

WCBN crew outside the pressbox with Terry Godwin at the controls.  The control panel mounted inside a box was known as The Remler.
- - - - - - - - - - -

MICHICAST, YOST FIELD HOUSE
SPRING 1954
Michicast was the name WCBN aplied to its coverage of a two-day biennial known as Michigras.  Student organizations, sororities, fraternities, and commercial vendors occupied exhibit booths.

Yost Field House floor plan showing location of WCBN facilities.

Neal McLain attaches the WCBN sign.

John Szucs at the controls

 Neal McLain at the controls as Bill Russel reads the latest reports from Michigras 1954

Russ Brown reporting live from Michigras.


- - - - - - - - - - -
   
DON MATHESON'S BAND 
SOUTH QUAD CLUB 600
SPRING 1955
 Don Matheson's Band at Club 600

Bill Russell and Kathy Kneiske interview 
Paul McDonough, at Club 600


 Neal McLain at the contols as John Schick looks on

- - - - - - - - - - -

STUDENT GOVERNMENT COUNCIL
ELECTION COVERAGE BY WCBN 
MICHIGAN UNION BALLROOM
FALL 1956
 m
Michigan Union Ballroom during he counting of the ballots


WCBN Technical Crew
Steve Fields, Tip Cushmore
Bob Lippert


Bill Butler interviewing Dr. Bingley.

County ballots and reporting the results


Don Mullally at the adding machine.

The WCBN technical crew with the ballot counters.

- - - - - - - - - - -
THE DIAG MARATHON
WCBN REPORTING LIVE FROM THE DIAG 
FALL 1956

  The WCBN Tent on the Diag
 
Reporting Live from the WCBN Tent on the Diag
 

WCBN Technical Crew 
Jim Clapper and Dick Reppard.


Reporters Al Klein, Bob Gade (?) and unknonw