Emergency Daylight Savings Time Energy Conservation Act 1974

[Schroedingers Cat]

The Emergency DST act was passed in 1973, and took effect in January, 1974. It was ostensibly to save energy by not having to use as many lights during the early evening hours. This was during the so called "Energy Crisis" when oil prices began to skyrocket the first time.

AM Daytimers with no Presunrise Authority screamed, because it meant some stations couldn't sign on until 9:00 AM or later. This was usually those daytimers on Clear Channels. Class III-Ss loved it, many having 500 watts, sometimes omni, from 6:00 AM, and operating for another hour in the evening. So they authorized stations ineligible for PSA to sign on an hour earlier with 50 watts. WJJD 1160 Chicago was one that was authorized 50 watts presunrise. They were about the same skywave field strength as KSL with just 50 watts in Southeast Michigan.

WLIB 1190 New York City complained that 50 watts wasn't enough, and was eventually authorized 100 watts presunrise.

The DST scheme really didn't work well and was repealed shortly after. School children were having to go to school in the dark and that didn't sit well politically. I compare these schemes to Congress trying to repeal The First Law Of Thermodynamics to save energy.

But for a brief time in early 1974, there were DX logs of these 50 watt stations.

Do any of the rest of you remember this? What did you log?

 

[radioman148]

I remember it well & going to work in the dark was no fun. I didn't log anything special, but here in the Chicago area I remember listening to the east coast stations an hour later than I usually did. Hearing Harry Harrison in the morning on WABC an hour later in the midwest sure seemed strange.

 

[Cincinnati Kid]

I remember this as well. Unfortunately, it was enough to get up, get ready for work and get out the door so I really don't remember listening to any out-of-town radio stations at the time. However, I do easily recall parents complaints of the dangers to children walking to school or just to the bus stop in the blackness of those winter days. Ironic to me how government representatives were more concerned about electrical usage than the lives of children. I do give credit for it being stopped fairly quickly.

 

[FreddyE1977]

ahhh.....fond memories of my school days and the Many Failures of Jimmy Carter
(going to school in the dark, sitting there with my winter coat on all day as he had all
the thermostats set to 55 degrees with at least half the lights turned off, coming back
home and listening to all the adults complain about spending 3 hours in a gas line, etc.)

 

[rbrucecarter5]

Another prime example of the government doing too much. Like when they approved the fatally flawed iBiquity system. Beware of Democans and Republicrats!!! Neither are your friends, or friends to radio.

 

[drt]

ahhh.....fond memories of my school days and the Many Failures of Jimmy Carter
(going to school in the dark, sitting there with my winter coat on all day as he had all
the thermostats set to 55 degrees with at least half the lights turned off, coming back
home and listening to all the adults complain about spending 3 hours in a gas line, etc.)

Richard Nixon was still the president and in the White House during this period of time. (granted less than a year later, Gerald Ford was president).

As a point of interest, yesterday (10 Jan 2013) would have been Richard Nixon's 100th birthday and there was a somber celebration, including Tricia Nixon Cox and Julie Nixon Eisenhower being in attendance.

drt,
st. petersburg,fl

 

[FreddyE1977]

Yes, you are correct. That was under Nixon (though I vaguely recall Carter made
some attempt to tinker with DST too).

I guess the Carter Presidency only seems like it lasted 37 years.

 

[drt]

Yes, you are correct. That was under Nixon (though I vaguely recall Carter made
some attempt to tinker with DST too).

I guess the Carter Presidency only seems like it lasted 37 years.

Just remember this date - as a date that I was correct, that seldom happens!



drt,
st. petersburg,fl

 

[crainbebo]

That wasn't the only gas skyrocket. I think about four times last year the gas executives (or some excuse) caused gas prices to go up to $4.25 here in WA. "Summer blend" difficulties, a CA fire, and $4 prices as an "ad" to get you to vote for Romney. (from what I heard from another poster, I think freddye1977).

-crainbebo

 

[Schroedingers Cat]

I'm trying to think of other examples of stations that were authorized for 50 watts. I would think WAIT 820 and WMBI 1110, but I don't remember trying to hear them. WBAP is normally much stronger than KSL, and WBT and KFAB are normally much stronger than KSL also. WLIB would have been impossible with the good old 50000 watt fulltime WOWO.

 

[cyberdad]

I missed out on all the 1974 DST "festivities". I was working 4AM-noon at a 5kw fulltime station (III-A in those days). Doing news. It really didn't affect us. And since I was at work, I wasn't able to DX.

We'd occasionally get calls from DXers...but most of those came in the summer, and had to do with our TV and FM stations regarding tropo or e-skip.

 

[gar hi]

I never got the concept of daylight savings time.

There's no such thing as an 'extra hour of daylight'. Jeez. :



People can follow the weirdest things sometimes.

 

[Schroedingers Cat]

Benjamin Franklin is credited with "inventing" Daylight Savings Time. And it is used worldwide. It just doesn't work in November, December, January, and February with work and school schedules. And any energy savings is questionable. Jimmy Carter would have cooked up much the same scheme though. It's amazing some of the things that Richard Nixon did that many would call liberal today. One example is wage and price controls to stop runaway inflation. President Nixon's Economic Plan never worked either, but President Carter's was a disaster.

As Lamont Dozier wrote in the song "The Fish Ain't Bitin'"

With Phase Two, I thought I was through,
And Phase Four is gonna put me out the back door,
I'm down on my knees, beggin' you please,
...
Tricky Dick, please quit.

While this song was still on the charts, Richard Nixon resigned!

 

[tomservo]

DST is so stupid. It's been repealed in all countries except a handful of (mostly former) British colonies, as I understand it.

For those that complained of school children walking in the dark, we had (and still have) street lights, flash lights and cell phones. No one drops out of school any more to harvest crops and most kids are driven to school these days or sit at a bus stop where there's a street light.

The benefits no longer outweigh the hassles, in my opinion, at least as far as the general public are concerned. How would a repeal of DST affect AM stations?

 

[radioman148]

Regarding DST it makes sense to me to have it during the summer months. It's far more useful to have the daylight until
9PM than having the sunrise at 4AM.
The part that I don't like is when they extended it from late April until early March. IMO that seems useless.

 

[Cincinnati Kid]

DST started here in the Summer of 1967. I've never liked it and have always questioned why change a "standard" (such as "standard time")?

It did delay those who wish to DX or people with few radio stations in their area to wait longer to pick up the large 50 KW stations they had come to depend on for night-time listening. It also posed problems for drive-in movies who had to wait until later to start their films - especially a problem on weekday nights.

DST may have been of more use decades ago when there were fewer parks, ball fields and public areas with lights or when fewer homes had outdoor lighting.

 

[dave73]

Regarding DST it makes sense to me to have it during the summer months. It's far more useful to have the daylight until
9PM than having the sunrise at 4AM.
The part that I don't like is when they extended it from late April until early March. IMO that seems useless.

I have found that in March, my local area wouldn't see the sun until well after 7am, with a peep of light after 6:15am. At night, the sun set no later than it did under standard time. So I see no need for DST either. I live in Indiana, but in an area that has always observed DST. Back in 2000 when I traveled thru Lafayette Indiana, the summer months had the sunset about the same time as Gary. I can only imagine that the sunsets in the same area toward 10pm under DST, since all of Indiana now observes DST.

 

[crainbebo]

I love DST during the summer. I really dislike sunsets at 4PM in Dec/Jan, because during the summer you get about 4.5-5 hours more of daylight. Sometimes near the solstice I can see the sun's rays at the coast until well after 10PM.

-crainbebo

 

[cyberdad]

DST is so stupid. It's been repealed in all countries except a handful of (mostly former) British colonies, as I understand it.

I don't disagree with a lot of points that have been made here, but I also don't really have strong feelings on the subject. But FWIW, most of Eurpoe uses DST....although the start and end dates are slightly different than hours. My daughter has lived in the UK for 11 years, and there the time switch in both spring and fall is within a week or two of us.

Also FWIW, I've been to Greenwich a few times, but I've never been in a conversation with anyone about how the rest of the world treats "their" GMT. I have however stopped in at the "First Pub in the Western Hemisphere", which serves a mean spicy tandori chicken appetizer! ;D

 

[radioman148]

DST is so stupid. It's been repealed in all countries except a handful of (mostly former) British colonies, as I understand it.

I don't disagree with a lot of points that have been made here, but I also don't really have strong feelings on the subject. But FWIW, most of Eurpoe uses DST....although the start and end dates are slightly different than hours. My daughter has lived in the UK for 11 years, and there the time switch in both spring and fall is within a week or two of us.

Also FWIW, I've been to Greenwich a few times, but I've never been in a conversation with anyone about how the rest of the world treats "their" GMT. I have however stopped in at the "First Pub in the Western Hemisphere", which serves a mean spicy tandori chicken appetizer! ;D

Speaking of Greenwich, I really enjoyed my visit to the observatory about 30 years ago. I actually stood on the Prime Meridian with one foot in the western world & one foot in the eastern world. Cool place!