Here's one more sign that you're a seasoned radio veteran. A true broadcast pro. Have you ever lived in a trailer? And I'm talking about a 14' wide or smaller. If so, you've paid your dues & you're a true broadcast radio pro. If not, you've not quite arrived yet.
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Lived in a trailer?
- Thread starter MightyFrenchman
- Start date
When I worked for a small AM in Ruidoso Downs, New Mexico I lived in a travel trailer (you know, a 5th wheel RV) provided rent-free by the station.
There was that motivational speaker Matt Foley who lived in a van down by the river. 
But seriously, let us not forget about those who lived atop a mountain during the winter months. The Mt. Washington, NH site comes to mind along with the former W41MM (now WMIT).
http://jeff560.tripod.com/fm-max.html
Doug Bell, who worked at WMIT in 1951, says that Gordon Gray told him that during World War II German U-boats used the signal of the station to plot their locations and used it as a beam to guide them in to the coast of North Carolina. Bell writes in 2001 that the old structure on the mountain was torn down about three years ago. He says the crew lived on the mountain and that the chief engineer's wife cooked for them. Electricity was provided by generators. The wall telephone was a crank-type phone.
But seriously, let us not forget about those who lived atop a mountain during the winter months. The Mt. Washington, NH site comes to mind along with the former W41MM (now WMIT).
http://jeff560.tripod.com/fm-max.html
Doug Bell, who worked at WMIT in 1951, says that Gordon Gray told him that during World War II German U-boats used the signal of the station to plot their locations and used it as a beam to guide them in to the coast of North Carolina. Bell writes in 2001 that the old structure on the mountain was torn down about three years ago. He says the crew lived on the mountain and that the chief engineer's wife cooked for them. Electricity was provided by generators. The wall telephone was a crank-type phone.
voicetrack said:
Rent-free? Actually, that doesn't sound like too bad of an arrangement since rent is usually the biggest slice of any budget.
Lived? No. Worked in a trailer pretending to be a radio station? Yes.
Thankfully they've moved on up to the east side and the trailer bit the dust. Still, hearing the sales ladies scream when they found mice living in their desk drawers every couple of months was kinda fun.
Thankfully they've moved on up to the east side and the trailer bit the dust. Still, hearing the sales ladies scream when they found mice living in their desk drawers every couple of months was kinda fun.
My first radio gig was an AM that WAS in a trailer! Not good when you're spinning vinyl in SW wind storms.
Would anyone in here be familiar with Happy Howard Williamson and WVMG in Cochran Georgia?
WVMG burnt down in the late 70's so Howard just pulled a double wide over the old foundation and kept on playing radio. He also arranged four, very inexpensive, mobile homes out on the property next to the radio station. It was a very interesting setup to say the least.
WVMG burnt down in the late 70's so Howard just pulled a double wide over the old foundation and kept on playing radio. He also arranged four, very inexpensive, mobile homes out on the property next to the radio station. It was a very interesting setup to say the least.
There was an AM in Static,TN (US 127 on the TN/KY line) that had the whole station in a mobile home. I believe that WHAN-LP TV in Salem,IN is in a mobile home...if not, it's in a small pre-fab that was sat on the property. When WXCH's transmitter site in Napoleon,IN burned to the ground in early 2004, a few days later the owner and I were at a used mobile home store looking at "transmitter building". He had a trade with the guy! Somehow I won that argument & got a reasonable facsimile of a real transmitter shack & the mobile home stayed where it was.
BobOnTheJob said:
Yes, pre-fab type with lawn chairs as the furniture. As of summer 2008 anyway.
MightyFrenchman said:
When I was briefly with what was to become EZ Communications (then Radio Fairfax Prince William, Inc.) in 1970, I was the general manager of WDMV (if I recall the calls right) in Richmond,Va, which EZ had bought for $74 k. The format was classical, and the first job was to take the necessary steps to get the fine arts format moved to a non-commercial station so WFMV could become a Beautiful Music station.
Among the perks, along with the $300 a week salary, was the use of the "smaller" trailer among the pines at the site on Midlothian Pike to the west of Richmond. The station itself was in a singe-wide loooong trailer, with the transmitter, sutudios and manager´s office in it. The other trailer was more the size of a medium RV today. One bedoom, a head, and a kitchenette & living area. Considering the price, it was wonderful.
And the commute was about 45 feet.
O
Onesimus
Guest
I've never lived in a trailer, but I've had two beautiful homes foreclosed on. If I ever do full-time radio again, I'll rent (or pay cash for a POS house) ;D
Back in '64, we broadcast in a trailer for almost a year because our station had burned to the ground. Remote board, two turntables, one cart, three pots...one for each turntable, mike pot was the cart pot when mike was off. Hot as hell in the summer sun...we were kind of in the mudflats...the gm traded out gallons of root beer for us to drink...no production room and/or newsroom. I think there was a bathroom but can't really remember. couldn't drink the water anyway at that location because it was yellow/brown...located about a mile down the road from the Phillips oil refinery. We were rock and roll stars however and the women loved us.
Onesimus said:
I am on the other side of that. I have never had a beautiful home foreclosed, but I have bought POS property and made it beautiful over time. I also once rented a trailer on which I did extensive work, including installing storm windows on a beat up screened in porch that I remodeled into a three season room. I did a lattice rail deck, the whole nine yards. The landlord took all of my work off the rent though I never asked him to. He just liked what I did, and when I moved he had no trouble at all renting the place pronto, even as old as it was. In addition to practically renovating the interior and getting reimbursed, I also go my security deposit back with the plea that I go and show the new tenant what was what, and where everything was, because the landlord did not recognize the place. What can I say? I know how I want to live. 8)
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