• Get involved.
    We want your input!
    Apply for Membership and join the conversations about everything related to broadcasting.

    After we receive your registration, a moderator will review it. After your registration is approved, you will be permitted to post.
    If you use a disposable or false email address, your registration will be rejected.

    After your membership is approved, please take a minute to tell us a little bit about yourself.
    https://www.radiodiscussions.com/forums/introduce-yourself.1088/

    Thanks in advance and have fun!
    RadioDiscussions Administrators

Lived in a trailer?

Living in a trailer brings back some crazy memories. In 1970, my first job out of college was at WILO in Frankfort, IN. At that time, Frankfort had no apartments available for rent. One of the other announcers at the station suggested I buy a mobile home and move it to the trailer park on the NW side of town where he lived. He assured me there were spaces available there and he was "good buddies" with the owner of the Park. So, I spent a whole Saturday in Indianapolis roaming the West Washington Street trailer dealers and finally found a stripped down 12 X 60 that I could afford and "live with". I filled out all the paperwork for a loan, putting down about $500. I think the total price including moving it to Frankfort was only about $4500 or $5000. On Monday morning, I went out to the trailer park in Frankfort to rent a space that my buddy at WILO assured me would be there for me. Well....The owner absolutely refused to rent me a $30/month space because I was not buying my trailer from HIM!

I said how could I buy one from you???? You don't have any on your lot and there were no dealers in Frankfort selling them! He said....Not so fast! He wanted to take me to Northern Indiana and go directly to the factories and sell me one from there! I said I already paid for one and was having it moved to his lot in a few days. He still refused to let me move there even though he had three spaces to rent. I ended up losing $500 because I backed out of the deal I made in Indy. Luckily, I was able to get out of the loan deal. I ended up renting an old, former "beauty parlor" 5 miles south of Frankfort, in Antioch, IN right on Hwy 39. This "sad" story had a good ending....I only stayed at WILO for a few months before moving on to WGEE in Indianapolis....which was another "story in itself", too.
 
Here's one for you guys, by the way great stories!

I was working at a small station in Weirton, WV in 1988. The owner just bought a small station in Cadiz, OH, that at the time was run by the local small town newspaper.
I had heard that the current Operations Manager was leaving & the position was available.
I got that job on JULY 4, 1988. I drove the 1 hour + drive to the station, which I had not even seen yet.
The station was in an old store front type building, the reception area had a great view to the main street & the locals would always wave or stop in.
I knew I had made a BIG MISTAKE when I opened the door that morning and had the strong smell of cat urine hit me in the face. The station had an apartment in the rear & the OM lived there & obviously had cats. I found my way through the trash strewn building and went to the studio. It was an FM and you had to raise the transmitter about 10 minutes before air time (05:00). I went live, records (actual turntables) and 2 cart decks, the 33 1/3's would jump & skip, so I had to resort to putting a penny or two on the tone arm. The shift ended at 10:00 & since it was THE 4th OF JULY, I figured nobody else was working today. I had to stay until 12 Midnight, and later found out this was "Normal" as I could stay in the little apartment. Needless to say I stayed at this for 2 weeks and then done. It was also the summer when we had something like 2 weeks of 100 degree weather and the A/C was barely working.
I was sure glad I had a van with A/C, so if need be I could sleep in it, as I was not allowed to park it in front of the station. I tried to sleep one night in my van, but the local police came knocking on my window & told me to move.

I went for a job interview in 1987 to a station in Ripley, WV & that station was located in a double-wide at the edge of town. When I asked for directions to the site, I was told to get off I-77 and make the first right and go until I came past the Stock Yard Barn. I would later find out at the station, that if I did take the job, to NOT OPEN THE STUDIO WINDOW--REASON--COWS WOULD STICK THEIR HEAD IN WHILE YOU ARE ON THE AIR. I never took this job, but it was sure a nice drive.
 
Guess I should answer the question, too. While I was working part-time at WJPF in Herrin, Illinois, I lived in a 12' wide in Carbondale. When they offered me a full-time job when I graduated from SIU I foolishly agreed to stay and moved to a smaller 12' wide in the bustling metropolis of Cambria, Illinois. Population maybe 150? (Had to go to the Post Office to get my mail, for example.) Then in 1977 went to WVTS Terre Haute, which at the time was broadcasting from a house on U.S. 40 a couple of miles west of West Terre Haute. There I lived in a pretty nice 14' wide in a trailer park that was just 1/2 mile from the station. No A/C and I was working the hoot owl shift. That was the first time I used my Sears credit card to buy an air conditioner. When the blizzard of '78 hit, I pulled some very long shifts because I could walk to the station.
 
MightyFrenchman said:
Guess I should answer the question, too. While I was working part-time at WJPF in Herrin, Illinois, I lived in a 12' wide in Carbondale. When they offered me a full-time job when I graduated from SIU I foolishly agreed to stay and moved to a smaller 12' wide in the bustling metropolis of Cambria, Illinois. Population maybe 150? (Had to go to the Post Office to get my mail, for example.) Then in 1977 went to WVTS Terre Haute, which at the time was broadcasting from a house on U.S. 40 a couple of miles west of West Terre Haute. There I lived in a pretty nice 14' wide in a trailer park that was just 1/2 mile from the station. No A/C and I was working the hoot owl shift. That was the first time I used my Sears credit card to buy an air conditioner. When the blizzard of '78 hit, I pulled some very long shifts because I could walk to the station.
Click to expand...

Did you ever see the hilarious "Ski Terre Haute" poster that was out about that time?
Shows a guy cutting a huge powder snow wake. but then you realize there's a field-storage corn crib behind him, he's on flat ground, and the camera has been
turned to 45 degrees! Priceless.
 
Tom Wells said:
MightyFrenchman said:
Guess I should answer the question, too. While I was working part-time at WJPF in Herrin, Illinois, I lived in a 12' wide in Carbondale. When they offered me a full-time job when I graduated from SIU I foolishly agreed to stay and moved to a smaller 12' wide in the bustling metropolis of Cambria, Illinois. Population maybe 150? (Had to go to the Post Office to get my mail, for example.) Then in 1977 went to WVTS Terre Haute, which at the time was broadcasting from a house on U.S. 40 a couple of miles west of West Terre Haute. There I lived in a pretty nice 14' wide in a trailer park that was just 1/2 mile from the station. No A/C and I was working the hoot owl shift. That was the first time I used my Sears credit card to buy an air conditioner. When the blizzard of '78 hit, I pulled some very long shifts because I could walk to the station.
Click to expand...

Did you ever see the hilarious "Ski Terre Haute" poster that was out about that time?
Shows a guy cutting a huge powder snow wake. but then you realize there's a field-storage corn crib behind him, he's on flat ground, and the camera has been
turned to 45 degrees! Priceless.
Click to expand...

I've seen it! You're right, it's really funny and whoever staged that photo was very creative.
 
Status
This thread has been closed due to inactivity. You can create a new thread to discuss this topic.


Back
Top Bottom