Photo of LEA surge suppressor courtesy Paul Thurst

Back in the olden days radio was owned by the geek crowd, with every science-savvy kid worth her salt crafting a home-made radio out of wires and household objects while sitting at the kitchen table. The earliest radio stations were created and run by physicists and engineers who had the skills to build transmission equipment from scratch. As with every form of media before and after radio, the early days of any particular technology are marked by a movement from early-adopter use to mainstream appeal.

After taking a look at the Radio Obsessives who I’ve profiled for Radio Survivor, I realize that much of my focus has been on radio fans who are devoted to the artifacts and culture of radio. So, when fellow Radio Survivor Paul Riismandel suggested that I take a look at the Engineering Radio blog, it was clear to me that it was time to give props to someone who is in the trenches dealing with the nuts and bolts of radio broadcasting.

Paul Thurst is a radio engineer who decided that he could fill a niche by writing a blog all about his field. On Engineering Radio, Paul chronicles visits to transmitter sites and shares his experiences troubleshooting various problems that have arisen at the stations where he works. He also includes amazing photography of radio equipment, from unique transmitter locations in the middle of nowhere, to a vintage vacuum tube found during a studio clean up.

Thanks to Paul Thurst for taking the time to have an email conversation with me about his love for radio and radio engineering. Paul started creating radios when he was a kid and went on to work at a number of different stations, from Guam to New York. In his interview he shares with me why he’s such a radio fan and reveals some tidbits about the secret life of a radio engineer.

Jennifer Waits: What prompted you to start the Engineering Radio blog?

Paul Thurst: I started looking around for radio engineering blogs and didn’t really find what I was looking for.  There are blogs written by magazine editors and a few other engineering types that write blogs, but nobody was really blogging about what it is like to be a radio engineer.  I like to write, so, I started my own.

Jennifer: Can you tell me a bit more about your personal radio history. What led you to becoming a radio engineer?

Paul: I guess I have always been a geek, even before that was popular.  I started fooling around with radios and such when I was 10 or so.  From there, I became more and more interested in the technical side of things, so I started building radio kits from Radio Shack and Heathkit.  I joined the Coast Guard and continued along that line. When I was stationed on Guam, I had some extra time on my hands, so I stopped down at the local radio station (KUAM) and asked if they needed help.  Boy, did they ever.  It was fun work, but there was a lot of it.

Jennifer: Are you a radio fan? What do you love about radio?

Paul: I love radio, especially AM radio.  I like the bigness of it; big towers, big transmitters, etc.  Being a part of a good radio station is being a part of something that is larger than self, and larger than the sum of its parts. I was thrilled when I got to work for WGY as chief engineer for several years. I also enjoy the technical challenges, trouble shooting and repair is a reward all to itself.  As far as radio in general, listening to a well produced radio program is a joy. Sadly, it is becoming harder and harder to find those these days.

Jennifer: What types of stations do you engineer for? Are you working solely in the commercial radio realm or do you work for non-commercial stations as well? Any thoughts on the differences from an engineer’s perspective?

Paul: I’ve done mostly commercial radio work, although I did do some work for Union College (WRUC) in the early 1990′s.  Recently, the company I work for has also been involved with VPR (Vermont Public Radio). There are many differences, especially between the public radio vs. commercial radio operations.  Technically speaking, public radio is less about bringing in the money and more about good product.  This affects things like studio design; microphone choices, console choices, etc.

Vintage Vacuum tube photo by Paul Thurst

Jennifer: Rice University just announced that it’s planning to sell off their 40+ year old non-commercial student radio station’s transmitter and FM signal, although they will allow the station to continue as an online-only station.

Students and fans of the station, KTRU, are fighting back and saying that online radio is not the same as terrestrial radio. I’d love to hear your thoughts on this, as I saw a post of yours indicating that Internet radio is not real radio.

Paul: It is a shame that more and more colleges are getting rid of their radio stations.  I think it is a larger reflection on the loss of radio’s “coolness” among many of the younger generation.  College radio is a great experimentation medium, to lose that would be a great disservice.

Online radio can be well done, but radio, by definition is transmitting signals through the air.  3G and 4G wireless is a radio service, but many folks aren’t listening to online radio on their wireless devices because of data caps.  Technically speaking, it is very easy to set up an online radio station, which means there is a plethora of them, with the majority being not very entertaining.  Many of them operate as a computer based jukebox, similar to what is available on commercial radio.

From a non-technical standpoint, one does not normally tune through the Internet searching for a new station to listen to, that would be very hard to do.  Further, it would be even harder to nail down a local Internet station that way, you would have to know about it from some other source first.  That is counter to the way I have discovered some of the best radio stations I have known.

Jennifer: Have you been a radio DJ too?

Paul: I once did a Jazz show on Saturday afternoons.  The music was good, the DJ was horribly bad. It is best forgotten.

Jennifer: Did you work in college radio?

Paul: As a student, no.

Jennifer: What are some little-known facts about radio engineers?

Paul: Engineers have a wicked sense of humor. Unfortunately, most of our jokes go over people’s heads.

Couch spotted by Paul Thurst on a hike to a transmitter

Jennifer: Have you found anything strange during any of your treks up to transmitter sites?

Paul: Many of the FM sites around here are on mountain tops, connected by long roads through the woods.  I occasionally find things dumped on the road, old furniture, stolen cars, etc.  I once found a complete craftsman mechanic’s tool set in the middle of the road, which I still have.

Jennifer: What do you think about the future of terrestrial radio?

Paul: I think terrestrial radio has its problems, mostly due to poor business decisions during the great consolidation.  Radio will survive in one form or another.  I think that there will be a certain niche local radio station that will do quite well.  I think the AM band is going to lose stations, which might be a good thing. Otherwise, I don’t see much change in the next five years or so.

Jennifer: Who do you think should be the next Radio Obsessive?

Paul: Could you get Jerry Del Colliano?

Previous Radio Obsessive Profiles:

#1: Garrett Wollman’s Radio Tower Quest

#2: Jose Fritz’s Arcane Radio Trivia

#3: Radio Sticker of the Day curator Greg Blouch

#4: Seattle Radio Theater founder Feliks Banel

#5: Herculodge’s Jeff McMahon – The Man Who Loved Radios Too Much

#6 & #7: Jonathan Winter and John Jenkins of American Museum of Radio and Electricity

#8: Beloit College Radio Historian Dave de Anguera

Professor Charles Culver at the controls, about 1910 (Beloit College Archives)

The early history of college radio has not been documented sufficiently and much of it is sequestered away in the archives of colleges and universities.

Last year I was thrilled to see Hugh Slotten’s book, Radio’s Hidden Voice: The Origins of Public Broadcasting in the United States, as it is one of the first publications to give credit to college radio pioneers in the very early days of radio.

Personally I’m invested in this, as I’ve done quite a bit of research to uncover the hidden history of radio at Haverford College, where I got my start in radio. Students at Haverford College built a radio station in the 1920s and achieved a great deal of press and attention for both the station and their radio experiments (including a chess match with Oxford students by radio).

While investigating the Haverford station’s history I’ve also run across a number of other histories of college radio stations, often compiled by students or staff members. One such history is Dave de Anguera’s book Ethereal Messages: A History of Beloit College Radio 1907-1994.

Radio experiments began at Beloit College with the arrival of Physics Instructor Charles Aaron Culver in 1907. During his time at the college he initiated pioneering work in radio and wireless, leaving in 1920 to join the faculty of Carleton College (where he was also instrumental in college radio). As Hugh Slotten pointed out in his interview with me, Beloit College held one of the earliest licensed stations at a small college, with WEBW, having its initial broadcast in October, 1924. Beloit’s current station, WBCR-FM, is still going strong today.

WEBW log - first entry, 1924 (Beloit College Archives)

I reached out to Beloit College radio historian Dave de Anguera, as I thought he would be a perfect addition to the Radio Obsessives series here at Radio Survivor. From my own experience, I know what a challenge it is to dig through the archives of college radio stations, in which history is not necessarily documented all that methodically.

In his interview, Dave shares with me why he was inspired to research the history of radio at Beloit College, his take on how the trials and tribulations of college radio today are similar to its struggles in the past, and provides some perspective about the role of technology in college radio in 2010.

Jennifer Waits: What prompted you to research and write the history of radio at Beloit  College?

Dave de Anguera: I’ve always loved radio and have been a lifelong history buff to boot. So, when I kept coming across information on WBCR’s history, and the fact that it stretched back so far, I couldn’t contain my curiosity any longer and thus started investigating further.  I eventually made a proposal to the college (with the support of Beloit College archivist Fred Burwell and Professor Carl Balson) for writing and publishing a book on the subject.

Jennifer: Can you give a quick snapshot of the history of radio at Beloit and why you think it’s a significant piece of college radio history?

Dave: Beloit College started experimenting with “wireless telegraphy” in 1907, established a wireless station a few years later, and eventually operated one of first college radio stations (WEBW) in the ’20s.  After a hiatus during the Depression and World War II, a new carrier current station (WBWR) was constructed in the late ’40s. Eventually WBCR-FM was established in the mid-’60s, evolving from 10 to 100 watts in 1983, where it continues today. It’s important because they became involved very early on and (except in the ’30s and ’40s) have endured for so long. Also, the changes they went through reflected so much of what was happening in the larger world of radio.

Inside WBWR, c. early 50's (Photo by Ray Metzker, '51 -Beloit College Archives)

Jennifer: What accomplishments do you think have set the Beloit College radio station(s) apart from others?

Dave: Being ahead of the game on radio experimentation, essentially due to Dr. Culver’s pre-WWI work. Of course, there were other colleges that did research on this, but for a small institution such as Beloit it was unusual, to my knowledge.  Also the notoriety of operating two stations at once, twice during its history: Briefly in the late ’40s with a very early commercial FM station (WBNB) and a carrier current station, and later from the late ’60s through the early ’70s with WBCR-AM (somewhat sporadically) and WBCR-FM, which for the most part had separate programming.

Jennifer: What were some of the most interesting things that you learned during your research into the very early years of radio on campus?

Dave: How similar the budget woes, equipment snafus, and bureaucratic hassles were to what we were enduring at that time (late 1980s and early ’90s), and indeed, throughout its history.   Also fascinating was how, due to the lack of federal regulations (at least early on), stations could broadcast as far as money and technology would allow: Even WEBW could be heard out in Cuba! And that such heavy and cumbersome equipment was at the same time so incredibly fragile.

Jennifer: Can you tell me a bit about Beloit College and the role that radio played on campus when you were there? Was it purely a student station or were community members also involved?

Dave: It’s a liberal arts college located in Beloit, Wisconsin (90 miles northwest of Chicago), with currently around 1250 students and over 100 full-time faculty. At the time I was there (1987-91), there was a great deal of student involvement – it was one of the biggest organizations on the campus. But there were also a number of djs from the town and surrounding areas (as well as Alumni), which was important to WBCR’s sense of diversity and community outreach.

Jennifer: Are students/DJs at the Beloit radio station aware of the lengthy history of college radio on campus?

Dave: Prior to the book’s release, there was apparently little knowledge of it.  But now it seems that Ethereal Message’s objective of giving a sense of history to incoming students, at least those who become involved in WBCR, has been attained to some degree, judging by the feedback I’ve received.

WBCR 2010 Broadcast studio

Jennifer: Your history covers the years 1907 to 1994. Do you have any plans to update the history to include the last 16 years?

Dave: Not right now, but eventually I would like to find the time to update it.  There are many developments – including the obvious technological ones – that need to be documented, and I’ve also been itching to make a number of improvements to what’s already been written, as I’m rather critical of my work.

Jennifer: Are you still involved with radio? Do you have connections to the current WBCR?

Dave: Not presently, though I’d love to get involved again in some manner. I still have an infatuation with radio, and listen to college and public stations quite often:  I’m a fan of certain radio shows with an intensity most others reserve for television.  I don’t currently have any direct connections to WBCR, aside from Fred Burwell, who is on the advisory board and does a summer program: Red With Purple Flashes (Wednesdays 6-8 pm CST)  “Rare and obscure rock ‘n’ roll from the 1950′s-1960′s.” Listen in on www.beloit.edu/wbcr!  It’s a great show, so by God I’m plugging it…

Jennifer: Why do you think college radio history hasn’t been fully documented?

Dave: College radio has a much lower profile than its commercial counterpart, due to the fairly constant turnover in personnel and the (usually) much shorter broadcast range. This (along with the relative inexperience of the staff) also results in a complete absence of well-known national and regional radio personalities, which many histories tend to focus on.  This is unfortunate, as college radio’s history is a fascinating story waiting to be told.

WBCR-FM production room, March 1970. (Photo by Bob Wieland, '71 - Beloit College Archives)

Jennifer: Anything else you’d like to add?

Dave: Some friends of mine have expressed concerns (which I tend to share) about a dissipating interest in radio among college students, particularly due to the internet’s increasing demands on their attention. There’s also the growing reliance on “loop shows,” where pre-recorded material is used to fill air-time, thus taking away from the spontaneity that college radio has thrived on for so long (though it’s uncannily similar to the taped reel-reel programming that stations such as WBCR used in the 1950s). Still, many stations have utilized technology in more constructive ways, such as creating web sites for their stations and podcasting their shows. The key is for college radio to continue to embrace and evolve with the ever-changing technologies while maintaining its unique voice and independent spirit.

I couldn’t agree more! Thanks to Dave for chatting with me about the history of radio at Beloit College and for sharing some amazing archival photos.

Previous Radio Obsessive Profiles:

#1: Garrett Wollman’s Radio Tower Quest

#2: Jose Fritz’s Arcane Radio Trivia

#3: Radio Sticker of the Day curator Greg Blouch

#4: Seattle Radio Theater founder Feliks Banel

#5: Herculodge’s Jeff McMahon – The Man Who Loved Radios Too Much

#6 & #7: Jonathan Winter and John Jenkins of American Museum of Radio and Electricity

What is now known as The American Museum of Radio and Electricity (AMRE) began in 1985 as the Bellingham Antique Radio Museum as an outgrowth of Jonathan Winter’s personal collection of vintage radios and radio-related objects. As his collection grew, he sought out a bigger venue and eventually joined forces with fellow radio collector John Jenkins.

With their move to bigger quarters in 2001, the museum’s name was changed to The American Museum of Radio and Electricity to reflect its now broader mission of presenting exhibits focused on a variety of scientific innovations. According to their website:

“Today, the Museum is dedicated to the interpretation of the relationship between the scientific exploration of electricity and the development of broadcast radio into its Golden Age—a story with immense cultural, historic, aesthetic, and scientific significance. Among the Museum’s current holdings are unique examples of early scientific instruments and 19th century electromagnetic apparatus, an outstanding collection of more than 10,000 vacuum tubes, and an authentic reproduction of the radio room on the Titanic displaying an original Marconi wireless set.”

The museum galleries contain interactive exhibits recounting nearly 400 years worth of innovations related to electricity and wireless, from the “Dawn of the Electric Age,” to the early history of radio, to the radio’s “golden” age. AMRE also houses more than 1000 radios, operates a low power FM radio station (KMRE-LP), and hosts science education classes for kids.

I talked to founders Jonathan Winter and John Jenkins in order to learn more about the museum and find out how their collective passion for radio inspired its creation.

Jennifer Waits: When did you start collecting radios?

Jonathan Winter: My first radios?   I came across a one tube radio …….(I cannot remember exactly where) when I was around 15 and remember taking it over to a neighbor who was quite old,  and asking him how it worked. He spent some time getting it working and described how it worked. That was the beginning for me. I learned more about radio and have had an interest ever since.  For me it is a combination of technology, craftsmanship, art and science. I my mind they are all connected.

John Jenkins: My first radio was a set I found in my grandparents basement when I was 13. I tinkered with electronics at lot at the time, I took it home and got it working.  From the minute I heard music come out of it, I was hooked.

Vintage Sparton Model 738 from 1935. Image courtesy AMRE

Jennifer: What about radio was and is so captivating to you?

Jonathan W: As mentioned above, it was the object…… one could almost say it was the “Art”  of these early radios that drew me to them. Of course understanding how they worked only deepened  my interest.

John J: At the time I was fascinated by the beautiful wood, the smell of the vacuum tubes when they heated up. I loved looking at the circuit diagrams and figuring out how everything worked. Later I became much more interested in the history, the inventors, what inspired them, how the chain of ideas connect together. That is the theme in all of my lectures: invention as a process, not an event.

That interest was reflected in my collection, I started with radios from the 1920s as a kid, but as my interest and curiosity broadened I worked my way backward, the oldest object I own is the oldest known existent book that investigates electricity and magnetism, printed in 1560.

Jennifer: Jonathan, Tell me a bit about how your passion for collecting and for radio turned into the creation of the Bellingham Antique Radio Museum.

Jonathan W: The Bellingham Antique Radio Museum:  A long story which I will shorten. Around 1979 I was becoming more and more aware of how fast we were moving into the “digital world.”  I thought I might use my collection or early radio as an educational resource. At the time I was storing most of the collection. It seemed to me that I might spend the same money for a space I would call a Museum.  I rented a small room in the “Marketplace” building in Fairhaven and called it “The Bellingham Antique Radio Museum.” That was the beginning.

The “passion for collecting” is really not what moved me to make a Museum here in Bellingham. It was rather the desire to share what I perceived as a valuable collection with my community. I have always felt that the value of any good collection lies in what it can bring to the future….  We can learn so much from the past.

Jennifer: John, how did you end up connecting with Jonathan and becoming more involved with the museum?

John J: I grew up in Bellingham. I discovered the Bellingham Antique Radio Museum about 1995 or so, long after I had moved away (my mom & dad still lived there). I was too busy at Microsoft to get involved, but after I retired in 2001, I joined the board.

Jonathan’s collection starts in the 1920s and goes forward to the 1950s, and mine ended in the 1920s and goes backward to the very beginning of electrical discovery. We realized that by combining our collections we could tell the entire story of electricty and radio from the beginnings in the 16th and 17th century through to the golden age of radio. I bought the building on Bay Street in Bellingham, and we founded the new museum.

Jennifer: Have you ever worked in radio? If so, where?

Jonathan W: I have never worked in radio other that here at KMRE-LP.

John J: I worked as a dj on the college radio station for a couple of quarters.

Jennifer: What are some of your favorite items in the museum’s collection?

Jonathan W: It is impossible to say which  is a favorite.  The depth and breadth of the artifacts here at the Museum really preclude picking a favorite.  There is one piece that I am very proud of being able to exhibit here though. It is one of perhaps less than 20 working examples of the first color TV set. Made in 1952, RCA only made 1000 of these and very few exist today.   We spent well over a year restoring this one and I get a personal satisfaction knowing that we were able to preserve it and display it working to the public.

John J: This is always a very hard question for me to answer. I can’t point to a specific piece, but I can say that I especially like the pieces that represent an important step in development. There are many of them on display at the museum.

Jennifer: Tell me a bit about the community radio station that you operate: KMRE-LP. What type of programming do you air and how is it integrated into the activities of the museum?

Jonathan W: KMRE-LP came about because it seemed like a good idea to have an exhibit which extended beyond the four walls of the Museum. The station broadcasts the music of the 1920s through 1940. We operate much like the early local stations did.  We also keep the community informed about the activities at the Museum such as classes we offer,  special speaking events, and some community news.

Jennifer: I love that you offer hands-on science classes to kids, including one that taught youngsters how to make crystal radios. Do you think that helps to keep younger folks interested in the medium of radio?

Jonathan W: Children today are not as exposed as they once were to the fundamental workings of science and physics. For most,  that connection is through the keyboard, the computer screen and the television. Our classes are designed to give children the opportunity to discover  on their own by using and or doing the very experiments that  led to great insights and discoveries.

When a child makes a meaningful discovery, there is a sense of accomplishment and a desire to repeat the experience and  continue learning. Our hands on approach is all about that. We want to help kids to discover the huge playground of science, math and physics. Hands-on is the way to do it.

John J: Most of the kids classes are about science, not radio, and even the crystal set class is more about the magic and mystery of how you can pull sound right out of the air without using electricity. We try to get kids excited about science.

Jennifer: Anything else you’d like to add?

John J: If you haven’t seen my book, Where Discovery Sparks Imagination, you should  - it does a pretty good job of highlighting the museum and the objects on display. There are a lot of beautiful photos of early radios in it also, which your readers would appreciate!

What we are about [at the American Museum of Radio and Electricity] is broader [than just radio]: helping folks (especially kids) discover the wonder and mystery of electricity and science. We talk alot about electricity and electrical inventions; most of our demonstrations are more about electricity than radio. Some of our most important and rare objects (such as one of the original electric lights made by Thomas Edison) have nothing to do with radio.

That said, we do have one of the largest and most complete collections of early radio on display in the world.

Previous Radio Obsessive Profiles:

#1: Garrett Wollman’s Radio Tower Quest

#2: Jose Fritz’s Arcane Radio Trivia

#3: Radio Sticker of the Day curator Greg Blouch

#4: Seattle Radio Theater founder Feliks Banel

#5: Herculodge’s Jeff McMahon – The Man Who Loved Radios Too Much

Jeff McMahon's Rare Panasonic RF-1130 Radio

It’s time for another installment in our ongoing series Radio Obsessives, in which we share tales about people who are passionate about radio.

So far we’ve profiled Garrett Wollman’s Radio Tower Quest, Jose Fritz and his amazing Arcane Radio Trivia website, Radio Sticker of the Day curator Greg Blouch, and radio historian/Seattle Radio Theater founder Feliks Banel.

Blogger Jeff McMahon muses about radio on his blog Herculodge. Although the blog is ostensibly focused on a myriad number of topics (from vegetarian cooking to parenthood to cars), Jeff found that his posts about radio seemed to generate the most interest and excitement from readers.

Filed under the category “Radio Lovers Can’t Be Cured,” Herculodge’s radio posts typically focus on reviews of both new and vintage radios, as well as radio-related products. Written by Jeff and a crew of guest contributors, the radio section of Heculodge is kind of like a clearinghouse for feedback about specific radios. I was also amused by a post by Radio Russ enumerating a “12-Step Program for Radio Addicts.” He writes that step 1 is: “We admitted we were powerless over Radios, that our lives had become unmanageable without a radio in every room.”

On the site, Jeff also has a 3-part semi-autobiographical story “The Man Who Loved Radios Too Much,” in which he describes both the origins of his radio love and how he has descended into obsession.

In our email interview, I chatted with Herculodge founder Jeff McMahon about his website and why he’s so passionate about radio and radios.

Jennifer Waits: Herculodge covers a range of topics, but the majority of the most
 recent posts deal with radio. What’s the main goal of the blog and how does radio fits into that?

Jeff McMahon: I had no main goal except to cover a wide range of passions, radios, books, movies, etc., but I noticed early on that over 90% of the web traffic was for radios, so I focused more and more on them. You know the saying, a tree that falls in an uninhabited forest makes no noise. I wanted readership. I wanted my posts to be read and I learned early on that a blog should be focused, achieve brand identity, and fill a niche. I still write about other topics, but mostly I deal with radios.

Jennifer Waits: Why is it that you are so passionate about radio?

Jeff McMahon: My radio passion stems from childhood memories of radios, falling in love with the music of the Delfonics, the Ojays, The Isley Brothers, Carol King, to name a few bands and singers whose songs played secretly through my earbuds and a transistor radio while listening to KFRC in San Francisco; also, a good radio is like a security blanket, a constant friend during nights I don’t sleep well. In general live radio makes me feel connected.  Readers talk about the same nostalgia and sense of connection, so I know I’m not alone.

Jennifer Waits: What is it that you find fascinating about radios themselves (vs. radio broadcasts)?

Jeff McMahon: I like that a familiar voice can be something, a personality, who becomes part of your life over the years. Of course, it remains a miracle to me that voices and music can play through a little box.

Jennifer Waits: When did you start collecting radios and what was your first radio?

Jeff McMahon: I got the radio bug inexplicably in 2004 after eating a Lucille’s Barbecue. My wife Carrie and I exited the restaurant, entered a nearby electronics store on a whim and I walked straight toward a blue Tivoli PAL and bought it. That began a long trek into a radio obsession.

Jennifer Waits: How many radios do you own and what are your favorites?

Jeff McMahon: I own or have owned about 50 or so. My favorites are my Panasonic RF-888 and Sony ICF-5900. My favorite modern radio is my Sangean U3 worksite radio, which I use in my office/power yoga room.

Jennifer Waits: Do you prefer vintage or modern radios?

Jeff McMahon: I like both. Obviously, a heavy vintage has a grandeur that today’s cheaply made radios don’t have.

Jennifer Waits: Have you ever worked in radio? Where?

Jeff McMahon: Never. I’ve been a full-time college English/Composition instructor for 25 years.

Jennifer Waits: What type of radio programming do you enjoy the most? What are some of your favorite stations?

Jeff McMahon: I love KPCC 89.3 (NPR), KCRW 89.9 (NPR), 88.1 KJAZZ, 640 KFI AM, 570 Fox Sports [KLAC].

Jose Fritz

I’m awed by all the radio enthusiasts, collectors, historians, and scholars out there; so I’m going to try to feature some of my favorites on Radio Survivor in a new feature called Radio Obsessives.

I didn’t realize it at the time, but my interview with Garrett Wollman about his fascination with radio towers is what prompted me to begin this quest to profile radio obsessives; simply because I love talking to other radio fans about radio.

“Jose Fritz” lives for radio and regularly blogs about radio factoids from the olden days on his blog Arcane Radio Trivia. In many ways I’ve found a kindred spirit in radio reportage, as Jose is also a fan of non-commercial radio and continues to remain optimistic about the future of college radio.

Interestingly, he’s opted on his blog to focus entirely on the past, avoiding “topical” stories for the most part. Consistently writing an impressive 5 posts a week, he’s covered everything from the long-forgotten radio show “The Fleischmann’s Yeast Hour,” to WXPN’s scandalous student radio past, to James Brown’s career as a radio station mogul, to little-known radio pioneers like Reverend Jozef Murgas.

I had an email chat with Jose Fritz to learn more about his radio obsession and to attempt to peel back some of the layers of his secret identity. I can tell you that he’s an engineer by day, is a blogger by night, has a music and radio past, and writes a fun and educational blog. On to the interview:

Jennifer Waits: When did you start Arcane Radio Trivia and what prompted you to begin writing the blog?

Jose Fritz: I began Friday, May 13th 2005. I decided one day maybe a few weeks prior that I needed a structure that would compel me to write more regularly.  I gave myself a set of strict rules and started that Friday. It’s been 5 posts a week since then for 220 weeks; that’s 1047 posts not counting today.  I keep thinking I should edit and compile them into a book.

I though it would make my other writing more productive. I was wrong.  I did write more, but I wrote more about radio, instead of becoming a writing exercise it became a consuming hobby.  I still manage to get the rest of my writing done, but I often end up posting after midnight.

Vintage Radio Ad Courtesy Jose Fritz

Jennifer: Why are you obsessed with non-commercial radio?

Jose: Because commercial radio is homogeneous, and worse yet, boring. Non-commercial stations are more free, more varied, less structured and much more regional and local.

Even when a college station is bad, it tends to be exceptionally bad, strikingly bad, even entertainingly bad. I’ll choose entertainingly bad over inoffensively boring every time.

Commercial radio has been in a 30-year death spiral.  When it’s all said and done they’ll have squeezed out every drop of what made them interesting.

Jennifer: Have you worked in radio before? Where?

Jose: It’s not just radio. It’s music too.  I’ve booked shows.  I’ve been in bands.   I have been a music critic at newspapers, zines and webzines.  I’ve worked at record labels, promotions companies and three radio stations. I really would like to volunteer at a local community station but it’s hard to find the time these days.

Jennifer: What do you love about radio?

Jose: That’s kind of a broad question.  I really like being turned on to a band I’ve never heard of, a format that nobody ever tried before.  I like old radio dramas. I also am fascinated by radio history as is evident from the continued existence of Arcane Radio Trivia.

Jennifer: What kind of radio do you listen to? (music/talk/college/etc.) Any favorite stations?

Jose: I like eccentric programming.  As I travel the country I make note.  I’ll listen to a screamin’ and hollerin’ preacher on the AM radio at night in New Orleans, I’ll listen to a Polka station in Chicago, A doo-wop show in Quincy, MA, a indie rock show, a great interview…

So let’s name names I think the Minister on WWOZ has spectacular taste as a jazz-man.  I think that Jonathon Solomon on WPRB is constantly good with his playlist of indie rock.  Joe Belock on WFMU has a Phd in garage rock.  There are a plethora of good shows on NPR including This American Life, Fresh Air, American Routes, etc. WRAS, WSOU, KEXP, KCMP…all very reputable solid stations but low power, small market college stations like WHUS, KAOS, KXUA and others are also truly great.

Radiomans Guide Courtesy Jose Fritz

Jennifer: You seem particularly interested in radio’s history. Why is radio history so compelling to you?

Jose: There are a couple reasons.  History is easier for me to write about than current events. By definition there is more in the past than in the present. I also wanted to avoid being topical. I don’t want to focus on opinion pieces. I cover current events when I find them to be either A. directly tied to historical events.  or B. so crucial I think people need to know.

Jennifer: What are your thoughts about the future of radio?

Jose: I think college radio despite some setbacks will persevere.  I think they will weather things largely unchanged. Young people and hobbyists are great at adapting to change and adopting new technology.

Sadly commercial radio will continue to target that lowest common denominator in each demo and age bracket.  The larger radio groups will cut costs, syndicate, simulcast, voice-track and automate every last drop of life out of the media platform.

My car stereo has a USB port. I don’t need to listen to the radio if I don’t want to.  They often make me not want to.

Demonstration Record Warning Courtesy Jose Fritz

Jennifer: How do you track down all the tidbits for your blog? Are you a collector of radio memorabilia?

Jose: Every time I read about something post-worthy, I start a draft. The backlog is several hundred unfinished posts deep now.  I keep a set of radio reference books on my desk, I take notes, and I listen. When a “new” post goes up it might actually have been started 4 years ago.  I add to them as I find out more information.

I don’t collect radio memorabilia so much, though I have a few items mics, and acetates and an absurdly large record collection.

Jennifer: What’s your day job?

Jose: I work for a radio monitoring company.  I am the head field engineer traveling the country continually keeping the services up, the antennas secure and the contracts valid.

Jennifer: Is Jose Fritz your real name?

Jose: Nope.  Different arenas of my writing get their own pseudonyms.

Jennifer: Anything else?

Jose: I keep thinking I can’t do this forever, but then can’t think of a good reason or time to stop.

Thanks so much to Jose Fritz for the interview and also for all of his work documenting radio’s past. In the coming weeks I’ll be featuring more Radio Obsessives.