Luncheon every third Tuesday This month: August 18, 2009 Club Room - Gallery Restaurant Fargo Holiday Inn

Mike Notes

Reprise

News & Memories for WDAY AM-FM & WDAY-WDAZ-TV Alumni Web archive of all issues http://sites.google.com/site/wdayalumni Editor: Larry Gauper (701) 237-5079 ~ Email: [email protected]

Issue #11 ~ August, 2009

WDAY heritage feature announced

Your editor was 5-years-old when I figured out that the big, strange piece of furniture in our living room was a Philco console radio. I then began to hear two entertainers who became household names: Hank & Thelma. According to Roy “Pete” Pedersen, those were their real first names and the married duo’s surname was Holland. The above photo and article is from a rare copy of the January, 1948, edition of the original Mike Notes listener newspaper, lent to me for scanning by Dr. Tom Askland, a retired Fargo chiropractor and also a neighbor of mine in south Fargo. I much appreciate this contribution to our library. This and future editions of Mike Notes Reprise will feature more of these clips from that 61-year-old issue. Thanks, Tom!

Earl Williams shares one of his famous “punch lines” with Claudia Danovic and Marv Bossart at our July 21, 2009, luncheon. Claudia was WDAY-TV’s first female co-anchor, working with Marv back in the 1970s. Earl worked with Don Dresser in morning drive-time and they were noted for starting listeners’ days with jokes from Don and “the punch line of the day” from his side-kick, Earl.

WDAY Radio General Manager Kevin Weaver (on left in above photo) and Christopher Gabriel (on right), the host of WDAY-AM’s morning talk and feature programming, spoke to attendees at the July luncheon. They told us about a new segment of the Christopher Gabriel Program that began running in July, and is planned to be a regular 10:35 A.M. Friday feature. The segment features well-tunedup archive recordings of WDAY Radio programs from bygone eras, including clips from the 1930s, 40s and 50s. Christopher invited your editor to be a guest on the July 24th program and it was a lot of fun participating. I received word that Bob Aronson in Florida and John Erling in Oklahoma, two WDAY personalities that originated the talk/ call-in concept on WDAY market. listened-in via the Internet. Steve Tschida, current WDAY radio production manager, works with the archive. He visits on-air with Christopher about the gems he’s found and, recently, they played clips featuring Ken Kennedy and organ selections by Frank Scott. Steve tells us there’s much more to come. Christopher mentioned he will be calling on a number of those in our WDAY Alumni Group to appear on the heritage segement and share memories––and I hope you will!

Next month’s luncheon Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2009

An Aronson Anecdote by Bob Aronson, original host of WDAY Radio’s first call-in talk show, Viewpoint, circa 1970s. Photo of Bob is from a 1973 Mike Notes.

The Day The Earth Stood Still*

I

t was 7:30 AM, Don Dresser was on the air and I was reading the news as I did every morning. All seemed to be going well, nothing out of the ordinary, just another newscast. After a couple of minutes I broke for a commercial and Don punched up the KRS machine with the Metropolitan Savings and Loan commercial on it. As the spot was playing Don cued a taped actuality I was going to use in the next segment of the newscast. He did it very rapidly and his speed amazed me so I felt compelled to comment on his wizardry. In the news booth across from Don was an Altec microphone, a small copy stand with a mike switch in the lower middle and a talk back box to my left. The box was there so Don and I could communicate when we were not on the air. In my haste to tell Don what a wizard he was with the tape machine I (for some unknown and inexplicable reason) reached to my left with my right hand in order to throw the switch to talk to Don. As I did I said, ”G—D——t you are fast today,” and I switched it off. When I looked down I noticed the microphone’s red light was on meaning what I said went on the air over the Metropolitan Savings and Loan commercial. Apparently my right arm tripped the mike switch when I reached over to turn on the talkback system. Now be aware, this all happened in a microsecond. When I looked down and saw the red light on I said, “Oh shit” quite loudly….the mike was still on and the commercial was still playing. I knew then that my life and career had just ended; I broke into a sweat, somehow finished the newscast, ran to the men’s room,

sat in a stall and tried to figure out what I was going to do (remember this is during the day when even hell and damn were forbidden words for the airwaves). I was in such a fog I don’t remember what Don Dresser’s response was, or if he even heard me, I only knew that no punishment could be too severe. I went back to the newsroom, wrote a letter of resignation and waited until WDAY Radio VP Bill Burn came in. Meekly I went to his office, apologized profusely and handed him my letter as he noted that he had heard my profane utterances. He looked disgusted as he read my letter and I waited, still standing, for him to fire me. There was a very long silence when he looked again at the letter and then stared at me. Then, to my amazement, he started to chuckle and said, “Don’t worry it happens to all of us, just don’t let it happen again.” He looked again at my letter and said, “But I’m keeping this letter, just in case you haven’t learned your lesson.” I never made the mistake again and had renewed respect and admiration for the man who understood and gave me a second chance. Because Bill Burn was a broadcaster too he could empathize. Had he not been in the business I’m sure my fate would have been different. Thanks again, Bill.

The Channel 6 Block Team (circa 1960s and 70s) Marv Bossart, news; Dewey Bergquist, weather; Boyd Christenson, sports (photo by Erik Swee)

At the July luncheon...

Eldora Dresser reacts to Earl’s punch line (see page 1) as husband Don seems amazed that he and Earl worked together for over a decade.

Following a brief absence, it was good to see Austen Schauer, local Fox (KVRR) news anchor (on right), re-join the group, accompanied by that station’s News Director, Jim Shaw, at the July luncheon. Jim consistently attends our monthly luncheons and both are, of course, WDAY Alumni.

Earl and Dewey..

Photo from “Dewey’s (Bergquist) Old Time Picture Gallery,” which involved shooting portraits of the members of the general public and some staffers, like a svelt Earl Williams shown here; all part of the Fargo Centennial 1975-1975. (photo by Erik Swee)

Your editor, the “Old Scout,” with host Christopher Gabriel during the WDAY heritage segment 10:35 A.M., July 24th, on WDAY-AM’s Christopher Gabriel Program. That grin on my face tells the whole story: I felt like a kid back in a candy store I hadn’t visited since 1975. When Christopher asks you to 2 share your memories, please do! (Photo by Jay Thomas, WDAY-AM)

Thanks for the photos Portions of the WDAY Radio schedule as printed and...the memories! in the January, 1948, Mike Notes:

Above color photo: The late Jack Lester “roasting” WDAY-TV sales representative Static Shiels at the time of his retirement, April 26, 1976. (Photo courtesy Grace Lester)

“Howard Graber reporting...”

This photo of newsman Howard Graber was probably taken in the early 1970s. Bradley Graber, Howard’s and Connie’s son, lives in the metro area. He reports that his mom now lives in Detroit Lakes on south shore drive. Connie Graber will be 80 next year and is in good health. Bradley says Connie “enjoys every minute of living on the lake.” Good to have you on our newsletter email list, Bradley, and we look forward to seeing you at a luncheon whenever you can make it.

A CIRCUS SHOWMAN AND TWO CLOWNS: Roy C. Pedersen, with the top hat and mustache, along with clowns Jack Lester (on left) and Bill Burn (on right). The occasion was some sort of client promotion, probably radio only as the photo seems to be dated 1949. Both Bill and Jack worked as copywriters for WDAY Radio in the 1940s. TV didn’t come into the picture (pardon the pun) until 3 1953. (Photo courtesy Grace Lester)

News Department photos, circa late 1960s and 1970s Photos by WDAY photographer and photo lab manager Erik Swee

FROM JANUARY, 1948, MIKE NOTES:

Broadcasters’ Prexy Defends Radio Advertising

News photo chief Conrad Rose edits newsfilm

TV news co-anchor Claudia Danovic writes copy for 6:00 P.M. newscast; the colleague editing copy has been identified as an intern: a young Bob Harris, who is now employed by KFGO Radio in Fargo.

Reporter and newscaster Al Aamodt reports while Conrad Rose shoots, on Broadway in downtown Fargo

This issue and all past issues of Mike Notes Reprise are available for viewing and downloading at: http://sites.google.com/site/wdayalumni 4