Chapter 4. Post-War Cleveland Truth In Broadcasting

As the war continued the masses were eager for something to take their minds off the world situation and radio stepped up to that challenge admirably.  That was post-war Cleveland truth in broadcasting.  Radio entertainment had become a staple of American life, and its personalities had grown in stature to match that of any movie star. The creator of the immensely popular “Jake and Lena”, Cleveland’s Gene Carroll was one of radio’s biggest draws, and news that May that he was leaving WJW where he hosted the station’s Continental Tea Time put his name again the headlines.  This represented a big loss for the station in audience and revenue, and the management assured the public the show would continue with new hosts, Fred Briggs and Don Bell, and a new format stressing games and comedy bits.  Carroll was heading to a new station, his destination would eventually be announced, and the public was anxious to know where.

Some would call it patriotism, and maybe even a benevolent form of propaganda, but Cleveland stations were united in their support of the war and eager to help in any way toward its successful conclusion.  In June of ’45 they joined to promote the sale of Series E Bonds which had been lagging and staged a sort of telethon to help the war campaign. The “big four” at the time…WGAR, WJW, WTAM and WHK…invited listeners to call in requests for songs that would be played if they pledged to buy the bonds.  It turned into a great success raising $85,000 in just a few hours.

Post war Cleveland, like the rest of the nation, would breathe a well-earned sigh of relief emerging from the global conflict as a superpower with new challenges but unfailing optimism toward a brighter and more secure future.  We entered World War II with biplanes and mules still considered military equipment, and less than four years later had split the atom.  The Great Depression had taught us a hard and lengthy lesson in resilience, and as the war was drawing to a close in the summer of 1945, plans were already being drawn to forge a stronger Northeast Ohio community.  Cleveland city planner John Howard addressed that topic with an address on WJW titled, “Can we save Cleveland as a place to live?” Much of that talk centered on concerns about growing urban blight and ways to correct it, though others took a more global view and recognized the media’s role…especially radio…in achieving that goal.

Edgar Kobak headed the powerful Mutual Broadcasting System, and he took a strong stand in how American radio had to assume “a greater postwar responsibility than merely selling soap”.  His so-called campaign to wage peace warned that failure to unite other countries in light of the atomic age could foreshadow the end of civilization.  Mind you the first atomic weapon had just been dropped on Japan that August and there were already these dire warnings, but Kobak had a six-point plan to use the American radio model as the “super postwar salesman of the democratic way of life”.  His plan centered on points including radio becoming universal, democratic, and free and out of the hands of totalitarian dictators.  He also called for strict oversight that radio broadcast truthful information stressing its role as an educator for peace, and even though television was already in the postwar planning stages, he looked at the emergence of the FM band with great optimism outside of the current educational broadcasts.  Kobak also called for more young people to enter broadcasting saying, “Every young high school graduate should be familiar with the use of the microphone”, and to use the airwaves responsibly as a public forum on any number of important issues.  In addition, he called for separate FM programming to cater to the specific interests of its audience, and for the upcoming television industry to take a hard look at ways to educate the public which would include use of TV in classrooms to consider news events and other important information.  What he did not anticipate was the role TV would have in reshaping radio programming and its effect on the audience.  It also led to a rather surprising discussion.

Patriotism was at an all-time high, but just a few weeks after the war’s official end with the signing of the Japanese surrender, the WHK series “Youth Speaks” sponsored a panel of teen broadcasters asking if compulsory military service was still a good idea.^[1]  Remember that so many of this aptly named “greatest generation” put aside their home lives to enlist immediately after Pearl Harbor, so the topic seemed odd at the time.  It was a topic that would resurface years later with a different tone during the war in Viet Nam.

FM’s emergence was still in its formative stages in 1945 with most looking at its educational opportunities.  In the weeks before the war’s end an FM Education Workshop was held at the Ohio State University in Columbus to determine the best options for the radio band and the way to train people as both educators and broadcasters.  That workshop then moved to Cleveland, home of the nation’s first educational station, the school board’s WBOE-FM, which had benefitted from the programming innovations offered by the highly respected Dr. William Levenson.   The group was able to take tours of WHK, WTAM, WGAR and WJW, with discussions of the way each presented news, sports and entertainment, and the unique role local radio plays in its home community.  The workshop was such a success that a follow up was scheduled the following year with an effort to draw broadcast professionals and educators from across the country.

The parent company of WHK, the United Broadcast Company, also saw commercial possibilities on the FM band and started experiments out of its transmitter site in Seven Hills, Ohio, one of the highest locations in that part of the state.  Guided by the expertise of the company’s head of engineering, Carl Smith, the experiments were heard by a select few who had FM receivers.^[2]  UBC’s H.K. Carpenter said it was in anticipation of more listeners opting for FM and predicted many more receivers with the separate band in the years to follow.  The new station was christened, at least for a time, as W8XUB at 107.1 on the dial, and first broadcasts included comments from Carpenter and Smith, as well as musical selections from the WHK Willard staff orchestra.  In his inaugural address, Carpenter stated, “We have great hopes that this new system of broadcasting will enable us to increase materially the service we can render listeners in this great center of population and industry”.  Smith added, “We have hopes of accomplishing two objectives – to produce a special type of rotating signal which will serve more radio receivers and do it better than was possible by the older methods and to give to Cleveland distributors of radio sets and to those people who buy radio sets with the new FM band the first radio service of this kind in the area.”   Those initial experiments were reportedly only heard by two receivers, one at a store in downtown Cleveland and the other at the transmitter site, but it was yet another giant step in the 25-year history of the medium.  Just weeks later the station would announce yet another ground-breaking innovation.

The AM band was still the most accessible means of news and entertainment, though it also sparked controversy on occasion.  That was the case when WJW broadcast the first of actor Orson Welles’ news commentaries.^[3]  Welles, of course, was an accomplished and dynamic speaker, but his first outings were criticized by the Plain Dealer’s radio editor Robert Stephan as “very light stuff” when compared to his theatrical work.  He also questioned a disclaimer that “Welles’ thoughts may not be those of his sponsor” which prompted Stephan to ask why would you hire someone who doesn’t agree with you? Little did anyone know that in the coming decades disclaimers would be a standard addition to many broadcasts if only as protection from possible litigation.

There was obviously cooperation among stations during the war years, but in the months that followed its end there was a reemphasis on competition.  Radio was still a growing business, and a good amount of that growth was getting programming and especially sponsors heard. In early 1946 WGAR was granted a conditional grant allowing it to increase to 50-thousand watts, the same as rival WTAM.  A new transmitter was a big investment, about $300,000, but it increased the station’s signal seven times over in downtown Cleveland.^[4]  Programming was still the biggest draw, but it can be assured that this move also made the signal more accessible over a much wider area, which was a plus for its advertisers. The initial plans hit a speed bump when Akron station WADC protested the increase fearing possible interference with its signal, though it would soon be resolved in WGAR’s favor.  The station made another innovative move in its programming by increasing the number of shows originating in Northeast Ohio replacing non-commercial CBS shows.  That included music from the WGAR orchestra, a new comedy series, and talk with the Western Reserve University Roundtable series that was brought over from WTAM.  It also aired a special broadcast linking a Junior Town Meeting from the Cleveland Board of Education auditorium to a similar group in London focusing on “How Shall the Atomic Bomb Be Controlled?.”  It would prove to be a topic that would haunt the public for generations to come.

Reports of exciting new technological advances now seemed commonplace, but in August 1946 newspaper headlines proclaimed that WHK was now readying its expansion into television.  The station had set up individual work groups to train on cameras, staging and building scenery.  It also sent station personnel to General Electric’s WRGB in Schenectady, New York, which was doing similar experiments.  Writers and producers compared notes on a science series, a kid’s show and a variety program and there were even experiments on multi-camera broadcasts (Stephan, 1946).  Radio’s move to living room screens seemed inevitable but would hit snags along the way that would alter the initial plans of all the stations’ planned expansion.

By year’s end, the Northeast Ohio radio audience had much to reflect on as 1946 was quickly drawing to a close. Columnist Robert Stephan recalled the comments made the previous year by Mutual’s Edgar Kobak regarding the importance of radio as a unifying force for peace stating, “If we are to have a permanent peace, it must generate from the very firesides of ‘the little people’ all over the world. Radio reaches these firesides intimately.  It can bring to them with amazing speed, all the high hopes of the current sturdy band of our United Nations, and, through song and story, it can present a true picture of the good neighbor.  It can help to stamp out the greatest foe of Christmas – intolerance.  It can spread the democratic doctrine that every man, woman and child is an individual entitled to his freedoms.”  These comments almost seemed to foreshadow the call for civil rights that would emerge to a greater degree in the coming decade.   He went on to say, “Radio, with a wise and unselfish leadership, can weave its efforts to bring about a common understanding into its rich destiny.  As a living Santa Claus it can help to make come true the promise of the first Christmas – peace on earth, good will toward all men”.   It was a lofty ideal for what many still saw as a racially divided country, but the right programming could conceivably unite its population.  That begged the question, what kind of programming might that be?

It seems odd but even with the sophisticated schedules offered by many stations there was a concern that some outlets might be “dumbing down” their programming.  While some lauded praise on stations’ efforts, others found plenty to gripe about.  Letters to the Plain Dealer are a good indication, with one former Clevelander writing, “I don’t think many of the sponsors listen or they would begrudge paying for some of the piffle.”  Another suggested radio crime stories harmed young listeners saying, “There are many fine programs that could be put on the air which would be more enlightening and more enjoyable to the dialers.  It seems the networks as well as the advertisers won’t do anything, so it is up to the public to go out after better radio”.  That same day WJW announced it would be trying out a new format with hostess Brooke Taylor acting as a disc jockey offering music in five different classifications.

Radio in Cleveland marked its first quarter century in grand style.  In March ’47, WHK held an elaborate party for 350 guests calling back to its earliest days, with dignitaries from private business, government and the local arts scene gathered at the Hotel Hollenden.  It also featured the winner of the station’s “beauty quest” with a winner who was, appropriately, 25 years old and acted at the station’s official hostess.^[5]  Part of her job was to carry greetings to Canada’s prime minister as well as other dignitaries while wearing a special 25th anniversary outfit. There were the expected speeches and pats on the back, but the real surprise may have been the luncheon featuring “Announcer Style” fluffed potatoes, “Spot” Roast of Beef and ice cream, with “1420 calories” followed by a birthday cake for every table lit with sparklers.

It was clear that radio had become an irreplaceable facet of the American lifestyle….but how much radio could the audience handle?  There’s no question it was a very lucrative business, but additional stations meant more competition from salespeople on the street and the Federal Communications Commission didn’t help when it granted eight new FM licenses to Northeast Ohio.   By mid-1947 the Cleveland area had licensing or construction permits for seven AM stations, ten on the FM band and two proposed TV stations with three more television licenses being considered and even more radio.  The question:  When would the market show saturation?  There was concern that too many stations would threaten the quality of programming as they scrambled to fill airtime. It was also expected that listeners would explore other stations’ offerings resulting in what was called “dialer pull” (better known now as channel surfing).

Could smaller audiences result in advertisers demanding lower ad rates?  Could it affect network budgets saving money on programming for decreased listenership?  Plus, there were an estimated 6000 FM receivers in the Cleveland area.  How long before the other band starts siphoning off audience share?  It was thought that could happen as early as 1951 if enough AM/FM combo sets were sold.  There was also the threat of TV, even though no one in Cleveland had a set in their home at that time.  Still, that was the elephant in the room and there was only so much ad money to go around.  At that time, there was speculation that many entering the broadcast industry were following a modern-day gold rush.  This assessment may have sent up a red flag among many prospective owners and some with plans that were already underway.

There’s an old saying in radio that “every mic is hot” meaning anything can happen and you shouldn’t say anything in a studio that could accidentally find its way on the air.  WJW found that out the hard way.  During an airing of the network show “This is Your FBI” what was described as a phone call with strong language lasting as long as ten minutes cut into the program.  The callers were a man and woman “damning” their landlord and the audience didn’t like it.  The station took 200 complaints and WJW engineer Paul Svec said it apparently leaked into the transmission lines coming from Chicago.

Remember what we said about concerns regarding the quality of programs?  That argument resurfaced later in the year with a New York writer commenting on TV experiments in his town, and how they set an example for the current state of radio.  John Royal predicted the success of TV would depend on the quality of its programs.^[6]  Citing what he saw as lackluster programming on radio that summer, Royal claimed it resulted in a drop in listenership.  It was suggested that the TV networks aggressively planned better quality shows with new rising talent with solid publicity and promotional campaigns.  He also claimed that radio at the time was suffering from lackluster writing and that much of it was uninspired with little freshness or imagination. Royal said the rules should apply to both mediums.  Whether his warnings were heeded would be debated for years to come.

It can be argued that radio is the best medium for baseball, and as programming it was a huge draw for the red-hot Cleveland Indians on WGAR.  Tribe owner Bill Veeck knew the value of his team to the radio audience and made it a point in the off season to stress the games would remain on the AM dial, though he would be open to simulcasting on the FM.^[7]  As for TV broadcasts…well, that might take some thought.  Veeck might have seen the writing on the wall, or at least the newspaper ads.  Ads promoted Cleveland’s National Radio School offering a special television class for beginners with “no previous experience needed”.  It was located where WHK would soon be building its new studios and where its founder Warren Cox had his store.

WHK closed out 1947 with a show that would stand little if any chance of airing today.  It was an audience participation show called “The Good Housekeepers”, and it invited a different woman’s club every day to the auditorium at the United Vacuum Cleaners store with four contestants chosen to compete.^[8]  Host Mendel Jones would then quiz each contestant to reveal something unusual she does at home to qualify her as “the good housekeeper of the day” with a grand prize awarded at the end of the week,  Interesting point:  The shows were recorded at 2:00 p.m., and played back at 3:00 p.m. the following day so the contestants could get home to prepare the family dinner.

Warnings about TV’s introduction and its effects on radio surfaced once again in late summer of 1948.  The FCC okayed TV licensing for WEWS, the Scripps Howard station that was already doing experimental broadcasts, another for the proposed NBC station that was just weeks away from its startup and one to the Empire Coil Company which would eventually operate on Channel 9.  The fourth was expected to be awarded to WHK, WGAR, WJW, the Cleveland Broadcast Company or Dumont Television.  The commission had determined that a city the size of Cleveland didn’t need more than four stations.^[9]  How this new medium would affect radio would be determined in relatively short order.

Cleveland loved its theaters.  In the days before shopping malls and multi-screens the new films would debut in the downtown showplaces and movies would go on to other houses when the next batch of films arrived.  Keith’s 105th Theater near University Circle had seen better days as a vaudeville house and had plenty of competition from theater that lined the city’s Euclid Avenue all the way downtown.  It started a policy that could be seen as an omen of things to come with raves and clubs by featuring disc jockeys on stage.  WJW’s Brooke Taylor, Stan Gee from WGAR and Howie Lund from WJMO would introduce acts and guest stars which was basically an extension of their radio programs.  The station had another innovation in mind that November by establishing a 15 station “network”, an extension of the system it established to win the Cleveland Indians broadcasts the previous season.  It was named the “Standard Network” with programming mainly for FM stations and a minimum two hours per day.^[10]

Perhaps one of the most unique and potentially litigious promotions a radio station ever staged was offered by WJW just before the winter holidays.  The station offered downtown shoppers babysitting service on Saturdays.  You read that correctly.  Every Saturday the station had room for 50 children and kid show hosts Walt “Kousin” Kay and Bruce McDonald would host a “Baby Sitters Hour” variety show followed by playground equipment, toys, milk and graham crackers.  There was also a registered nurse and Girl Scouts to help keep the children occupied.  It was open to kids ages 4 to 9, and mom could shop from 9 a.m. to noon.  The potential for problems was obvious, but seemingly operated without a hitch until it was discontinued following the holiday season.

United Broadcasting’s WHK made a bold move in 1949, purchasing the building that housed the old Metropolitan Theater at East 50th and Euclid Avenue.  The UBC offices were already there, and plans were announced for a million-dollar renovation to turn the building into a broadcast complex that rivalled anything in New York or Chicago.^[11]  Plans included studios for WHK-AM & FM as well as the TV station which had yet to be licensed, though construction on the television facility was already scheduled in the coming months.  The complex was to be christened “Radio Cleveland”, and along with the theater to be known as the WHK Auditorium it would include parking garages and a connecting building in the back.

The initial plans called for seven studios for radio, two TV studios towering two floors and the refurbished theater to be used by all the stations.  There’s no question that WHK was looking at a future in television with twenty-one dressing rooms planned for three floors.  The auditorium had excellent acoustics going back to its days with the Metropolitan Opera Company in 1912 with room for 1400 theater goers.  Another key innovation came from the renowned acoustical engineer Edward Content out of New York, who planned broadcast studios that would be a “room within a room”.  There would be no mechanical connection between studio and outside walls and would use a spring suspension principle to maximize sound and vibration isolation which would greatly enhance the acoustics.  Plans also called for a marquee that extended the length of the building and a restaurant at street level (United Broadcasting Ready, 1950).  UBC would be forced to revise those plans as the company’s TV plans changed over time.

The radio dial got a bit more crowded in 1949 with the addition of WERE-AM, a fully independent operation, and its arrival caused a stir among the other stations.  The trade paper Radio Daily had suggested the need for an independent claiming many local civic groups had to buy airtime at an out of town stations to broadcast into Cleveland.^[12]  Some local radio people took issue with that assessment and one of them was Walt Kay at WJW.  Writing to columnist George Condon and describing himself as a “working member of the radio industry” in the city he claimed the story left him with a “distinct feeling that the reputation and the character of our city has been dealt a body blow, below the belt”.  Kay charged that, “Whatever individual conjured up such a blatantly vicious publicity notice, or any executive who may have approved the release of same, deserves the condemnation of our local press and the constructive criticism of our Chamber of Commerce”.  He went to state, “It would be interesting to know what civic, religious, welfare and fraternal organizations have been compelled to buy time on out of town stations.”    Some things to keep in mind.  What were the ad rates on stations?  Cleveland charged top dollar and you were at the mercy of network scheduling.  WERE didn’t have those restrictions and as a startup could offer lower rates.  Also, one of the principal owners behind WERE was former Mayor Ray Miller who was also closely aligned with the Democratic Party in a blue-collar union town.  Chances are some political groups had an inside route to airtime.

Meanwhile, later that same year a 15-minute show on WJW would come under the microscope.  It was a Saturday morning program that aired twice a month and was titled, “Police Blotter”, hosted by two Cleveland officers, Walt Delaney and Gene Pfaff.  Basically, a look at the city’s crime fighting efforts that some might call a public service program, right?^[13]  Not if you claim you came up with idea first and there’s more on that coming up.

Decades before it would adopt the format full time, WGAR found an audience for so called “cowboy-hillbilly” music, and Ernie Benedict’s Range Riders held court six nights a week.  This wasn’t the highly produced country western music that would challenge the so called Top Forty years later but Gene Autry style tunes you’d hear around a campfire.  They were described as nasal, twangy, with a “homely philosophy” and people loved them.^[14]  Years before in the 1930s a singer named “Pie Plant” Pete introduced that type of music on WTAM, eventually moved to WGAR, and started a trend that gave us Hank Miller and his Ozark Mountain Boys, Slim Everhart and yodeler Bob Armstrong.  Benedict and his boys were no overnight success.  They’d been around since 1943 when the 6’ 3” Benedict marched into the program director’s office demanding an audition.   They got the gig, started almost immediately and over the next seven years became institution.  Their stars continued to rise when they signed to RCA Victor.

There was no question that Walt Kay was opinionated and not afraid to let you know how he felt.^[15]  In February of 1950 Kay submitted his resignation and WJW management were happy to accept it.  “Kousin Kay” as he was known had hosted the station’s children’s show for several years, but he took issue with a management decision to cut his show by a few minutes to air race results.  As he closed what would be his final show, Kay told the audience, “As we conclude this programs of recorded features, dedicated to a day of world prayer, I should like to point out that beginning Monday “Kousin Kay’s Korner” will be on the air from 6:30 to 6:55, ending five minutes early to allow the broadcasting of horse race results – perhaps so that the bookies of Greater Cleveland can better determine their daily winnings.  In spite of the possible threat to my position with this station, I should like to make public my opinion of placing such a broadcast next to a program designed for children.”  It wasn’t likely this was going to end on friendly terms for either side.  Management was not amused by the statement.

That Monday, Kay met with program director Charles Hunter for a marathon four-hour session, and when the smoke cleared Kay had offered his resignation and it was accepted.  He requested that he be allowed to give another statement at his usual time of 6:30 or else he would walk.  Kay even submitted an outline of what he wanted to say, including what led up to his comments the previous Friday, tipping his hat to WJW president William O’Neill and announcing there would be no race results but rather a show called Sports Headlines.  Hunter countered by offering Kay his old position without “any hard feelings or repercussions if he would perform his duties and not editorialize.”  After some discussion, Hunter issued a statement that read, “Kay could not see it our way.  He wanted to go on at 6:30 and announce that the sports program was canceled.”  Children and parents expecting Kousin Kay that afternoon got fifteen minutes of music followed by sports announcer Jim Graner with a sports program that included race results from Miami’s Hialeah Park and Tampa’s Sunshine Park track.

Well, wasn’t that a surprise.  Within minutes the switchboards at both WJW and the Plain Dealer were jammed.  Columnist George Condon tried to make sense of it all by praising Kay’s talents in entertaining kids, but also stating the station had the right to limit his editorializing without prior permission.  He went on to explain the trust and responsibility a station gives a performer with a live microphone to use it for the intended purpose.  Condon made it clear that “Any deviation from that purpose is a betrayal of its trust”, and could lead to interesting programming, but also “virtual anarchy for station proprietors”.  He lamented the loss of a good program, thought WJW showed poor judgement, but that’s often the way radio worked.

There were other changes in store down the dial.  Bob Neal had made a name for himself on WGAR, but the upstart station WERE lured him away that March naming him sports director.^[16]  Neal was getting a lot of attention from both the teams and station sponsors and his departure was a major victory for WERE.  He would stay at that station for decades.

Radio programmers pretty much shrugged when TV was being talked about and didn’t see a threat when it finally became a reality…at first.  Many thought they would simply branch out to that medium as well, but soon discovered they were dealing with a completely different animal.  Some radio folks worked part time on TV, but as television became more prevalent radio management started putting limits on “double duty”.  WGAR, WJW and WERE laid down the law, and WTAM only allowed its people to appear on sister station WNBK-TV.  The argument was that radio stations developed the talent, publicized and promoted them, and didn’t want to open the door losing them to another medium.  Any appearance was thought to be an endorsement of TV over radio.^[17]  Despite that, names like Joe Finan, Alan Freed, Jim Graner and “Big” Wilson would all put in some time on the tube.  The threat of TV overtaking radio was quickly gaining steam, and forcing the latter to quickly evolve.