Radio ... and Me - 25

My fascination with radio goes back a long time, and it was during my 4 years at St. FX University that I had a chance to learn how to work on radio shows.
In January of 1966, the usual “mid-winter blahs” were claiming all our waking hours. These were the days before the Super Bowl, when sports fans and football fanatics take a fling on a football game. Many universities and some high schools, at that time, began to organize a … Winter Carnival, complete with sledding and skating and ice-sculpture events, and a round of social activities.

The highlight at St. FX was the legendary “Sophomore Variety Show,” a hilarious mix of amateur comedy skits and music numbers, performed by both young and veteran students, many of whom went on to careers in show business. The Carnival Committee of 1966 wanted to go all out: they organized an ambitious program, called the 'Klondike Karnival,' to run over two weekends and the week in between.
We planned an original radio production for the Saturday afternoon of the 1st weekend, which turned out to be both hard work and a lot of fun!
Our mentor, Steve Emery, had taught us well. He was a classmate, a “mature student,” with a wife and family -- who just happened to work a regular, daily announcing shift at the local station, C-J-F-X. He had set up the 'On Campus Broadcasters Society' in 1964, and produced a live, weekly 60-minute newsmagazine program on the station. After completing his degree, Steve moved on: to a Masters degree in Journalism at Columbia University in New York, then worked on the staff of CBC TV 's “The National,” and set up a Radio-TV Arts program at Algonquin College in Ottawa.
We continued his work in the society and on the weekly radio and TV programs.
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Here's how the production ran:
We rolled the opening theme, and announced that we are broadcasting from the Klondike, travelling with sled dogs, looking to cover the events of the Karnival.
As usual, we present the first feature: Campus Calendar, a detailed listing of campus events, which this time runs almost three times its regular length, because there are so many events to talk about.
Coming out of that feature, we realize -- on the air -- that all the Karnival events are all being staged back in Antigonish!!!
So, we hurriedly put “Plan B” into effect: begin the process of getting back to campus, so that we didn't miss everything!
All our combined creativity now kicks in: we have to get back to town with our sled dog teams, warm up and grab a quick meal, then board a plane for the trip home!
You will recall, Dear Reader, that radio has always been called the "Theatre Of the Mind."
This program is going out live: we have about 40 minutes to have fun with.
We had assembled all our group, plus a few hangers-on, as well as a number of carefully chosen … sound-effects records!
The segment with the sled dogs, complete with whistling winds and howling dogs (over which the host, moi, has to keep a running commentary), goes over very well and gives way to our visit to a nearby saloon, complete with -- running on the turntable -- some excellent rinky-dink piano music!
What followed was the most fun of all, especially generating the sounds: foot-stomping and zipper un-zipping as we came in from the cold: the sounds of a meal service, complete with the pouring of generous libations of … (what else?) Sarsaparilla!
Throughout the program, commentary had to give way to the full regular program features, including news and sports reviews, as well as an extensive interview with Canadian folk artists, Ian and Sylvia (who had been very gracious and generous with their time). That feature made its way to CBC Toronto, and was later presented on the full national network.
Now, Dear Reader, you may be asking: What to do about the plane?
The station staff had provided us with a couple of sound effects records of various planes warming up, but we couldn't find the suitable “bush pilot airplane” sounds, so we decided to move up, to the biggest airliner of its day … the Boeing 707.
For a full seven minutes, we had to describe our trek from the saloon to the airplane, while the pilots (went through their lengthy check-lists and) warmed up the engines, as they always warm up the engines: ONE-AT-A-TIME! (This was also a time to have fun, as the sounds became louder and louder and threatened to sweep us off into the snow.)
We board the plane, extend our “thank yous” (the 707 take-off was spectacular!) and do the sign-off, pointing out that we will be back to the “Karnival" in plenty of time to take part in and report the rest of the events.
Fade up closing theme music.
(Station staff take over, for the ID message.)
We all applauded, laughed and congratulated each other on a program well done!
An unforgettable Carnival … er, Karnival.