National Engineering Magazine Publishes WHAV’s ‘Technical History’
Story appears in the August, 2010 Issue of Radio Magazine

WHAV Program Director Warren Greenwood takes an airshift from the main control room in June 1948.

Tim Coco takes readers of Radio magazine on a virtual tour of WHAV as it existed from 1947 to 1980 in the August issue of the national engineering publication.

Coco’s article, “A Technical History of WHAV” (see excerpt and link below), begins by taking readers back to the 1947 week-long open house at WHAV’s new studio building. The Haverhill Gazette, then-owner, opened the art deco-styled building over successive days to business people, potential radio time buyers and finally the public. The new studios were designed by local architect Clinton F. Goodwin and built by William H. Starbird, a local contractor. It was largely outfitted by area manufacturers Western Electric and Raytheon.

“Compared to years later when magnetic tape would come on the scene, few pieces of input equipment appear in the control room. The new Western Electric 23-C five-pot studio console is fed only by a 639 cardioid microphone in the room, plus those from the studio below. The console is in the center of a U-shaped wooden desk, covered with red linoleum with stainless steel side trim,” Coco wrote.

Coco proceeds to take readers to the transmitter building atop Silver Hill and then details how newly introduced 45 RPM records and magnetic tape pushed the station into a new era. He also relates several stories from his experience working in the old buildings from 1978 to 1980. These include discovering vandalism that forever altered the façade of the studio building and an explosion at the transmitter site.

One of WHAV’s first announcers, Phil Christie, and two of its last, Jack Bevelaqua and Marc Lemay, are still heard on what is now an Internet, cable television and low-power (Part 15) radio station.

Radio magazine is published by Penton Media of New York. 

The WHAV call letters have been associated with local broadcasting since 1947. For more than six years, the WHAV call has been heard on the Internet at WHAV.net and a number of public access cable television stations in Andover, Haverhill and Methuen, and Plaistow and Sandown, N.H. The station is also heard over low-power AM 1640.

A Technical History of WHAV
As Published in the August, 2010 Issue of Radio Magazine

By Tim Coco

When the Haverhill Gazette opened its new WHAV studio building to the public in December 1947, it was an exciting weeklong event. Business people, potential radio time buyers and finally the public were allowed to tour the art deco-styled building. The special week concluded with a live appearance by popular vocalist Vaughn Monroe.

WXRV, the former WHAV-FM, continues to occupy the building to this day. WHAV (AM) left the building upon its sale in 1995.

The new studios were designed by local architect Clinton F. Goodwin and were clearly built for live entertainment — a style that was about to be upset by television. A copy of the original blueprints remained in the chief engineer’s office for at least 30 years. Goodwin confided to me before his death in the early 1980s that he toured other stations, including WEEI, Boston, to determine how best to design the studios. Since few stations were built from the ground up during World War II, he largely copied 1930s radio buildings. Construction was undertaken by William H. Starbird, a local contractor.

The station actually signed on March 16, 1947, but operated from temporary studios above a downtown bank while the new building was completed. Construction was delayed both by a lag in receiving permission from the post-war U.S. Civilian Production Administration and a protest by the AFL Teamster and Chauffeurs Local against the non-union Starbird, according to stories that appeared in the Haverhill Gazette.

Visitors during the open house week in 1947 found a square two-story (two and one-half in the rear), white stucco building with masonry glass windows — one on each side of a large triple-beveled entrance. Because the building was built into a side of a hill, the entrance consisted of two large glass doors and then stairs to the second floor of the building. WHAV’s name was engraved in a granite-like floor and also appeared in a neon-lighted sign that rose above the building. Incidentally, I was the one who discovered the shattered glass door when I arrived for my early morning airshift sometime during the late 1970s. I urged one of the owners to restore the door, but he opted for a more secure mostly metal door. The aesthetics have been compromised since.

Once inside, through the doors at the top of the stairs and into the pink granite-floored lobby, visitors probably first noticed the glass window on the left side of the wall ahead of them. This looked into the building’s impressive large studio. While waiting for the tour to begin, guests had a chance to take in the happenings all around them in the lobby. Looking back toward the entrance they would have seen the door of General Manager John T. “Jack” Russ’ private office on the right. The remaining offices on the left and right were behind a half-high wall of clear varnished wood veneer, topped with a textured glass within stainless steel frames for privacy.

A center opening in the left wall appeared where a quarter round receptionist’s counter jutted into the lobby. The receptionist probably asked guests to be seated while she answered calls on the new, free-standing Western Electric 551 switchboard. Those paying attention would notice much of the station was outfitted by Western Electric. The manufacturing arm of AT&T obviously won the loyalty of the station since the company operated a manufacturing plant in the city.

Across the lobby in a similarly styled bank of offices, the clickety-clack of the Associated Press teletype machine can be heard over the half walls. A built-in bin collects the rolls of imprinted yellow paper. Other offices off the lobby housed the commercial manager, program director, continuity writer and schedule supervisor.

More. See full article at Radio magazine.