WMPT Technical Part 2

Chief Engineer(s) Galen "Dave" Castlebury Jr, Jon Paul (in name only), assisted by Dick Crownover, Kelly Watts & Warren(Lomie)Lomisson)

In the period of 1968 through 1972 some other changes happened at the WMPT FM transmitter site. Three of the TV stations in Harrisburg approaced Dave about using the tower to receive their signals so they could add translators to serve Williamsport. The original plan was to have both the receivers and transmitters in the WMPT FM building, BUT testing found that there was a signal shadow over a part of Williamsport. The TV stations then leased a piece of property further down Skyline Drive and built a small building and tower there. WMPT FM's tower was still used for receiving the signal and boosters to send it through coax to the transmitter building. A benefit,(?)to WMPT was income and we had three TV's in the production studio that covered all three major networks. D.J.'s quickly found out that they could plug in a microphone in the studio and watch TV while they were on the air. A practice that Dave didn't care for, BUT we loved. One bebefit was beign able to catch news bullitens quickly. In addition, several local businesses contracted with Dave to use the tower and building for their two way communication equipment.

In 1968 A.B.C. News changed its format to four different radio networks. This also meant a huge increase in the costs of bringing the signal to WMPT. In those days it was lease telephone lines the cost was offset by royalties paid for carrying programming. With the split of the network so ended the royalties for small markets like Williamsport. Dave felt that we could not afford the costs so a deal was worked out with WHDL Olean, NY to pick up their FM signal, using a receiver at the FM Site, and broadcast the news. The system worked pretty well, except when a DJ was asleep at the switch and you might get some of WHDL's station I.D. on the air. We also taped Paul Harvey from them and broadcast it 15 minutes later. The station eventually built a library of generic Paul Harvey broadcasts in case the D.J. on duty forgot to tape Paul or some failure happened. After a period of time Dave struck a deal with WUDO AM in Lewisburg to share the cost of the leased telephone line to Lewisburg, and pay the full cost from Lewisburg to South Williamsport. The sales staff became very creative and sold sponsorships to other A.B.C. programs like Howard Cosell to help defray the costs. During the negotiations with WUDO was the first time I met Ted Hodge, who I would meet again in 1979 when I went to work for WENY in Elmira, NY.

In June of 1972 the Agnes Flood nearly destroyed WMPT with 8 to 9 feet of water in the building. I lived in Barbours on The Loyalsock Creek at the time and was stranded there till the water went down. Just as well as I spent my time with Plunkett's Creek Fire Company where I was also a member. It was about June 24th or 25th when we finally were able to get into the building and found MUD everywhere. Before the flood waters came through the door Jon Paul, Bill Byham and Caesar Mattioli did what they could to save equipment by putting it up on counters. The popular rumor that the WMPT property was dry during the flood of 1936, well it certainly wasn't in 1972. I said to Dave that if cows had actually stood on the knoll where the station was, "They were damn tall cows." It was amazing to see all the efforts to get the station back on the air, engineers from WRAK, WWPA, AND WLYC all came over to help as they could along with Warren Lommison, the owner of Lommison Sound Systems. We tore out all the equipment and took it to the parking lot where liberal applications of water and Dow bathroom cleaner removed the mud. After it dried out we plugged it in, the old Dualux console actually worked on one channel and after some coaxing the C.C.A. transmitter came back to life, at very low power, after isolating the modulation transformer be setting it on some damaged 33 RPM records. repair parts for everything that didn't come back to life were ordered and we went back on the air with a limited schedule. To that point WMPT had been 24 hours, six days a week, but we had no production facilities so production was done after sign off at midnight sometimes lasting all night. To the credit of all concerned it was the absolute BEST EFFORT I have ever seen by a group of people to try and operate as normally as possible. I think it was about day four after we went back on the air we actually did a remote from the Lycoming County Fair. No small feat since we had temporary audio lines running across the floor no office equipment, very few dry chairs and worst of all NO COCA COLA MACHINE!

The causalities of the flood the old Gates Transmitter, the home brew production console and all the masters for client jingles, not to mention a large part of the record library.

I left not long after the flood as did Caesar and a couple of other employees as frustration set in. I wound up at WLYC/WILQ, and Caesar at WMMR IN Philadelphia. The Gates board and turn tables eventually were sold to the upstart Mifflinburg radio station WJJR FM, built and managed by Ron Shobert.

POST SCRIPT:

As I have said many times in this BLOG, I am always afraid that I will forget someone. Steve Helms, (air name Steve Hurr) dropeed me a note to tell me he has been reading the BLOGS and reminded me that a bunch of us piled in Dave's old Bronco and went over to Steve's parents house for a BBQ as a break from the post flood clean-up. Steve, sorry I forgoten about that, heck it was only 38 years ago! Anyway, Steve and I worked together at WMPT and WLYC and shared duties doing the Monday Night radio tests on the West Branch Fireman's Radio for several years.