Lightning strikes

[mwaters@wesleyan.edu (Martin J. Waters)]

        From where I sit, in Connecticut, about 100 miles from Boston
Common, I've been listening to WBZ today for storm news. And this afternoon
the signal sounded very weak. It was so bad it was like trying to listen to
WRKO out here. Sure enough, I called and Peter Casey told me lightning hit
one of the towers in Hull last night (sorry; bad reporting job; I didn't
find out exactly when). It was running at about 25 kW since then, but this
afternoon they went to the 10 kW backup from Soldiers Field Road so they
could make repairs. When I spoke with him at 4:15, that was the situation
and he wasn't sure when the 50 kW would be back. The 25 kW didn't sound
much different out here (the old root square sum deal). But the 10 kW is
weak. I heard the changeover to the auxiliary around 1 or 2 o'clock. On the
bright side, with the nondirectional, it probably sounds better in
Provincetown than it normally does.

        This reminds me of the 1978 blizzard. WBZ also had to use reduced
power during and just after that storm because the installation in Hull was
hammered.  I think its auxiliary was 5 kW then, although perhaps it was 10
kW. I was in Springfield, and could barely get the station. I figured what
was wrong, and finally they mentioned it - which I didn't hear them doing
today. Between the weak signal and the grim news and announcements in 1978
it sounded exactly as bad as it was. I think they were running the studios
and backup transmitter on batteries and generators for awhile. What became
of the other Boston stations in that storm?

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