historical moments

[Donna Halper <dlh@donnahalper.com>]

Before I start thinking about some of the historical moments I would choose,
we should keep in mind that the stuff from the 1920s (such as KDKA's or even
WBZ's or WNAC's or WGI/1XE's first broadcast) was never taped, since
audiotape was a long way in the future, and even transcription was not
perfected to any great degree till the late 20s, as far as I know.  There is
a KDKA 'first broadcast' available, but it is a re-creation.  Sadly, there
are no extant copies of much of anything from the 1920s.  If I were trying
to catalog the events of the early years, I would go visit one of the last
people to recall that era, because he was there and a part of it-- Gordon
Swan, who has many memories of WGI and WBZ in the 1920s.  He is at a nursing
home in Kingston, and VERY sharp.  He'd love some company too...

Oh-- one event I'd love to hear the transcription of (having read the
newspaper accounts) was the 1932 incident when a supposedly trained lion
broke away and rampaged through the studios of WBZ (live and on the air-- 7
people injured, lots of equipment destroyed...). 

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