Re: WBZ-WHDH-WUNR "Sea Coverage"!

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

>Bump Martin wrote:
>
>>There was an old joke amongst WHDH employees....That said that WHDH
>>stood for "We Have Dead Haddock"....due to the fact that so much of
>>their signal is over water.
>
        This thread and the one about how jibguy should bring back the
ship's bells sound effect (yes) reminded me that in the '60s, WHDH made
a big deal out of the marine weather forecast. It ran it as a 5-minute
program. I think it was on about four times a day, whenever the new
forecast was issued, or more often. I think it used a voice over the phone
of a weather service (bureau, then) staff member. And it had bell-buoy /
splashing waves sound effects as an intro. I never had put
two-and-two together.
        Perhaps this was a remnant of public service
programming it had agreed to provide, as Donna noted in saying the station
originally was licensed to Gloucester. And it was a public service, as many
boats, including the professionals, did not have anything like the
communications and electronics gear they have now. It also would have been
in keeping
with where the WHDH signal went, as well as with its target audience -- boat
owner-types, sportsmen, etc. How about a liner: "The No. 1 station on
Georges Bank." Or, "While you're casting your line, we're BROADcasting the
effective equivalent of at least 150 kilowatts straight at Stillwagen
[spelling?] Bank."
        Now, if they could just tow Cape Cod about 30 miles north,
they wouldn't have this problem with getting no Red Sox signal there.

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