Doc's Dazzling Diamonds, Ditto

Scans from the good doctor, Mike Biel

Our bearded buddy from Kentucky, Mike Biel has sent us 8 fantastic scans, all in glorious Black & White. On one of the photos, Mike says, "The original picture is 1 3/4-inches by 2 3/4 inches, so that is why it ain't so sharp." Some of these scans are not perfect, but it's the best we can do with the material available. A little later, he sent us some more. They are all here on this page.

Scan #1 - The WRTI OWL When education in radio meant SOMETHING!

Scan #2 - Original Temple Broadcasting Owl--Note the WFIL calls. This was when Temple provided a large portion of the programming on the new WFIL in the late 40s and early 50s.

Scan #3 - Election' 64--Cue the Beeper! Original Cue Cards to tell the anchor which field report was coming next. This is the front of card four and the back of card five.

Scan #4 - Joel Albert, Norm Childs and Ed Keen in front of the Master Control rack in 1958. (New, improved version 10/15/98)

Scan #4a - "Now let's see, that was 976-L-O-V-E."

But seriously, as we all know, you couldn't get the Love-Line on the remote control dial, all you would get is the ITA's meter readings, which occasionally were quite exciting as the ITA 500A prepared to explode or fry a psych-lab turtle. The original caption in the October-January 1957-1958 Program Guide said: "TESTING . . . impressive display of equipment doesn't faze Carmen Gentile, Chief Engineer at WRTI, who is supervising the installation of WRTI's new 800 watt transmitter."

First of all, what happened to the extra ten watts? Secondly, what "impressive display of equipment"? Two PT-6's, a tone oscillator, and a home-made dial-up transmitter remote control with a key lock? Golly gee whiz! But seriously folks, this is the guy who installed the turtle-fryer!

Scan #5 - John Zacherle as Roland being interviewed by Jeanne Horvitz in 1958 (new, improved version 10/15/98)

Scan #6 - 1957-1958 WRTI Staff In Action In Studio A, from the cover of the WRTI Program Guide, April 1958 (new, improved photo 10/14/98)

Composite #1 (Updated 9/26/98) - WRTI's First Full Staff 1948-1949. Note that the picture was taken in Studio B. To the left is the window into Studio A. To the right is the window into Master Control B. Thru that window is the other window into Studio A from Master Control B. We have obtained a new, clearer version of this photo. The new, improved copy is larger amd clearer than the previous one. Also, we have added a fair amount of additional, recently obtained information.

From Mike Biel....I found an old AM log that lists some cigarette commercials!

From Gerry Wilkinson....I totally forgot that we sold time on WRTI-AM. When I was there, we didn't have many spots. (Guess they needed a good time sales person.)

From Mike Biel....Just took a look at the essay that Roberts wrote for the Alumni Issue of the WRTI Program Guide, February-May 1959. You won't believe what the title is...."That Old Gang Of Mine."

From Gerry Wilkinson....When I opened my electronic mailbox today (Monday 1/12/98), low and behold, there's another scan from Mike Biel. Just like him. He's a day late and a donut short. The new scan is SCAN #4a. Don't ask me why. I don't know. I had to call it something.

Additional photos added 4/9/98 or later

These are photos taken from xerox copies of WRTI Program Guides. While the reproduction is not the greatest, we have decided to post them in this fashion until better copies can be obtained. These items were sent by Mike Biel to Jerry Klein in January. At our 4/3/98 lunch at Temple, Jerry loaned them to Gerry Wilkinson for scanning and uploading.

Scan #6a - The WRTI Program Guide for October 1958 to January 1959. This is the cover photo. The person on the right is Norm Childs. At the bottom of the photo (in front of Norm) is Russ Greaves. (Russ is identified by Norm Childs).

Scan #7 - The WRTI-FM Program Guide for Fall 1961. This is the cover photo. The person on the right is Herb Smith, who was FM Station Manager at the time. Judith Labovitz (known to you as Judie Steinberg) has identified the two people in the control room. They are Judie Steinberg and Stan Marinoff.

Scan #8 - From the Fall 1961 WRTI-FM Program Guide comes this photo. Pictured are FM News Director Norm Fein and announcer Tom Stanwood.

Scan #9 - From the October 1957 to January 1958 WRTI Program Guide. Personnel from left to right are: Joe Schrier, Russ Greaves, Annette Shandler, Martin Kreiner, Norm Fein, Chuck Sherman, Ed Keen, Dick Smith and Don Cunningham. These people are AM & FM execs.

Scan #10 - Faculty and engineering staff discuss a new piece of equipment. Personnel left to right (seated) are: Delwin B. Dusenbury, John B. Roberts, William H. Seibel, Isaiah Roosin and Stan Saltzman. Standing are: Carmen Gentile, John Cooper and John Novak.

Scan #11 - In a WRTI drama are: (Left to right) Chuck Sherman, Martin Kreiner, Annette Shandler, Alan Secan and Stan Saltzman.

Scan #12 - WRTI-FM Station Manager, Ed Keen (from the February to May 1959 WRTI Program Guide).

Scan #13 - Photo of John Roberts with John Cooper and Dr. Eugene Udell. From 1959 issue of the Temple University News. In that year, the first television equipment on campus was installed in the new Curtis Hall. Originally, four classrooms were wired for closed circuit TV transmission. Later, 24 classrooms were included in the system. This photo shows their new Dage vidicon camera. The article said....

Television equipment, the first of its kind, was installed last week in Curtis Hall. It was designed by the University engineers and the Dage Manufacturing Company.

The installation consists of two cameras, a console and three monitor sets connected to the console.

Given to the University by WFIL, the equipment will have a two-fold purpose. It will be used to train radio-television students, and to televise instructional, educational programs in a closed-circuit set-up in Curtis Hall.

To decide the educational possibilities of the installation, a faculty committee has been appointed, John B. Roberts, associate professor of radio and speech, said Friday.

The group will consider questions such as whether televised lectures are of great value, and which courses may be televised, Roberts said.

One advantage of the equipment is it compactness, said Roberts. The sides of the camera fold out so that its parts are easily accessible and interchangeable....

Scan #15 - In 1931, Paul Randall (fondly called "Pop" by his students) was hired by Temple University as the first faculty member to teach dramatics. One of his first activities was the creation of the Templayers, an extracurricular dramatics group. In 1931, the Templayers broadcast radio plays over WIP every Thursday afternoon. Shortly thereafter, facilities for threatrical performances were completed in Mitten Hall. In 1933, The Queen's Husband played at Temple. Note how the lead male character looked alot like Groucho Marx, a top movie star at that time. The theater program was formally recognized as a separate department in 1966. Pop Randall was appointed chairman, but he retired from administration a year later. The plays continued to be held in Mitten Hall until the completion of the Annenberg Hall/Tomlinson Theater building in 1968. The structure was constructed under a grant from the Pennsylvani General State Authority and was furnished and equipped by grants from the M.L. Annenberg Foundation and the Tomlinson family. Pop Randall retired from teaching in 1969.

Scan #16 - Temple College held its first organized classes in 1887. In a small pamphlet dated the next year, the earliest existing record of specific courses offered at Temple, News Writing is noted as one of the studies to be pursued. In the first actual catalog (for 1889-1890), a course of study for journalists is listed. The owl from the pamphlet's back cover (scan #16), it was conjectured, has a night owl connotation. Classes were held in the evenings for the benefits of "the working man." Early offerings were merely courses of instruction and not formal degree programs. The symbol of the Owl has lasted for over 100 years. During the depression, students actually kept owls on campus and cared for them.

Scan #17 - Shown here is the first issue of the Fax Reporter from Friday April 1, 1949. It was produced by the Journalism and Radio Laboratories of Temple University and transmitted via WFIL-FM (now WIOQ). Over a three year period beginning in the spring of 1949, the University and WFIL Radio jointly prepared and distributed this facsimile newspaper. The experiment ceased operations in 1952. In the 40's, radio & television entered Temple's curricula. In 1947, Temple became the first in the nation to award a degree specifically in broadcasting, a Bachelor of Arts in Radio. Only the top 25 of more than 500 applicants were admitted to the first class. A grant from the M.L. Annenberg enabled the University to establish its own radio studios which were constructed in the old Park Avenue Methodist Church (now called Thomas Hall). During the forties the University cooperated with the School District of Philadelphia in pioneering educational radio and helped found WHYY-TV (then Channel 35) as an educational television station.

Scan #18 - Norm Childs who was Coordinator of Studio Personnel for AM & FM. The photo comes from the February-May 1959 issue of the WRTI Program Guide.

Item #19 - Professor John B. Roberts wrote an article called, "That Old Gang of Mine" for the February-May 1959 WRTI Program Guide. The text, photos and captions are reproduced here in their entirety.

Scan #20 - AM & FM Staff Members plus two from the faculty. (Left to right) Annette Shandler, Director of Promotion and Public Relations; William H. Seibel, Operations Manager of WRTI and Instructor of Radio & TV; Stan Saltzman, Operations Assistant; Dick Smith, FM Program Director; Norm Fein, FM News Director; Don Cunningham, AM Station Manager; Chuck Clarke, AM Promotion and Traffic Director; and Ed Goldman, Popular Music Director. Photo from the February-May 1959 WRTI Program Guide.

Scan #21 - Marty Kreiner, FM Music Director. Marty is pictured with two of the characters he portrayed on his series of children's stories, "Tell It Again." From the February-May 1959 program guide.

Scan #22 - Homecoming 1958. Dick Smith, WRTI-FM Program Director talks with WRTI staffer Al Hotlen, near the Judges' Stand at the Homecoming Parade. From February-May 1959 program guide.

Scan #23 - Transferred to the WRTI Early Photos section

Item #24 - Norm Childs, FM Station Manager tells us about "these programs of special interest." Reprinted from the WRTI Program Guide, October 1958-January 1959 issue.

Item #25 - Professor John B. Roberts writes "Why Temple Unveristy Operates WRTI-FM." Reprinted from the WRTI Program Guide, April 1958 issue.

Scan #26 - Three unidentified WRTI people in the newsroom. From the April 1958 WRTI program guide.

From Norm Childs....(The) person standing on the right is Russ Greaves. Unsure about others.

From Doris Elvanian Wannemacher....She has identified the person on the left as Don Kimberling and the one seated on the right and on the telephone as Tom Stanwood. She added that Don was the one who interviewed Henry Fonda.

Scan #27 - Unidentified personnel in a WRTI control room. From the April 1958 WRTI program guide.

From Chuck Sherman....I believe the person seated in Scan #27 is Barry Magarick.

From Barbara Watson Kaufman....Seated is Joe Sands.

From Norm Childs....(The person) standing is Dick Smith. The other may be Marty Kreiner.

From Doris Elvanian Wannemacher....She says that the one seated is Joe Sands.

Scan #28 - Unidentified personnel in the record library. From the April 1958 WRTI program guide.

Scan #29 - Unidentified personnel, all females. From the April 1958 WRTI program guide.

From Chuck Sherman....I believe the woman seated in #29 is Annette Shandler (a very bad photo).

From Barbara Watson Kaufman....Annette Shandler is seated; I'm on the left in the rear and Doris Elvanian (Wannemacher) is on the right.

From Doris Elvanian Wannemacher....She agrees that the two standing are Barbara Watson on the left and Doris Elvanian on the right.

This is the WRTI Old Gang Web Site.