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STORY INDEX Service still most important product at Ligonier Telephone Co. A black and white sensation: Tiny Screens a big attraction in early years of television A man works from sun to sun, but a woman's work is never done Indiana Extension Homemakers better the lives of families Small towns once supported their own movie theaters William Jennings Bryan among among orators at Rome City's Western Chautauqua Dr. David Rogers - Man of mystery, and benevolence DNR restoration programs working: Once abundant wildlife returning to area Rise of girls athletics have changed face of school sports Decades of intramurals: Ruth was greatest player ever: Frick Frick's predictions for 2000 not far off Small Wolf Lake big winner in 1942 basketball regional Four in a row: Finally with a gym of their own, KHS cagers went to 'Sweet 16' four straight years Ink to flow into 21st century at county's newspapers Broadcast media: Manahan was pioneer in Noble County broadcasting WAWK's history dates back to 1959 Health trends: Changes through the century occurred in medicine, health care Scarlet fever, polio were early health scares From sanitarium to partnership: A century of Noble County's medical care Funeral directors ran ambulance service in county prior to '74 'EMS arrives in time for '74 tornado LaGrange County doctors once made house calls by horseback Country doctor delivered babies in his home and drove a Thunderbird Service to mankind condensed to footnotes of history Who are the people of the Amish faith? Two controversial religious sects from the 1970's have impact on Noble County Churches with rich heritages served parishioners in LaOtto, Ege
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Broadcast media Manahan was pioneer
in Noble County broadcasting
He is still proud WAWK was the only area station that could
broadcast an "all clear" following the devastating
Palm Sunday tornadoes of 1965, before all power was lost in the
area. "When there is no electricity, people depend on the nearest
radio station and battery operated radios to know what is happening.
"After the Palm Sunday tornadoes hit and our entire area
was without power, our engineer, John Riddle, and others helped
us remove a portable generator from an iron lung, then rewired
it and our equipment during the night so we could broadcast the
next day. Yes, we placed another generator on the iron lung.
It seems we had to have a special one to work with the transmitter,"
Manahan said. WAWK staff members used radios that came from police cars
to keep track of storm developments because police scanners had
not been invented at that time, Manahan said. He doesn't remember
how the police radios had been obtained. He's never forgotten the joy of knowing the lives of at least
one family were saved because they paid attention that fateful
day long ago when WAWK broadcast a tornado warning. Moments after that family took shelter, a tornado blew their
house away. They wrote him a letter, thanking him for saving
their lives. Almost 35 years later, he still has that letter,
which he enjoys reading from time to time. Another time, he recalls, his son, Marty, who was then a high
school wrestler, drug him through the snow during the Blizzard
of '78 so he could get to the station and begin broadcasting.
John English, Larry Gilliland and other staff members were
able to get to the station during the following days. WAWK offered several popular programs during the time he and
his partners owned it, Manahan recalls. They included the Quickie Quiz Program, which featured a question
for which listeners mailed in answers. Also, members of local service clubs, including the Lions,
Rotary and Kiwanis clubs, occasionally read news or advertisements
on WAWK. John Hutchins was one person in particular that he remembers
doing that, Manahan said. Another popular program was one in which the Christmas poems
of Arthur Franklin Mapes, which the staff recorded, complete
with background music, were broadcast at Christmas time for many
years. "One of our announcers was so touched by the poetry he
actually cried while reading it and I can tell when the voice
breaks up when I listen to that tape," Manahan said. Area events were also broadcast twice a day and WAWK was also
strong on local news. The station broadcast 15-minute newscasts
at 8 a.m., noon and 5 p.m., Manahan said. Some of the more memorable people he was involved with during
his career in broadcasting were: · His partners, Paul King and Weldon and Gertrude "Trudy"
Cornell, who helped purchase WAWK in 1957, when it was known
as WKTL. They were the original stockholders for the radio station.
(WKTL's call letters were quickly changed to WAWK after he and
his partners acquired it.) · Ford and Ivah Deihl, former owners of Deihl's Sporting
Goods, Kendallville, who provided him with some insulated clothing
to wear while he was making his remote broadcasts from such locations
as the roof of the Strand Theater's marquee in Kendallville. · Don Moore, current owner of WAWK, who has been in
Kendallville for many years. · Former employees John English and Dick Donovan, who
still live here and who are currently involved in other vocations.
· And Dave Kurtz, currently managing editor of The
Evening Star newspaper in Auburn, and Gary Helmkamp of Helmkamp
Dodge, also in Auburn, who were among the many young people who
worked at WAWK during their high school years, Manahan said. "We also had some veteran air personalities through the
years that many people remember," Manahan said. They included: · Don Lee and Gene "Jolly Green Gene" Robinson,
who were on the morning shifts. · Larry Gilliland, who broadcast East Noble sports
for many years. He now works in radio in Ohio. · And Walter Weaver, Roger Welkin, Bob Dean and others.
Also, Richard Bassett maintained the radio equipment for many
years as an FCC first class engineer. One of the most interesting things that he remembers happening
during his time at WAWK was when the late Harry Ziebell, who
had lived on Harding Street, called with a news tip about a church
that was falling down. The church was under construction at that
time, Manahan said. Also, local residents probably remember many years ago when
then-Sheriff Russell Lindsay led a raid on the infamous Tip Top
Grill and on the 'ladies of the night' who worked there, Manahan
said. The establishment was located south of Avilla. He missed covering that story, Manahan said, because two of
his partners weren't sure if he would be interested. "So
I missed out on all the excitement," he said. "Being of service to people" was the best thing
that happened to him during his career in broadcasting, Manahan
said. He hasn't really had any bad experiences, but has had some
funny ones. One time, he was alone in the station and accidentally locked
himself in the restroom, he said. "Since there was a record
which lasted only three minutes playing, I had to kick the door
open to get out," Manahan said. There has always been an advantage to WAWK being based in
a small community, Manahan said. It has encouraged interaction
between the station and listeners. "They'll tell you what
they like and don't like," Manahan said. Over the years, he has noticed many changes in the types of
programming that radio stations offer, Manahan said. He likes
some of those programming changes, especially talk shows. "Talks shows are great. They fill a need for people who
want to hear more details about certain subjects and, in the
case of Dr. Laura (a radio show psychotherapist), provide some
self-help ideas," Manahan said. He still considers radio to be a primary source of news and
entertainment. But he thinks these days that many people choose
an all-news station or a station that's mostly music entertainment
instead of trying to get both from the same station. Manahan is concerned, though, that a lot of today's radio
stations sound more generic. "Too many stations have a similar
sound instead of having a unique personality," he said. He feels that radio continues to hold its own against television
and the print media as a means of informing and entertaining
members of its audience. "I would guess the Internet has little effect on radio
regarding the availability of information since radio is also
instantaneous. Access to distant and varied radio stations on
the Internet could prove another competition source for local
stations," Manahan said. Technological advancements make it possible for people working
in today's broadcast industry to better serve their listeners'
needs, according to Manahan. "Today's radio stations use computer technology in many
ways. Choosing and programming music from records by hand in
the old days vs. the automated selection of compact discs today.
"In my early days of radio we had only limited recording
capability so nearly everything was done live. That made for
some interesting mistakes via mispronunciation, etc. When we
brought the first female announcer to our station I was amazed
at the listener backlash. Women, in particular, had great difficulty
accepting a female announcer." If he could start over in the business right now, Manahan
said, he would take advantage of the most technology he possibly
could and would try to develop a radio station with personality
that was also of service. Manahan was involved in the radio broadcasting industry for
most of his adult life. He began working as a radio announcer in 1951 for WONW in
Defiance, Ohio, while attending high school and continued to
work for WONW while attending Defiance College for a couple of
years. He then took a job with radio station WATG in Ashland, Ohio,
while completing his degree in business at Ashland College. (The
person who was his dentist while he was in Defiance had bought
WATG, he said.) After graduating from college in 1956, he had a brief stint
at radio station WOHO in Toledo, Ohio, before serving in the
military for six months. In 1957, he came to Kendallville, where he would be involved
in the local radio broadcasting industry for parts of the 1950s,
1960s, 1970s and 1980s. He was on the air "probably until 1980 in some manner
or form," Manahan said. Also, he sold radio advertising
and was responsible for personnel matters and other management
functions. "It's an enjoyable business - was for me anyway - but
doesn't pay as well as many people expect because so many want
to do it," Manahan said. He primarily listens to the radio now if he is traveling somewhere
in his car, Manahan said. Getting a good education in English is one of the things people
who are interested in having radio broadcasting careers can do
to improve their opportunities to succeed, Manahan said. "Even
if you don't use good English, you must know what good English
is to know when your's is not good," Manahan said. Also important is an all-around education plus special training
for special jobs in the field that might be encountered, he said. And Manahan had routine speech training in high school and
college and some individualized training with a couple of professors
to help him develop his broadcast voice. It also helps to know how to interact well with the public
and with the different people who make up the staff of today's
radio stations, Manahan said. They include a general manager, who usually oversees the entire
operation; a program director, who schedules programs and announcers;
a sales director, who handles advertising sales people and the
preparation of ads; and a news director, who handles news gathering.
Radio stations also need people with engineering training and experience to maintain equipment, Manahan aid. |
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Kendallville's local radio station, WAWK 1140-AM,
and its former sister station, WAWK 93.3-FM.