The Waterbury Democrat., 1942-08-14

pany office in the Windy City, thence to New York where a street throng heard proceedings thanks to a truck carrying receiving set and public address ystem.
 A few months later WEAF was linked with WNAC in an endeavor to reproduce the New York program over the facilities of the Boston station. Official program sheets of WEAF. January {, 1923. are in- scribed:
 7.55-8p. m.-Saxophone solo by Nathan Glanz, 'Lovelight in Your Eyes"
 Program to be broadcast jointly by WEAF and WNAC (The shepard Stores, Boston, from Studio WEAF. The ewo stations will be connected by special long distance telephone wires of the American Telephone and Telegraph Company"
 Electrical engineers in charge of the WEAF- -WNAC experiment were given the go-ahead to produce special telephone cables essential to satisfactory results. The first of these circuts was used in the sum- mer of 1923 to link WEAF and WMAF at South Dartmouth, Mass. With this hookup the history of modern network broadcaSting be- gan.
 Today a network of wires more than 67,000 miles long brings radio programs to some 400 broadcasting stations.
 According to History of Radio to '26," the American Telephone com- pany was not slow to recognize that WEAF was an experiment of major importance. w. E. Hardness, of long lines, who was to become station manager April '23, was assigned to the station November l, 1922. Simultaneously Sherman Gregory, present ad newly-appointed man. ager of WEAF', took over the reins of the South Dakota State School of Mines Station WCAT which he operated from '22 till '26 during his four years of matriculation.
 Born in Washington Springs, s. D., Gregory is older in radio than WEAF. AS a matter of fact he may well have been the first to put radio to commercial use.
 Operating his own station g AVE, Pierre, from October 1, 1919 (when the war ban on amateurs was lifteO till he left for college, he took, over long wave from Kansas City gov- ernment station, market reports that he sold to a local paper.
 With a career in radio ever since those Schooldays, Gregory was gen. eral manager of Pittsburgh'S KDKA from '38 till 40 when he became manager of NEG Operated Stations. He was appointed manager of WEAF in April this year.
 Back in the fall of '22 personnel of WEAF comprised-Samuel l.. Ross, program director, now sec retary-treasurer, National Concert and Artists Corporation; Vischer A. Randall, studio director; R. S. Fenimore, operating supervisor; Edmund R. Taylor, assistant plant supervisor, and the late George F. McCelland, commercial representa- tive who was substantially respon- sible during the next year for the rapid development of sponsored programs.
 o. B. Hanson, long lines engineer with WEAF continuously since '23 is now NEG vice president and chief engineer.
 Spurred by an announcement in early '23 that its rival WIZ would soon have headquarters on the fringe of Manhattan's theatrical district-it had been located in Newark, N. J., belittled as "the sticks"-WEAF ssnoved from "A Walker street to more sumptious quarters in the American Telephone and telegraph building, 195 Broad way.
 In the Spring '23 Ross hired the late Graham McNamee who first appeared on WHATS payroll May 21, six days after the stations open ing at 195 Broadway. No greater asset could have been acquired by Ross in behalf of WEAF than Me- N.mee. A singer, an entertainer, he possessed a clarity of voice that cap tivated radio audiences and carried him to the peak of success where he remained until his recent pass ing.
 Within month McNamee's team mate at the sports mike, Phillips Cf( Nn, now vice president in charge of programs, Blue Network, was added to WHATS staff.
 January 28, 1923, the late "Roxy and His Gang" started radio pro- auctions of high order. July IA the Lucky Strike Hour of dance music was first presented by American To- bacco Company. Talks on English literature by Hoxie N. Fairchield, supervisor, home study courses, Col umbia University, began over WEAF July IT. In August the Happiness Candy Company went on WEAF with the Happiness Boys-the late Billy Jones and Ernie Hare, first real comedians of radio. Dr. Walter Damrosch with 8 lecture-recital on Beethoven made his radio debut in October ga.
 Soprano Jessica Dragonette was featured in the Coca Cola hour writ ten by Elaine Sterne Darlington, currently scripting Pepper Yong's Family" and When A Girl Mar ries" "NBC daily dramas.