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Jerry’s injuries were severe. He endured a lengthy hospital stay. He was only 19. Yet he returned to SIU in the Fall of 1968 and persevered in his efforts to create a student radio station. In November, the effort’s senate supporters moved ahead to insure more student control in the future station.
Meanwhile, other frustrated students unaware (or unimpressed) with Jerry's efforts decided to start their own radio stations! With advancing technology came a store called "Allied" (a predecessor to Radio Shack). Allied sold "modules" that were low power AM and FM radio transmitters, powered by household batteries! Normally, these devices had limited usage because of low power output, low antenna, and only a few receivers within range.
In C'dale, low power broadcasting could reach thousands of listeners because conditions were unusual. First, enterprising students figured out how to increase the transmitting power of the modules. Also, in at least one case, the transmitter was on an upper floor of Schneider Tower, so there was a high antenna. Most important of all, there were a huge number of receivers within range. Schneider had 500 rooms and about 1000 residents. Just about each and every room had some kind of AM radio.
Starting in the late 60's, various residents had attempted some form of pirate broadcasting. (The term originated from offshore transmitters in ships, situated beyond territorial limits of England). In C'dale, some pirate stations were not much more than a "play" radio setup, an extension of the turntable/microphone/amp/speaker that many of us fantasized with as kids. The pirate stations usually had erratic hours, undependable signals, and poor quality audio. Music selection was limited to the records that the "station owner" had on hand. One never knew if a particular station would be back on after breaks between quarters. While this was true grass roots radio, it could be argued that listeners were attracted mainly due to the complete lack of competition.
At first, the pirate stations might serve a few dorm rooms, or a floor. Gradually, this extended to a whole building, even groups of buildings. Thompson Point, a West Campus residence area, had at least one station serving most of the area. On the East Campus, there was WBHR, in Boomer, which served Boomer I, II, and III, along with adjacent areas in the East Campus. There were others, too, (such as WSEX, somewhere in Schneider, or was it somewhere on Wall Street?) about which little info is available.
WBHR started in early 1969. Jan T. Pasek had a homemade (tube), almost one watt FM transmitter. Ray Breddemann reports that Boomer residents were frustrated with KXOK's lack of quality signal and programming. Jan, Ray, and a few others decided to pool their equipment, meet in the 3rd floor end lounge in Boomer II and put an antenna in the window.
The next fall, (69) WBHR secured some funding for equipment from the University Park Residence Hall Council. Ray reports that they filled a tire with cement and put it on the roof. They used 105.1. There was substantial staff turnover, and a political science major, Bill Bodine, took over. He decided the call letters should be changed to WISR. Future WIDB members Bill Tingley, Jeff Esposito, Jim Sheriffs, and Ray remained at WISR, which continued until the Spring of 70.
Ray reports that some radio pirates received threatening letters from the FCC around this time. This may have provided additional impetus for the pirate members to throw in with the new effort for a university wide student station. WBHR/WISR was only one of at least several pirates operating at the end of the 60's in Carbondale.
The largest and best-organized pirate was WLTH. It was located in Schneider, in a hair-drying room. The main leader of this station was Chuck White. Dan Mordini was a major member. Part of the WLTH nucleus were first and second-year students Howie Karlin, Tom Scheithe, and Jim Hoffman. Later, Dan Sheldon (and "His Voice") came on the scene. WLTH operated from 7pm-1am weekdays, until 4 am weekends. They were a top-40 format.
Tom Scheithe reports that, as a freshman Schneider resident, he encountered Chuck White at a dorm meeting. Chuck decided to start a pirate station in Schneider. He placed an ad in the Daily Egyptian. The initial meeting featured Chuck, Tom, Howie, Dan Mordini, Larry Rolewick, and Phil Phergilli, who worked at WLTH, Gary, In. This prompted the guys to take WLTH as their call letters; Phil gave them copies of WLTH ready-made jingles.
They secured the 9th floor "hair washing room" in Schneider. Everyone contributed equipment. Tom's job was to regularly visit Dillinger's Wire, Salt & Eggs (near the railroad tracks) to secure empty egg cartons. These were put up on the walls & ceilings of the hair drying room for soundproofing.
Howie, Tom, Chuck and Jim were weaned on major-market radio. Chuck, Tom, and Jim wanted to emulate WLS and WCFL. Howie was from New York and he liked WABC, but he also liked WCFL which he could pick up in New York at night. WABC came in to C'dale at night. They would listen to these stations constantly. It was not the R-T professors, but these stations and their personnel (such as Larry Lujack, Cousin Brucie, and Jimmy P. Stagg) that were the teachers.
WLTH followed these stations' examples. They had jingles, playable on a reel-to-reel tape deck. They had a playlist, as well as a weekly "survey" of the top 20 hits. The survey was distributed to listeners. The playlist went to record companies, who then sent free records. The station had a "request line," which was a dorm room phone that rang off the hook on some nights. They did some advertising, and gave away prizes during contests. WLTH broadcast on AM (1150) and FM (91.5). They were consistent in signal and programming, they had found a niche and struck a chord. Students were listening.
WLTH continued its broadcast schedule through the end of the 68-69 academic year, June, 1969. Jerry took all of this in. He liked the idea of student-initiated and student-run pirate radio, but he realized that it was relatively easy to assemble a couple of turntables, a microphone, maybe a tape deck, amp, and transmitter with batteries, and play a few records. The hard part came in with the high price of "legitimizing." There had to be a better quality of equipment, space, staff organization, signal distribution, and (toughest of all) institutional recognition and support. Only this could officially employ university recourses, provide a "real" professional training ground, the best possible service to students, and the greatest synergy of student energy and talent to serve the most students. Just at the right time, Jerry had encountered the staffs at WLTH and WBHR. Rather than fueling any fires of competition, Jerry made friends and conveyed the message that the new station was open to everyone.
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