Received Nov. 3, 2000:
From Jay Chichon 10/31/2000
Photo #132 is not Bill Brown as labeled! Photo #132 is Bill
UNKEL. I worked with Bill Unkel for several years on the "Edge of
Night" soap opera which originated from the studio at 76th Street & 1st
Ave.
***[from Adrian] Thank you. Now fixed.
From Tony Cucurullo 11/1/2000
Welcome to our WEB page. Enjoy reading what
has been posted, if you care too, you may pass on the story that you read to
anyone. What I would offer to you is some advice.
If you are writing an historical treatise of some sort or another, I feel you
should know that what you are capturing for your use is the musings of the
fertile minds of the members of the CBS family.
The subject matters discussed are pure conversation between
friends, and while they may have some "TRUTH in fact" interspersed
within, the general context, may be purely bovine feces. It is therefore hoped
that if you want accuracy for your tome, I suggest that you ask permission from
the author of the comments that you expect to quote. If you also expect to
profit financially from the use of any of this material then that would appear
to be an infringement of our basic rights of personal privacy between friends.
If however the author of the material you wish to use grants you the
unconditional right of copy. Then you may offer some remuneration to "The
CBS
RETIREES ASSOCIATION" the sponsor of this page. You should contact that
organization for its guidelines. Having said this, I would hope that you
add, contribute or just plain tell us about your association to our,
"Broadcast, Television, Arts, Theatre" or related field of endeavor.
We sure do like a piece of juicy gossip, or interesting story.
From Fred Schutz 11/1/2000
I totally agree with your suggested guidelines.
I'm sure other broadcasters visit our WEB site & get enjoyment from the many
stories of a great era, never to be repeated. A numbers of our retiree group are
thinking or are now writing up their history at CBS. (Bill
Murtough for one).. I'm sure other outsiders have the same idea ,to publish a
story of early Radio/Television from the technician viewpoint with all the
personal stories and funny events that took place.
I think its wise to note to our many retiree/contributors that what is put on
our WEB site will and can be read by others and you may find something you
contributed quoted in some book or publication and hopefully it will
"not come back to bite you in the ass".
Having said that i hope we continue to get the many great stories which I feel
we all enjoy.
Are you and Pauline coming up in DEC. for the luncheon ???. I promise to give
you a better shot at the Mic....
Best regards.......................Freddie S.
From Gayle DePoli 11/1/2000
You are too funny. And what's with the Frog Prince line?
Is that why I like you so much? I have collected frogs since I was in high
school. The collection is out of control I must admit.
Enjoy your time off........................Gayle
This is a picture of me (see Photo Gallery #139) before I became a handsome
technician, and modest too.
Tony The Frog Prince
From Adrian Ettlinger 11/1/2000
Hi Tony,
Sounds like you're getting back into circulation, which I
suppose means I'll have to go back to work. A few loose ends I'd like to
toss in.
Firstly, there is a NEW LINK in our "Links"
section, to the Museum of Television and Radio. It has some interesting
reminiscences by some oldtime TV personalities.
Secondly, I'd meant to comment on the note by Linda Baron
(I'd copy her on this but don't see an address for her on Les's list) correcting
the identification of the picture we originally had identified as the "DePoli
Family", in that the other two ladies were herself and Lois Marino. I
was a bit lax in not fixing that up immediately, but the IDs are now correct.
I don't know if I imagined this or what, but I thought Linda or someone else had
commented that Lois had never worked for CBS, and I remembered her name and new
that I'd been acquainted with her somewhere. Just had a lunch with Stan
Gerendasy and George Zavales, and they jogged my memory. Lois had been a
secretary assigned to Studio 72, the first major CBS color studio (the actual
first was the small Studio 71, a converted radio studio in 485 Madison).
72 was a converted movie house at 81st and Broadway, if my memory serves me.
That must have been Lois's first job in broadcasting. I had known that
she'd later been at NBC, in charge of unit managers. I'd always thought
Lois was a bright gal, but still was surprised and delighted to hear how
successful was her later career in the industry.
And thirdly, I'd been remiss for quite a while in not letting
Stan Gerendasy know about the website, or even getting him on Les's list.
Too bad George Zavales is still living in the 19th century, without a computer,
as he'd be a great one to have on board here. I'm sure many of you
remember him, and well as Stan. But, further, apropos of Stan, he
mentioned that when he heard of Frank Florio's passing, and saw in Doris's
newsletter that Frank's daughter Claire wanted to hear from Frank's friends,
Stan wrote what sounded to me like a very nice memorial to Frank, including some
reminiscencing about the early color days. Stan has just sent me a copy,
and here it is, along with Claire's reply:
===============================================
Subj: Frank Florio
Date: 8/16/00
Dear Clair,
I worked with your father for many years at CBS and was shocked when I learned
that he had passed away. A few weeks ago I was in New York for some reason
or other and arranged lunch with George Zavales and Adrian Ettlinger, two other
CBS'ers who had also worked with your dad. We were part of a group that
put together the first color television programs at CBS. George told me
about Frank's passing and I somehow couldn't get it into my head that he was
gone. Not that I had seen him that much since retiring and moving to
Washington, but I thought of him from time to time, always with an affectionate,
nostalgic feeling, confident that at some point we would make contact again. I
truly regret that I put it off until it was too late.
The Color Group, as it was called, resulted in some fast friendships that lasted
throughout our work life at CBS. We didn't socialize very much outside of
work, although there was the odd night on the town after hours. Now as I
think of it, in those still single days (my situation, not your dad's) work was
an important part of my social life. The camaraderie and fun and
determination to make that clunky system work provide some of the best memories
of my entire career. It was a model, I think, of what the
workplace can be. Your dad was an integral part of all that. He was
modest, good humored, fun to be with, and a consummate professional. He
could get pictures out of the old field sequential color system, the monster RCA
color cameras with four pickup tubes and even the impossible and mercifully
short lived chromacoder.
One evening, I don't remember why, I went with your dad to his house in New
Jersey and there was a little girl there resplendent in a full dress nurse's
uniform, dark blue cape and all. Frank took one look and said "Ah,
the angel of Dien Bien Phu" That must have been when the French were
fighting in Viet Nam and suffered a big defeat at Dien Bien Phu. You could
look it up to find the date. (I'm assuming it was you and not a different
daughter or a neighbor's kid.) In any case, for some reason that memory
has always stayed with me.
Some time after that I was put in charge of a little, new department called
Camera Effects. I immediately recruited your dad and then sat back and
relaxed. With someone like Frank I knew that whatever assignments came
along, we would get the job done. Our paths crossed only a few times after
that. My loss. He was a terrific guy and a joy to work with.
Stan Gerendasy
===========================================
Subj: Re: Frank Florio
Date: 9/4/00 1:50:21 PM Pacific Daylight Time
From: CMFSIMON
To: SGerendasy
Dear Stan,
I wanted to thank you for your lovely letter about my father.
It has been only four months since his passing and I still find myself
struggling with this loss. I keep thinking I should be further along in the
mourning process and somehow I'm not. Your letter was a wonderful surprise
for me. I had heard from so many CBS comrades early on and then the letters
slowly stopped. Needless to say, yours put a big smile on my face. I have saved
it and will add it to a book I am compiling of all of the letters that were sent
to us. Thank you for taking the time to share your memories of my dad with me.
And yes, I was the little girl in the nurses uniform - a memory that will always
stay with me as well.
Most sincerely,
Claire Simon
From Bob Vernum 11/3/2000
It has taken me longer than usual to respond to the passing of such a great person. I knew Emil for quite a few years and will always remember him as a true "people person". Those back rubs and hugs I got while sitting at the switcher will long be remembered. Emil was one of the very few "non control room" people promoted to TD. CBS tech ops saw the need for strong supervisory talent as opposed to switching talent alone, He sure filled the bill, as anyone who ever worked on his crew will attest, he was fair to all; his work ethic was superior, I never had the privilege of working on his crew since I was already a TD but I sure had many occasions of having him on crews when I was the TD. Wish I could have him back for just a few moments to get another back rub------god bless you Emil, we all miss you. BOB V
From Tony Cucurullo 11/3/2000
Dear Lord:
Every evening
As I'm lying here in bed
This tiny little prayer
Keeps running through my head! .
God bless my mom and dad
And bless my little pup
And look out for my sister
When things aren't looking up.
And God, there's one more thing
I wish that you could do
Hope you don't mind me asking
But please bless my computer too?
Now I know that's not normal
To bless a mother board
But just listen a second
While I explain to you 'My Lord'.
You see, that little metal box
Holds more to me than odds & ends
Inside those small compartments
Rest a hundred of my 'BEST FRIENDS'.
I know for sure they like me
By the kindness that they give
And this little scrap of metal
Is how I travel to where they live.
By faith is how I know them
Much the same as you
I share in what life brings them
From that our friendship grew.
To bless this scrap of metal
That's filled with so much love!
Tony C
From Al Consiglio 11/3/2000
Hi Tony,
I had a problem. Tried to load windows 98 and got knocked off line. I made my
repairs and am back but still don't have all my functions. I am on windows 98
now so I'll see if it was worth while to make the change. Regards Al
C.
I am glad Windows 98 is OK . As for all your functions working now ....I doubt
it. If you are like the rest of us, 10% is good, and if you remember which
way to zipper then you really are in good shape. And, if you come to the
next luncheon fix your hearing aid so that when I insult you, you don't just sit
there and smile benignly. I like the old fiery Al.with the quick wit, and
slow wallet.
Luv-ya pal, Tony
PS come better dressed.
Les Note: Pray tell, what were you doing on line trying to load windows?
From Les Burkhardt 11/4/2000
I received an email about a "Virus with no cure" the email was in a yelling mode (all caps). It referenced a Perrin.exe attached program. Never fear, this is listed as a virus hoax and can be easily checked out as all of these type of alerts should be checked out.
From Tony Cucurullo 11/4/2000
I was just reading sports columnist's
selections as the worst stadiums for football in the nation. It brought to mind
a FIELD cameraman's job. It is definitely one of the hardest day's work in
television sports.
In the 60's and 70's when we had a camera and a back pack
that covered your back from the neck down to the ankles and you were tethered to
the camera with a 35 foot length of cable.
If you had to work with either John Lincoln at six feet two,
or "Red" Frank McSpedon, another that had six foot long legs. Then
trying to keep up with these giants was a problem. I can still hear the voice of
Bob Dailey, command to Red, "go Red and pull Tony." It was tough but I
wouldn't trade a moment of that time for any other.
In one college game, U of Penn. A student let fly with a
missile, and caught 'Big Red behind his ear, Well Frank just dropped the camera
and cleared the stands and was up on the guy before I could climb up and pull
him off.
Then there was a pro game in Pittsburgh that was the game
that caused the league to disallow CANS of beer sold at games. What happened was
that George Naeder was doing the Golf cart camera when a fan hit him in the head
with a
can of beer. George, all 260 pounds of him tried to get to the bum when a
stadium guard tried to stop him, he bumped the guard with his stomach, and went
after the guy...it took three cops to stop him.
In Foxboro, Mass. Young Barry Drago was in the ends zone on
one knee getting ready for the point after kick, I was close by with the sound
parab. Some jerk fan reaches over the low barrier and yanks on his cable
and pulls the camera back into his eye,...Barry whirls and goes flying into the
crowd, arms swinging, a stadium rent-a-cop tries to billy club Barry, I
flattened him with one punch then we went rolling out onto the field fans, Barry
and me all swinging at each other.
Jim McCarthy was up on a Chapman dolly at a golf match, and
the fans gathered around the base of the truck that the camera was mounted on.
Golf fans are the best usually in any sport. But, this Sunday the camera blocked
them and wanted to see Paine Stewart, so they started to climb up on the truck
to get a better view. That caused the camera and Jim to vibrate, Jimmy turns and
yells to me,"get those guys off this platform", they jokingly said,
"who looks at the camera anyway". I said to the three of them,
"look pal you don't want that guy to come down"...one of them says,
"he looks too old"...I yelled up to Jim, " throw your wallet
down" he doesn't know what I am up to, but he does. I know Jim carries a
picture around from his youth that was spent in lower Manhattan. I take the
picture out and I show it to the crowd that was gathered around. The young men
didn't catch on until an older man said "Hey, that's Lucky Luciano and
Meyer Lansky", I said, and "the guy in the middle is the guy up on
that camera....wanna make him come down?" Needless to say, no, more
people on the camera platform.
Over the years we had many incidents on the fields of sports
arenas. But, one quick one comes to mind...this is the last promise.
It was at Giants Stadium, we were in the process of setting
up, laying out cables and all sorts of equipment. The Giants were in a practice
session. It was a fairly cold day, and we were down in the shaded end of
the stadium, as any of you that were ever there knows it can really blow. Well
the legendary John Zavocki, was doing a rare remote. He usually just worked in
the studios. He had on a hat and ear muffs, and with his beard he looked like an
old man. A football was kicked towards us; we were working at about the 10-yard
line. The ball danced over to where we were standing, and the rule is 'you do
not ever touch any equipment on a field'. As there wasn't any players nearby to
come pick up the ball, John reaches over, picks it up and (mind you he had an
overcoat on) throws a line drive across the field that caught Bill Parcells in
the stomach. The coach walks all the way to us and says to John, "who has
your contract", and shakes his gloved hand.
I guess every tech. can tell a John Zavocki story. How about
you.....................Tony C.
From Jorge Moran 11/4/2000
Nobody seems to mention what happens with the
Dental insurance after you retire. I know we loose it, but have you guys got a
private alternative that you can recommend?
By the way, got married last September. Things are going great!
Will retire next August 2001. Doubt there will be a buyout then, things are very
busy in the plant. Regards, Jorge Moran
From Al Consiglio 11/5/2000
Hi Tony,
If you're not back yet, be advised that this message was typed on Nov. 4th.
Please convey this query to the gurus on our medial insurance.
Why is it that CBS is going to terminate our plan Dec 31, 2003 but still sends
us the choice of volunteering to terminate for $1,000 spread over 2 years to
cover the costs partially, of our own private plan choice?
Something doesn't sound right. Why pay us to lose us when they are going to lose
us in 2 years anyway. Does the insurance costs them that much that they will
still come out ahead paying $1,000 per head to save 2 years?
What are other CBEers thinking about this? I am seriously thinking about taking
them up on the offer, but I'm skeptical enough to wonder why. I don't want to
voluntarily terminate and then discover that it was a ruse to get some dummies
to voluntarily leave. Any thoughts?........................Regards
Al C.
Good questions Al. Perhaps there is someone out there that can come up
with an answer....Maybe DeIeso, or Pete Quaranta can offer some insight to this.
Tony C
From Tony Cucurullo 11/5/2000
AN ANSWER TO AL CONSIGLIO:
I think it is time for the Retirees to make a legal move against the company.
Some where along the line we were offered a buy out, and that
included a GRANDFATHERING of certain rights.
Now, to answer what I think may be happening. The company
would never offer money unless there is a reason to profit from it. That makes
good business sense.
In the company's benevolent position of paying for our
medical provisions they actually were gaining a financial break. Part of the
cost of doing business is that the company can reduce taxes by paying to
employees certain benefits. So they were happy to offer these inducements at
contract negotiations.
The position has now changed. The cost of insurance has
increased beyond the point of it being profitable to the company. So they have
gone to the insurance people and have accepted short-term coverage plans.
The ethical position for the company should have been to
offer all the employees of CBS an opportunity to contribute to the medical plan.
That would have given us a voice in the selection process of any plan.
As we never have contributed a dime to any program, we
therefore relinquished all proprietary rights to the managing of the plans.
However, having said that, I feel that implies a despicable
deception on the part of management in offering the buyout with out assuring the
participants that they would be covered with a plan for life.
They are now attempting to cash in on their deception. A word
of caution: if you accept their offer you may not be able to get like-and-kind
coverage elsewhere.
Even though they say the plan will expire in the year 2003,
for the retirees. That would be a ruse. They would then have to show that there
aren't any other employees covered by any plan in the working force at CBS, and
that includes EVERYONE. Including those benefiting by options, and parachutes,
past and present and into the future. Otherwise that implies a case of
discrimination on the part of the policy makers of the company.
The unions should look to this matter also. For if this is
the case how could they insure the membership that the contract would include
medical benefits and would it extend to them. And, will they be covered when
their time comes for retirement.
They should try to include in their negotiation package a
clause that allows the membership to contribute to any plan, thereby given them
a say in choosing the coverage.....................Tony C
From Bob Daily 11/6/2000
HI TONY..You might enjoy this. We were at Forest Hills in the late 70's doing the US Open. WALT DiNEAR was on the low camera in a box back of the base line. Seated in the box next to him was a lady named Mrs. Winston Guest. She and Walt became buddies and she used to bring him sandwiches. Walt was a great cameraman and a real charmer. During the day he mentioned to Mrs. Guest that this was the last US Open for CBS, our contract was up. She said to Walt "we will see about that" and left her box. Mrs. Guest returned shortly and said to Walt "I just spoke to Bill and it's all taken care of". Her estate was next to the Paley's. That evening Walter Cronkite announced on the News that CBS had just signed a long term contract with the US Open. I always felt CBS never took advantage of the calliber of the people they had.
Regards................Bob
Great story Bob. I am sure that you have many more to
tell. I know the TD's walked a careful line in the control room. They had to
have ambassadorial skills to placate both the technicians and the egos of the
productions people.
It would be nice if some other TD's come forward with some of these interesting
stories. Yes, Walt Dineeer was a gentleman.....................Tony
From Mike DeIeso 11/6/2000
Are you member of AARP. There is a good article about retirees pension in the Sept issue...I have already have talked to Fred Schutz about it............DeIeso
From Jim Herschel 11/7/2000
Your e-mail message of 11/5/2000 was right on target. Thought
you might be interested to know that I've e-mailed Fred Schutz some information
I uncovered regarding medical coverage for Westinghouse retirees. They are now
covered under the CBS Medical Plan but they are being told there is no plan to
reduce their coverage. I don't want to screw up their coverage but it appears
that we're not all being treated the same! Fred has passed my info on to Mike
DeIeso so hopefully the IBEW IO can come up with an answer. Being ex-management
at CBS, I'm embarrassed and angry about the treatment the present Management has
towards all the retiree's who worked so hard to make CBS successful.
Thank you, James. I think that if you poke the camels nose under enough tents,
you will find that the stink isn't just the camels. I think the
discrimination factor is our only hope. Finding the right legal venue, and the
warrior to face down the Goliath will be be our biggest task. I hope we hear from more RETIREES. There is a lot of brain power out there.
Tony C
From Adrian Ettlinger 11/7/2000
Hi Tony,
Harold Deppe's Studio 72 photo (#143) got me into some
research. Because Harold refers to Studio 72 as where color
"first" started. I'll concede this much, Harold. You might
say it's where the first "real" color started.
Actually, it wasn't the first NTSC color CBS put on the air.
Studio 71, a small converted radio studio, originated a regular half-hour weekly
show, called, I think, "The New Revue" for several months during the
year 1954. I'm indebted to Dick O-Brien for some of this history. It
so happens, in fact, that CBS broadcast the very first NTSC signals that were
aired, beating NBC to it, sometime in late 1953, which is when the FCC rescinded
its earlier adoption of CBS Field Sequential standard and made NTSC legal to
broadcast. We were able to do that because Studio 71 had been set up to
cross-evaluate Field Sequential vs. NTSC during 1953.
There was a very substantial "prehistory" of CBS
color broadcasting in the Field Sequential system. Dick O'Brien has done a
chronology of CBS facilities, and this gives a date for the first color TV
broadcast of any type (this must be worldwide) as August 28, 1940. This
was from film and was broadcast by W2XAB, WCBS's predecessor call letters.
Then, after the FCC officially approved the Field Sequential System sometime in
1952, CBS tried to promote the system with some fairly extensive broadcasting.
The non-compatibility is what killed it. The public just didn't buy.
Best regards, -----------------Adrian
From Cal Marotta 11/8/2000
Reading Bob Daleys note about Walt Dinear brought
back some sad memories. When Walt became afflicted with Alzheimer's
disease they took him off the road and he was assigned as a ute on World Turns.
I did video on that show for five years. He would come to me every day to
make out his time card. He couldn't remember how to do it. Many
mornings I would find him wandering around First Ave looking for the studio.
A neighbor would drive him to work and drop him off on the corner of First and
76th. but he didn't remember where the entrance to the studio was. He
carried written instructions on how to get home. We became very close.
We had lunch together every day and we talked about things that he remembered.
He carried a picture of his tractor that he mowed his lawn with and would show
it every chance he got. I now have an in-law with the same problem but he
is being helped a little medically. If they had this medicine then maybe
Walt would still be with us....cal
Tony, I'm writing this because it brought back memories but it
is sad and maybe you shouldn't put it on the web. I just had to get it off
my chest. Only happy stories should be told. So make this for your
eyes only.
From Tony Cucurullo 11/8/2000
Cal,
I think many more of us would like to read this bio. That is purpose I started
this column. These little insights provide strong memories of our family
members.
Thank you for letting know about Walter. I have always been confusing him with
someone else, a technician that died in his room while on a remote. I
remember Dick Douglas, has a similar disease. We were doing a football game in
Foxboro, Mass. After the game I went to look for Dick. He was lying on the very
edge of the stadium, at the top. I started to talk to him from about 30 rows
down so that I wouldn't frighten him and he might roll over and fall to the
ground. That was scary. I got him down safely. Pat McBride used to visit
him up in the Armory in the Bronx. He lasted quite a while. It too, was so very
sad. Dick was a fun guy to be with..............Tony
From Al Consiglio 11/8/2000
.Hi Tony,
Please be advised that after Nov 22nd I will no longer be on line. I will be
going to Surfside beach for the winter. I don't know if I will get on line
there. First I have to see about a computer, then I have to see about an ISP
Regards Al C..
From Fred Schutz 11/8/2000
I Will Be sending out mail invites to the luncheon in a
day to two and it will be posted on the NET at the same time....
The luncheon is scheduled for Dec.6 (wed.) starting at 11:30am.....at the
Swan Club on Long Island ,NY
Hope to see you there..................Fred S
Note: December Newsletter should be posted at this
time. From Tony Cucurullo 11/9/2000 "All it takes for EVIL to succeed, is that 'Good does
nothing" From Cal Marotta 11/9/2000 Tony, I'm Sorry, I guess I'm Losing it too.
I was talking about Dick Douglas and got the two guys mixed up. I'm
sorry, I guess I'm going to get a lot of nasty rebuttals now. Walt is the
one who had the tractor and showed it like a baby picture. Again, sorry.....cal Cal, It's just another Senior Moment....we all have them...more
so now in these golden years.......Tony From Anonymous 11/9/2000 Are they trying to take your medical benefits away? Now
that CBS is owned by the "Evil Empire" divisions that are
lucrative...like the MTV Networks are wealthy because the majority of the
workforce is freelance and has no benefits package. AND no one stays there
long enough to get a retirement package. They don't even allow you to roll
over you pension when you leave at my age. They are banking on not paying
out a dime that way. It just stinks that corporations can get away with... From Harold Deppe 11/9/2000 In answer to Adrian Ettlingers comment on my Photo of St
72, He is correct. But it was the real start of Commercial Color
Television. Why is it that we do not have more input on the Technical side of
Television? Where are all the Technical Men that made C.B.S. A great
Network...Hugo Ripp ,,,,,Joe Geiger....Ben Ackerman...,Jim Tonn...Jim Paterson,
Frank Florio etc. After all there are Two sides to every Camera. When we go back
in time Let us not forget the Technical Group We were always considered a
necessary Evil . This is Les speaking.....Again the Technical Services group was
a necessary evil that had to be on its toes to provide equipment and service to
sate the ego's of the Production end of a show. Without the "where
with all" of the Technical Persons; the projectors wouldn't project, the
video tapes wouldn't record and playback, switching consoles would not switch
between the various audio/video selections, computers wouldn't compute, cameras
wouldn't pickup images, microphones wouldn't pickup audio. How many times
would a Producer from a show reject a piece of equipment because it had failed
once eons in the past. I guess Candid Camera it the prime example of
that. Yet others would only want that particular piece of equipment
that the Candid Camera production group had rejected. Need I say
anything about the rejection of personnel when they were assigned to a show no
matter how talented the person may have been. But, because the egocentric
individual did not know the new assignee, he/she (the assignee) was
rejected. Yet very few of these persons were ever awarded air credit. I'm sure that I have left out some individual's area of
expertise but there is no intention of slighting anyone or anything in that
area. CRS, has a way of creating these omissions. From Bob Vernum 11/9/2000 Walt Dinear passed away in his hotel room, to the
best of my knowledge he never had a visible health problem. Dick Douglas
was a different story, I had Dick on many of my remotes, particularly NBA, his
failing condition became more evident with every passing game; we all took into
account his inability to respond to cues that would have been automatic to him
before Alzheimer's set in, it was extremely sad to see such a pro and with such
a great sense of humor take such a turn! He was later relegated to utility roles
on soaps such as Cal eluded to...........BOB V From Nicolas Giodano 11/9/2000 Lets do what it takes to get our health plan back Nick, Do you have any particular suggestions to add? Don't feel
that your thoughts are not acceptable, any suggestion would be greatly
appreciated.. This goes for all our brothers and sisters who read this on the
web. Send your suggestion to Tony Cucurullo, and if you are in contact
with persons who do not have access to the web site, educate them into what is
requested. From Mal Wienges 11/10/2000 Let me know what I can do( $,or telephone calls) to support this
insurance issue. We need to address this important issue before it is too
late. Thanks for keeping all of us informed..........Mal From Joe Janovsky 11/10/2000 I have noticed that in some of the messages there are references
to photos numbered higher than 100, like 117, 137, 143. All I can receive
is the first 100, in the 2 archives. Where are the rest? What gives?.....73,
Joe J. From Jay Chichon 11/10/2000
Does anyone remember the TV Show that never got on the air? It was
produced by Jackie Gleason! The show was called "Carrousel" and was
recorded as a pilot for possible airing. It originated from Studio 72 at 81st
and Broadway. Many stars appeared on the show including Paul Whiteman and his
orchestra. It was a variety extravaganza with a revolving stage etc. Everyone on
the floor including cameramen and Houston Crane men were required to wear
Tuxedos. I did the audio.....they did not wish to use Boom Mics or see any
microphones....(This was before the use of wireless microphones was
widespread)....I was asked if I could drop a mic down from the grid and pull it
up on the wide shots. I said yes.....if they would paint a spot on the stage
floor and have every performer hit that spot. They agreed...and Tom Duffy had
the dubious honor of sitting up in the grid for the entire one hour show with a
very long pole with microphone attached. He was wearing earphones...so I had to
cue him to "Drop It In" when they cut from a wide shot on an
introduction to a close-up and "pull it" up fast at the end of the
number. I had my doubts that this would work well for audio....but due to the
skill and know-how of Tom Duffy....it worked to perfection. The only other
mic that was used, besides the ones for the orchestra, was a Lavaliere Mic for a
famous singer (the name escapes me) who performed from From Tony Cucurullo 11/10/2000 It's inauguration time again. Who ever
attains that lofty position will go through the ceremony of being sworn in on
the balcony of the Capital building. From Bill Murtough 11/12/2000 About the news letter. Every time I access the web I am still
getting material from September including the announcement of the September
luncheon. Is it still operating? Every time I access my A.T.&T. net it costs
over $2.50 from my home QTH. However whenever I am at our other place in Ft.
Pierce it is a local call. However we are there only weekends during the summer
months. Let me know if the program has been abandoned so I can stop trying. From Romeo Quaranta 11/12/2000 Subj: Something to look into Note from Les: I did catch a quick sound byte on the local
CBS affiliate here in FL. about 2 weeks ago re: the Female employees winning the
suit against CBS. There was no mention of the size of the award or
distribution of the same. I checked various published news articles that
day and found no mention of this in print anywhere. Meant to make mention
of it on the site but CRS settled in for the period. From Tony Landry 11/12/2000 THIS IS TONY SPEAKING: I have hit a mother lode of stories. Tony
Landry sent me four short stories. I think you will enjoy all of them. I have to
convert them and edit for glitches but they are worth reading. Here is the first
one. If you enjoy these stories please write to the gentleman. He doesn't
have a computer. I am sure he would appreciate a note from some of you....................Tony
C Note from Les: I knew and chatted with Tony what seems
like eons ago. Besides being a fine gentleman and an asset to our unique
fraternity Tony was one of the first people who I knew that was aware of the
pitfalls of what was offered to us (American public) for
consumption. As I recall he was also one of the first people that I knew
who took advantage of supplements in your diet. He was a motorcycle
policeman and patrolled the boondocks in the NYC area. Tony also had a
pair of dark glasses with pinholes drilled into the lens, with these glasses he
was able to refocus and train his eye muscles. Because of this exercise he
was able to discard his prescription glasses. Tune in again tomorrow
for the second of the short stories. BTW the stories are good. From Tony Landry
A Scheme that Backfired
Received Nov. 10, 2000:
Did you vote? If you didn't, you should feel the shame, and enmity of all those
that did. OK, you missed the National elections, for whatever reasons.
The CBS Retirees needs your voice, and opinions, on how to proceed in acquiring
our just rights in the insurance problem that now faces us all. Show some
spine, speak out. Let Fred Schutz, Mike DeIeso, or myself know how you feel. Use
the WEB, or call, or write, but....speak out. Don't let someone else do your
bidding.
Tony C
THIS IS TONY SPEAKING NOW:
THIS IS EXCERPTED FROM A MESSAGE I RECEIVED AS A RESULT OF MY REQUEST FOR
A RESPONSE ABOUT INSURANCE: I AM KEEPING THE REST ANONYMOUS. THE SENTIMENT
THOUGH IS CLEAR.................
Tony c
But the word necessary is the Key word. and it seems to have been forgotten.
P.S Just an old Maintenance Man who remembers when. Fred Reinhart was a
great Guy. Best Regards...............Harold Deppe E.C. 49.....73
***[from Adrian] Hey, Joe, guess what! Remember the Archive $2 problem? Same thing in the main archive index page. A whole bunch of photos, now up to $145, is there below the top part, but all you guys with Netscape haven't been seeing it. It should now be fixed.
the revolving stage. Jackie Gleason was very pleased with the show and a
few days later he invited the entire crew over to Toots Shores' to view a 35mm
Kinescope recording of the show in black & white. I was surprised how well
the show looked and sounded. It looked like one of the old Hollywood Busby
Birkley films. For some unknown reason....it was never aired!
Members of the Congress and the Supreme Court will assemble
before him as he takes the oath of office.
Time and again that scene was played out. Unknown to the
public, (and who gives a damn, anyway...except technicians) are the background
people that make that scene historic. There are others besides CBS that place a
myriad of equipment about the area. There are Secret Service, Telco, White House
staff, and military personal all adding to the effort to make the Presidency go
smooth.
Nineteen eighty-four, has to one of the coldest months in
Washington, DC history. There were at times that windy blustery weather was
daring us to lay our cables, mount our cameras, and make all this equipment
disappear into the
background, so as to not mar the proceedings with superfluous decorations.
Undaunted and professional we persevered in our work and succeeded, only to find
out at the end that the incumbent President Ronald Regan was to be "sworn
in" indoors.
In the picture (See photo 145) you see me at the podium where
the President would have stood. Fred Rivera is swearing me in (although I was
President at the time.... of the Local Union of course). In attendance as
witnesses are Richard Brenda (with ass this time) and Ron Wishna. The man
kneeling was not a telephone technician but a Secret Service Agent checking out
every setup there was on that platform.
Side story to event, we had with us a lady technician Karen
Grzella. She pulled cable, climbed down sewers to install equipment. And
generally did everything that was asked of her to do and not one whimper from
her. Karen was a cameraperson on 'The World Turns
when I left CBS. One very nice lady to know and work with. Ron Wishna left CBS
to buy a sailboat and sail to the Islands and live a life of a travel guide.
Some side notes. Did you know that there is a tunnel that
goes from a manhole out front of the Capital winding it's way through a
labyrinth of cobble stonewalled passage ways. Down at that level is a cafeteria,
and some other offices of a secret nature.
We were privy to this because our passes permitted it,
otherwise you can not go to any other part of the building unless you have been
checked out. no matter how many passes you posses, or who you work for.
I am glad I don't have to do any more of those remotes, but I
am pleased to have done that in my lifetime, for without CBS I would never had
the chance to see all the things I did experience.
Had a good time at the Newark Old Time Radio convention. Talked on three
different panels. The only other CBSer was Arthur Anderson who was a child actor
on Let's Pretend (did you eat your Cream of Wheat today?) You are probably not
old enough to remember that show.
Please drop me a note and let me know what is happening. ........BILL MURTOUGH
Hi Bill,
Everything is fine. The WEB is up and running. So, just sign on and enjoy. By
the way I know you are writing a book, feel free to use any of our material. If
you care to drop us a story also.............Tony C
Hi Tony:
I had a chat by phone with Charlie D this afternoon (11/12/00) and he told me
something very interesting. (I DO NOT KNOW WHERE HE GOT HIS INFORMATION
FROM) but he goes on to tell me if I got the story straight is that in the year
of 1995 some 200 female technicians from all of the CBS O and O stations across
the country filed a suit with the US Government on discrimination. Again
if the story is so, the they sued for some $40,000,000.00 dollars and won the
case. The tech's were T.D., Audio, Video, Camera etc, etc, etc. He goes on
to tell me that all of the 200 would not get equal shares of that money.
It went by length of service with the company in that title so on and so forth.
It would be
great if you could check with Local 1212 if this true or just a bad rumor. If
this true it would make a pretty good byline for the stuff you put out on the
Internet. PLEASE I ASK YOU TO CHECK IT OUT BEFORE YOU PRINT ANY OF WHAT I
JUST told YOU.
But on a happier note the Berridge's and Quaranta's went on a 7 day cruise to
Bermuda and had a real good time, whether was good the food out of sight
(put on a few pounds) it was fun, and just great to be around people who behaved
like human beings and not like animals. Sorry I got on my soap box for
moment.
Our best to you and your wife and have a HAPPY TURKEY DAY. Romeo
_______________________________________________________
Romeo:
It isn't important that every detail be verbatim, or technically correct,
or even legally accurate. For all you are doing is communicating an idea, or a
story with a disclaimer. Let me say this, "When we negotiated with
the company, very often Michael would bring different people out to the
negotiations as a sort of expert in a given area. Well, quite often those that
came out sat mute, and didn't even offer a word. They were probably overwhelmed
with the line up of CBS executives. Most of them are the Vice-president of a
particular division in the company. That tends to be a bit intimidating, if you
let it happen. Me, I'm not impressed with titles. What we did learn though
is that there isn't any bad question, or thoughts
expressed, or opinions offered........only NO QUESTIONS, THOUGHTS, OR OPINIONS.
My point is, express what you feel in what ever terms you care too, and let the
shoe fall where it may. At least then you would have contributed
something.
Thank you for your story, but I'm sure that a guy like you with 19 grandchildren
has more stories to tell. After all I hope you and Marie are now on Ovaltine.
Sta te Bene'................Tony c
A. W. LANDRY
246 Messersmith Rd.
Bills Creek
Lake Lure, NC 28746
Henry
Henry was happy about his new job. He really did like it. He
hummed softly to himself as he went about his work. Tomorrow would be the end of
his first week at work for the Company and he would go home with his first
paycheck.
He had been out of work for so long--more than two years.
Time after time during those two years he had really tried, going from one place
to another, regardless of the weather, good or bad, hot or cold. There just was
no job available for him. That is, not until last week when his friend Iunos
told him about this job with the Broadcast Company and suggested that he see a
Mr. Raymon, who was his boss and the man in charge of all of the studios. He
also promised to put in a word for him.
Henry went to see Mr. Raymon last week. When he mentioned his
friend ?~mos, Mr. Raymon said to him, Oh! You're the man Amos spoke to me
about. You can start Monday morning. Amos will fill you in on the details of
your job. The hardest part of your job is to get along with the people who
work in the studios. This is very important for you. If those people like you,
you have it made. Some people are funny in some ways. If for instance they want
you to be a go-f er--be a good go-f er. Consider it part of the job. Your friend
Amos has been around here for years and is well liked by everyone. Follow his
advice and you can't go wrong. Good luck!
He remembered walking out of Mr. Raymon's office in a daze.
He could hardly believe it. At last he had a job. He resolved to be a good go-f
er, whatever that was. He would have to ask Amos about that.
After a few hours of work Thursday afternoon, Studio 24--his
studio--was spic and span. Everything seemed to be in order except that gray
box-like thing standing a little off to one side. It had small roller skate
wheels on it so it could be moved easily. It had to be a prop of some kind. He
wondered if he should move it over against the wall to make more room in the
studio. On moving it he noticed that it had a door inside the box-like
affair and that the door was open, taking up quite a lot of space. As he
attempted to close the door it, resisted his efforts and squeaked noisily. Henry
examined
the hinges and noted that they were badly rusted. Getting an oil can from the
supply locker room, he worked on those hinges f or quite some time until he
could close the door easily without those hinges squeaking. He took one more
look around and, satisfied that everything was in order, turned off the lights
and left the studio.
Later on that night he would sit at home and listen to the
program The Shadow Knows, which was broadcast from Studio 24-his studio.
One hour before show time everyone connected with the show
had arrived at Studio 24. Everything seemed to be in order--until about three
minutes to air time when the sound man notified the A.D. (assistant director)
that his sound
prop--the squeaking door --did not squeak. Someone had oiled the hinges.
Something had to be done in a hurry, because the program opened with the
squeaking of a door--remember?--then the statement, The Shadow knows.
The A.D. or somebody had remembered that three floors above
in the Short Wave Master Control room there was a squeaky chair. The A.D.,
taking two steps at a time, arrived at M.C. all out of breath, requesting the
use of the squeaky chair, saying in a gasping voice that someone had oiled the
hinges. They gave him the chair and he flew down the stairs, arriving in
the studio just as the program started. Too exhausted to move, he collapsed in
this chair.
The sound man tilted the chair back slowly and gently and
made a very close approximation of the squeaking door.
The A.D. and the sound man had saved the day.
even though much of the equipment broke down and had to be redesigned or
rebuilt. Frustration prevailed. This is an account of one person who was
hired without any technical background. It was soon apparent that he was not
happy. He seemed to be mad at the whole world and he was difficult to work
with. He had few friends He was obsessed with an idea. He felt that he could
write a better script than many that were used on TV and he decided to do so.
He wrote a script that he
thought was acceptable and showed it to some of his co-workers for their
opinion. Everyone agreed that he should write two more scripts and submit them
to the proper V.P. for approval and/or acceptance. This he did. Then he
waited . . . and waited.
Six months went by during which time
his phone calls and inter-office letters remained unanswered. He wondered;
something was wrong somewhere. Then he read with much interest about a new show
that CBS was going to air. Now he had his answer. They had plagiarized his
script.
He contacted Louis Nizer, a
legal-beagle heavyweight from Brooklyn, who agreed to take his case. Everyone
felt that he had a good case, as Nizer would not accept a case under seven
figures.
After being adjourned twice for legal
maneuvering, it was finally announced that the case had been settled for an
undisclosed amount.
Can anyone guess the name of the
show? It ran for some time and then there were re-runs. The V.P.
was fired, but Bud Morgan, who had written the script, kept his job so that he
could heckle the company.
The name of the show was "The
Hollywood Hillbillies" and later became very poplar under the title "The
Beverly
Hillbillies."
From William R. Schopppe 11/14/2000
Subj: Health Plan
I was just reading the web page where you and others made some interesting
statements concerning the CBS health plan.
I can recall going to a special CBS seminar upstate for three days where they
announced we would be getting a great health plan for the rest of our lives.
Then sometime later, they wanted a small premium and soon after, a much larger
one.
I decided to drop the CBS plan after I retired. It had too many
deductibles. I found a plan which worked for me and had little or no deductibles
and a fair premium each month for my wife and I which also included a
prescription plan.
Well, it has now come full circle and the HMO which I now have is dropping all
Suffolk County clients as of January 1st of next year. Now comes the scrambling
around to find another group. I have done considerable checking and I probably
will go with AARP. They have several plans depending on your needs and the
prices are not too bad. I fully realize they don't have a proper prescription
plan but at least with their plan and Medicare, I can use any doctor without
having to get
a referral from my primary care doctor. One of the big reasons I am considering
AARP is the size of the membership. They claim millions of members. I find it
difficult to believe they would fold their tents like these so-called
"HMOs" who, when confronted by high bills from their member doctors,
decide they have had enough and drop whole counties and
states.
Obviously, prescriptions are a real problem. The AARP do have a separate plan
and I have no idea how much is saved or how it works. Some folks have huge bills
each month and I am naive enough to believe the government will do something to
help relieve that problem. The Genovese Chain, now owned by Eckerd Drugs, offers
a pretty good plan which you
might investigate.
The other thing that comes to mind is a situation of which I became aware on a
personal level. That is "Long Term Care." Many of us from CBS left
with some form of pension or some took lump sums and looked forward to
retirement. What we didn't really consider was possibility of paying for long
term care. We were in our early sixties and that care was years
away. The problem is that if you should need that care in a nursing
facility for any length of time, it will wipe you out, literally. Not only that,
but you can not shift assets for 36 months to escape using them. Consider that
in NY it can run $60 to $80 thousand a year and the average stay is usually 3
years. It is slightly less in the south but it ends up the same way. Then
Medicaid takes over but you had better hope you are in a nursing home that
accepts Medicaid. I signed up with a group which has a pretty good rating. The
cost for my wife and I comes to about $3500 per year for the two of us.
Obviously, the longer one waits, the higher the premiums. If you don't use it
for 15 years, you will have paid in $52,000. If you didn't have that kind of
income or savings originally, you can understand why I consider it so important.
I hate to be a crepe hanger but we must face facts. No one will take care of us
but ourselves and if we don't have the bankroll to do it, the burdens on the
rest of our families will be almost too much to bear. When I mentioned personal
knowledge before, I was talking about my mother. She required nursing home
admittance and in three months, her meager bank account was wiped out.
Fortunately, the home she was in accepted Medicaid and it was a nice place.
I hope I haven't burdened you with information you already have but you
requested data and this is the best I can give you. January will be 11 years
since I retired at 62 from CBS and CBS Records, the branch of the company Tisch
said he would never sell. Long live Sony 'cause that's who pays my pension
now...
Take care.........Bob Schoppe
Thank you very much, Bob. Every bit helps. We are compiling this info, and
hopefully we might have something to offer...let's hope. But I really appreciate
your response. GOD BLESS and stay healthy.........Tony C.
From the Senior Mind of Cal Marotta 11/14/2000
The question............ Why did the chicken cross the road? The answers............From Tony Landry
A New York City Noise Problem
Way back in the days of radio, all
broadcasting was done using Amplitude Modulation. The hub of radio activities at
CBS was the CBS building at 485 Madison Avenue at 52nd Street. The small 7-sory
studio" building on 52nd Street, opposite 485 Madison Avenue, was used for
all shows where large audiences were present. So, the area around this location
was the scene of much activity.
At the time, as people all over the city complained about the
noise level in certain areas, a noise level survey was ordered. In due time a
list of the ten noisiest places was published.
From my observation, I would say that Mike, the doorman of
the CBS building, was part of the problem.
Mike Donavan was a big man, 6'2" in height, and 200
pounds. He was very witty and likeable, with friends all over the city. He knew
all the cab drivers who frequented that part of town by name. If Mike was
outside, they would sound their horns and Mike could be heard half a block away
responding Hi, Sam or Hi, Joe or Pete. The Madison Avenue bus drivers all
sounded their horns and waved. Even some police patrol cars would discreetly
sound the horn and wave.
Inside the building, from 8:00 to 9:15 a.m., the ground floor
was usually packed with people waiting for one of the elevators. On one
occasion, the elevator was almost full when a CBS VP got on. He recognized
another VP in the back, reached out and shook hands. Mike, with a voice that
could be heard all over, shouted to the VP in the back: "Quick! count your
fingers!"
On another occasion, a the same time and place, some man made
a very vulgar remark to one of the young ladies. Mike, standing close by, swung
his big ham-like fist and somehow the man's chin got in the way. He went down
and
OUT. The company doctor was called and it was several minutes before he could be
revived. Mike was fired.
For a week things were quiet but not the same. People kept
calling wanting to know about Mike. Was he sick? During the second week, when
people learned that Mike was fired, they wrote letters to the company. The
telephone switchboard was inundated with angry people expressing their feelings.
They were unanimous: Mike did the right thing.
At the end of the second week, Mike contacted William S.
Paley by calling on an unlisted number at his home. Mike was back at work on
Monday and everyone was happy.
Now you can understand why Mike was known as the
Ambassador of Madison Avenue.
The noise situation at Madison Avenue and 52nd Street was
back to normal. I could have told anyone about the cause of the noise problem,
but nobody asked.
From Bud Hlaverty 11/15/2000
HI TONY,
First, to say that you guys run good
reunions, that said! on to the news. I recently found out that our very
dear, dear friend Bob Heller is confined to a Convalescent Center for therapy
due to a recent stroke. I will find out more as soon as I can.
I do believe that he would love to hear from his friends and if possible, could
we get copies of the recent Newsletters. Please send to the address
below:
From Tony Cucurullo 11/17/2000
Aren't you glad we chose a Turkey as the symbol for Thanksgiving.
What if is was a cat? Hmmmn!
Tony C
Reply from Bob Dailey
TONY .....YOU JUST MIGHT BE CERTIFIABLE!!!!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO YOU AND YOURS
BOB
Reply From Harve Gilman
Tony I think your really losing it all together. This computer stuff seems to be
causing you problems Cat is for the Chinese Thanksgiving. Harve Gilma
Reply From Mal Wienges
Tony;
You and your family have a great Tranksgiving. Noreen and Mal
Tranks giving???? Not even on the same side of the keyboard. Looks like the desert sun is getting to you
From Sig Meyers 11/17/2000
I just read of the death of Robert Trout. He was one of
the true gentlemen in our business. He had great feelings for his
technical crews. I remember one of the many times when I was doing camera
on his show he heard that one of my children was quite seriously ill and
he offered to call a friend of his that was a world known doctor specializing in
this illness. I did and things worked out. I also remember one of
the times that we were on strike and he took a vacation
so that he would not have to cross our picket lines. There aren't many
people like him in the television news business today......Sig Meyers
Tony Cucurullo 11/20/2000
Four more days until Thanksgiving. I thought
to myself I'd better learn how to put 'Parental Controls on my computer. I don't
want my grandchildren trying to see what adults are always telling them not to
look at.
So after I sent off an e-mail to Les, I started noodling on
the AOL header. I am not innovating enough to learn all that in one fell swoop,
and this was a good time to try, because there wasn't anything on the WEB page.
So, I figured it's time to try 'parent controls. I
opened up on the icon 'People, (that's the one with all those happy faces waving
and inviting you to it). When it opens a window of choices offers a variety. I
chose 'People Connection. Then another window opens and
more choices about CHAT is there like candy to taste. I then click on CHAT NOW.
It seemed nice to see all those names flitting in and out so fast. I was
wondering why so many people as my self are up at 5 am. The questions were,
it seemed innocent enough. So I typed, "Hello". In about 20
seconds I got some responses. I couldn't type fast enough so I just typed,
"good nite, and Happy Thanksgiving, to all". I received like and kind.
"THAT'S WHEN THE CELLAR DOOR TO HELL OPENED"
The first was, an 'Instant message.... It offered a private
chat with a homosexual...."No thanks,....but enjoy yourself" was my
response, and I signed off. Now I tried to cancel from this chat line. I
could not. It led me deeper and deeper into the hell of pornography. Not the
type of porno that I read as a boy, 'Tillie the Toiler, Popeye and Olive Oil.
Dagwood and Blondie. These were small three by six paper cartoons that you could
fold and hide from your father.
This was Sodom and Gomorrah. Blazing, blatant, descriptive
visual images, between human and animals.
I tried to exit from them but each time I looked for an exit
box, or the little 'X' in the upper corner of your screen it was not there. I
was in an almost panic for fear my wife would awaken and see what I had on the
screen, I actually felt nausea.
I thought that my little grandchildren could see this, it
made me mad. "Lord knows" my background. I am not some innocent,
bible-thumping hypocrite. I have my sins to account for. But don't touch
my children, or other children.
I chose this trip into the bowels of Hell. So my punishment
is the horror of my thoughts. But, how do I prevent my family from this
experience. And why is it so accessible to the public?
If I have to put CONTROLS to protect my family. Why can
not it be the other way? If you want that kind of material, then you should have
to go through some selective procedure to access it. Not that it is readily
available to any one that innocently clicks on the innocuous word
"CHAT." (I REALIZE THAT THE FIRST AMENDMENT, SHALL PREVAIL"
Well, that's my soap box soliloquy for today. Guys, and gals
I know my weaknesses, but this was different. Tony C.
reply from Al Consiglio 11/20/2000
Thanks for the lesson on staying off some Chat Rooms. I haven't tried that yet, now maybe I never will. Am heading down South in a couple of days. I'll contact you if I get On Line there. Regards Al C. >>
From Tony Landry
A Terrifying and Unforgettable Experience at CBS
For a time I was assigned as a vacation relief to work at the CBS FM transmitter located on top of the French Tower Building. The French Tower is a 60-story building on Vanderbilt Avenue on the south side of Grand Central Station. The transmitter was installed on the 58th floor and the antenna was mounted on the roof, two stories higher. A 10' x 10' structure, 18' high, was anchored to the roof, bracing the antenna mast. The mast was a 50' stainless steel hollow pipe on which the doughnut type antenna was fastened at the top. The antenna was fed by a co-axial cable which ran from the transmitter to the roof and then inside the hollow mast to the antenna. The pressurized feed of an inert gas (nitrogen) was maintained inside the feed line by a small pump located at the transmitter. This device kept changing weather conditions from affecting the antenna loading. I couldn't help but notice that the nitrogen gas pump was going almost constantly. There had to be a leak somewhere. I sent in a report about this condition and two days later a man by the name of Olsen met me at the transmitter. He was an expert rigger. Although he had no technical background, he was in great demand because he could climb up on any antenna or high structure in the New York area. I explained to Olsen what to look