A Tribute to MaryEllen O'Brien

I have a confession. I have no idea who MaryEllen O'Brien is. Other than what her MySpace page says.

According to it, this is a picture of MaryEllen (who runs her two Christian names together, or least it is written that way on her MySpace page). Also according to it, "MaryEllen O'Brien is a freelance writer and author of two books and numerous articles in the area of spirituality. She is also a rock radio vet who spent 20 years on the air at stations ranging from WBLM in Portland, Maine to 93 Rock, Sacramento, to Atlantic 252, an international radio station based in Ireland and broadcasting to the U.K., and more. After logging all that on-air time MaryEllen took a break from radio to pursue studies in spirituality and theology and to begin writing professionally. Today MaryEllen writes, does voice talent work—and who knows, may just do some radio again too! She also does energy healing work. She has had a lifelong interest in the paranormal." OK. Now you know as much about her as I do.

But you must be asking, if you don't know this woman; never met this woman; and only know what her MySpace page says about her; why are you blogging about her? Fair question. Simply; she intrigues me. And reminds of a bygone era. Well actually one part of her resume' intrigues me and reminds of a bygone era that was near and dear to my heart and keeps great memories alive.

Here's the deal. After finding out there are engineers, as well as non engineers, who have posted transmitter tours of broadcast sites on YouTube (IS THERE NOTHING NOT ON YouTube??!!) I ran across a video of a defunct long wave radio station in Europe, Atlantic 252 (spoken as Atlantic TWO-FIVE-TWO). Now I have always had a subtle fascination with European rock and roll pirate radio stations (illegal broadcasting stations) and the like from the 60's forward. Stations like Radio Caroline and and the American backed Lazer 558.

As a young pup in radio in the early 80's, I had passingly read of the illegal stations Radio Caroline and Lazer 558 in one of the trade papers and how the UK was trying to shut them down. They were two of several radio stations that broadcast from ships in the North Sea to the UK and mainland Europe. Back in the day, I just couldn't fathom (pun intended) how you could broadcast an AM signal from a ship effectively. Well, years later, I now know how; but it ain't easy (that is a different posting, though).

The thing about Atlantic 252 is that it legally broadcast on 252 kHz. Frequencies BELOW the North American standard medium wave AM broadcast band. Frequencies here in North America that houses only aircraft navigation beacons and you need shortwave radios to hear them, but in Europe are as common as your local AM or FM station here in North America. In Europe, they are allocated to broadcasting. The UK, Ireland, France, Germany and Spain all have certain frequencies allocated to them in this "European long wave broadcasting" spectrum. It was and still is mostly government broadcasters like the BBC and RTE and such, but a group of investors decided to try a "national" commercial station in the long waves for the UK. Long waves have the advantage of very large coverage areas day and night per transmitter site without many of the interference issues the AM broadcast medium waves experience. This was the late 80's and Europe still hadn't embraced FM radio as we had here in the US. AM radio was still in vogue in Euorpe. The only long wave frequency they could get for this new station was 252 kHz, hence the branding number, 252. But the catch was the station, that was to broadcast to the UK, had to be located in Ireland because of the frequency coordination, hence, Atlantic in the branding. So the station was located in and around Trim, County Meath, Ireland and Atlantic 252 was born.

So this is where MaryEllen O'Brien comes into the story. Exactly where in the time line of Atlantic 252 I am not sure or for how long she stayed, but it seems she was one of the original disc jockeys or "presenters" as they are called in Europe, when the station signed on.

But I am getting ahead of myself. Anyway, when I surfed over to the tribute site for Atlantic 252, I found in the middle of these high energy, high personality (something that radio today sorely lacks among the cookie cutter radio stations that dot the AM and FM bands in the US) UK, Irish and Scottish rock and roll disc jockeys, an American woman named MaryEllen O'Brien was on the list. It must have been the fashion at the time to have an American woman on an air staff in Europe because even the pirates, whom many of the legal European broadcasters had begun to emulate to retain listeners, had American sounding women on their staffs too. MaryEllen was an American. And from the airchecks I heard on several sites, MaryEllen was good. She could front announce up to the post or kiss the lyrics with the best of the US announcers and never miss a beat in giving the latest weather forecast.

They did rebel rock and roll on Atlantic 252, something that was both a throw back to the classic early days of bad boy rock and roll radio of the 50's and 60's with the likes of the beloved Allen Freed, Cousin Brucie, Murray the K, Dan Ingram or Super Jock, Larry LuJack and a look to the future of the naughty free-for-alls you now hear on morning radio but not in the "shock jock" vein of current radio, but in that fun, just east of blue vein that is so lacking in radio today on the Morning Zoo's. A style that takes talent to pull off, not a dirty mouth. The ole, "fully clothed, undressed woman" concept. i.e the imagination is more powerful than reality.

But all good things must come to an end. And too so did Atlantic 252. FM finally overtook Europe and not only put the licensed commercial AM stations like Atlantic 252 out of business and into the hands of their respective licensing governments, but it did what the governments couldn't do, finally run the AM pirates out of business. In December 2001, Atlantic 252 signed off for the last time. A victim of the changing times as had its North American cousins of two decades before. The long wave frequency and transmitter site reverting back to the Irish government, where the government run RTE has a station on that frequency and facility now.

The pirates didn't even make it that long, being gone in the early 90's due to continued governmental pressure and changing listener patterns. Radio Caroline went though 3 or 4 ships (and in a gale one of the Caroline ships, the MV Mi Amigo went to the bottom off the coast of the Long Sand Bank in 1980 with the 127 ft antenna tower sticking above water for 6 years before it rusted off into the sea) in their 25 years of pirating, The last Caroline ship, MV Ross Revenge, is put up in port as a volunteer support group tries to keep the old ship and its 80's vintage broadcasting equipment from rusting out with high hopes of sailing the old lady on the high seas again and maybe broadcasting, legally. MV Communicator of Laser 558 fame went to the cutters torch just this year. Radio Caroline being the last one still broadcasting more legally on satellite radio now in Europe but nowhere near as popular or as outlandish as in the old days.

So my tribute to MaryEllen is really my memory of when music radio was good and fun to listen to and work in. How even an American could make it big on a European rock and roll AM station when at the time, here in the US, AM music radio was all but dead at the hands of FM radio. I used to be idealistic back then too, dreaming of far off exotic places doing radio. To be young again with what I know now. But she just went off and did it. While I only continue to dream of it.

He's to you MaryEllen. May you always hit the post. May you never have dead air or back time issues going into the top of the hour news. And may you NEVER, EVER had to play Freebird or Stairway to Heaven (or even MacArthur's Park), unless you WANT to or its on the playlist, not because you HAVE to. And from one former jock to another, MaryEllen you KNOW what I am talking about.

Local Boy Makes Good

Chris Daughtry performs for the Greensboro crowd on his return post Idol in June 2006.

Just 3 years ago the world had never heard of Chris Daughtry. Mr. Daughtry at the time was the Service Manager for the local Honda dealership with dreams of stardom and plans to get it through a talent show called American Idol. Being voted off 3 weeks ahead of the final in May 2006, Mr Daughtry's plans looked like they were in shambles.

In this very blog on May 11, 2006 (Another One Bites the Dust, eh maybe not) I made the following statement, "In retrospect, it may be the best thing America could have done for him. If he had been hung with the mantle of "Idol '06" for at least the next 12 months, he would be singing "their songs" and doing "their concerts" and "doing their events" and to be honest, I don't see Mr. Daughtry putting up with that for much more than a day at best." Soothsayer? Naw. (Do you remember who DID win Idol that year? The forgotten Taylor Hicks and his equally forgotten runner up, Katharine McPhee. Hicks was recently dropped from Sony/BMG without a hit and McPhee is still looking for her first hit.)

Fast forward 2 and a half years. Mr Daughtry has is own band, Daughtry, a debut album that has gone triple platinum, the number one selling rock album of the year, and, oh yeah, he still maintains an American Idol connection, being Sony/BMG is the record company behind AI and Mr Daughtry is signed to a unit of Sony/BMG and will make the occasional appearance on the number 1 show on American television. The latest appearance being probably his best to date and he wasn't even live.

For the second year, AI has had one show called "American Idol Gives Back," a telethon with all the stars of screen, TV and music to ask you for money to be given to all kinds of charities. Toward the end of the extended program, Brad Pitt comes on stage to do his part of asking for money and then introduces the next taped piece, this one being Daughtry in Uganda performing the song, "What About Now?"



When you are sent to Uganda for a music video and Brad Pitt intros you, I would say you have made it. I think you can say that the fallen "Idol" of the 2006 season, in reality, was the winner after all.

That is sure a long way from the service department of Crown Honda. Way to go Mr Daughtry. You are a credit to your community and your God. Thanks.

We have met the Martians, and they are us?

In watching a lot of Science Channel lately, there have been many shows dealing with our solar system and the exo-planets. What is an exo-planet you say? It is a planet that is not in our solar system. Twenty or thirty of these exo-planets have been found in other solar systems in our galaxy in search of planets that are Earth like in other solar systems. So far only large gas giants like Jupiter have been found but they say it is only time before a small rocky Earth like planet is found as the scientists get better at finding exo-planets in general. In all of this planet talk, one planet seems to keep being talked about more than any other, Mars. In the last 10 years or so, the interest level of Mars has increased ten fold.

With the 2004 announcement that NASA has been charged to go back to the Moon and on to Mars within the next 40 years, scientists have started looking toward the red planet. The current extended missions of the two Mars rovers, Spirit and Opportunity (they originally had a 90 day mission timetable, 4 years ago) having found evidence of flowing water in the recent history (millions of years ago, not the first thought billions of years ago) of the red planet. Along with the discovery of the meteorite that came from Mars with what appears to be the fossil remains of simple one cell life forms that are found on Earth in it, "the question of did life actually start on Mars and then come to Earth?" is being seriously asked in the halls of the planetary scientists.

Of course we have to first prove that there was life on Mars at some time in its past and when. Then what, if anything, is shared with life on Earth? I have a good idea that this question of being a Martian will not be answered in my lifetime, but I would bet by the end of the 21st Century, we will have a good idea what the answer is.

If it is proven we are descendents of Martian life, how will that fact shake up our mind set of where we fit on Earth and in the Universe?

Terrorist's New Tactics?

The day has come when terrorism moves west. With the 3 Iraqi style car bombs in the UK over the last few days, it is obvious that the terrorist are rethinking their MO on how to reek havoc in the west.

I think realizing they over shot their mark with 9/11 when it comes to just how much death and destruction they could heave on us (I really think, Rosie be damned, that bringing down the WTC WASN'T in the big scheme of things on that day. Fire and death yes, but no one had any thought the buildings would come down. UBL is smart, but he ain't that smart! No one is.) that the only way to top 9/11 would be a nuke. I just have to think that a nuke really isn't what they want to do for a very simple reason. As crazy as they are, and they ARE crazy, if you set off a nuke, you galvanize the world against your cause in such a way that you never recover and also sterilize a portion of the Earth that will take thousands of years to be habitable again. Not a receipe for gaining a foot hold in the new world for UBL's version of religion. But like I said, they are crazy and their cause and effect analsys doesn't go much beyond next Thursday at the latest.

So, like everyone else, they seem to be scaling back. Economizing if you like. More "bang" for the buck, pun intended. Iraq has certainly shown them that for a couple of dinars you can put together a whopper of a media event that may not have the wall-to-wall media coverage capacity of 9/11, but in the long run do as much media damage. Hell, out of three V-BIED's (vehicle borne IED's - don't you just love those acronyms the military comes up with!) only one actually did something and it only started a small fire and killed no one and only slightly injured one bystander. But look at the world media. They have gone off the deep end, hanging on to every sniffle and sneeze that comes out of Scotland Yard.

That Al Qaeda media machine is a genius. They pull off a half ass attack and get the coverage of a full scale victory. The end result is EXACTLY what they wanted! They don't care that the cars didn't explode. The media acts as if they DID! The world goes into a panic. As far as Al Qaeda is concerned, mission accomplished!

Maybe we just need to ignore them from the media stand point and let law enforcement and the military go get them quietly. Just tell us when they round them all up or kill them all. Take the camera away and you take 90% of their fuel away. That has been proven time and time again in the Middle East. They play EVERYTHING to the camera. But no one is going to listen to me. Too many hours of time to fill on the all news channels.

This time the good guys got lucky and as the old saying goes, "I would rather be lucky than good any day!" And ah, yes, John Edwards? There really IS a War on Terror. Just turn on your TV set. The world media is covering it, including your beloved BBC. And let's hope to God it DOESN'T come here. It might put a kink in your $400 haircuts.

Shoutout to a Fellow Employee

Stewart Pittman is just another video photographer or vidiographer or photog or shooter. He is a fellow employee. Are we "friends"? Well no, not in the sense that we hang out together and drink beer after hours and conmisserate about life. Do we "know" each other? Yes. Very much so even though we work in different departments. We both need each other so to speak. He needs me to keep his camera and gear working and a transmitter to send his pictures to the world with. I need his pictures to send to the world so people will watch and buy advertising (and answer my stupid blogging questions). "It is the circle of life Simba." Oh yeah, he is also a damn fine writer. Much better than I will be in my whole life.

He writes his own blog, Viewfinder Blues at lenslinger.com. He chonicles his life as a medium market photojournalist. (I never knew so much news happened around here. You can't tell it on TV.) My life compared to his is nothing short of non-existant. Thirty-five thousand volts withstanding.

From hanging out on the beach, huricane hunting ,

to hanging out with fellow shooters at those same huricane scums

to hanging and having real relationships with celebs like

Bucky Covington

and Chris Daughtry.

Of course being a shooter isn't all cushy assignments. It does have its problems too like shooting a remote vehicle demonstration when the vehicle goes out of control and into the group of photog's set up to record the event

or covering the worst mass homicide in American history, Virginia Tech.

But Stewart's real strength along with his photograpghic eye is his wordsmithing. Along with his daily tales of "commiting news" as he likes to describe it, he has an alter ego he writes about named Garrett and his fellow newsers of News Leader 3. In the latest installment he writes: "Thirteen minutes they pulled up on scene, a dipping curve in an otherwise featureless country road. The ride over had not been pleasant. As he always did, Garrett drove like a pyro en route to a barn fire, causing Camille to not once, twice but thrice curse his choice of RPM’s. It didn’t help that the rain really picked up just as they got on Highway 42, a twisting country corridor known for it’s own collisions. And then there was Live Three - by far the hoopty of the lot. Garrett and the fellas had been trying to kill Live 3 for years, but the ’83 SUV with the stubby mast and peeling logos just wouldn’t die. Nor would it hydroplane, a fact Garrett tested several times on his way to the ‘bus ax‘." I can name SEVERAL people who fit that characterization of shooter and "hair do" (reporter) Camille and equipment! I just couldn't do it with such pazz that makes you want to read more. My interpretation would make you want to leave screaming as quickly as possible.

Stew keeps saying he has a book in there somewhere. I hope so, because I would love to be first in line for the book signing!

Others in the biz also think highly of not only Stew's writing ability, but his opinions on the biz from lone VJ shooters to network lenslingers who cover hot spots around the world. He is linked from around the world blogs. He has even been quoted in some of the trade rags. Not bad from a self proclaimed slacker from eastern North Carolina.

To check out Stewart's little piece of the net, http://www.lenslinger.com/ will get you there. To check out his MANY still pics as he "commits news" check out http://www.flickr.com/photos/86947467@N00/

And ah, Stew, anytime you feel a little parched after a day behind the glass, give me a call. I buy the first round!

A Bad Night on the TV

Television stations are no different than any other business when it comes the risk of fire. It could be said that television may have a higher risk with all the electrical stuff we have. Of course these days people think of TV disasters of 9/11 but the real danger is fire. WABC TV in New York City found that out 10 minutes before the 11 PM newscast.

While waiting for the start of the 11 PM news with the anchors and set personal in position waiting for the start time, when a high intensity light bulb explodes, something that does happen quite frequently in a television studio, and catches a stage curtain on fire (something that doesn't happen). Within 30 seconds the rear of the news set is in flames and the fire alarm is going off. The building is evacuated and FDNY is called and begins to put out the fire that has now smoked up the building pretty good and has now forced WABC TV off the air for the next several hours.

It is interesting to me that after 9/11, WABC wasn't prepared to stay on the air. Since WABC lost their transmitter site on the World Trade Center, you would think they would have a plan in place to handle routine emergencies, like a fire. We have a saying at work, "We never close, period." Unless the apocolypse hits, we have plans that will keep us on the air, no matter what. FOX has spend lots of money to be sure that we can stay on no matter what. We may not have regular programming on, but we will still be sending a signal out. For at least two hours, WABC had either dead air or color bars on the air. Not good. I would not want to be the managers of WABC today having to answer to the "mouse" suits. New York being the number one market in the country, the amount of money lost is in the tens of millions. A fire shouldn't take you off if you have the proper backups in place.

I feel sorry for those guys in the trenches who had to pull it all together to get back on the air, it was a long night to get things in some kind of shape to get their morning news up on time and a big round of applause and congrats for pulling that off because that ain't easy, I am here to tell you. To the managers, I hope you got your resumes current, you might need them.

Video is here -> http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=local&id=5345032

We have lost another example of the "Greatest Generation"

Before 9:30 in the morning of April 16, 2007 only a small group of people knew the name of Liviu Librescu. I was not one of them. Mr. Librescu was a member of the "Greatest Generation" that knew the Depression, World War II, The Cold War and 9/11. He knew World War II from the inside of a Nazi concentration camp. He saw more death and torture during World War II than 10,000 people see in a life time. He was 76 years old.

For the last 20 years he has taught aeronautical engineering at Virginia Tech. The number of lives he has molded there are in the low thousands. In any life a great accomplishment. But unfortunately Mr. Librescu will not be remembered for that great achievement by a handful of people, but will be remembered by millions around the world for something, I am sure, he would rather not be remembered for even though it is the highest and noblest thing a human can do. He sacrificed himself so his students would have a chance for survival. But from the reports I have seen and heard of him, no one should be surprised of his sacrifice. Remember, he was a member of the "Greatest Generation," a generation that put service and the "right thing" above all else. They defeated fascism and socialism in the face of bullets in the past. They sacrificied.

Was he afraid as he stood at the door using his body as a lock and shield? As more wise men than I have said about life and death situations, if you aren't scared, you’re crazy. But that fright didn't seem to stop Mr. Librescu from doing what can be called a martyr act. We will never know what his last thoughts were as Cho Sueng-Hei fired round after round through the door that Mr. Librescu was standing behind trying to keep him out as his students escaped through the windows of the classroom. But I think we can guess his determination for keeping Cho out long enough for the escape to work from many years ago from the Nazi concentration camp that must have been playing in his head like an old familiar film. He was that last line of defense. He knew it. Didn't shriek from it. Stayed calm and clear headed and knew that was what he had to do. And he did it. And if he lost his life in the process and it only saved one life, it was still worth the effort.

Well he did more than that. He saved many lives. He made a statement for life and the love of life. He made a place in Virginia Tech history and the world for himself. It was obvious standing behind that door was not what he wanted to be doing on that Monday morning, but when history and fate called on him, he once again answered the call as he did in World War II and didn't hesitate.

Mr. Librescu held the most important class he ever taught Monday morning. He taught more in 90 seconds to the world than he had in a lifetime. He taught courage, love, bravery and sacrifice. As a teacher, he fulfilled a teaching destiny that very few teachers ever achieve.

To the nouns that describe Liviu Librescu; cancer survivor; holocaust survive; husband; father; aeronautical engineer; teacher; we now, reluctantly and with great sorrow and humility, add maybe the most important noun to his name, life giver.

We say, "Mr. Librescu, thank you for the lesson you taught us Monday morning. We are sorry you had to teach it." Shalom.