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Patricia Shaffer Remembers KCRJ In the 1940's
Located on the Lower Hogback
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| My
first
memory of KCRJ was when we moved from our apartment on Clark Street to a
duplex on the Lower Hogback to be near Dad's work. This would have
been late 1939 or early 1940 when my father, Howard A. Kuhn took the job
of announcer and manager of radio station KCRJ. My mother, Marion G.
Kuhn also went to work there. Her responsibilities including being
the receptionist and book keeper as well as ad writer and host of a half
hour woman's program five days a week.
After school each day I would go to the station to tell Mom I was home and see if anything was happening. In the afternoon a Mexican gentleman would come in and go through the mail. He would take change from the envelopes for record requests and place the letter with the record he selected from the record shelves, I believe this was his only pay. He was always happy and pleasant, taking time to talk to me.
Dad worked six days a week and spent his Sunday off cleaning the station while the family went to church. Our evenings were spent listening to our favorite radio programs while Mom worked on her next days program. Dad would talk about promotional ideas and who he could sell air time too. As I look back now I see how dedicated my father was to the station. Everywhere we went people seemed to know him. He received the most wonderful black and white glossy photos of radio personalities that he would give to me. Companies would send Mom samples of their products for her to promote on her Woman's Club program.
As a child we seemed to be living a charmed life. In the studio was a large xylophone and piano, we would stand in Dad's office and watch the live program through the viewing window. Down stairs was a one room living quarters, bathroom and work shop for the engineer. Only the living quarters were floored. There were bunk beds because the room was rather small. At the reception desk was the only typewriter and phone. Mom did all the typing and answered the one phone line. Every thing was run on a shoe string as I heard dad say so often. It became our family joke, can a shoe string fix it.
Dad received a job offer from a station in Texas. Although he really didn't want to go, his concerns about the financial status of the station and his failing health led him to accept the new position. It is possible the station was sold because Mr., Steward could not find a replacement for Mom and Dad. We will never know because all the staff have left. All that is left are my girl hood memories of a place that held magic. The war was on and gas rationed, we had to have a special sticker for the car which took some time. We had such good friends there, we were all crying on the ride down to the valley May 4, 1944. The station in Texas never held the magic of KCRJ.
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Control Room and Studio
Large viewing window between control room and studio. Also large viewing window from office into studio. Am not really sure of his name, I have always thought of him as Walt He was a favorite of Mom and Dad. He was always laughing and joking. He played the piano by ear and would come to our home and entertain us with his playing. His parents and fiancé came from California for a visit just before he left for the service. We had a big dinner at our place and his fiancé stayed with us. He was killed in the war, WW 2. |
Picture for trade paper
This picture was taken in front of the Douglas Mansion, W.P. Stewart (left) owner and Howard A. Kuhn (right, suit buttoned) manager. I remember Dad saying they thought it would make more of an impression for the article. |
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Evelyn Starkovich in control room. |
Drawn From Memory...
Just to give you a feel of how the station was laid out It is not to scale but you can see how well planned it was, with all that they needed for a small station. I would watch my mother through the window in Dad's office do her woman's program. She used the table you can see in the photo.
The lower level had two outside doors. In Jerome everyone had out side doors on every level. I would leave by the back door and walk the donkey path behind the gas station to our home. On the lower level they only floored the living area. I remember how the work shop with it's dirt floor always felt cool and had a musty smell.
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| I
just read with interest the article on the 1938 world series from radio
station KCRJ, Jerome, Arizona by Grandpa Hubbard. My father must
have followed him and his father running the station. I visited Jerome
about ten years ago and was so disappointed to see the station was gone,
located across from the high school. I have some pictures of control
room, showing the equipment if you are interested. Sincerely, Pat Shaffer |
Patricia Shaffer and her two |
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