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Brooklyn Janitor Pulls Plug on WNYC
World War II: New York City civil defense officials orchestrated 'blackout' drills in case of an enemy attack at night. On May 6, 1943, The Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported the following: "The rule is keep your radio going during a blackout, but those who were listening to the city radio station, WNYC, when last night's blackout test started couldn't do so with that station --at 9:17 p.m. WNYC suddenly went off the air...it was explained today that the station was using its auxiliary transmitter operating from Brooklyn Technical High School for the first time. When the blackout started, a custodian or assistant custodian pulled all the switches, including those operating the radio station..."
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Times Have Changed Department
April 21, 1946: The New York Herald Tribune wrote that WNYC was deluged with fan mail on the subject of the the station's broadcast of United Nations sessions. "WNYC has no way of knowing how large a listening audience is following the Security Council proceedings, but a perusal of more than 500 letters yesterday demonstrated that at least one section of the radio public wants its international deliberations in straight doses, without color or comment, or even a whisper from any announcer...
"The letter writers are from all walks of life. One Brooklyn housewife said she was 'exhausted at the end of every session' from 'hanging on the diplomats' words,' but she couldn't express her gratitude enough for the opportunity of getting tired out in such an absorbing way. A girl history student wrote, 'Just as I was told in history class that the picture of the past can be best obtained from original source material, so I find now our living history best clarified by access to this original source material'."
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