The back of this picture notes that it was taken on December 11, 1956.  What is now Mercury Boulevard was only a two lane road.   My old buddy Thomas Twine writes:

"Mercury Boulevard was originally Military Highway (not, of course, to be confused with the one in Norfolk).  I'm told Dick Kidney was among those leading the charge to re-name it in honor of NASA Langley."

  Todds Lane is in the background.   A few years later, garages and Quonset huts would be added for offices and extra studios.  By the end of the 1960s, the towers would be taken down, after the nighttime directional antenna site was moved to the upper portion of Todds Lane.  In 1972, Todd Center was constructed on this site, with new WGH studios and offices built near the area of the tower in the foreground of the photo.

Here's the WGH Sunshine Spreader Spotter Car with George Crawford, Jr. at the wheel, getting ready to spot round, yellow WGH window stickers on autos.  It's parked in front of the Showmobile, which contained a complete on-air studio with a Gates Yard Console, turntables, cart machines, etc.  On the far left side of the photo, beside the Ford Van, is the truck that was utilized to pull the Showmobile to and from remotes.

It's George Crawford, Sr. in the Conference Room in the old Mercury Boulevard studios, going through contest entries.  I believe this had something to do with designing the ultimate doggie rest stop.

Here's George Crawford in the old on-air studio on Mercury Boulevard.  The studio wasn't much larger than maybe 9' wide and 10' deep.   I believe the Make-Up Room (a recording studio) was on the left side of the photo and the News Room was on the right.

Scroll down for pictures from yesteryear.  If you have some you'd like me to include, please email them to me.

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Here's the same area today.  The only thing that's still recognizable is Lynnhaven Drive (now with trees around the houses) in the upper center of the photograph.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is JJ Bowman in the old Mercury Boulevard on-air studio.  The console is a Gates "Yard", one of my all-time favorites (the tube version...not the solid state unit).  Look through the window and you'll see Dick Kidney talking on the phone in the News Room.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

John Garry is in the Spotter Car in 1970, parked on Boush Street in Downtown Norfolk in the savings and loan parking lot beside the WTKR-TV (then WTAR) building.  Across the street is the old WGH Norfolk office with the flashing neon sign on the roof. 

Here's my official Keith James Fan Club membership card.  He also sent a bag full of silver ballpoint pens, with a microphone and call letters on the clip and a bunch of autographed publicity photos.  Shortly after this, Keith left for CHED in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's Keith James!  If you look closely, it's autographed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In front of the studios on Mercury Boulevard.   This photo was taken as the city was widening Mercury Boulevard and adding service lanes.  Note the highway construction in the background.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's another shot of the old Mercury Boulevard studios.  Note the building additions since the 1956 photo, including the Sky Studio.  The year "1963" is written on the back of the photo.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ron James filing away his music.  A while back, while I was searching on the Internet for Verizon DSL and I came upon a Verizon site with a picture of Ron.  He was in charge of public relations for Verizon in West Virginia.  He just recently retired.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Sky Studio was a fixture in front of the old Mercury Boulevard studios for much of the 1960's.  I thought it disappeared when the service roads started going in on the highway, however, Chris Astle writes: "My recollection is that it was abandoned because someone took a shot at it with a rifle.  It was there when I came to WGH in Spring of 1964, but it was never used during or after Spring 1964.    It was there for at least a year (never used for broadcast) before it was torn down.  After someone used it for target practice, I doubt you could have gotten any WGH jock to go up there."

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While most of us believe that WGH stood for "World's Greatest Harbor", you probably didn't realize it also stood for "Walton Graham Hunter", who worked for the station as an engineer from 1958 until his death in 1962.  The picture below shows him changing tapes.  His son, Owen, sent along the picture and the following story:

 

 

"Somewhere around the house I have an old promotional photo in which my father was wearing a cowboy hat with a button that said WGH for President.  The proposed stunt was because his name was Walton Graham Hunter.  It was never published because, frankly, my father's looks simply did not have the type of image WGH wanted to present."

 

Check out the "campaign picture" to the far right!

 

How about the equipment?  The tape decks look like Muzak decks to me.  And just behind his right elbow, it looks like an old transmitter remote control (Rust?).  It might be the same one used into the 1970s to control the two transmitter sites.  It had a telephone dial that you would utilize to dial up each remote control position.  I remember one evening when it got out of sync as we were switching from the non-directional site to the directional site and both transmitters were on the air at the same time.  That was one awful sound.  Thanks, Owen, for a great picture!

 

 

 

 

Long ago, newspapers ran radio stations' program schedules as a service to their readers.  This one ran in the Daily Press on Friday, June 30, 1939.  (Courtesy Knowtoniosis)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rob Wayne in the Military Circle Mall on-air showcase studio.  I know the Ampex in the back of the studio was used at least twice, because I used it.  Rob's cueing a record (remember that...and those?) on Turntable #2 (There were 3 turntables).  Early in the studio's life, the remote starts for the turntables were not connected, so you had to start them with the start buttons on the turntables.  One evening, I had my next record cued up on Turntable #3...the one just out of arm's reach as I faced the console.  I was reading the weather and needed to start the record under me.  As I was reading the forecast, I reached down, pulled off my shoe, leaned back and smacked the start button with my heel.  No one listening to their radio noticed, however the twenty people staring at me through the window in the mall applauded.   I mentioned the episode to Joe Looper (Chief Engineer) the next day.  A few days later, we had remote starts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here's a great picture of Bob "Ol' Boob" Calvert.  The date on the calendar is Tuesday, January 21, 1964.  This photo came from Raymond Bottom, Jr., who noted, "...Bob Calvert, probably the best production man in all of Tidewater...hard to control, slightly outrageous, but very popular."

Newsman Ira Hull in the WGH news studio.  In the background is Glenn "The Turtle" Lewis cueing up a record in the main AM on-air studio.  The picture was taken in March 1966.  (Courtesy Raymond Bottom, Jr.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glenn "The Turtle" Lewis in the main AM studio.  The calendar is turned to March 1966.  (Courtesy Raymond Bottom, Jr.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Phil Brown in an early WGH-FM studio.  Note the WGH-FM mic flag and the mono Gates "Yard" console.  This studio was in the new wing of the Military Road (West Mercury Boulevard) studios built in the early 1960s.  The album cover in the background is "Immortal Serenades" by Frank Chacksfield.   You can also see the remote control for an Ampex 351 reel-to-reel machine.  Calvert told me that most of the Ampex machines in the building were part of a barter deal for airing celebrity gossip Jimmie Fidler's Hollywood reports in the 1950s and early 1960s.  (Photo courtesy of Raymond Bottom, Jr.)

Carlton Shrieves in the news studio at the Todd Center complex.  This picture was taken through the window looking into the AM Air Studio.  The door on the right in the back of the studio opened to the hallway.  Production studios were located on this hall.  The door on the left side of the photo opened into the teletype room.  Master Control was located in front of the teletype room.  (Photo courtesy of Carlton Shrieves)

Carlton Shrieves on the scene in WGH News Satellite 2.  (Photo courtesy of Carlton Shrieves)

Carlton Shrieves in the news studio at the old Hampton studios and offices.  This picture shows the back of the AM Air Studio through the window on the right.  The FM Air Studio was located behind the News Studio.  Looking at the studios and offices from Mercury Boulevard, these studios would have been on the left side of the buildings.  This wing was built in 1963.  (Photo courtesy of Carlton Shrieves)