Rare recordings from American Armed Forces Radio stations in the
Pacific region featured in the latest Radio Heritage Foundation
documentary from Radio New Zealand
International.
Listeners heard an excerpt from a 1942 Mail Call show recorded in
Hollywood with special messages for allied troops in New Guinea, part
of ‘The Night Watch’ program from WXLG Kwajalein in 1953 – including
the full official nightly close down announcement – and excerpts from
a rare recording made of WXLE Canton Island from the 1970’s.
The documentary has ‘Memories’ as the theme, and includes a variety
of popular music tracks from the 1940’s and 1950’s, including
‘Polynesian Memories’ by New Zealand’s steel guitar star, Bill
Wolfgram.
A former WXLG engineer also remembers how he lost a tractor digging a
hole in coral rock for a new antenna system in 1945, as the station
tried to reduce skywave coverage of Australia, New Zealand and
Hawaii.
Two recent newspaper articles with a common radio ‘nostalgia’ theme
from India and Japan round out the program. The Hindu newspaper leads
with a nostalgic look back at old Indian radio listening habits, and
the Daily Yomiuri looks forward as three million former Japanese BCL
fans reach their 40’s and begin dusting off their shortwave radios
and return to their old hobby.
The documentary went to air on October 10, and is available in the ‘more audio’ section of the RNZI website
[www.rnzi.com] under the Mailbox heading.
The program is produced by the Radio Heritage Foundation
[www.radioheritage.net] in association with RNZI and continues a
series looking at radio issues around the Pacific region.