[BC] How we got our first break in radio....

[Ernie Belanger]

Me, started at 14.  I made friends with a Sales Guy from WESO.. 
Southbridge, Mass. I had toured the station a couple of times with my 
Boy Scout troop and one afternoon had to go with my
Mother and some church ladies to talk about the big fund raising dinner 
coming up that weekend.  I express a lot of interest, telling him how 
the Reel to Reel worked, likewise the microphone and little gates news 
board.  He apparently was impressed.  A couple of weeks later Mike 
called my Mom and asked if I would want to get up early on Saturday 
morning and come to the station to learn.

He taught me how to run the studio and he would write the local news and 
make his calls etc.  Mike taught me how to take transmitter readings via 
the remote control, how to run an EBS test etc. Basically mentored me on 
all of it.   (Speaking of EBS.. I was on the air and took the station 
off the air when the sent the actual EBS activation that time)

One of the part timers left and there was an opening for someone to run 
the station on Sunday when all the ethnic jocks were there doing their 
shows. None were licensed so they needed someone with a 3rd phone.  The 
PD called my Mom to make sure it was ok,  I then spend some time with  
the PD and the Chief Engineer learning even more (and loving it) then it 
was off to Boston to get the license.  I remember the guy at the field 
office in the Custom's house had to call HQ to make sure he could test 
someone my age for a 3rd with broadcast endorsement.  He said he never 
tested someone that young for a third with a broadcast endocrment and 
had to check. Once it was oked they let me test.

And so it began for me.  Every Saturday morning with Mike and Sunday's 
babysitting the Ethnic live shows.  After my 2nd week and spending every 
afternoon after school at the station with the PD working on my delivery 
skills for news, Mike let me do News under his watchful eye on 
Saturday.  The PD called and Sunday I wa allowed to fly solo and do the 
news....

About 6 months later the afternoon drive announcer left, without notice 
for a Boston job.  Apparently the Station Manager called my mom. When I 
got to the station that afternoon (I was going just to learn more) I was 
told my the receptionist that Roger (the GM) and Russ(the PD) wanted to 
see me in Roger's office. I thought I was in deep trouble.

Turns out they had called my mom to get her permission for me to fill in 
on the afternoon show until a full timer could be found.. I was told 
that "I had to keep my grades up and if they go a call from the school 
or my mom about me getting in trouble I would be cut back to weekends 
again"  They never got a call, they also never found a full timer so for 
my Sophomore, Junior and Senior year I was the afternoon man at WESO. I 
went on Sport remotes (not on the air but to set up and learn) and I 
covered meetings, once I got my driver's license for the news department.

Then it was off to the AFRTS after graduation .. and as they say... the 
rest is history.

Ernie
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