It was on All Hallowed Eve when it happened, way back in 1988. The town was Stillwater, Minnesota and it laid next to the mighty Saint Croix River. I was a young, wet behind the ears DJ at a small 5000 watt radio station with the call letters of WTCN and 1220 on the AM dial. Now saying 5000 watts is a bit of a misnomer because when the sun went down I had to power the transmitter to a lowly 220 or so watts at night. It's a FCC thing. But I digress.
This happened to be the 50th year of a radio broadcast that took place on October 30th of 1938. You wouldn't know anything of it because is really wasn't a big thing at all. You might have heard of the man who did it by the name of Orson Wells. No, didn't think you had. Because of this anniversary all sort of hubbub was centered around this radio broadcast day in and day out. Now I am not one to be all gaga about hubbubs, or if I do I take it into another area and so I did.
I was in the general managers office just before my shift on that Halloween when I noticed a collection of records behind his desk. They were all recordings of The Shadow radio series. That is when the idea hit me. What better then to play all night those programs and give a bit of haunting of my own for this holiday. The GM gave me the blessing and when it came to the right moment that same Orson Wells (who had that other radio broadcast) boomed through the airwaves with 'Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows.'
I do not know how many listened that night, if any. Like I said, we only had enough wattage to be picked up by the SuperAmerica across the street. But I had a blast listening to these adventures. The next day the GM came to me and said that what I did that night was interesting BUT that he wished I had asked him first before doing so. I told him that I did ask and that he okayed it which caused him to walk off with a confused and pained look on his face.
How great it would be to do that all over again when the fall moon is close to full and all sort of ghosts and ghouls are out and about. To have then come back in from 'tricks or treats' to a darken house with only the radio dial to break the inky blackness and hear that laugh from The Shadow!
This happened to be the 50th year of a radio broadcast that took place on October 30th of 1938. You wouldn't know anything of it because is really wasn't a big thing at all. You might have heard of the man who did it by the name of Orson Wells. No, didn't think you had. Because of this anniversary all sort of hubbub was centered around this radio broadcast day in and day out. Now I am not one to be all gaga about hubbubs, or if I do I take it into another area and so I did.
I was in the general managers office just before my shift on that Halloween when I noticed a collection of records behind his desk. They were all recordings of The Shadow radio series. That is when the idea hit me. What better then to play all night those programs and give a bit of haunting of my own for this holiday. The GM gave me the blessing and when it came to the right moment that same Orson Wells (who had that other radio broadcast) boomed through the airwaves with 'Who knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men? The Shadow knows.'
I do not know how many listened that night, if any. Like I said, we only had enough wattage to be picked up by the SuperAmerica across the street. But I had a blast listening to these adventures. The next day the GM came to me and said that what I did that night was interesting BUT that he wished I had asked him first before doing so. I told him that I did ask and that he okayed it which caused him to walk off with a confused and pained look on his face.
How great it would be to do that all over again when the fall moon is close to full and all sort of ghosts and ghouls are out and about. To have then come back in from 'tricks or treats' to a darken house with only the radio dial to break the inky blackness and hear that laugh from The Shadow!
Eririk Farwanderer
23 November, 2009 Anno Domini
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