‘SPY HOLE’ USED TO CHECK ON RADIO AUDIENCE

Evidence of professors spying through the ‘secret door’ of Somerville House’s Great Hall is not available here but I can reveal one use it served during my era as president of the UWO Broadcasting Society, long before Radio Western was a gleam in anyone’s eye.

The little ‘cupboard’ contained a microphone linked to a P.A. system that served the Great Hall and the downstairs Somerville House cafeteria, both of which served as places for eating lunch in the primary noon breaks.

 

During part of the 1962 to 1964 period, members of the Broadcasting Society spoke to those lunch audiences with ‘public service’ announcements and a promo for a half-hour program about Western that the Broadcasting Society produced and was broadcast on Sunday nights on CFPL Radio’s 980 AM frequency.

After I was employed full-time by CFPL, a Radio Western concept was developed through overnight musical broadcasts on CFPL FM, which eventually aided in the founding and licensing of Radio Western. As for the ‘spy hole,’ I confess I opened it a few times to see if our captive audience was ready.

 

GORD WHITEHEAD, BA’65 (JOURNALISM)
ALUMNI PRESIDENT ‘76-78