905th Post - Interview with Pat Connolly, Part Two

Pat Connolly, Part Two -- August 10, 2009

We reconvened for another meeting on August 10th to go over the text of the original interview and to record some new material. Because, let's face it, the first part of the interview wasn't long enough.

We met with Pat at the Smitty's on Tower Road. We had a quick lunch. We gave Pat a rare and out-of-print book about Tommy Burns (see the picture below), and chatted some more.

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Bevboy: It is now August 10, 2009. We're a couple of months older. You wanted to talk about your family a little bit. You moved around a lot during your career. Your wife, Bette, has been a Rock of Gibralter for you.

Pat Connolly: No question.

BB: Would you like to talk about the effect your career had on your family?

PC: Well, without her, there would have been no career, or it would have been very shortened. The most important thing to have is the support of your family if you want to be in this business because at the time, the demands, the absences, because of the fact that you have to leave so many family responsibilities to your wife, including the responsibility of bringing up children and that sort of thing. You do miss watching your children grow up in the entire process. So, for that reason, if you don't have an understanding partner, an understanding wife, life is going to be very difficult. When you have someone who's as understanding and supportive as Bette has been, it has really made my job a heck of a lot easier. She's always there. She's always supportive. Without that, there would have been no career that spanned over 60 years; I'll tell you that.

BB: Hindsight being 20/20, if you were a young fella again, would you go into radio, knowing the sacrifices your family would have to make?

PC: No, because most of the changes came later, after the fact, when radio was a much more relaxed thing to be involved with when I started in 1948. There were fewer demands on your time. You were a little more structured. You worked a shift; you went home; you were home at night. [There was] no travel involved, nothing of that nature. But, as you move on, and as the world turns, everything changes. Then you have to face the reality of adapting with the changes, or perish. So, you have to have somebody supporting you in that respect. And, David (my son) has been tremendous, very understanding; and I did get to spend a lot of time with him in his pursuits and later on in the growing up process. But, in the early years, it was so important and I am very fortunate that everything worked out so well. Thanks to Bette!

BB: Usually, "Bette" is like Bette Midler. Your wife's spelllng of "Bette" for "Betty".

PC: Yes, but it was "Bette Davis". [Midler] started the whole thing. And then people looking at B-E-T-T-E and it must be "Bet".

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BB: We lost our last AM radio station on July 27th, when 780 KIXX went off the air. I presumed you listened that morning?

PC: I did.

BB: So did I. I listened at the cottage; I was able to pick up a staticky version...

PC: Rather sad morning. I felt badly for Frank Lowe. Frank's a great fella. I worked with Frank at one time.

BB: Where did you work with Frank?

PC: At CHNS. I was there very briefly, and Frank was one of the operators, producers. I felt sorry for Frank. I think he's done a great job in his field. I guess the end of AM was inevitable from the time that FM reared its ugly face.

BB: It took a long, long time.

PC: I don't know if I told you this story about AM and FM. We had a guy at CJCH way back when CHNS became the first station to go FM.

BB: Yes. CHFX went FM back in...

PC: The 1950's. Back in the '40's, I guess.

BB: There was a transmitter on Citadel Hill or something.

PC: Yes. In Sydney, we had a shortwave station, but I think CHNS became the first FM station certainly in metro. They made great promotional efforts about how they were the first FM station. They would go on the air and proudly proclaim, "This is CHNS AM and FM, Halifax".

Well, CJCH became the first station that went [to a] 24 hours a day operation. The late Harry Norris worked at CJCH. Funny guy; great imagination. Very spontaneous. Harry was on the air one day, and he though, "Hmm". He decided he would form his own call letters and said, "You're listening to CJCH, AM and PM, Halifax!"

BB, P: [laughter]

PC: Harry became very famous for that remark.

BB: CHNS went off the air early, right? It wasn't on in the evenings. It ran kind of banker's hours?

PC: Yes. I think it did. And, eventually, of course, they went to the FM station. But, I don't precisely recall the hours of operation. It was there, but it wasn't a physical presence.

BB: And I hear that CHNS had a shortwave service for the longest time, for decades.

PC: I think that most stations did. Sydney had them. CJCB had it. CHNS had it. They were probably the first two that had it. I think that CHNS was on the air a year or two before CJCB in Sydney. They both had the shortwave stations. I think that the CJCB shortwave station was at the Marconi towers in Glace Bay.

BB: Where was CHNS' antenna?

PC: Was it Geizer's Hill?

BB: Oh, right! I think you're right because there is a website that talks about something called urban exploration. These guys [who] go around and break into abandoned buildings and explore. Someone explored the old CHNS antenna tower [building]. They went around and took pictures of the buidling that had fallen into disrepair [and put them up on the website]. I'll see if I can find the link to that website and post it here. [Bevboy's Note: That link will take you to the urban exploration site; scroll down to see all the pictures that those guys took over the course of time until the building was demolished in 2008. Interesting and old radio equipment is quite visible!]
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And, that's it. We recorded no more of our conversation. I took some fresh photos, which you saw in the original interview, and here. You'll notice that he's wearing the same duds in these pics that he wore when he spoke with Steve Murphy later on that afternoon.

Pat, thanks again for your time, patience and good humour during the months long gestation period of this interview.

Look for more media-related interviews coming up on... Bevboy's Blog!