The Co-operative Global Radio Memories Project
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The Co-operative Global Radio Memories Project
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During the winter over period of 1970-71 the radio station, WASA, providing news and entertainment to the crew, utilized an AM transmitter for broadcasting. During the austral summer of 1971 the transmitter became inoperable. A replacement FM transmitter was enroute from the States but would not arrive till after Thanksgiving. To help with crew morale, the electronics technicians on base utilized a mobile FM radio to create an "underground" transmitter, broadcasting taped music on the FM band, and gave the station the call sign of MUGR (McMurdo Under Ground Radio). This had limited operation because the transmitter utilized was not designed for continuous broadcasting and tripped off the line numerous times. On 30 November Capt Van Reeth (summer Commanding Officer) directed the radio be shut down. We tried broadcasting on another frequency for two more days with call sign WRFM (Radio Free McMurdo) but due to transmitter limitations we ceased that effort on 4 December 1971.
The FM transmitter was received in early December and installed at the Transmitter Site. The 100 watt FM transmitter went on the air at midnight on 13 December 1971. All the electronics for the studio was completed on 16 December. Thom Wilborn got several volunteers and set up programming while he was there during the austral summer. I took over as the winter station manager and broadcast 6 AM till midnight, 7 days a week with the help of 14 other volunteers. We had 5 news/sports broadcasts each day utilizing UPI teletype news stories along with a structured schedule of AFRTS shows and "Disc Jockey" controlled music from Country to Classical.
On 12 January 1972 a group of VIPs arrived and Thom Wilborn interviewed Senator James A. Buckley from New York and William F. Buckley, Jr., the writer. Both interviews were broadcast on the air that evening. Since the FM transmitter installation we had been operating with the antenna installed on the building at the Transmitter Site. On 25 January I installed the antenna 55 feet up on the mast of the Russian Rhombic Antenna at the site to increase our broadcast range since it was basically line-of-sight. On 29 January the Rhombic Antenna tilted to about 70 degrees. WASA was shut down for a day so the guy wires could be adjusted.
On 21 February I was the station announcer when President Nixon first set foot in China. I broadcast it live at 1532 McMurdo time. On 3 March 1972 the base was in Storm Condition I with winds blowing 40-50 MPH gusting to 80 MPH. This continued for several days. WASA was utilized as a "Civil Defense Communications System". The first "live" coverage of sports occurred on 10 March 1972 when we broadcast from the bowling alley utilizing the base phone system for connectivity.
Then on 11 April at 2250Z we had our first live broadcast from the States when my wife, Flo, said hello to the troops via a MARS phone patch. Her words were: "Hi fellas. I hope you enjoy winter-over. Remember, there is a lot of love waiting for you back here. NOT FROM ME!! From YOUR wives!" On 17 April 1972 the launch of Apollo XVI was covered live. HF comms were bad, so later that day Ham Radio operator, Dave Porter from New Jersey, fed a tape that he had made which was crystal clear. On the 21st we covered the Orion moon landing, live, at 0223Z and later lunar lift off on the 24th.
For some reason I didn't cover the shut down of Bldg 64 in my diary but I remember moving the studio to a small room in the Barracks, again with the soundproofing and plexi-glass window. I departed Antarctica on 13 October 1972. I know we could never compete with the Radio and Television operations that exist there today but WASA was a major morale factor during the Deep Freeze 72 winter over period.
You're listening to Radio WASA, the US Navy's 100 watt FM
radio station in McMurdo Station, Antarctica
WASA McMurdo Yearbook
All images are © Bob Flint Collection, Radio Heritage Foundation. If you enjoyed this article, you'll also enjoy 'Antarctic Radio Unfreezes' and our many AFRS related stories. |
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© Radio Heritage Foundation 2004 - 2013 with thanks to: 
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 "Bob Flint and Chuck Yarnell")
 "Bob Flint on air")
 "John 'DA WOLF' Wolfe")
 "WASA Studio")
 "WASA Studio")
 "WASA Studio")
 "Thom Wilborn and William F Buckley")
 "Thom Wilborn")
 "WASA Yearbook")
