History from OHA: The story of the Syracuse radio station, WAGE

Syracuse’s WAGE radio station made its debut on Monday, April 14, 1941 at 7 a.m. Located at 620 on the AM dial, it was the fourth radio station in the Syracuse market, coming after WFBL and WSYR in 1922, and WOLF in 1940. 

Frank G. Revoir, president of Sentinel Broadcasting Corporation, had applied for a broadcast license with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), three and a half years earlier in 1937. Revoir also was president and treasurer of Revoir Motors, Inc., located at 700 West Genesee St. in Syracuse, and had been the local Hudson automobile dealer since 1918. William T. Lane, who had recently sold his interest in his advertising agency, became the WAGE station’s executive VP and general manager. Revoir also enticed Howard C. Barth, a manager at WSYR, to become secretary and director of technical operation; and John Curren, an announcer at WFBL, to become program director. Sentinel Broadcasting also hired Mrs. Helen Shaffer as women’s editor and Thelma MacNeil as musical director, as well as Jack Deal, Lawrence Tefft (aka, Larry Lawrence), and others as announcers.

Sentinel Broadcasting had renovated 4,500 square feet of the fifth floor of the Loew’s Theater building on South Salina Street (now the Landmark Theater) for its studio and office space. Revoir and his staff outfitted the radio station with the latest radio technology available in the spring of 1941. The 1,000-watt transmitter tower was located in Liverpool. 

When WAGE first went on the air, the station was associated with the Mutual Broadcasting System as a network news and program affiliate, later switching to NBC, and then ABC. In 1941, WAGE could only broadcast during the daytime, but by the mid- 1940s, the station received permission to broadcast 24 hours per day. In 1949, WAGE increased its daytime broadcast output to 5,000 watts, but still was required to reduce its output to 1,000 watts overnight so that it did not interfere with other radio stations.

On Jan. 26, 1949, Ted Mack, the host of the popular talent show, “National Amateur Hour,” brought his show to Syracuse and broadcast it directly from WAGE’s studio. Mack acclaimed Syracuse as the “Hub City of the Empire State”, as well as “the home of the Iroquois union, the salt city, the convention city, the city of diversified industry, the electronics capital of the world, home of Syracuse University, and center of New York’s vacation spots!” Akin to today’s TV talent shows, “American Idol” and “America’s Got Talent,” National Amateur Hour attracted thousands of listeners each week. The show’s staff chose Syracuse resident, Miss Anne Marie Genovese, a victim of infantile paralysis, to represent the “center of New York’s vacation spots” on the show; she sang the song, “Come Back to Sorrento.” Syracuse officials reciprocated the high praise by presenting show executives with two dinner plates made by Onondaga Pottery Company, commemorating Syracuse’s centennial as a city in 1948. 

Locally produced shows on WAGE included “House Beautiful,” hosted by Thelma MacNeil, the station’s musical director; “Inside of Sports” with Sam Balter; and “Showboat” with Captain Jack and his Crew of 22.

Jack Curren, the station’s program director, produced and hosted several shows during his tenure at WAGE. Along with his responsibilities as program director, Curren became an announcer and the station’s resident tenor, dubbed “Syracuse’s Favorite Tenor.” He teamed with musical director, Thelma MacNeil, to sing on his show, “Memory Lane.” Curren and MacNeil married in 1937 and embarked on a long marital and musical relationship. In 1949, Jack Curren told Nevart Apikian, a reporter for the Post-Standard, about his days at WAGE: “In those days, I might work from 6 a.m. to 1 a.m., taking a break during the day. At any time I could be called on to take part in a show. We’d ad lib and our programs might not have been up to today’s standards. But people who turned on the radio then weren’t particular; just the wonder of picking voices out of the air was enough.” In 1945, the Currens opened their own music studio where Jack taught voice and microphone technique, and Thelma taught piano and organ lessons. 

Another, undoubtedly, popular local show on the station was “WAGE Winners.” Announcers, Jack Deal and Larry Lawrence, hailed as “clowns of the air,” gave away cash by randomly calling citizens listed in the local phone book. 

Deal, a veteran radio announcer, grew up in Syracuse and attended Syracuse University, where he studied journalism. He is credited with being the first voice heard on WAGE in April 1941. Like Curren, Deal also sang on the radio; he also played the organ and read poetry on his show, “Mood at Midnight.” Deal retired from radio announcing at WHCU in Ithaca in 1981. 

Lawrence Tefft, known as Larry Lawrence to his radio audience, came to Syracuse in 1934 and graduated from Syracuse University in 1938 with a degree in music. Along with announcing on WAGE, Tefft worked on radio stations in Auburn, Rochester, and Niagara Falls. He also was a World War II veteran, serving with the Armed Forces Radio in Europe. Along with his radio duties, Tefft was active in community events. He left WAGE in 1951 to join the sales staff at WSYR. When queried about this change, Tefft remarked that after 10 years of meeting entertainers and celebrities he wanted to meet businessmen. Tefft remained as a sales representative at WSYR until he retired in 1979. He passed away at age 77 in 1991.

The WAGE radio station lasted until early 1954 when Frank G. Revoir sold it to the Meredith Syracuse Radio Corporation, an affiliate of WHEN-TV, for $200,000 (Meredith Corp. had founded WHEN-TV as Syracuse’s first television station in 1948). Meredith acquired all the physical assets of WAGE and changed its call letters to WHEN. Frank Revoir retained the WAGE name and corporate stock. The station became affiliated with CBS Radio News and played popular music such as “Little Things Mean A Lot” by Kitty Kallen, “Wanted” by Perry Como, and “Hey There” by Rosemary Clooney. 

Frank G. Revoir was a lifelong resident of Syracuse. As a local business and civic leader, Revoir was committed to the economic success and cultural well-being of the community. He was instrumental in convincing the Jersey City Skeeters baseball team to move to Syracuse to become the Chiefs in 1934. He also played a role in attracting the American Bowling Congress to Syracuse in 1935. As director of the Syracuse Bureau of Business Relations, Revoir was integral to local industrial expansion in the 1930s. He also helped organize the local chapter of the Cerebral Palsy Association and raised money for local sports teams. When Revoir died in 1967, more than 50 business and civic leaders served as honorary pall bearers at his funeral. 

WHEN radio station still exists today and has retained its location at 620 on the AM dial. Today, the station’s format is urban adult contemporary. Known as Power 620, it is owned by iHeartMedia. Its broadcast output remains at 5,000 watts during the day and 1,000 watts at night.                            

Thomas Hunter is museum curator at the Onondaga Historical Association (OHA) (www.cnyhistory.org), located at 321 Montgomery St. in Syracuse.

Syracuse’s WAGE radio station made its debut on Monday, April 14, 1941 at 7 a.m. Located at 620 on the AM dial, it was the fourth radio station in the Syracuse market, coming after WFBL and WSYR in 1922, and WOLF in 1940. 

Frank G. Revoir, president of Sentinel Broadcasting Corporation, had applied for a broadcast license with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), three and a half years earlier in 1937. Revoir also was president and treasurer of Revoir Motors, Inc., located at 700 West Genesee St. in Syracuse, and had been the local Hudson automobile dealer since 1918. William T. Lane, who had recently sold his interest in his advertising agency, became the WAGE station’s executive VP and general manager. Revoir also enticed Howard C. Barth, a manager at WSYR, to become secretary and director of technical operation; and John Curren, an announcer at WFBL, to become program director. Sentinel Broadcasting also hired Mrs. Helen Shaffer as women’s editor and Thelma MacNeil as musical director, as well as Jack Deal, Lawrence Tefft (aka, Larry Lawrence), and others as announcers.

Sentinel Broadcasting had renovated 4,500 square feet of the fifth floor of the Loew’s Theater building on South Salina Street (now the Landmark Theater) for its studio and office space. Revoir and his staff outfitted the radio station with the latest radio technology available in the spring of 1941. The 1,000-watt transmitter tower was located in Liverpool. 

When WAGE first went on the air, the station was associated with the Mutual Broadcasting System as a network news and program affiliate, later switching to NBC, and then ABC. In 1941, WAGE could only broadcast during the daytime, but by the mid- 1940s, the station received permission to broadcast 24 hours per day. In 1949, WAGE increased its daytime broadcast output to 5,000 watts, but still was required to reduce its output to 1,000 watts overnight so that it did not interfere with other radio stations.

On Jan. 26, 1949, Ted Mack, the host of the popular talent show, “National Amateur Hour,” brought his show to Syracuse and broadcast it directly from WAGE’s studio. Mack acclaimed Syracuse as the “Hub City of the Empire State”, as well as “the home of the Iroquois union, the salt city, the convention city, the city of diversified industry, the electronics capital of the world, home of Syracuse University, and center of New York’s vacation spots!” Akin to today’s TV talent shows, “American Idol” and “America’s Got Talent,” National Amateur Hour attracted thousands of listeners each week. The show’s staff chose Syracuse resident, Miss Anne Marie Genovese, a victim of infantile paralysis, to represent the “center of New York’s vacation spots” on the show; she sang the song, “Come Back to Sorrento.” Syracuse officials reciprocated the high praise by presenting show executives with two dinner plates made by Onondaga Pottery Company, commemorating Syracuse’s centennial as a city in 1948. 

Locally produced shows on WAGE included “House Beautiful,” hosted by Thelma MacNeil, the station’s musical director; “Inside of Sports” with Sam Balter; and “Showboat” with Captain Jack and his Crew of 22.

Jack Curren, the station’s program director, produced and hosted several shows during his tenure at WAGE. Along with his responsibilities as program director, Curren became an announcer and the station’s resident tenor, dubbed “Syracuse’s Favorite Tenor.” He teamed with musical director, Thelma MacNeil, to sing on his show, “Memory Lane.” Curren and MacNeil married in 1937 and embarked on a long marital and musical relationship. In 1949, Jack Curren told Nevart Apikian, a reporter for the Post-Standard, about his days at WAGE: “In those days, I might work from 6 a.m. to 1 a.m., taking a break during the day. At any time I could be called on to take part in a show. We’d ad lib and our programs might not have been up to today’s standards. But people who turned on the radio then weren’t particular; just the wonder of picking voices out of the air was enough.” In 1945, the Currens opened their own music studio where Jack taught voice and microphone technique, and Thelma taught piano and organ lessons. 

Another, undoubtedly, popular local show on the station was “WAGE Winners.” Announcers, Jack Deal and Larry Lawrence, hailed as “clowns of the air,” gave away cash by randomly calling citizens listed in the local phone book. 

Deal, a veteran radio announcer, grew up in Syracuse and attended Syracuse University, where he studied journalism. He is credited with being the first voice heard on WAGE in April 1941. Like Curren, Deal also sang on the radio; he also played the organ and read poetry on his show, “Mood at Midnight.” Deal retired from radio announcing at WHCU in Ithaca in 1981. 

Lawrence Tefft, known as Larry Lawrence to his radio audience, came to Syracuse in 1934 and graduated from Syracuse University in 1938 with a degree in music. Along with announcing on WAGE, Tefft worked on radio stations in Auburn, Rochester, and Niagara Falls. He also was a World War II veteran, serving with the Armed Forces Radio in Europe. Along with his radio duties, Tefft was active in community events. He left WAGE in 1951 to join the sales staff at WSYR. When queried about this change, Tefft remarked that after 10 years of meeting entertainers and celebrities he wanted to meet businessmen. Tefft remained as a sales representative at WSYR until he retired in 1979. He passed away at age 77 in 1991.

The WAGE radio station lasted until early 1954 when Frank G. Revoir sold it to the Meredith Syracuse Radio Corporation, an affiliate of WHEN-TV, for $200,000 (Meredith Corp. had founded WHEN-TV as Syracuse’s first television station in 1948). Meredith acquired all the physical assets of WAGE and changed its call letters to WHEN. Frank Revoir retained the WAGE name and corporate stock. The station became affiliated with CBS Radio News and played popular music such as “Little Things Mean A Lot” by Kitty Kallen, “Wanted” by Perry Como, and “Hey There” by Rosemary Clooney. 

Frank G. Revoir was a lifelong resident of Syracuse. As a local business and civic leader, Revoir was committed to the economic success and cultural well-being of the community. He was instrumental in convincing the Jersey City Skeeters baseball team to move to Syracuse to become the Chiefs in 1934. He also played a role in attracting the American Bowling Congress to Syracuse in 1935. As director of the Syracuse Bureau of Business Relations, Revoir was integral to local industrial expansion in the 1930s. He also helped organize the local chapter of the Cerebral Palsy Association and raised money for local sports teams. When Revoir died in 1967, more than 50 business and civic leaders served as honorary pall bearers at his funeral. 

WHEN radio station still exists today and has retained its location at 620 on the AM dial. Today, the station’s format is urban adult contemporary. Known as Power 620, it is owned by iHeartMedia. Its broadcast output remains at 5,000 watts during the day and 1,000 watts at night.                            

Thomas Hunter is museum curator at the Onondaga Historical Association (OHA) (www.cnyhistory.org), located at 321 Montgomery St. in Syracuse.