ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — Newfoundland was a British Dominion and 25 years away from joining Canada when its first broadcast hit the airwaves.
It was July 24, 1924, just 23 years after Marconi received the first wireless message on Signal Hill.
Since then, VOWR — the tiny radio station located behind Wesley United Church in downtown St. John’s — has survived storms, fires, economic hardships, the Second World War, transitions in government and multiple changes in leadership.
But when COVID-19 hit earlier this year, volunteers were no longer permitted in the station. Fast decisions had to be made to determine how programming could continue.
“We had to call an emergency meeting,” VOWR chairman of the board David Chafe said, recalling the board meeting in mid-March. “I had this huge migraine, I remember. It was like gloom and doom …
“That night, it was a scramble to figure out what we would do.”
An ability to adapt
VOWR was shut down once in its 96-year history — in 1982, when hurricane winds from a storm toppled 165 feet of its 215-foot broadcast tower on June 16. The station still has “I’m a toppled tower raiser” badges commemorating that time and the fundraiser that helped the station get back on the air.
Many feared the COVID-19 pandemic would be more challenging for the station, which is strictly run by volunteers.
But with new digital equipment — purchased after a sizeable bequest three years ago — and with many of its 60 volunteers having technical backgrounds in broadcasting and producing, the station didn’t miss a beat and was able to continue broadcasting its regularly scheduled programs remotely.
“We were able to adapt and make it work,” said Chafe, as Abba’s “Fernando” can be heard through the speakers in the hallway next to the studio during a tour of the building earlier this month.
“We wanted to let our very valuable listeners know that we were still here and we still are.”
VOWR is steeped in history – something that’s evident upon entering the building on Patrick Street. Just past the front porch, a glass case holds the old microphones that were used in its early days, along with other vintage equipment and a bronzed sculpture of Rev. Joseph G. Joyce.
Born in Carbonear, Joyce was the minister of Wesley Methodist Church and the founder of the station. He saw radio as a way to reach out to those who couldn’t attend church regularly. Back then, it was known as 8WMC. The call letters VO were assigned to the country in 1927 as part of an international agreement reached in Washington. It became VOWR in 1932.
According to the station’s documented history, Joyce saw the potential in radio and helped some boys in the church make crystal radio receiving sets for sealing vessels with material donated by the public. In 1929, crew aboard on ships 165 miles out to sea from St. John’s during the seal hunt could tune in to church services.
Lighthouse keepers in remote areas and loggers working in camps also tuned in regularly.
In 1929, during the Burin tsunami disaster, VOWR was a source of comfort, and information.
Last month, a recording of Joyce was played during Wesley United Church’s worship service and was broadcast live on VOWR and streamed over social media. It was the first time in half a century the recording had been heard, as the station had it digitized.
“It was a very cool moment, actually,” Chafe said.
These days, while it’s still linked to Wesley United Church, most of VOWR’s programming involves secular music.
Thousands of people tune in every day to hear easy-listening tunes from the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s and ’80s — there’s everything from classic rock, country and pop to country gospel, crooners, jazz, blues, classical, Celtic Irish, traditional Newfoundland and sacred music.
“The music appeals to all ages,” said Chafe, a musician who plays at Wesley United Church.
“I mean, how can a 25-year-old music lover not be captivated by Ella Fitzgerald or Johnny Mathis?”
The station has a staggering vinyl collection of 345,000 songs stored in rows of records in its library, with many thousands more in its basement — all donated. Chafe noted the station has also reached out to MusicNL and welcomes donations of music by local artists.
It also has thousands of CDs and cassette tapes, but with upgrades recently made to the station, it’s in the process of digitizing its music.
“No news is good news is an unofficial philosophy here. So, when the pandemic hit, we kind of made it an unofficial mandate to not talk about the virus, to not make it a part of VOWR’s information service." — David Chafe
During a tour of the building with Chafe and station manager Doreen Whalen, Paul LeDrew —the lone employee in the building as mandated by pandemic protocols — was in the studio.
“I really enjoy doing the shows here,” said LeDrew, who has been volunteering at VOWR since 1983. ‘’It’s tough to leave, I enjoy it so much.”
'A place to go away from the obvious'
The audiences also love the music. It’s been mainstay for almost a century and not only holds a special place in communications history, but a special place in the hearts of the people of this province — these days more than ever.
“No news is good news is an unofficial philosophy here …” said Chafe, as “I Can’t Help Myself (Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch)” by the Four Tops can he heard throughout the building.
“So, when the pandemic hit, we kind of made it an unofficial mandate to not talk about the virus, to not make it a part of VOWR’s information service …
“It was a bit gutsy. We thought everyone was so entrenched with the news and wanted to know what was happening with vaccinations.”
The response to that decision has been overwhelming.
Station manager Doreen Whalen said the station’s phone lines and email have been inundated with positive comments and thank-you messages. There was also a spike in donations.
“The messages that have been left for us have been just heart-wrenching. Some of them brought tears to my eyes,” said Whalen, the station’s first and only female manager. “I can’t tell you how much we appreciate them. They’re just incredible.”
Chafe added, “It speaks to people’s pleasure with VOWR for not sugar-coating the virus, but just giving everyone a place to go away from the obvious, away from bad news,” Chafe said.
“More than ever, people are coming to VOWR for a sense of nostalgia, but furthermore, for a sense of peace, calm and just a removal from the everyday, which unfortunately in 2020 is a worry for most people.”
Plans for VOWR’s 100th birthday celebration are in their early stages, but it’s expected to be a huge event. Chafe and Whalen both hope the station can continue operating for years to come.
“It’s so special,” Whalen said. “Its history is so special. The volunteers are so special. The music is so special. It just gets in your system. When I come down here, I get lost. It’s just a comfortable place.
“And we’re glad others take so much pleasure in listening and find it special, too.”
VOWR is heard locally on radio at 800AM, on digital TV at Bell Aliant 756 and Rogers 945, and online around the world at www.vowr.org.
Donations to VOWR can be made by mail at P.O. Box 26006, St. John’s, NL, A1E 0A5, or etransfer to [email protected].
Twitter:@TelyRosie
