WTUL alumni unite!

Talk about reunions. I'm not sure how this developed, but apparently there is a movement afoot to invite alumni from my college radio station -- WTUL -- to visit the present station's campus location in order to commemorate 50 years of broadcasting. There's even a new Facebook page that was created to help facilitate this. It's shaping up to be a most promising opportunity to visit with many of my old broadcasting compadres, but I'm not sure how well we all have weathered the 30 or 40 years that have intervened. Back when I attended as a freshman, the radio station broadcast over AM carrier current at 550 Kilocycles. The way the station worked was via telephone lines from the studio connected to small transmitters that would "broadcast" through the wiring in each building. Several of the dormitories had transmitters, which allowed any radio receivers plugged into the electrical service to receive the station at 660 AM. It was also possible to receive broadcasts while driving through the campus, but reception was poor at best. Then, the station made the leap from AM to FM and broadcast over a small 10-watt FM exciter. It was a giant leap for our tiny alternative radio station, which in its early days only broadcast folk music or other acceptable musical forms. Later, as an FM facility with higher power, it became a favorite of the city's younger listeners who shied away from commercial broadcasting. WTUL-FM eventually achieved over 3,000 watts of power in its early days of citywide broadcasting at 91.5 MHz over an antenna array perched above Monroe Hall, some 120 feet high on the uptown campus. The day of the conversion from low to high power took place in 1976, some two years after my administration as General Manager ended. It was my job to pick up U.S. Representative Lindy Boggs to come to the studio and flip the switch that initiated the higher power broadcasts. I remember picking her up from her Bourbon Street apartment in the heart of the French Quarter and driving her to the uptown studio in my brand new silver Ford Granada. I note that Lindy enjoyed a great career in Congress for many years beyond that event, eventually becoming Ambassador to the Vatican. In terms of her years of service, it is doubtful her ceremonial work with a campus radio station on that day registered very high. But, who knows? Perhaps it did make an impression. There were other great events at WTUL. Who can forget the Rock On Survival Marathon that was held during the height of the streaking craze? I recall a very well known attorney who, as a student, happily stripped and streaked across campus during the outdoor event on the University Quadrangle adjacent to the University Center. There was also the event I organized in 1973, the Raise the Bastille Radiothon, a benefit for Parish Prison's Inmate Welfare Fund that was held at Orleans Parish Prison. Some of the guest performers for that 24-hour event included Dr. John, the Meters, Professor Longhair, Chris Kenner, Robert Parker and Jesse Hill. How I wish I had a copy of that tape! And who can forget the times we interviewed celebrities in the studio like a very impaired Dr. John, two members of the Firesign Theatre, Rob Krieger of the Doors or remotely recorded rock personages like Ronnie van Zandt from Lynrd Skynyrd? Then, again, I remember meeting actors Vincent Price, Leonard Nimoy, Deforrest Kelly and William Windom among others, who all were encouraged to record promotional spots for the small campus radio station. Our logo was a little guy chipping away at a large rock (some said "chipping away at the rock of New Orleans," a reference to a large commercial FM outlet). Today, thanks to Hurricane Katrina, that commercial station isn't even broadcasting rock music and much of what WTUL-FM broadcast as "alternative" is now considered "classic rock." I must admit that much of what is broadcast today over WTUL-FM bears little semblance to what we broadcast back in the Seventies and Eighties. But, then again, we broadcast music that might have offended our earlier predecessors over the AM carrier current station. My "Oldies Show" was one of the most popular shows, held each Saturday night. Back then my only stipulation was that in order to be an "oldie," the song had to be a minimum of three years old. Such is the nature of broadcasting, especially as it relates to students, whose musical tastes are mercurial at best. Interestingly enough, my son is a senior at Tulane and his iPod is filled with songs I used to broadcast over the campus radio station. I wonder if the popularity of many of these songs wasn't helped along in some way by enthusiastic broadcasters like me and others so very long ago.

The day after opening

Long into the wee hours of the night as the First Couple celebrated the first day of the Obama administration, there was a growing realization by those of us whose eyes were glued to their TV sets that history was about to give way to hard work. And then there were those Constitutional scholars who were shouting "Hold on! He's not President!" The controversy sprang up when Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts flubbed his one line in dyslexic fashion and caused everyone to scratch their heads over whether or not it would be necessary to re-do. Some of you may be surprised to learn that it does not take a Chief Justice or any Justice for that matter to administer the oath of office to the President. It can be any federal judge or magistrate and we should all know that because of the famous picture taken aboard Air Force One when Lyndon Johnson was administered the oath by a sitting Texas federal judge following the assasination of John F. Kennedy. Oh, well, it seems like it's only a matter of time before the President and the Chief Justice will have another go at it...just to make sure.

The Audacity of Hope and the Tenacity of the Dream

Welcome, my fellow Americans to a day of historic proportions. It has been 76 spirited days since the selection of Barack Obama as the nation's 44th President. He has already been given charge of "the football." That's the code name for the briefcase which holds the top secret codes that can unleash the nuclear might of the United States in the event of the unthinkable. At this pivotal moment in time, he is in fact more of the Commander-in-Chief than George W. Bush. Change has come, America. To all those who rode the Obama Express to victory, the words "Yes we can" will reverberate as a continuing call to action. To those who supported the campaign of John McCain (or others), those same words should act as reassurance that the Obama administration is attempting to forge a more perfect union at a time when good news is long overdue. He will need all of our help and support. The challenges ahead on the domestic front and in foreign affairs are daunting and the hardship of the office will begin to show on the President-Elect. Mr. Obama has come to identify with Abraham Lincoln, our nation's 16th President, in many ways. His railroad trip from Philadelphia was intended to summon forth a similar trip that Lincoln made on his way to his first innauguration. Obama's appearance at the Lincoln Memorial at the concert in his honor on Sunday certainly added to that connection. Lincoln was born in Kentucky, but lived most of his life in Illinois. After having lived in Hawaii and Kansas, Obama has also spent much of his life in Illinois. For the next four (and possibly eight) years, he is to make 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue his home. The reins of government are to be passed peaceably and with great fanfare today on the steps of the Capitol. It is a testament to our greatness as a nation that we do so with precision and reverence towards the office of Chief Executive. Today is a day to be proud to be an American and, coming the day after Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, it is also important to remember that part of his dream comes true today with the searing in ceremony of our nation's first African-American President. It is a long time in coming. From the great debate over slavery that split our founding fathers and resulted in our nation's bloodiest war, the dream was only begun. With the rise of hate and Jim Crow, we struggled as a nation for a century to do what was right until the Civil Rights era dawned and the final battles were waged. Some of these struggles were waged with Dr. King, but, sadly, many more were waged without him. There is still much work to be done on this front. Nonetheless, I can't but help think he would be proud of our country on this historic day and say to us all in his powerful, booming voice "God bless the President and God bless America."

Madoff manages to muck things up here too

Bernie Madoff, the $50 billion rip-off artist, who took advantage of so many banks, charities and hedge funds, has finally been acknowledged as a source of pain here in Louisiana and New Orleans. None of the major Jewish philanthropies like the Jewish Endowment Fund of Louisiana or the Jewish Federation of Greater New Orleans suffered direct losses from the Madoff Ponzi scheme. The same cannot be said for federations in other areas like Greater Washington that reportedly lost $10 million or major Jewish philanthropies like Hadassah, who suffered $90 million in losses. Last week it was revealed that the Louisiana State Police and the New Orleans Police Department retirement funds had each lost approximately $400,000 from investments they had placed with legitimate hedge funds that had been taken in by Madoff's scheme. Charles Ponzi, the criminal whose name is ascribed to the criminal enterprise in which one pays out the oldest clients with proceeds from his most recent, would have been proud of how long Madoff sustained his thievery. So, the heroes of Hurricane Katrina are now the hapless victims of Madoff's greed. Meanwhile, while prosecutors plot their case against the former head of NASDAQ, he is quietly ensconced in his $7 million apartment, apparently still enjoying some vestige of the good life. If I were Madoff, I would be looking over my shoulder. One thing I wouldn't want is an angry Louisiana State Trooper or New Orleans Police Officer gunning for me.

Peace in Gaza?

It is perfectly obvious to anyone who has looked into the situtation in Gaza that cease fires may come and cease fires may go, but the underlying problem between Hamas and Israel is probably going to continue for the foreseeable future. In fact, if Israel has been successful in its recent incursion, it may be just enough to turn the tide against Hamas. The fact is that Israel's future is secure in the knowledge they possess a superior force against a ragtag group of terrorists with little training. What makes Hamas dangerous is not that they can inflict massive destruction to the Jewish State, but that they have the psychological advantage of depriving Israelis of their right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, the things our forefathers sought for themselves and their posterity. What needs to be cemented in the thoughts of the Palestinians is that there is no future for themselves or their children if the philosophy of continued warfare is maintained. Someday they must pursue a course of peaceful coexistence or the bloodletting will continue. What Hamas does so well is act like terrorists. They instill fear among their own people and dozens of deaths during the recent fighting were attributed as murderous reprisals by Hamas against those they suspected of collaborating with Israel. That is troubling, but understandable. We've seen a number of regimes whose despots hold sway over their people through fear. The best recent example of that is Saddam Hussein. If the Israelis can lessen the hold of fear over the Palestinians by dispatching the most zealous of Hamas fighters in campaigns like this with little loss of life to their own forces (as they apparently have done), they may be able to bring about necessary change in Gaza. The key for the Israelis is to make themselves look less like murderous invaders than vanquishing liberators. That will be tough to do, but their survival and the possibility of living in peace with their neighbors seems like high enough stakes to warrant their actions.

Number Six and Mr. Roarke are cancelled forever

Patrick McGoohan, left, and Riccardo Montalban

Two icons of television passed away within a few hours of one another yesterday. One had a rather prominent place in the pantheon of my youthful heroes, while the other was not, but was someone I met in real life. Patrick McGoohan, 80, and Riccardo Montalban, 88, may have not been on the A-list for most people in Hollywood, but they both played characters who were larger than life. McGoohan was "Number Six" in the strange cult-followed British TV series "The Prisoner," but he was also more than that. The season before McGoohan premiered as the captive on the strange little island, he was the epitome of the British super spy in the short-lived series "Secret Agent Man." Although the series only lasted for one season, its theme song by Baton Rouge native Johnny Rivers was a mainstay of the Sixties at parties and other events where music was played. It was during the height of the interest in the James Bond films starring Sean Connery and McGoohan played the role with aplomb. I loved watching it. McGoohan also played a great villain as evidenced in the first Gene Wilder - Richard Pryor pairing in "The Silver Streak" or as King Edward Longshanks in "Braveheart." He was always cocksure and brooding and I loved him as an actor. Montalban, on the other hand, started work in Hollywood as a singer in movie musicals of all things. Most people will remember him for his role as the mysterious Mr. Roarke on "Fantasy Island," the hit ABC series of the early 1970s. Of course, trekers (or trekies) will recall him as Khan Noonien Singh, the eventual villain in "Start Trek II: The Wrath of Khan." Montalban was way past his prime as an actor when he happened into a jazz club in New Orleans in the late 1980s. He came in one winter night with an entourage and it was decided to let him into the club as a celebrity. I couldn't help noticing he was wearing a leather jacket and...yes...I couldn't help it...I asked him if it was made "of rich, Corninthian leather." To his credit, he laughed genuinely with me, even if he had heard that line 10,000 times before. In any event, he was gracious and I enjoyed sharing a piece of New Orleans with him as he and his guest plainly enjoyed the music that night. So, goodnight, "Number Six" (or as he became in the last episode "Number Two")and goodnight Mr. Roarke. May you both rest in peace until reruns.

A teacher says goodbye to New Orleans

The Recovery School District in New Orleans has lost yet another dedicated teacher in its ongoing work in progress towards improvement in public education. This teacher took a chance and hoped that she could make a difference. She contacted officials in New Orleans and alerted them that she was available and willing to leave her home on a long term basis in order to apply for a position with them. After months of the application process in which her certifications were checked, she made several trips back and forth to the city at great expense. Finally, in July she was told to report to work by the middle of the next week. She started off the school year with promise in her heart. In the end she found the system so broken down that there was little doubt she could accomplish very much and it became increasingly clear that conditions would never improve. As to discipline in the classroom, a few of the children were entirely out of control. Many had never attended pre-schools and lacked the most basic tools in learning. In some cases they lacked proper skills and manners such as how to properly hold a fork at mealtime or a pencil in the classroom. The children and the teachers were forced to endure impossible hours. Paul Vallas, the superintendent of the Recovery School District, implemented a school schedule that stretched from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. School teachers found precious little time for bathroom breaks during the day and the only downtime seemed to be during lunch. The conditions endured by faculty and students alike throughout the school day were nothing less than horrid. Like others in the Recovery School District, this teacher spent many of her own dollars on school supplies that should have been provided by the Recovery School District such as paper or pens. What became unimaginable and eventually intolerable for this teacher was the sad fact that the education of many of the students in her elementary classroom was being hijacked by the one or two who acted out throughout the day. If they were incapable of understanding the work or were bored, all they had to do was act outlandish or threaten other students. Their behavior would bring about the total disruption in the classroom and the teacher would have to stop instruction in order to attend to the behavioral problems of the one or the few. It was a way for these students to "dumb down" the educational process, guaranteeing that all would eventually fail in the wake of their disruptions. Sadly, this teacher who had big hopes for making a difference in the lives of Hurricane Katrina affected youngsters is preparing to go back from whence she came, a drive of well over a thousand miles and several states away. So goes the hopes of one teacher who wanted to make a difference. How sad for her and how sad for the Recovery School District.