Yankee Network
[12] Among other popular entertainers heard on the Yankee Network in the early 1930s were pianist, songwriter and bandleader Gus Arnheim,[13] and local favorites "Hum and Strum.
"[14] The Yankee Network broadcast radio plays, featuring its own drama troupe, made up of members of the WNAC staff, led by announcer Ben Hadfield.
The so-called "Press-Radio Agreement" limited the number of newscasts radio stations could broadcast to only two a day, and listeners were very upset that they could no longer hear regular news on the air.
Shepard hired Richard D. Grant, a former print journalist from the Boston Evening Transcript, to be in charge of the news broadcasts.
[28] Throughout the early-to-mid 1930s, the Yankee Network continued to expand, picking up affiliates in such cities as Springfield, Massachusetts; Hartford, Connecticut; and Manchester, New Hampshire.
[43] Shepard's FM network officially made its debut in December 1940 when W1XOJ in Paxton was permanently linked with W1XER on Mount Washington.
[45] But while John Shepard III was making plans to further expand the Yankee Network's FM properties,[46] there was a major obstacle.
Some affiliates dropped out, forcing the Yankee Network to lease phone lines from AT&T to fill in the holes between stations.
There were a number of popular programs, including "Ruth Moss Interviews," featuring conversations with local and national celebrities;[48] a variety show called "Yankee House Party," featuring organist Frank Cronin and the Bobby Norris Orchestra, which was also picked up by the Mutual Network;[49] as well as various sports events, including Red Sox and Braves play-by-play, often announced by Jim Britt, who had been hired as a sportscaster by the Yankee Network in 1939.
[52] In 1938, a former Yankee Network employee named Lawrence J. Flynn challenged the license of Shepard's WAAB in Boston, and also lodged a complaint about WNAC.
Flynn asserted that these stations were being used to air one-sided political viewpoints and broadcast attacks (including editorials) against local politicians that Shepard opposed.
[53] The FCC requested that Shepard provide details about these programs, and to appease the commission, the Yankee Network agreed to drop the editorials.
[56] WAAB, which made its debut broadcast from Worcester on December 13, 1942, was now the Mutual and Yankee affiliate in central Massachusetts.
The purchaser was General Tire and Rubber Company of Akron, Ohio, led by its president William O'Neil.
[58] In 1947, the Yankee Network's flagship station, WNAC, celebrated its 25th anniversary, but this milestone was commemorated in a very low-key manner.
[61] When Travers was promoted to an executive position at Mutual in September 1948,[62] he was replaced by another long-time employee of the Yankee Network, George Steffy.
In early May 1949, all of the network's eighty engineers, both from radio and television, went out on strike, to protest what were said to be steep wage cuts the ownership was asking them to take.
[67] Managers and other executives kept the stations on the air, but some remote broadcasts had to be canceled, including the scheduled telecasts of the Boston Braves home games.
[69] The strike finally ended after the proposed wage cuts were canceled and a new salary agreement was reached, at which time the engineers and announcers returned to work.
[80] But despite its reputation for news, easy-listening music, and shows that homemakers enjoyed, the Yankee Network was no longer as influential as it had once been.
After experimenting with various formats (including talk radio, big band, and a brief attempt to play some of the softer top 40 hits), Yankee found itself struggling for a niche.
Affiliates had dwindled: a majority of stations now preferred to have their own local staff, rather than relying on a regional network.
[81] Further, flagship station WNAC was preparing to switch to a top-40 hit music format (under the call letters WRKO).
