Dick Presenz

[cart_machine]

Yeah, this goes back a way, but has anyone heard of him? Bill Newell's radio column in the Vancouver Sun of May 4, 1937 has a short note after another local item:

Lacrosse Aired on CJOR
Leo Nicholson, Vancouver's top sportscaster, is on the job again this year, bringing lacrosse fans a play-by-play account of the games from the Forum and Queens Park Arena.
First game of the season at the Forum tonight will be heard over CJOR at 8:30 p.m. At 6:30, same station, Leo presides over a lacrosse confab during which you're supposed to get the inside dope on the league.

"O, Gentle Presenz"
Dick Presenz, good looking young engineer at CRCV, has such a nice, quiet voice that his collegues have named him "Gentle Presenz." And that, Mr. Presenz, is the plug you've been after for three months.

cArtie

[Jack Bennest]

1937 Hotel Vancouver CBC studios - Local station called CRCV and an engineer called Dick Presenz. I shall make inquiries.

I will be in contact tonite with an engineer who is about 90 and in good shape - named Rusty Hopper.


later

***

Unfortunately Rusty didn't start work until the early fifties - he is good with many stories but no luck on this one.

[cart_machine]

Unfortunately Rusty didn't start work until the early fifties - he is good with many stories but no luck on this one.

Thanks, TD. I got shoved out of the library tonight before I could check the city directory for 1937. I peered at 1946 and 1947 and he was not listed by then. I won't be able to get back there for a few weeks now due to my Ruling The World club activities.

I don't know if "engineer" also means he would have announced at CRCV. I wondered because the story was about his voice.

I posted the note because it's so rare that Bill Newell would talk in the programme highlights column about anyone in local radio except orchestra leaders and singers. Even then, at least half his column dealt with the American radio shows.

cArtie.

[Jack Bennest]

I can ask Wilf Ray and Dal Richards


Are you attending this fall's Bilderberg event?

[Jack Bennest]

Rik Diespecker says he cannot help

Dal Richards says the name doesn't ring a bell

and here is a great story from Wilf Ray:

Hi Jack: Sorry, Dick is before my time. Interesting you should mention Leo Nicholson. In 1945, management and staff at CKMO, 1410 on the dial, where having a Christmas Party at the Hotel Georgia. Still a teenager doing the morning show, I got stoned at the party drinking fruit cocktails, which I didn't know were spiked with booze. They tell me I ended up sweeping out the furnace room at the Hotel, just about got killed crossing Georgia and Howe Street, passed out in the reception room of CKMO, after someone bummed money from me, and woke up the next morning with a terrible first hangover. It was Boxing Day, and at 2 P.M. I was in the control room operating a remote from the Forum, featuring Leo Nicholson doing a play-by-play of a Hockey Game. Still mentally confused, right in the middle of the broadcast, I threw the wrong switch, and out blared on the airwaves, Glen Miller's In The Mood. Those were the golden days of radio. Nice to look back and reflect. Wilf

[cart_machine]

As usual, when you dig around to try to get answers, you get questions instead.

BC Vital Stats has no one named Presenz. So I checked the Vancouver city directories. In 1937, there's a listing:

Cecil S. Presenz, engineer, CBC.

He was living with, presumably, his parents, Stephen and Florence Presenz. Anyway, he was at the CBC until 1943. In 1944, he was owned Admiral Radio and in 1945, he disappeared from the directory.

He first appears in the directories in 1931 as "clerk, CNR", but in 1932, the listing adds says "prop. VE5FF Shortwave Transmitting." I have never heard of this station. Was it amateur? Does anyone know?

Evidently, it was short-lived. In 1933, Cecil has no occupation. In 1934, he was a "radio serviceman" and in 1935-36, he is listed as "wireless operator, CJOR" which, I think, was Vic Waters' first job at CJOR.

One of the genealogical sites I'm on says he was born Sept. 1913 in Hertfordshire, England. His parents, at least, moved to California; Stephen died there in 1948, Florence in 1963.

Ah, yes. But the subject of this thread is about a "Dick" Presenz. All the city directories talk about a "Cecil S" .. except in 1931. That year, there is a simple "Richard Presenz" living in the same home. There's nothing else about him. And there's no listing for that name any other time. So, I'm not sure what to think.

cArtie.

[Jack Bennest]

You are a true detective. Your eyes must hurt.

The V series for radio is "Ham" radio even though I should not comment
on the licenses granted in the thirties. Interesting as Vic was a "Ham" as well.

Continue - we will find out about his voice and why the columnist put in comment in the article.

[skyvalleyradio]

Cartie - VE5FF would have been an amateur radio call sign as Top Dog correctly mentions. The ham callsign prefix for B.C. is now "VE7" and "VA7". The "VE5" and "VA5" prefixes denote a Sask. amateur

skyvalleyradio aka VE7SKA

[cart_machine]

Cartie - VE5FF would have been an amateur radio call sign as Top Dog correctly mentions.

skyvalleyradio aka VE7SKA

But was that the case then? For example, VE9CS was the church shortwave station that became 'WX's shortwave. Was that station technically an amateur station?

cArtie.

[jon]

Assuming the U.S. and Canada do things similarly, both experimental stations (e.g. - the early TV and FM stations) and "wireless" transmitter links all were assigned call letters "from the same pool" as amateur (ham) licenses.

[skyvalleyradio]

Cartie - until The DOC realigned the "VE" calls "VE9" was issued for experimental signals as well as shortwave broadcast station call signs. I believe CFVP, the shortwave of CFCN Calgary origionally had the callsgin "VE9VP". I believe the first experimental FM license issued on the old 44 - 48 mc/s FM band had a "VE9" call prefix.The original "VE5" call prefix covered all of western Canada and early hams like Sparks Holstead, Vic Waters, Jim Spilsbury & Dick Presenz would have been issued these. Today "VE9" and "VA9" are the prefixes for New Brunswick & PEI


...VE7SKA

[cart_machine]

Assuming the U.S. and Canada do things similarly, both experimental stations (e.g. - the early TV and FM stations) and "wireless" transmitter links all were assigned call letters "from the same pool" as amateur (ham) licenses.

Jon, Sky, thanks. The reason I ask is the city directory lists him as "prop." I'm led to believe that rather than a ham rig, he was attempting to use the station commercially or at least-semi commercially.

Other than it being listed in the city directory, I know nothing at all about the station; I haven't checked the newspaper listings yet to see if it's there.

cArtie.