Jolly Jack Robel

Jolly Jack Robel and his Radio Band, that's the artist name on the Vocalion 78 I have here. He sang, conducted, played clarinet, bass, violin and harmonica and had his own 12-piece orchestra. He had a radio program on 1490 WAZL-AM in Hazleton, and another on WPAM-AM. Jack also sold some of his songs to the Andrews sisters. One of these was the infamous "Beer Barrel Polka." Jack Robel was a polka pioneer if you will. he was one of several Polka artists that pushed polka toward a more popular and less ethnic audience. his works favored dance rhythms, and full orchestras like more common pop music of the era. It was a more homogeneous and a new and truly American style of polka. This makes sense when you realize that while was born in Ukraine, he learned clarinet from a Tommy Dorsey an American swing legend.  Some sources credit him with writing the "Beer Barrel Polka" in 1936. For that he will never be forgiven.

But it was a different time and place. The coal mines of the Shenandoah were cracking and Polish and other western European immigrants worked the mines. Local stations like 1450 WPAM-AM, 1530 WMBT-AM and WMIM-AM all ran polish programming regularly to serve that audience.

In the beginning Jolly Jack put together a band of Slovak musicians and started playing the ethnic polish programs on WAZL-AM and WEEM-AM. WAZL and WPAM eventually gave him his own program. Then he moved on to playing ballrooms back when that was a way to reach people. In a small burg like Pottstown a big show might draw 1000 people. It was gigs like that which got his band recorded in New York and sides released on Brunswick, Vocalion, Columbia and at least 40 LPs for Decca. More here.

WAZL is still an ethnic station today, now serving the growing Hispanic population. I do recommend you read the Fybush tour of the Pennsylvania coal country radio stations here. Almost all these stations appear in his essay.

Cult attacks High School!

I recently got a hostile comment from a religious fanatic that did not approve of my take on the RB Schools manuvers in the midwest. To recap: A large satcasting religious group attempted to seize airtime from underfunded highschool stations illegally and fails. the fanatic actually informed me that RB Schools is owned by EMF, which I did not know, and makes the manuvers even more heinous.

I've hit this topic before, but it was reassuring to see logic and fairness rule at the FCC. My take, before we get to an update on their movments... I thinkthat jesus can be on the radio, it's ok. But My preference is that it be in the hands of a local religous group, with locally originating programming and not be satellite fed religious programing. The NCE stations are traditionally for local groups. taking airtime from them and giving unto an undeserving group from another community is wrong. Thankfully I, the law and the FCC agree.

I have Quote here verbatim from Radio Journal, so no one can claim that "I" inturpret the events innaccurately. I think we can all agree it's a reputable tip sheet, well worth the weekly read: http://ftp.media.radcity.net/ZMST/Journal2/Journal.pdf

The next chapter in the never-ending Indiana share-time saga. We’ve reported on Marty Hensley’s attempts to force many of Indiana’s school-owned noncom FMs into involuntary share-time arrangements. The FCC’s routinely shot those applications down — noting that the stations in question are now operating 24 hours a day, immunizing them from share-time challenges. But Hensley’s not giving up. He filed for “recon” — petitions to reconsider the FCC’s licenserenewal grants for high-school stations WEEM, Pendleton, IN (91.7), WBDG, Indianapolis (90.9), WRFT, Franklin Township, IN (91.5) and WHJE, Carmel, IN (91.3). The FCC rejected all those petitions, noting that it had already rejected Hensley’s claims. Those included claims that the school stations violated the RICO statues when they coordinated their efforts to fight Hensley, and a claim that the schools violated Indiana law by having the wrong officials sign their applications. So the school stations keep their licenses — but at how much taxpayer cost for legal fees?

Another share-time applicant loses, this time in Illinois. “RB Schools” has been the other major player, besides Hensley, in the Midwest share-time battles. It just lost its attempt to force a share-time against Millikin University’s WJMU, Decatur, IL (89.5) — but at a price for WJMU. The FCC found that RB hadn’t properly attempted to negotiate a voluntary share-time with
WJMU, as it was required to do. It dismisses the RB application. But it also admonishes Millikin for improper “ex parte” contacts with the Commission, including asking two area Congressmen to intervene on the school’s behalf.