Oscar Hierlihy. 2. Second interview about the history of radio in North America, and his early experiences with radio.

• Main Author: Swain, Hector K.
• Other Authors: Hierlihy, Oscar
• Format: Audio
• Language: English
• Published: 1990
• Subjects: Work; Broadcasting; Hierlihy; Oscar; Cliff; Williams; Walter; Parsons; Cyril; Newfoundland; morse
• Online Access: http://collections.mun.ca/cdm/ref/collection/ich_avalon/id/6228

The second interview with Oscar Hierlihy conducted by Hector K. Swain. Hierlihy talks about the history of radio in North America, particularly in Newfoundland and Labrador. Hierlihy tells stories about his early experiences with radio, radio broadcasting, and Ayre and Sons place in radio history in St. John`s. 00:00 - Oscar Hierlihy talks about when radio began in North America, with Marconi at Cabot Tower in 1901; 02:10 - Talks about people in the United States at the same time who were experimenting with radio and the use of Morse code on ships; 04:00 - XWA CFCF in Montreal in considered the oldest station in the world, started in 1919; other early stations; 05:10 - 1926 the canadian association of broadcasters was organized; talks about other dates in North American radio history; 06:10 - Talks about Newfoundland radio specifically; Remembers in 1914-15 traveling with his father to Labrador and hearing Morse code; 07:53 - Hierlihy and his brother Cliff experimented with radio, making a tin can telephone between the house and the barn; 09:05 talks about when his brother went to Bishop Feild College and they built a crystal set to try and pick up VOWR; Cliff working with Ayre and Sons, selling radios; His mother bought him a tube and he experimented with improving their radio reception; 12:35 - Talks about his brother getting measles and Hierlihy worked his shifts at Ayre and Sons. A few months later he got a call to work for them regularly; 14:05 - Talks about making a transmitter and broadcasted records, his brother seeing it and making one at Ayre and Sons to demonstrate to the customers. Customers did not have anything to listen to when they bought radios and would bring them back, so Ayre and Sons set up a radio station that could broadcast all over St. John`s; 16:33 - VONA, a Seventh Day Adventist station started by an american; The religious stations broadcasted on certain days but Ayre and Sons was every day of the week; 18:40 - Talks about other people involved in radio at the time; Walter Williams ...