I left his office and hurried back to the little room (actually in the front of the building and had been part of a balcony over the street) called Engineering. The first thing in the folder wasn't about the FM. It was a letter to the FCC saying all rights to the local TV UHF channel were released and that they (the FCC) should grant the use of channel 33 to West Virginia Public Broadcasting. Being from Barboursville and having tried to "get on" at the then politically motivated "Cabell County School Board" and failed, I knew of the new TV station. I had no idea that letter was a key to its existance.

 

  Under that was engineering and equipment flyers from the late fifties for TV equipment and several proposals.

 

  Next was a coverage map for the FM. The site was at the Buffalo Mountain (Cinderella) fire tower with a short tower and an ERP of something like 14 KW. The coverage looked great! But after that engineering section there was another one. This one had the site on the hill overlooking town with a 430 ft. tower. The coverage was about the same but had "holes" and an ERP of 50 KW ! So I called Harvit and asked "Why"? He said Three States had argued line of site coverage was necessary to service Williamson and Buffalo Mountain didn't provide that. The in town site gave us 99% coverage. I said "50,000 watts and you have to see it? That's crazy!" Harvit explained that even so, the FCC said it had to be. How silly. Just as silly were the equipment lists that hadn't been updated. Overkill on everything. I knew I had work to do and I figured I had lots of time.  I was right.

 

  At one point Harvit took several of us to DC for the hearing. Talk about NUTS! Some one had left the building to get a pack of cigs. while on a transmitter log and it was a major issue. Both sides had many mistakes made by employees but there was one differance I noted the first day. The enginering citation loose leaf for Three States was filled. Harvits had but a few pages. I asked attorney Midland why it hadn't been the "real" issue. He said to just wait til' tomorrow. And indeed, the next day it was all about a stuck base current meter of Three State's! I couldn't believe the "nit picking" from both sides. On the last day of that hearing session, Harvit came in smiling like the cat that caught the bird. As we began to exit 1919 "M" Street N.W. he turned to us and said "I got us tickets"! I didn't understand but everyone else did. It was the week of the NAB comvention which we had been going to as we could and he had tickets to the ABC party! Only the biggest party in town!

 

  I had figured it out. Harvit brought me along because of the convention so I could see the new equipment and talk with other engineers. I looked at equipment and went to several siminars, one of which put me beside Ted Turner. We talked media thru most of the presentation. I met a lot of interesting people that week. The most interesting was quite by accident. We stayed at the Gramercy and one morning at breakfast, the doorman announced "Mr. Kissenger"! And this ordinary person came in and sat across the way. I guess he saw us in shock and said "Good morning gentlemen". We all responded and had a short informal conversation with him. He remarked he hoped we enjoyed our stay, not knowing he had just made our week!

 

  On the plane back home we all talked of "what if", but we knew it wasn't over. It would be a long time before it would end. 

 

  A few years later.... quite by supprise....It was over! The staff had all but forgot about the FM when the news came. Harvit called us back to the office and announced "If there is no appeal filed by 5 PM tomorrow....IT"S OVER!  IT"S OURS"!  But was it??