Broadcasting

Michael J. Kuntz, vice president and general manager of Turner Construction Co.'s Philadelphia office, had originally planned on a career in broadcasting. Kuntz, who turns 49 in July, started in the construction business in 1979, at age 20, straight out of college. Unlike most of his colleagues, he does not hold an engineering degree. He majored in communications at Pennsylvania State University, dreaming of a radio broadcasting job. But, he said, he had a natural ability to look at a drawing and break the structure it represented into pieces.

It was just after World War II, and Americans were still in awe of this new invention called television. At that time, most of the programs were live, and the images that flickered across the tube were black and white. Mostly white. But behind the scenes - sometimes cueing an actor to begin his lines, sometimes deftly placing a prop onto the set without being seen - there was Lionel Monagas, a young black man who along with the rest of America was fascinated with this new invention that would go on to change the world.

Ladies and gentlemen, man your boom boxes. For Saturday's "Boom Box Be-In," bring a battery-loaded boom box - or even a Walkman - to be a part of the "down-tempo picnic in support of low-power radio. " DJ Timothy B and Keith Brand of WXPN-FM's "Sleepy Hollow" will broadcast live at the noon-till-sunset event; visitors are encouraged to bring baskets of food and blankets. As for the location - you'll have to consult www.bpmmedia.com/bbbi or call 215-552-8709. "We will mix it up with lounge, French-pop - a wide range of music," Timothy said.

Not much drama can be found on radio these days - mostly music, news and talk. But a real cliff-hanger has played out at Haverford High, where it appeared the student-run station, WHHS, billed as the oldest high school-operated FM station in the United States, might never make it back on the air. WHHS, launched in 1949, was silent all last school year, after being booted from its home at frequency 107.9 to make room for Radio One Inc.'s new...

While shoveling out his Main Line home last weekend, Andy Musser realized he would already be in sunny Florida if he were still a broadcaster for the Phillies. A tempting possibility: "We have a big, circular driveway," Musser said. "It's nice in the summertime, not so nice in the wintertime. It was a tough job. " A cold, backbreaking job the 65-year-old Musser wouldn't have had to do if he were in Clearwater. "It's true," Musser said. "I'd like to go to Florida. But not to work for the Phillies.

WHYY NOT SELL ITSELF? Well, that's just what WHYY Inc., the public broadcasting station that includes Channel 12 and radio station 91FM, has done to help deal with its financial needs. It now has a stake in the WHYY Store of Knowledge. Like every other public broadcasting station in the country, WHYY has long known where to look for money: from viewers and listeners; from corporations and foundations; from the federal government. Now, it's looking at the mall. WHYY Inc. - including Philadelphia-based Channel 12 and its radio station, 91FM - is lending its name to a new chain of local shops.

When Lew Klein started working in broadcasting, Harry S. Truman was president and television was not yet a household word. After a career that has run the gamut from producing and directing pioneering TV shows such as American Bandstand, to being part owner of a string of television stations, to educating broadcast students for more than a half-century, Klein, 84, has donated his papers to Temple University. The collection spans most of the history of television.

In the heat of the games, fans may not have taken note, but this year's NBA Finals tested not only Philadelphia's feisty 76ers but also a relatively new technology for live-event broadcasting. During each game of the Sixers-Lakers championship basketball series, viewers got an occasional glimpse of the court through special digital cameras mounted above the backboards at the First Union Center in Philadelphia and the Staples Center in Los Angeles. The stationary TotalView digital camera, mounted on a metal arm, delivered wide 180-degree views of the action.

Former Dallas Cowboys don't fade away. They reunite in a Fox Sports broadcast booth. As expected, ex-Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman yesterday officially was added to the Fox Sports NFL announcing lineup. When Aikman retired last week after a distinguished 12-year career with the Cowboys, it was speculated that he'd join Fox. What wasn't known was that Aikman would be reunited with former Cowboys fullback, Daryl Johnston. After retiring after the 1999 season, Johnston worked last season as an NFL analyst for CBS Sports.

Local politics in Norristown are on a whole new wavelength. A clandestine radio transmitter - actually a simple wireless microphone - is broadcasting campaign advertisements for two political allies: Democratic Mayor William DeAngelis and Republican Councilman Joseph DeDominic. Listeners tuning in to 105.7 on the FM dial hear a solemn two-minute message promoting DeAngelis in his race against Republican challenger Jack Salamone. A one-minute segment follows, boosting DeDominic, who, along with Republican Richard Pachella and Democrat Michael Cooke, is vying for two council seats.