BURLINGTON, Vt. (WCAX) – September 26, 1954, was a relatively quiet day in world history but monumental for WCAX.
Seventy years ago Thursday, a signal sent from the top of Mount Mansfield beamed WCAX-TV into the homes of Vermonters for the very first time. It was the beginning of a new era and a world vastly different from the one we live in today. President Dwight D. Eisenhower was in office alongside Vice President Richard Nixon. A dozen eggs cost 59 cents, a pound of coffee, $1.12, and a quart of milk was 22 cents. The number one song on the Billboard Hot 100 was “Hey There” by Rosemary Clooney. Darren Perron reports on how far Vermont’s own WCAX has come in seven decades.
WCAX’s roots are in radio, and it all began with a newspaperman. C.P. Hasbrook — who moved to Vermont in 1938 — bought a local paper, and with it came a 100-watt radio station. The reach was limited and he wanted to expand it. He roped in an engineer, his stepson Stuart “Red” Martin. Together, they saw the future of broadcasting in television and set out to do what had never been done before in Vermont. The state’s tallest peak, Mount Mansfield, would make their dream a reality. It was a monumental feat — building a road and a transmitter to sit on top. And on September 26th, 1954, WCAX was on the air.
WCAX quickly became the place to get news and entertainment — from people like Dusty Boyd, Helen Workman, and Ken Greene, who hosted the popular show “Dance Date.”
Hasbrook stepped down in 1958 and Red Martin took over. The engineer’s commitment to the best technology put WCAX ahead of other news stations across the country. In the ‘60s, WCAX had more up-to-date technology than the CBS Evening News.
A trio of broadcasters defined the Channel 3 News for decades — news anchor Richard Mickey Gallagher, sports anchor Tony Adams, and weather anchor Stuart Hall.
Gallagher’s nose for news lifted Channel 3 to a news leader in Vermont. And bucking the norm, WCAX expanded its 6 p.m. broadcast to an hour, something unheard of in the U.S. The station’s dedication to political coverage and in-depth reporting really took off in 1967 when a young but extremely talented reporter arrived at WCAX.
Marselis Parsons became the Dan Rather of Vermont and quickly rose through the ranks. By 1984, fate intervened. Gallagher had just finished recording the station’s still popular talk show, “You Can Quote Me,” when he died of a heart attack. Parsons took over as lead anchor and news director.
Parsons was even more of an institution. Generations of Vermonters grew up watching him, alongside a host of other longtimers like Sharon Meyer, J.J Cioffi, Sera Congi, his first co-anchor, and Kristin Kelly. He led the news department — during a time of great change in both how news was covered and gathered, through microwave and satellite transmission live on location. That allowed for massive undertakings like our bicentennial coverage in 1991 and for reporting news as it happened.
As times and technology changed, so did familiar faces. Marselis Parsons retired in 2009 and this young reporter’s dream came true. From roots in the Northeast Kingdom, I’d been learning from the best for the previous 15 years when I was picked as Parson’s replacement.
It was about that time when WCAX expanded again — more broadcasts, sister stations, social media, and an expanded website. WCAX was still owned by the Martin family until 2017 when Gray Television purchased the company.
At first, there were fears about whether the acquisition would change what people like Martin, Gallagher, Parsons, and others had built. I’m happy to report — it didn’t. Gray came in with deep pockets and invested even more in the best tools of the trade. Mr. Martin would have been pleased.
But in 2019, the tower that brought TV to Vermont caught fire. The transmitter blaze could be seen from across much of the region. And once again, Vermont had no over-the-air television. Temporary antennas got us back on the air quickly but a permanent fix would take months.
More changes have happened since then — Cat, Gary, Jess, and Jack; a growing news department with greater technology; and even drones to gather stories from above. But throughout all of our 70 years, the station’s commitment to accuracy, fairness, and community has remained.