Museum rushes in to rescue radio history in Annapolis

The history at WNAV radio station in Annapolis is extensive – 77 years of radio history, city of Annapolis history, state history, Naval Academy history. And It wasn’t just me that thought this history needed to be saved before a wrecking ball comes for it.

Pat Sajak sold the station in 2021. The property it sits on was sold this year to a developer.

Last Thursday, after posting about the WNAV property sale on Facebook, I got a message from my former WNAV coworker, Charlie Stinchcomb. Charlie is a longtime announcer on WNAV, as well on other stations. In the message, he said to give him a call. He filled me in on what was going on at WNAV and invited me over to the station, where he and Neal Ellis (another former coworker and announcer), were still broadcasting live on Saturday mornings. Wait, what? How are they still there? Let me tell you about radio people. Radio is in their blood and just because a station is sold and resold and because the doors are closed and the property the station sits on has been sold also and the new station owner is being evicted and no one cleans the station anymore and they have to take their trash to the bus stop up on the street,  well, none of that matters – they’re gonna go down with the ship if need be and they’re going to keep broadcasting come hell or high water.  They love this tiny AM radio station called WNAV. Charlie and Neal are really good guys – I loved working with them.

On Saturday morning, I drove over to WNAV and found the parking lot even worse than it was last I was there. It’s as if tanks had been driving over it. I think for a minute about Chesapeake and Cherry Blossom, the two ospreys who nested on the cell tower at the edge of the parking lot and the platform is gone. Once inside the station, it doesn’t look much better than the parking lot. It’s musty and there’s stuff everywhere. All over. Though disheartening, it was good to be back and see my former coworkers. I missed this place – a place that will always hold a special place in my heart.

I started working at WNAV in 2015 and left in 2021. During that time, I did the most important journalism work of my life. I was able to combine my love for nature and animals with journalism work. From this tiny AM station, I broke stories that ended up in The New York Times, The Washington Post and in media entities around the world. I grew so much professionally and personally during this time period. And that was during my 50s. Then realized I couldn’t keep doing it. It was becoming progressively harder to work. I had health and personal issues that demanded attention and after one last show focusing on the crab studies being done at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, I called it quits. I digress.

So, there I was Saturday morning looking around WNAV and trying to decide what I should save. How and where to start, I had no idea. This was not my wheelhouse and I was overwhelmed. WNAV has always been a time capsule and so it was on this morning too. I walked into the newsroom just as I had back in 2015. The rolodex was still here. I had to take it. This was a rolodex that was likely still being used in when the news department was closed after the initial sale.  The calendar is still open to December 2022 and the rolodex is over in the far-left corner of the newsroom. Every PIO from the 1980s on is in that rolodex. Maybe it was easier to use it than a computer database or Google? Back when I worked at WNAV, I questioned so many times why people were still using the dumb rolodex. And now here I was with the rolodex all these years later. I decided, for so many reasons that are all completely unclear, the rolodex was important to save.

Let me explain – there was, on Saturday morning, a huge impending feeling of doom at the station. Even more so than in the years I worked there when we knew Pat wanted to sell it. Now, there was an eviction notice, the property had been sold and no one knew if the station owner was coming back to get any of this stuff. Add to all of this, the property was sold to a developer so we knew the wrecking ball would be coming at some point. People were taking stuff to safeguard it or save as mementoes. What should I take? It wasn’t clear to me how to start dealing with the 77+ years of history in this place. Again, it was all very overwhelming, as was the bad air quality inside this place that no one was cleaning and where asbestos was still present. It then occurred to me this stuff should be going to a museum. And not just any museum, but the National Capital Radio and Television Museum (NCRTV) in Bowie. In September 2020, I had Brian Bellenger, the curator of the museum, on my weekly radio show (the 1430 Connection) for the 100^th anniversary of the first commercial radio broadcast. I told Charlie I would contact the museum.

I went home and contacted Brian of NCRTV. Brian explained the museum has a lot of experience doing rescue missions at TV and radio stations – this is where they come in last minute to rescue the history. He indicated the museum was very interested in the historical artifacts and other items at WNAV.

Next, I contacted my former general manager at WNAV, Steve Hopp. I knew Steve would have contact information for the new owner, but also the lowdown on where the owner of the station stood with the owner of the property. I had to be a neutral party in getting the new owner of the station to give permission for NCRTV to come into WNAV to save the history and this while there were issues with money involved, as well as an eviction order. Steve understood the importance of saving some of the stuff at the station and sent me the contact information for Todd Bartley, the owner of WNAV radio station.

Sunday morning, I contacted Alderwoman Karma O’Neill, the elected official who represents ward 2 in the city of Annapolis, where the WNAV property is. I explained the situation at the station, the concern about the loss of history, the importance of trying to save it and asked if I could include her in this thought process and on the email to Todd. She willingly agreed. The email was sent. Within a few hours, Todd called me and said my timing was perfect. I think this was because of the eviction notice he was dealing with. Over the next few hours, Sunday into Monday, it was a barrage of emails being sent by me to Brian and Todd to ensure the museum could start the rescue. That would start Tuesday – the same day I had surgery scheduled. Brian said the only one that was available was the president of the museum’s board of directors, Laurie Baty. I called Laurie Monday afternoon, explained the whole situation to her and then connected her and Todd via text. I had to hope for the best – this was all happening very quickly and I had no control over anything happening while I was in surgery at Walter Reed.

Tuesday afternoon, I was home from surgery and that’s when the text came in. “Hope you came through with flying colors,” wrote Laurie. “Have a car packed to the gills with WNAV stuff.”

OMG, it all came together and worked. This is 77 years of radio history, of city of Annapolis history, of state history has been saved. I texted Laurie back, “This makes me so happy! Can’t wait to see it on display at the museum. Yes, surgery was successful. Thank you so much.” There was obviously much more still left at WNAV.

Friday, a group of people from NCRTV, including Laurie and Brian, showed up at WNAV, along with me, Todd and Charlie. I handed out masks to anyone that wanted them (due to asbestos in the building) and shot photos. Todd showed the group around and indicated he what the museum could take and what he wanted to keep. I was so glad I could be at WNAV for this. I was trying to explain to Laurie how it was it was both a good and bad feeling for me. “Bittersweet,” she said. Yes.

Laurie told me the museum has had to rent space for the WNAV collection. She’s hoping at some point to get oral histories from the WNAV employees. I told her I would help her with names and phone numbers. It’s things like the carts and how the announcers would use them she wanted to know about Friday and Charlie explained it to her. This did make me laugh as I remembered when my coworker, Terry Alley, and I were talking during her breaks on air and suddenly her computer went out. She kept pointing at something for me to hand her and it was a cart. Another bittersweet memory because Terry is no longer with us. As to the oral histories, there will be plenty more questions.

To be clear, this was a group effort. None of this would’ve happened had it not been for Charlie inviting me over to WNAV Saturday morning and everyone else involved thereafter to ensure the museum was able to rescue this history. Especially necessary in all of this was Todd, the station’s owner. I’m grateful he understood the importance of saving this history.

As for the WNAV property, I don’t know what will happen to it. Will it be developed? Could it still become a park? At this point, who knows. You already know what I want.

Some might be thinking this is the final chapter of WNAV, the radio station.  I’m not sure that’s true yet. According to Todd, he’s leasing space for a WNAV studio in Annapolis and on radio towers too – these are both at undisclosed locations currently.

“Our plan was always to move out of the building this summer – with the sale it just moved up the timeline,” explained Todd. “The assistance of the museum staff and their willingness to not only preserve, but to help sort through nearly 80 years of history is an absolute Godsend for us. This way generations will be able to enjoy the history while interacting with WNAV in a new reimagined studio space.”

In that new space, Todd said he’ll also have a museum style exhibit intended to share some of the history of the station.

As for me, I would love to see WNAV continue broadcasting in this area, covering local events, news and sports just like it had been for over 70 years.

Donna L. Cole is an award-winning multimedia and investigative reporter.