In the end, the true measure of a person is not the wealth left behind, but the richness of the memories he gave to others.
Thank you "Boss", you will be missed. Very much. And FOREVER.
The Mount Carmel Area School District has the distinction of being the first high school in the United States to have its own cable casting station to provide educational and sports programming via
television cable.
In the fall of 1968 WJPM-TV was born. This closed-circuit station was the brain child of Mr. Stephen Jepko, Sr., owner of Jepko's Community Antenna System and Mr. George McFee, Art Supervisor of the Mount Carmel Area School District.
The first cable-cast was made from the cable system's antenna head-end building located atop Locust Mountain south of Mount Carmel. The first program was a football game between MCA and Tamaqua Area, using the football team's analytical film. MCA's coach, Joe "Jazz" Diminick did the commentary for the program. The station was manned by school students Ralph Ayres, Lou Visintainer and John Wytovich. Ron Yablonski, a technician of the Jepko Community Antenna System was on hand for any technical difficulties that may occur during the programming that went "on the air". George "Boss" McFee was Producer/Director. The television crew worked in a total area of 8 feet by 10 feet. The program lasted approximately 20 minutes. The picture quality was poor, but, the public response was overwhelming as the community saw their high school football team on television for the first time in history in Mount Carmel.
During the summer of 1970, WJPM TV was moved to the second floor of the Jepko Building located at 133 South Oak Street in downtown Mount Carmel. Students constructed a control room and studio. The studio comprised of an area of 9 feet by 12 feet and the control room area was 6 feet by 9 feet.
Although their equipment was primitive, compared to today's standard, high school students were able to produce some very interesting programming...on a very, very limited budget.
The station grew providing educational and informational programming such as school board meetings, borough council meetings and local election results.
Edward Wojciechowski, a Guidance Counselor at MCA, was the Sports Anchor along with News Anchor, Joseph Swatski, a math teacher at MCA, on a News/Sports program called "Week to Week". Mr. Swatski also interviewed exchange students, new arrivals to the faculty at MCA, and other public affairs programming on a program called "Films and Footnotes."
The late Charlie Stake, WMIM radio personality, was responsible for
children's programming such as "Mr. Weatherbee" and "A Visit with Santa Claus".
Special Event Programs such as the Annual Rotary Football Banquet, Art Festival, Prom, Graduation and Band Concerts were taped on location and rebroadcast for residents to view.
Educational programs by The Penn State Extention Service, "The Open Door", were video taped for airing and distribution to other closed circuit stations. Residents that wished to learn to speak
Spanish or French were able to do so with programs hosted by the late Charles Moleski, another MCA educator.
Sports coverage expanded to include high school football, track, basketball, wrestling and midget football.
WJPM TV also provided entertainment with "Sing For Your Supper" with Charlie Prose taped on location at the MCA High School Auditorium at Third and Market Streets.
The Mount Carmel Area Ecumenical Council also taped "Worship for Shut-ins" a program that aired on a weekly basis. One week a Catholic Mass would be presented and the following week a Protestant Service would air.
When the Jepko Community Antenna System was sold to the Service Electric Cable System, WJPM-TV was closed abruptly on January 13, 1974 because of the relocation of the "head end" for distribution of signal by the cable company.
After completion of the school district's building program in 1979, a state of the art Color TV Studio was located on the campus of the Mount Carmel Area Junior-Senior High School. After two years of negotiation, between the Mount Carmel Area School District and Service Electric Cable TV, with the assistance of Mount Carmel Borough officials, WKMC TV was established on the Service Electric Cable System on Cable Channel 13.
The station had a limited audience of residents of Mount Carmel Borough and parts of Mount Carmel Township because of the inability to send the signal to the cable company's "head-end" in Coal Township.
Today, subscribers of Service Electric Cablevision in a fifty-mile radius of the school can receive programming from the TV studio thanks to a Legislative Initiative Grant obtained for the school district by Representative Robert E. Belfanti. The station is now able to microwave their programming directly to the Service Electric Cable System's head-end.
George Goodliunas, a former WJPM crew member, MCA Class of 1976, assisted George McFee in the procurement of a license from the Federal Communications Commission for the microwave transmitter. The transmitter and tower is located at the High School Campus. The licensed call sign for the microwave transmitter is WLX-267. Service Electric provides technical assistance and maintenance on the transmitter and tower.
Today, WKMC-TV is not just an educational tool, it is also used by several communities as an early warning device for emergencies that may arise.
Even though area residents did not have the opportunity to view programming by students from January 1974 through September of 1979 on their televisions at home, the school district made sure that the fundamental educational
opportunities in television production continued for students.
For over 30 years many students have made careers from what they learned at WJPM and WKMC. Not all went into the communications field, some went into government, others engineering, electronics, movie productions, photography, computer programming, teaching and the like.
If you ask anyone that went through their high school days with educator George McFee they will tell you they would not trade the memories and experiences they had for anything in the world. I know I never will. I could honestly say, that if it were not for his encouragement in my formative years, I would not be where I am today.
Joseph K. Bass
Mount Carmel Borough Manager
WJPM TV Crew Member
Mount Carmel Area High School Class of 1972
