In the late 50's, I was playing the Toronto Stock Exchange penny stocks, and after getting burnt on some low flyers, began to gravitate to companies that had real assets. One of the first I bought, for now unremembered reasons, was Storer Broadcasting. As an investor with all of 10 shares at age 12, I decided I should visit my investment in Cleveland, WJW radio and TV.

I appeared one afternoon in the lobby of the stations in downtown Cleveland and proudly informed the receptionist that "I am a shareholder and would like to have a tour of the stations." The GM was called and, fortunately for me and my future career, thought that this was a very entertaining prospect. He came to the lobby and personally escorted me around the station, introducing me to TV faces I was familiar with and radio voices as well.

I was so excited that I later picked up the Storer annual shareholders report and was determined to visit, or at least listen to, the other stations I had a stake in. Within a few evenings, Storer's WSPD in Toledo and WWVA in Wheeling had been heard. The others were more challenging, but by the time I got WMMN in West Virginia, I guess I had become a DXer because I had also found WABC and WLS and other stations that were fun to listen to.

Still using some kind of tabletop kitchen radio (one with a big dial and a Bakelite case), I heard a test of KTCS-1410 in Ft. Smith, AR. They asked for calls, and I called. When I was acknowledged on the air, I knew I had to save for a better radio... which turned out to be the last of the tube model Trans-Oceanics.

The receiver soon turned into an SX-99. I continued to visit stations, locally and on trips. In 1960, my mother, a hospital administrator, went to a convention in California. We traveled through LA on the way, where she fully expected to take me to Disneyland. I wanted to go to KGBS, the Storer station. Storer won. The station, located in downtown LA in an old mortuary building (the studio floor sloped to help drain fluids; it had been the embalming area). Interestingly, I was to be the OM/PD for that station, now KTNQ, some 35 years later!

One 1959 station visit, to nearby WJMO and WCUY (FM) in Cleveland, became a go-fer opportunity that turned into a real part-time job. At the same time, through WJMO's sister station, WFAB in Miami, I picked up a taste for 50's Cuban music. During a Spring break visit to Florida, I called on the station and returned with a big box of Pupi y su Charanga, La Sonora Matancera, Celia Cruz and Benny Moré. I fell in love with tropical music!

The SX-99 and later HQ-180 allowed me to run tape at night on HJED-820 in Cali and on XEB-1220 in Mexico. I would listen to the tapes while doing homework, and then tune them in live on weekends. Occasionally, I would call the all-night jock at XEB and request songs which, given the distance and the accent of "the little gringo kid," was probably amusing enough an experience to make them always play my tunes.

A year or so later, I wangled a chance to take a year of High School in Mexico. Before classes started and, indeed, even before registration, I had mapped out visits to every Mexico City radio station. While at Radio Centro (XERC, XEQR, XEJP, XEAI, XELZ) I literally "bumped into" the PD, who chatted with me. Upon learning that I had worked in radio, Ramiro Garza offered an apprentice position. I never registered for school!

In fact, I never finished High School for another 10 years... it was all radio.