Blizzard of '78 Massachusetts radio broadcasts.

This is 1 hour of random radio news segments, during the February blizzard of 1978, from WGTR in Natick, WHDH and WBZ in Boston.
The storm pictures will repeat at about 15 minute intervals if you make it through the whole hour.
At about 23:45 then Gov. Dukakis uses a word that clearly has a different meaning nowadays.
Elliot Abrams makes some good commentary starting at 58:23.
There is a picture at the end of a 10 year old that sadly died in the storm.
Hat tip to the folks that made MiniTool MovieMaker which I used to create this video. www.minitool.com/
If you enjoy it, or get something out of it please leave a comment.

[@johnshields6852]

I was 17 we lived right on the coast just south of Boston, 4 feet of ocean slush in the living room we had to evacuate in the dark, 5 year old little brother in my arms, mom and dad trudging through ocean waist deep, then through snowdrifts as tall as me, over 6' 1/2 mile to grandparents house, frozen. Thank God for them and their fireplace.

[@markfield1030]

Thanks for the comments John, sounds like something you will never forget.

[@janetoconnor3636]

I just love hearing these old radio broadcasts and air checks. Why because they acted more dignified than they do now. What a contrast.

[@markfield1030]

Thank you Janet, so true.

[@rf396]

OMG I just posted this clip on FB and made that SAME observation. Adults running things and acting like adults. Not overgrown high schoolers yucking it up over every thing and not END OF THE WORLD doom and gloomers. Just people reporting whats happening not trying to BE the story. I miss adults

[@sifu64]

@@rf396 I miss adults....so true

[@lestersabados1306]

I was 9. I shoveled my house 4th floor to save the house. My dad was a union plumber sent to Detroit in dec 77. Just me my 3 year old sister mom and the golden retriever.

[@madjack8893]

Thanks for posting this! ☘️

[@rjdoucette]

Amazing! Thank you for sharing!!

[@markfield1030]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@douglasgonnelly4676]

This is great. Thanks for sharing. I could listen to hours of this.

[@markfield1030]

Thank you Douglas, glad you enjoyed it.

[@jenniferspalding1708]

This is a great video. As I watched it, I could remember how this felt.

[@myvoiceishorse6453]

Thank you for this, it's very well done! An enduring memory for me is setting off from home with my mom pulling a sled behind us and walking to the local Curtis Farms store in hopes of finding bread, eggs, milk and coffee. I had just turned 11 and felt empowered by the responsibility. Everyone we passed had a smile on their face. We were thrilled to find that our needed provisions were on the shelves. On the return trip, I imagined I was living in olden times, just like Little House on the Prairie

[@markfield1030]

Thank you for the nice comments, glad you enjoyed it.

[@jenniferspalding1708]

I was 6 years old, I remember my mom, helping neighbors, even though she was a single parent, she was able to save some lives. I remember the tall pine trees, bending all the way to the ground, under the weight of the snow. My sister was 2 years old, I remember mom taking a picture of us, sitting a top, of the 3 foot snowbanks. The more fun memories, of my mum making bunk beds, a fridge/freezer, and a table, out of snow. Looking back...my mom was a hero, and I thank God I was her daughter.

[@markfield1030]

Thank you for sharing Jennifer.

[@jenniferspalding1708]

@@markfield1030 You did a amazing job.

[@markfield1030]

@@jenniferspalding1708 Thank you very much.

[@patsfanb6]

I remember my Nona would have a ole radio in the window, always had wbz on...those were the days

[@ozzacassiepophart6349]

The radio station in this video that I meant was WGTR. My bad. 23:32 25:26 😊😊 25:56 26:31 🎉

[@rf396]

Despite the devastation that this storm did to the coast, seeing how people pitched in, checked on each other, helped each other etc was something to see and NOW something to remember and cherish. I also remember how QUIET it was right after it stopped. Even cars moving on the road (the few that were) were soft sounding as could be. The snowmobiles were another matter lol.

[@markfield1030]

Thank you for "watching" (listening) and thank you for commenting.

[@rf396]

@@markfield1030 No Sir, Thank YOU for preserving this and posting it. I listen to it often. Makes me think of Walpole and actually being out IN the storm with three buddies of mine. walking two miles to sit and have Pizza and watch the Town plows going back and forth then walking home and listening to the CB and AM radio for the rest of the night. I would not trade that time for ANYTHING.

[@j.t.masters1934]

Thank you for posting this gem.

[@markfield1030]

You are welcome, and thank you for referring to it as a gem.

[@Number4lead]

I would imagine the radio station had to dial back the transmitter power while operating on battery power.

[@rickcrabtree2808]

The storm you thought we might come across George in the lower States right in Georgia and Florida I was in Lexington Kentucky and got stranded in there we had luck 12 in within less than 5 hours

[@lindaheminway6279]

I have fond memories of that time, we had to stay home and walked to the store with a sled to get food. The national guard was bringing food to the stores. My car was in a drift and about 6” of the antenna was all that showed there was a car underneath. Took a long time to dig out the car.

[@markfield1030]

Thank you Linda, it was an amazing time.

[@karaneal7732]

I was 12 years old at the time and remember walking to the store with a sled as well with my Mom to get food, etc. I vividly remember this time, amazed by all the snow, 2 weeks of "snow" days, playing outside with friends!

[@ozzacassiepophart6349]

That’s kind of crazy that in the clip of WGTN, John Garabedian has been on the radio for seven hours. I think that’s absolutely nuts. I’ve been through storms here in Minnesota. Were that actually did happened to a DJ at one of my local radio stations, but to my knowledge it only happened once. I was pretty young man, so I don’t remember who it was but I remember the station that it was. It was 106.9 KROC. Which ironically John was on for several years with open house party. And the crazy thing is the way he sounds compared to how he does now. And he sounds not too much different than he does now, but somewhat different. I am blind, so can’t see any of the pictures in this video, but hearing the peoples voices and what they sounded like it’s just crazy to me. Also, the other thing that I think is funny is, the hotel staffers telling you what you’re going to have for breakfast or dinner in the restaurant. Honestly, that’s a crazy situation to be in.

[@markfield1030]

Thank you for your comments.

[@petercole8798]

I was in waltham mass. Remember it well. WHDH WEATHER ELLIOT ABRAMS REPORTED. LES CAIN . GOVERNOR MIKE DUKAKIS. GREAT TIME .WELL SOME PEOPLE DIED. SAD. FROZEN IN CARS. WALTHAM MASS HAD 44 INCHES IN SOME AREAS.

[@SkipFlem]

Didn't wkox's mast collapse just a couple weeks earlier? (again).

[@ElectionFraudHasConsequences]

Could you imagine having to explain what 911 is as a phone number and what it does now. Pre area codes as well.

[@joshgalka9414]

😮

[@scottnyc6572]

Looks like a hurricane hit Boston coastal areas.I was only 7 years old when this happened so don’t really remember much.

[@markfield1030]

That is pretty much what it was, hurricane in the middle of a blizzard. Thanks for "watching" (listening).

[@moceri55]

The picture with the guy skiing shows the Zakim bridge. It wasn’t there during the blizzard of 78’. Lol 0:58

[@markfield1030]

Good eye! You got me, the whole thing is fake, I did all the voices.😜 But seriously that picture must have got caught up when I was scraping web sites for 'big snow' pictures. Must be from 2003 when Boston actually got more snow than in '78 or 2013's 24.9". Thanks for pointing that out, at least I know somebody looked.

[@moceri55]

@@markfield1030 hey I meant no disrespect and I like catching stuff like that. Keeps the mind sharp. No worries.

[@markfield1030]

None taken, just being a wise a$$. I do the same thing with seeing things, drives my wife crazy.

[@moceri55]

@@markfield1030 thanks for the chuckle

[@rossturcotte419]

🥚

[@tammieknuth6020]

Nissan rogue