Jack Martini's Journals

Sept. 17, 1970

Following the end of World War I, the U.S. Navy returned the station to the Marconi Corporation, but this was short lived. As a British owned corporation, Marconi was forced to relinquish control of KPH due to a law passed by Congress in 1919 which prohibited foreign ownership of United States radio facilities. From this law, the Radio Corporation of America was formed consisting of a consortium of General Electric, AT&T, Westinghouse, and United Fruit Company.

KPH continued its operation under the RCA banner at Bolinas and Marshall until the advent of World War II when once again the station was put under government control. Operations at KPH were suspended for the duration of W.W.II. Following the war, RCA decided to sell the Marshal receiving site property and reopen KPH across Tomales Bay at the Point Reyes point to point receiving site.

Early in 1946, manager Frank Geisel, assisted by Harold Zimmer, Bill Meloney and shortly thereafter, Arnold Hansen and Earl Foster, began marine operations in the receiving station lunch room and remained there until 1959 at which time a major renovation project was initiated. The work consisted of converting from DC to AC receivers which eliminated the need for the large number of generators and batteries. KPH was moved to the vacated space in one of the former battery rooms.

Upon the completion of this expansion process, RCA began allocating minor capital expenditures for the marine department. For years, radio marine had been a pariah in company executive eyes. It was nearly impossible to automate, very labor intensive, and the business itself poorly understood by the corporate leadership. Why then did the company decide to support radio marine? The answer is obvious. It was making money.

To their surprise, the old, obsolete dinosaur, Morse operation, was increasing its monthly revenue by six to eight percent. By expanding the station, purchasing new equipment, and increasing the staff slightly, the company expected to increase the month to month profit margin to ten percent.

It may seem that just the equipment, additional personnel, and expansion programs were responsible for the success of station KPH, but that was the effect not the cause. Individual, dedicated, professional employees were the motivating force behind KPH's rise to economic success. Machines, although indispensable, are only effective as tools for the individual. This is a fact that many corporations fail to recognize in the dehumanized, techtronic, economic system of today.

Who are the people of KPH? Where did they come from? What are their ambitions, their triumphs, their tragedies? As previously mentioned, I believe KPH is animate not inanimate, and individuals make it an entity. They, collectively, create a common goal, success, not monetary success, but professional excellence in their craft. The total characterization of a professional marine communicator is epitomized by our recently retired manager, Frank Geisel.

End Part 3

Personal note from Jack:

(Next --Frank's operating career biography as related to me during our 90 minute commutes together during the last year or so of his tenure. Mary called me and asked if the Petaluma Express (Ray Smith, Rhio Blair, and myself) would mind driving down to Novato and pick FG up and take him home until he retired. FG had two car accidents, one from work and one to work. The first one in 1959? was very serious. He was found in a gully some time after the accident. His leg was crushed and a two inch piece was removed, thus the cane. The second was on the way to work in 1966. RC, RH, and DM came upon FG's car on its side on their way to work. Rhio climbed up and opened the door, but no FG. We continued on to the station and found him in his office next to the electric heater, soaked to the skin. We told him to go home, but noooo waaay. FG was in his kingdom and there was work to be done. Mary called me at home that night and said she wanted him to live to reach retirement and made the aforementioned request. More on FG's driving ability later. It was scary , really scary. Right Ray?)

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