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In 1946, long before the advent of commercial FM radio, WHAV (AM) was built in downtown Haverhill. It was a grand structure for a radio station of the day, and was built around the idea of broadcasting live musical performances. A cavernous studio was built on the top floor of the station specifically for this purpose, thirty feet long, twenty feet wide and sixteen feet high, with exotic acoustically designed walls and ceilings. All the surfaces were either curved or tilted, to prevent echoes and improve the sound. They even put a grand piano in it. Thus began the era of live radio performances in the Merrimack Valley. Listeners would wake up to the sounds of live Big Band music coming from their AM radios as WHAV became an important local station. This continued until the end of the 1950's, when Rock 'n' Roll first appeared, and changed music forever. The era of recorded music was here, and the "45" swept away live music from the airwaves, seemingly forever. At WHAV, the live music stopped, and the beautiful performance studio was left quiet. Over time, small rooms were built into part of it for use in more mundane functions. The FM station at 92.5 went on the air in the 60's, and in the 70's and 80's it used the taped formats of the day, and those big machines were moved, ironically, into what remained of the old performance studio, useful now only because of its large size. The walls remained, and visitors admired them and wondered about their purpose, now far in the past. So it remained until 1995. The station became WXRV "The River" August 1st of that year. The architects of the River knew that live music should play a role. A format based on new artists, singers and songwriters, should must present the artists live and in-person, spontaneously performing their music. And they knew they had just the right room for it. The first live performance took place just a week later on August 7th, when Peter Case came to play. The rest, as they say, is history. The old studio was reborn as the River Music Hall and was again the home to live music, now an integral part of The River's programming concept. In the last few years, the room has been carefully restored to its original look, and recording artists almost daily make the trek to Haverhill to perform there. They admire it, sign its walls, and appreciate its acoustic excellence. By now, hundreds of live on-air performances have emanated from the Music Hall, many in front of lucky River listeners, and the songs recorded over the years are a staple of 92.5 The River's daily offerings. Stay tuned to hear who'll perform next- live in the River Music Hall. Hear the River Music Hall Rewind at 9a and 9p each weekday! |
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