Cascade Tunnel dedication broadcast – content

The broadcast of January 12, 1929, effectively launched the Empire Builders series by drawing attention to the Great Northern Railway and allowing them to inform the listening public about the new weekly series.

While most of the Empire Builders broadcasts were conducted as a form of entertainment (dramatic sketches, musical performances, or both combined), the initial broadcast of January 12 was a kind of manufactured news event. By sponsoring (paying for) this one-hour broadcast, the GN purchased the opportunity to assemble whoever and whatever they wanted to in order to advertise the Great Northern Railway. The focal point of the entire broadcast was the new 7.9-mile Cascade Tunnel through the northern Cascade Mountains in the state of Washington. This was a significant event in its own right, for a number of reasons. For a good, simple overview (and additional links to other resources), check this site out:  http://www.uh.edu/engines/epi2860.htm

Additionally, the broadcast itself was no mean feat. It was conducted coast-to-coast over 36 NBC affiliates. NBC had only been capable of broadcasting coast-to-coast for a matter of about three weeks. This was easily the most ambitious and complex broadcast yet attempted by the young radio company. Speakers and performers were stationed at the following locations during the broadcast:

• New York City (NBC broadcast studios)
• Berne, WA (East portal of the Cascade Tunnel)
• Scenic, WA (West portal of the Cascade Tunnel)
• Philadelphia, PA
• San Francisco, CA
• Washington, DC

The GN issued a pamphlet announcing their plans for the big Cascade Tunnel dedication broadcast. It laid out the basic plan for the broadcast and the various personalities scheduled to appear. This pamphlet also hinted at some of the complexity of the broadcast, saying: “The inexorable hands of stop watches will govern the movement of this program and these watches in turn will be synchronized with electric clocks on the Atlantic and Pacific Coasts, adjusted to the second with the clocks that govern the operation of the Great Northern Railway.”

What follows is a break-down of the elements of the broadcast, with approximate elapsed time for each element.