By Carolyn Tytler

In the dusky autumn twilight, I stood with my cousin, Nancy Dickin, outside the most haunted radio station in Canada, CKTB in St. Catharines, Ontario. As a teacher, I was anticipating units of study and projects based on the modern-media during the upcoming school year. I was anxious to visit the local radio station and see an actual program in progress. Through the graciousness and public-spirited attitudes of "The X-Zone" host, Rob McConnell, and Station Director Clyde Ross, we were given the privilege of sitting in on the three-hour live program of "The X-Zone". Neither Nancy nor I feared encountering disembodied spirits as much as we feared the possibility of having to cough or sneeze at an inappropriate moment.

After dialing a code on the security system, we were met at the back door by our host, Rob McConnell, and given a tour of the studio. In appearance, Rob resembles a cross between a teddy bear and Captain Kangaroo. However, beneath the amiable exterior, he is extremely intelligent, converses knowledgeably on any subject, and his razor-sharp mind quickly spots inconsistencies and deception, as we were able to discover later.

The stately, white post-colonial mansion at the corner of Yates and St. Paul Streets, contains a noticeable contrast: intricate electronic broadcasting equipment which appears comparable to which would be found at the Kennedy Space Centre, installed within an elegant manor house, the ideal setting for an epic Gothic mystery tale.

On this Saturday evening, the offices were dark and still. The Studio and Control Room were bathed in soft light. We were able to see, through an intramural window, Mark Charbonneau, a wizard with the sophisticated electronic gadgetry. Nearby sat Belinda, Rob's daughter, an enchanting sprite of a child. Throughout the three on-air hours, she consistently displayed maturity, reserve and self-control that belied her age of only eleven years.

Sliding shadows moved along the walls, the result, no doubt of trees outside bending in the breeze, against the muted glow of the streetlights.

At nine o'clock the program began. The list of guests was impressive. First Dr. Leonard G. Horowitz, a Harvard graduate and prolific author and lecturer, spoke convincingly about a powerful world organization, which is endeavoring to seize global control through the use of bio-terrorism. With the cooperation of chemical and pharmaceutical companies, shadowy leaders throughout the world seek to subjugate, through death and disability, the world's population. Dr. Horowitz believes this organization is responsible for HIV, Aids, the West Nile and Ebola viruses, and also for diseases which attack the immune and nervous systems of humans and animals. Effective retaliation against The New World Order will be impossible. Scary stuff!

Next, Jim Delates from the Centre for UFO studies discussed recent sightings throughout the world. Could they be explained by tests of secret military aircraft, or were they extraterrestrials capable of navigating dimensions of time and space? If this were the case, was their purpose friendly or antagonistic? During a break, Rob made a remark that I shall carry with me far into the future: "Carolyn, the most dangerous thing we can do is to stop asking questions".

The third guest, Dr. Dawn E. Clark, Ph.D., confirmed the established link between health of body, mind and spirit. She has developed a program that takes only five minutes a day. It purports to optimize the health of the entire person through positive imaging. Nancy and I both intend to read her book: "Gifts For The Soul".

During the final interview of the evening, Rob demonstrated his skill as a most perceptive investigative reporter. The guest, Dr. Scott Mendlecur, whose first priority was quite obviously to sell his book, tried, with increasing desperation, to postulate a theory that entities known as wanderers and walk-ins inhabit the bodies of one and one-half percent of the global population. He did not have an easy task! He supplied reinforcing testimony through a call-in witness to his quite incredible theories.

Rob displayed masterful insight and incisive questioning techniques. He spotted the plant immediately; he forced her to admit to being in the employ of Dr. Mendlecur. In doing so, he discredited the author, the caller and quite probably the book in the minds of his audience. He will not easily allow his listeners to be deceived!

Incredibly, the three-hour program was over. We decided to take a few pictures to commemorate our visit. The Polaroid was loaded and ready. Unfortunately, our efforts resulted only in frustration. Each photo had an opaque, vertical gray shadow down the centre, blotting out the central figures. Did the fault lie in a defective film, or were there darker, more inexplicable forces at work? Were the resident spirits objecting to intruders in their established territory?

Pictures taken later at home were fine. Was it a coincidence or was there a more esoteric explanation for the useless photos? As Rob said: "We must never stop asking questions!"