Michael R Hanna

Marriage of Kay Thorne Harding to Michael R. Hanna on July 6 1948
The Ithaca Journal, Jul 13 1948, P. 4, Col. 3, with photo of bride.

"Kay Thorne Harding of Los Angeles, Calif., daughter of Dr. Michael Rappaport and Mrs. Rappaport of 410 34th St., Union City, N.J., and Michael R. Hanna of Ithaca were married July 6, 1948, at New York City Hall by Chief Magistrate Edgar Bromberger. The rites were attended by Mr. and Mrs. Morris Novik of New York City.
  Mrs. Hanna was graduated from Beaver College, Jenkintown, Pa., and has been in public relations work on the West Coast. She is a former Hollywood representative for the International Rescue and Relief Committee.
  Mr. Hanna is general manager of the Cornell University radio stations, WHCU and WHCU-FM, and is a member of the board of directors of the National Association of Broadcasters.
  After a short wedding trip to the summer home of the bride's parents at Stroudsburg, Pa., Mr. and Mrs. Hanna are now making their home at 117 Linden Ave."

Hanna to Retire at WHCU (in 1968). Built Station from Start (in 1940).
The Ithaca Journal, Feb 16 1968, P. 11, Cols 6-9, with photo
 
  'Michael R. Hanna will retire from active broadcast management June 30 after serving as general manager of Cornell University Radio Station WHCU since its founding in 1940.
  Hanna, who plans to remain in Ithaca, will continue to be active in the radio-television field as consultant to three broadcast companies.
   "We regret Mike Hanna's decision to retire," Cornell President Perkins said. "For almost three decades he has provided the University with the unique combination of dedication and professional expertise required of his position. Cornell will miss Mike Hanna but we are delighted that he will remain a member of the Ithaca community and continue to be active in the field of public broadcasting."
  Moreover, he hopes to serve government in developing international broadcasting as a tool for peace. This interest in government and communication dates back to 1948 when the Ithaca broadcaster was the industry's delegate to the 18-Nation UNESCO Program Conference in Paris. Also, he served as adviser on the United States delegation to the third session of UNESCO's General Conference on world-wide communications, in Beirut.
  ...
  When Cornell hired Hanna to run its radio station, it had a license to broadcast that it hadn't used for eight years or so. It also had a twin-tower on a nearby hill and a two-room studio building on the Agriculture College Campus.
  In that building were a couple of old microphones and some home-made broadcast equipment - but no staff, records, network affiliation or news machines. Seventy-two hours after he was hired, Hanna and WHCU went on the air, with students at the microphones and borrowed records playing on borrowed turntables until the station could build a staff and equipment.
  Before the station had been in operation for six months, it was self-supporting enough to finance construction of modern studios and offices in the Ithaca Savings Bank Building. Fifteen years later, an even more modern studio complex was again "self-supported" in the new College Spa building on E. State St.
  During World War II, Hanna was a member of President Truman's Committee to coordinate radio for Civil Defense.
  ...
He also is on the Board of Trustees of Ithaca College, and chairman of that board's Building and Grounds Committee. He taught the first radio-television course at the college, and was given an honorary degree by the institution.
  Among the many national awards the station has won under his leadership are the Peabody Award, then broadcasting's top award in 1947, for the program "The Radio Edition of the Weekly Press" and the DuPont award, today's highest, in 1965 for public service. He also won the Freedom Foundation Award in 1949.