In my original comment about Herbie Byrd, I neglected to mention an incident which reflects on his courage as a newsman. In the early 1960s, the Congressman from the Little Rock area was Dale Alford. He had a brother named Boyce Alford. Herbie had broadcast some news reports about Dale Alford that Boyce Alford took offense at, so he lay in wait outside Herbie's studio one evening and when he walked outside, attacked him, and roughed him up pretty good. That did not intimidate Herbie. He continued to report as always, and charges were brought against Boyce Alford, although I do not remember the ultimate disposition of the case. Incidentally, Herbie was a little guy. Boyce Alford was much bigger than he was.
I also must comment about Jerry's statements about Governor Winthrop Rockefeller. In my opinion, he was the consumate gentleman. Always polite even to people who were attacking him. He also was the governor who brought Arkansas out of the darkness of segregation and discrimination into the era of equal rights for all. I appreciate Jerry's analysis of how patient he was. You know, he had all the money in the world before he came to Arkansas, and he did a lot more for the state than the state ever did for him.
Jim Clark
Rogers, AR
(...and...)
Was Walt Sadler the newsman who did the news during the Brother Hal shows on KLRA? Didn't he use an air name of Jerry something? And what kind of station is KLRA today?
Jim Clark
Rogers, AR
(Walt Sadler's air name was Ron Owens at KAAY. A.J. mentioned in his blog that Walt Sadler went on to do news at KLRA...at this time, this article is still available to read:
http://www.fewmets.net/articles/cochran/hal.html
Chasing the format, I found an interesting little link:
http://www.hibblenradio.com/KLRA.html
There's also mention of a KLRA-LP Univision Hispanic TV station in Arkansas:
http://www.mondotimes.com/1/world/us/4/94/25194
I'm getting mixed signals on a KLRA in Glendale, CA and one in Pulaski County, AR...and in my few minutes of research, I haven't found out which is the REAL KLRA...can anyone enlighten Jim and I, please? Thank you! Bud S., staceys4@hotmail.com)
RE: Walt Sadler and KLRA
ReplyDeleteJim, Walt was indeed Brother Hal's newscaster at KLRA and he used his own name on the air. Jerry Hendrix worked there at the time and his voice sounded a good deal like Walt's. Perhaps that's it?
KLRA Little Rock does not exist as an AM station anymore. It was bought in the mid-90s (I think!) by the company that owned 1010 WINS in New York City. They shut it down in a bid to avoid interference on the frequency at night.
KLRA's nighttime pattern was one of the strangest I ever saw. It basically ran along I-40 to Memphis and along I-30 toward Dallas. In its time, it was a great favorite with truck drivers.
A television company applied for the KLRA call letters for one of their low-powered stations, as they did with the KKYK calls when Signal Media (which owned KLRA) abandoned them. I hope this helps a little!
David B. Treadway
Doc Holiday VII