Monday, March 30, 2015

1974 Beaker Street With Tom Roberts

In this short intro to Beaker Street, you'll hear a change...no longer LIN Broadcasting.  Multimedia Inc. are the "suits" I mentioned before.  This show featured Tom Roberts.


(or download here)


Bud S. (staceys4@hotmail.com)


Monday, March 23, 2015

May 1975 Beaker Street with Ken Knight

Here is another aircheck of Beaker Street with one of the post-Clyde Clifford hosts -- Ken Knight.  Real name: Bill Jackson.   This was recorded off the skywave at my home in Evanston IL, just north of Chicago in May 1975.  It includes the intro for Beaker Theater, and a "Greetings to the great Southwest" ID.  Sorry for all the static, it must have been a stormy night!  

Note all the concert spots for venues as diverse as Minneapolis, Des Moines, Baton Route and Tulsa.  They all bought airtime to advertise their shows, knowing that Beaker Street and the 50,000-watt reach of KAAY was a great way to reach music fans beyond those cities.


(or download here)

Greg Barman


Thursday, March 19, 2015

KAAY Off The Air Again

As reported by Doug Virden and others on the KAAY Facebook page, KAAY has been off the air again... I will investigate this further, as to the reason.  Looking back to my visit a few years ago, the transmitter site was in deplorable condition...the antenna system had just been repaired after copper thieves had vandalized it...but when Jerry Sims (God rest his soul), David B. Treadway and I were there, the transmitter was all the way DOWN...the Optimod on the back-up 5kw transmitter wouldn't even work, so we were probably preserved from any stray RF energy frying our brains any further while out on the field, looking for little Glaspie Dillard's grave.

Nonetheless, if you tune across 1090, it's not there; I'm also told that KARN, 920 AM, has also been off the air since February.  Is this a sign of the times that the owner (Cumulus) doesn't care, that they're just milking all the money they can out of these stations before they go dark?  I said it before and I'll say it again: when consolidation was allowed years ago, it was the death knell of radio as we knew it.  Of course, there have been other factors... but allowing huge conglomerate companies to monopolize the airwaves has KILLED radio....

Bud S. (staceys4@hotmail.com)

Monday, March 16, 2015

December 1974 Beaker Street with Ken Knight

Alas, after 1972 when Clyde Clifford left KAAY and Beaker Street, different people headed up Beaker Street, as "the suits" saw fit.  This aircheck was donated to A. J. by Greg Barman and features a "Ken Knight", who was Steve Morris' ("Steve Scott") friend Bill Jackson.


(or download here)
"GREETINGS, QSL'ERS!"

Thanks, Greg!

(Note -- this was reception of KAAY on the skywave in Evanston IL, just north of Chicago).

Bud S. (staceys4@hotmail.com)

Monday, March 9, 2015

Beaker Street with Don Marcus - February 1974

This is an untelescoped aircheck of the mysterious "Don Marcus", with the opening 44:11 of Beaker Street in February of 1974.  This aircheck is courtesy of former KAAY PD Wayne Moss, who has contributed many airchecks to the Blog.

According to Steve Morris ("Steve Scott", 1972-74): "Don Marcus was a bit strange (as we all were).  He was a very small guy with great long hair ala; 'Kenny G'.  When he moved to Tucson, I moved into his apartment out by the U of A @ L.R.  I inherited his telephone number, waterbed, furniture, etc.  (back then when ya moved to another radio station, you never took more than you could carry in the trunk of your car).  Of course he worked  from 11pm 'till 5am...By virtue of his shift, he very seldom appeared at any KAAY functions."

Steve also remembers that maybe Wayne Moss hired Don Marcus from Kansas City "or somewhere like that"...I called Wayne later and he didn't know very much about him, it had been so long. Wayne told me that Don had left for a very lucrative offer in Arizona while Wayne was on vacation; Don had told GM Pat Walsh that he couldn't pass on the offer and then left.

Steve also adds: "Don Marcus replaced O'Brian (Mike Verdicchio) on Beaker Street, O'Brian came downtown to do 8-11pm.  When Marcus departed for Tucson, Ariz., Wayne hired Ken Knight (Bill Jackson) from Joplin, Mo., to do Beaker Street.  Of course I took over 8-11pm from O'Brian when he left to go to KLZ-FM in Denver."

We have been unsuccessful trying to reach Don Marcus or to find out anything about his whereabouts after leaving KAAY.  If anybody knows more about him please let us know here at the Blog.

And now: "Greetings QSL'ers! This is KAAY Little Rock!"  Lou Reed, Suzie Quatro, Slade, Alice Cooper and more artists await your ear, as well as an ad for The Warehouse on February 21, 23, 24 and 25 with loads of artists - enjoy!



or download here


Bud S. & Greg B.

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

Lesley Turner, Daughter of Bill Summers, Needs Your Help!

I was just contacted by Lesley Turner, with the below message:

"My Dad, Bill Summers (Bill Stracner ), worked near and in the Little Rock market at: KBBA, KAAY, KXLR and KLRA. I am looking for air checks, articles, pictures and your memories of him at any station.  He was a DJ and a newsman. I have air checks for every where except KAAY. One of my earliest memories is sitting on top of the KAAY van during a Razorback Pep Rally. I need more memories. Please post responses here and Bud will get us in touch."

I e-mailed Lesley a link with everything we had on Bill, including air checks we have, but if there are any other things, I'd like to help her in her search.  Unfortunately, Bill died in 1981 under tragic circumstances.

Please help Lesley!!!!  Anyone?  Be sure to contact me ASAP, with the header on the e-mail as "Bill Summers", please.

Bud S. (staceys4@hotmail.com)

Sunday, March 1, 2015

KAAY's Bob Robbins & O'Brian on Beaker Street - October 3, 1973

This is Bob Robbins with KAAY's regular Top-40 format in its final half hour leading up to O'Brian with Beaker Street, on October 3, 1973.

You'll hear Bob promo Beaker Street and "some of that dope smokin' kind of music."  Then, "Impact", a short public-affairs break.  Finally, "Greetings Northern Mid America!" and Beaker Street rolls with O'Brian, starting off with music from the Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Joe Walsh, and War.

"O'Brian" was (and still is!) a friend of "Steve Scott" (Steve Morris) from that era and has been mentioned here before.  "O'Brian's" name is Mike Verdicchio, who now runs a number of very successful businesses today.

Thanks to KAAY's former PD Wayne Moss, for contributing this cassette aircheck to the Blog.


(or download here)
 Greg B & Bud S.