Gene Chenault, 90, Radio Pioneer Dies

Another great, but we missed him by over a month...thanks to Dave M. who definitely helps us stay on the top of things:

"I thought the Gene Chenault story was interesting because it helps explain the subtle but definite transformation of the early KAAY rock n’ roll format to the later ‘70’s KAAY rock format. As a listener you probably didn’t know it was happening, but it just sounded different and “better”. The Drake Chenault combo were brilliant program consultants, and everyone tried to copy their success.

“And now, for another hour of - Much Moo-oore Music! K-A-A-Y”

If you get a chance, look up Gordon McClendan, another radio programming great, but from Dallas –

//DM//."

Thus, below:

A rock and roll radio pioneer, who with his partner, Bill Drake, substantially reshaped the landscape of early rock and roll radio and innovated many devices and systems that could make stations more competitive and grabbing more young ears, died.  he was 90.

A master of  the idea of un-cluttering the rock broadcasts, Chenault built his business from the idea that by packing more music into the same hour young listeners would choose his client's stations to listen to.  It worked.  And, the approach helped craft and make profitable the idea of "top 40" sound.  Although Drake's name was better known, Chenault was an equal partner and a major force in radio.

Here’s the Gene Chenault obit from the New York Times, FYI –

//DM//

Gene Chenault, Who Changed Rock Radio, Dies at 90

By DENNIS HEVESI

Published: March 3, 2010

Gene Chenault, who with his business partner, Bill Drake, reshaped rock radio in the 1960s with prepackaged programming that delivered more music and fewer commercials to hundreds of stations, creating the automated format common today, died on Feb. 23 in Tarzana, Calif. He was 90 and lived in Encino, Calif.

 The cause was non-Hodgkin lymphoma, his wife, Susan, said.

The programming, using reel-to-reel tapes of tightly spaced Top 40 hits, was primarily designed by Mr. Drake and marketed and syndicated by Mr. Chenault. It raised ratings at station after station and brought a certain big-city sound to many small towns. At the press of a button a local D.J. could jump in with his own boisterous one-liner — no more yarns about teenage romance — or a station-identifying jingle. To maximize the music, the Top 40 were sometimes edited, speeded up and pared to 30.

The new format gave rise to the stock phrases “boss jock” and “boss radio,” which first took hold at KHJ in Los Angeles in 1965. (The word boss was derived from California surfer slang for good, as in “That’s a boss wave.”) Within a year KHJ leapt from 12th to first place in the Los Angeles ratings. Its slogan: “Much More Music.”

“The big idea is to unclutter and speed up the pace,” Time magazine wrote of the Drake-Chenault format in August 1968.

“The next recording is introduced during the fade-out of the last one,” the article continued. “Singing station identifications, which sometimes run at oratorio length elsewhere, are chopped to 1 ½ seconds. Commercials are reduced to 13 minutes, 40 seconds an hour — almost one-third less than the U.S. average.” By cutting down on commercials, the stations could sell advertising at higher rates.

Newscasts were scheduled at unconventional times, usually 20 minutes after the hour, so that when the competition was reporting a local crime, the syndicated station was running a “music sweep” — three or four recordings back-to-back to lure away dial switchers.

It worked. Besides the rise of KHJ in Los Angeles, KGB in San Diego went from last to first in its market in 90 days. In New York an upstart FM station, WOR, brought in Mr. Chenault (pronounced sha-NAULT) and Mr. Drake when it decided to go up against the Top 40 powerhouses WABC and WMCA. By 1967 WABC was still the leading New York station, but WOR-FM was No. 2.

Marc Fisher, the author of “Something in the Air: Radio, Rock and the Revolution That Shaped a Generation” (Random House, 2007), said in an interview: “What Drake and Chenault did in California and then exported around the country was the idea that you could virtually automate the combination of hit music, D.J.’s with bigger-than-life personalities and the overall sense of possibility and danger that the rock revolution was bringing to pop culture.”

Though boss jocks could be raucous, there was a certain homogeneity to the formula. “The positive spin is that they brought a more professional kind of entertainment to places that had been fairly amateurish,” Mr. Fisher said. “But if you look at their work from today’s perspective, they emerge as the founding fathers of predictable, automated music-radio formats.”

Still, by 1975, Drake-Chenault Enterprises, their consulting company in Canoga Park, Calif., was serving about 350 client stations with makeover advice and totally automated packages in six formats. In 1979 the company produced “The History of Rock ’n’ Roll,” a 50-hour documentary that met with phenomenal success. Stations clamored to schedule it, first as a blockbuster weekend special, then in repeat broadcasts of shorter segments.

Lester Eugene Chenault was born in Eldorado, Okla., on June 12, 1919, one of two sons of Leonard and Fannie Burnett Chenault. When he was 4 the family moved to Los Angeles.

Besides his wife, the former Susan Akiko, Mr. Chenault is survived by his son, Mark; his daughter, Carol Moore; and four grandchildren.

While in high school Mr. Chenault got an acting job at a radio station in Los Angeles. On graduating he was hired by KFRE in Fresno, Calif., but was soon drafted into the Army. After World War II he and a friend started a station in Fresno, KYNO; he eventually acquired full ownership.

In 1962 Mr. Chenault hired Mr. Drake, a brash up-and-coming D.J. who shared some of his new boss’s notions of rock ’n’ roll programming. As KYNO’s new program director Mr. Drake, who died in 2008, adopted a jampacked playlist and pared down the D.J. talk. Within a year its major local rival, KMAK, switched to country music.

“Gene Chenault’s name is less familiar than that of his partner, programmer Bill Drake,” the Museum of Broadcast Communications’s Encyclopedia of Radio says of the partners. “Yet behind the impact of Drake’s contributions to the Top 40 format were Chenault’s management skill and marketing concepts. The two men altered U.S. radio and American popular culture in the 1960s.”

I never knew the impact this man nor Bill Drake had on the industry...now we know!  Thanks, Dave, for sharing....Bud S.

Happy Easter To All!

May everyone have a safe and happy Easter!

The Last Day, The Last Hour, Part 2: David B. Treadway

This is the part of the story that hurts to tell, a chronicle of the last day of KAAY. It’s no stretch to say that April 3, 1985, was the end of an empire. It was the day we threw a Lion to the Christians.

The rumors were confirmed in a staff meeting in December of 1984: KAAY was for sale—and the high bidder was a religious broadcasting company which would end the station’s music format. The powerful Mighty 1090 signal would become the province of radio preachers and per-inquiry sales entities as soon as the deal closed and the FCC approved it. We could see the end coming, but we also had a tiny sliver of hope.

Philip R. Jonsson, whose Signal Media of Arkansas owned KLRA (10,000 watts at 1010 Khz and for decades the dominant country station in the market), expressed an interest in buying KAAY along with its FM counterpart KLPQ (100,000 watts ERP at 94.1 Mhz with a country format). Trouble was, under the ownership limits at the time, he had to find a buyer for KLRA so that Signal could divest itself of one AM station at the exact moment it acquired another. Even under perfect conditions, this would have been some tricky business—but the phrase “deep pockets” was coined for Mr. Jonsson. If there had been a way to pull off the deal, I believe he would have found it. Time ran out on him as well as on us.

Still, it gave us a little hope—an invaluable commodity among any demoralized group of people. And demoralized is exactly what we of the air staff were. I think we shared a sense of abandonment and, in my case, betrayal. “How can Multimedia DO this!” was the thought that kept coming to me in those few remaining months. “If they don’t know what to do with a music station, why don’t they sell it to someone who DOES?”

(Please note: I don’t intend this piece to be a hatchet job on Multimedia, nor do I mean to belittle anyone’s religious beliefs. They are just two facets of the story.)

KAAY was doing rather well for an AM station, ratings-wise. It had as much as an 8 share of Adults 25-54 in the 10:00 AM-3:00 PM daypart, according to the now-defunct Birch measurements. On Yom Kippur, 1984, KAAY had changed formats from Adult Contemporary (can anybody tell me what that means?) to Oldies—a simple move that made the station resemble the franchise that a BUNCH of people had grown up with. There was another simple move that may have had a little to do with the ratings increases as well.

I told my air staff that I didn’t care how long it took to say the call letters: it WAS going to be K-A-A-Y, not K-Double-A-Y or K-Y. There would be no shortcuts on the air. “If you have trouble saying the ‘A-A’ back-to-back, go somewhere and PRACTICE,” I told ‘em.

The station had received any amount of mail addressed to KWAY, KWUY and even KUUY. I had seen Arbitron mechanical diaries where “Unknown AM” came in with 5 or 6 shares. My theory was that that Unknown AM HAD to be KAAY, but whatever call letters the listeners were trying to write down did not exist in the Little Rock survey area. The diary keepers were trying to give the station its props, but they had become completely confused by the on-air shorthand!

I had returned to KAAY in the late summer of 1983 to do Afternoon Drive at the request of my friend Rick McGee. When he left Little Rock in 1984, he recommended me for his Program Director position and I got the gig. I also got his Morning Drive gig. It was, simultaneously, among the best and the worst times of my life.

It’s puzzling to me that my memories of that last day are fuzzy—and have been since the day itself. You could say that I was too preoccupied with all the little details that Programming involves. And you could certainly say that I was stressed out. I hadn’t had a decent night’s sleep in weeks, and when I did dream, I dreamed about being at work. NOT good. But though I’m unable to recall the facets, I do have the big picture of that day.

Sonny Martin III (Matt White) had graciously agreed to come down from Heber Springs to do the morning show, and he arrived around 6:30. We bantered on-air for a while, then I handed off the show to him. We called WOAI in San Antonio in hopes of getting George Jennings to join in via phone, but we were told that he was out covering a story. Talk about being perfectly in character!

Sonny did not lack for company, though. The two request lines had been ringing non-stop for the previous 48 hours after word had leaked that KAAY was (in the minds of a great many people) going off the air. Sonny spent as much time on the phone as he could, talking with people who remembered him from Back When. I had thought that I might have to run the board for him, but he took one look at the setup and told me to get out of the way. There was a tradition at KAAY where the microphone switch had a white key, all the rest being black. (We had brought this one over from 1425 West 7th Street.) Sonny saw it, grinned at me and fell right in!

About 7:00, I called Felix McDonald and asked if he would fire up the original RCA transmitter. He said it sounded like a great idea, but it would take him a few minutes to get over there and “get her warmed up.” Around 7:30, we heard the audio go dead for a couple of seconds and then Big Mama came on! The difference in sound was apparent to me right away—there was a depth, a roundness and a “punch” to the music and the voices that only comes from vacuum tube circuits. Those old hits that Sonny was spinning (many of them direct from vinyl) sure sounded good through that RCA! Meanwhile, the request lines kept flashing. I never saw an unlit button.

Mike McCormick II (Barry Wood) came in to do 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM. He also tried to keep up with the phone calls, but the volume was simply overwhelming. We had calls from Canada and even Germany—people who had grown up listening to KAAY had somehow gotten the news in their faraway new homes and were phoning in to say goodbye.

By 11:00 AM, it became impossible for me to listen to the station. Newspaper reporters and TV news crews had taken every available seat in the lobby and were spilling over into the halls and the downstairs break room. They all wanted their sound bites and quotes. They all knew that a legend was passing into history, so I spent as much time as possible (in hindsight, probably too much) answering their questions and taking video/audio crews into the control room.

Eric (Weil) Lundy did 2:00 – 6:00 PM, his usual shift. You’ve probably not heard of him, but he is a very competent air talent with a quick and quirky mind. He was (probably still is) EXACTLY the sort of people I prefer to have working with me.

Though he tends to sell himself short, Barry Mac (who regularly did 6:00 – 9:00 PM and babysat the religion block from 9:00 – Midnight) is another good example of people I want on my staff. Give me five regular guys/girls who WANT TO WORK and I’ll meet or beat a collection of “stars” EVERY TIME.

I left the station around 5:00 PM to go home for a bit of supper and maybe a nap before coming back for the last few hours. Got a glimpse of myself on the 6:00 News and thought I looked like I’d been run over. Which I had been.

It might have been 10:30 when I got back to the station, thinking what a raw deal it was for us to be running those religion shows when we should have been bringing a last night’s worth of Solid Gold to 26 states and 10 foreign countries. There were half a dozen cars that I did not recognize in the parking lot—listeners who had just showed up to keep vigil, ordinary people who simply wanted to be nearby when The Mighty 1090 went down. Or MAYBE they had heard that Clyde Clifford—the completely, utterly beautiful Dale Seidenschwarz his unduplicated SELF—was coming in to do The Last Beaker Street at 11:00? I invited them in, too choked up to even remember their names for more than a few seconds. It was a serious violation of company policy to have visitors in the building after hours. Somehow, I didn’t care. Nor did I have any qualms about “losing” the taped program (Kenneth Copeland, I think) that was supposed to air at 11:00.

Just as I brought our visitors upstairs, Clyde arrived with a big box of albums and what we called a “cueless cart” (meaning it would not stop running until you hit the switch) containing the world-famous Beaker Background. I still remember the hush that fell over that hallway, the saucer-eyed faces of our guests and the way they whispered his name to each other. You’d have thought Jimi Hendrix had risen on the third day and appeared unto the faithful!

Clyde took a few moments to chat with the folks, to thank them for coming, and I believe he even signed a few autographs. Then it was seriously close to air time, so I sat down at the board, rolled the Background and spoke “Beaker Street. KAAY, Little Rock” into the main mic while Clyde stood at the guest mic. I turned the board-op duties over to Barry Mac and wandered the building to listen to what we all thought was The Last Beaker Street on the house air monitors. Every now and then, I’d pass by the control room window, moved beyond words by the visitors who were content to look at Clyde’s back while he did the show. There was a monitor speaker in the ceiling by the window and I had cranked up the volume far beyond levels that would have been tolerated in the daytime.

Yes, I rolled tape on that Beaker Street, but I only remember two songs from it: Jamie Brockett’s “The Legend Of The U.S.S. Titanic” and the song Clyde chose to close the hour—Joni Mitchell’s “The Circle Game.” I am gratified beyond words that a recording of that Last Beaker Street (little did we know, except Clyde may have picked up a message from the future) is available to readers of this blog. THAT’S THE WAY IT SHOULD BE. Everything we did at KAAY, every song we played, every word we spoke, every stupid stunt we pulled in public, BELONGS TO OUR LISTENERS. Then, now, and always!

So midnight came and Joni’s last notes faded into the skywave, followed by a rather uncomfortable and lengthy stretch of dead air before the new owners could get their programming on the frequency via some remote arrangement. A few days later, Felix explained to me what happened: the RCA transmitter would not disconnect from the antenna array!

WELL, I TOLD YOU SHE WAS ALIVE, NOW DIDN’T I?

Very Truly Yours,

David B. Treadway
Doc Holiday VII
The Last P.D.

EPILOGUE: There are undoubtedly people I failed to mention in this piece. I’m SORRY for that and I mean NO disrespect by it! I was in a Twilight Zone that last day, and the passage of twenty-five years (can it really be that long?) has done nothing to shore up a notoriously bad memory. If you were there and I left you out, get my email address from Bud and give me the lashing I richly deserve. I won’t ask you to go easy on an old man, but please know that I love you ALL and I am grateful for your part of the Legend.

 The final Beaker Street on KAAY, 3 April 1985, Part 2:   stream   |   download

The Last Day, The Last Hour, Part 1: Barry McCorkindale

(April 3, 1985 was the last day KAAY was a Top 40 blowtorch.  Two guys who had something with coordinating The Last Day, Barry Mac and David B. Treadway, have stepped up to the plate to give us an inside look behind the scenes.  By the way, audio is included of The Last Hour of The Last Day.  Below are some recollections of Barry Mac, the man behind the board for Clyde Clifford:)

Wow, my recollections of "the last day." Don't really know how much I can come up with, as I was only there for the last six hours, six to midnight. I can certainly come up with bits and pieces, but probably not anything resembling a coherent story line.

As I recall, it wasn't a weekend, it was about the middle of the week, so I'd probably been at school (UALR) for either two or three classes. In fact, thinking of that, I'm almost absolutely certain it was a Wednesday, because I remember working through that weekend and we were still running a lot of spots, but when it got to Monday, April 1st, we were running virtually NO spots, because not only had we completed a week, we'd completed a month, and none of those advertisers were going to sign up with "the new" KAAY. But there was one exception, which was a rather odd one. Radio station KLRA, a long time local AM country music station (which hired David B., who in turn hired me - again!), bought a huge package of spots to run those last three days, and it was so strange, because those were close to the ONLY spots that were running. They were :30 as I recall, with local radio legend Brother Hal doing the spot dry, nothing in the background, just him talking. I think he recorded two of them, but the message was essentially the same in both: "When KAAY goes gospel, we sure hope you folks will consider coming over and finding a new home at AM 1010 and give us a listen." I mean, I was used to these stopsets (sorry, commercial breaks) with 3-5 spots in them, running three or four times an hour, and then the last three days, it's virtually nothing but the occasional bailout from the music to listen to thirty seconds of Brother Hal.

Unfortunately, I couldn't tell you the last song I played just before 9:00, when we went into our regularly scheduled religious block time programming (The Harvest Gleanor Hour!), although I do remember playing a few different things those last three hours from 6:00-9:00, specifically "Bus Rider" by the Guess Who. The only reason I remember that is because two of the jocks from the other side of the building, working at K-Light 94.1, were egging me on about whether or not I was going to cut lead singer Burton Cummings' line about "I'm so awful GD glad I'm not in your shoes," telling me, go ahead, air it, don't cut it, come on, you've got no balls if you don't just go ahead and air it (the jocks were Terrell Woodall and a big musclehead guy named Blake, but I couldn't tell you his full name or the name he went by on the air). Well, when it got to the moment, I cut the "GD" out, and the guys just railed on me incessantly.

Speaking of "The Harvest Gleanor Hour," which, by the way, was only 15 minutes long (a lot of the Christian programs did that for some reason - the "something hour," but it was almost invariably only 15 or 30 minutes), I don't think I had an inkling about David B. bringing Clyde back for that last hour until after I'd hit that block programming at 9:00. I also recall not thinking to record it until about 11:15, which really didn't matter, as I know I haven't had that tape since I've lived in the house I'm in now (which is since the end of 1990).

Another thing to add was my disappointment in the "crowd" that had shown up outside the studios, in the back parking lot after dark. Now, David B. could correct me on this one, but I only recall seeing somewhere in the neighborhood of maybe 30 or 40 people holding vigil for the great KAAY - maybe to some a decent showing of the locals for the demise of a formerly great and influential AM station, but not nearly what it deserved. Granted, this is 1985, and the transition from AM to FM for music listeners had been in full swing for several years, but we're talking about the mighty 1090, which every 20-something and 30-something in central Arkansas and beyond had grown up listening to. And we can't even get 50 people out here to pay homage? Well, if there were 50, it was barely 50.

Other quick recollections - the ratings that came out a few weeks later showed a significant spike for KAAY (I think the last rating was 4.1 or maybe 4.5, and had been closer to around a 3.0 or less just the previous summer), that Eric Lundy (real last name "Wiehl") was the last experienced jock on the air (I had the last shift, but I was very, very GREEN), that I couldn't believe that Multimedia sold the station for LESS than a million (Sudbrink, who bought it, sold it just over two years later for 2.6 million), and that the station, in my opinion (and based on the ratings), had regained momentum and found direction, after a few years of having no direction. I still remember our categories of music - pre-'64, '64-'70, '71-'75, and '76 to '79 (with a few very early '80s thown in), with the primary emphasis on the '64-'70 years, secondary emphasis on '71-'75. I also recall a black guy who had a late night show when I first came on by the name of Buddy King, and the show was "Blues Alley." It may have been only a Friday night thing, but I don't think he was still doing the show the last few weeks, or maybe even the last couple of months. The rumor of the sale had gone back to around the holidays of '84, and I think the official announcement came in early February.

And by the way, David B., you hired me in October of '84, as I recall it being about two weeks past my birthday on the 6th. I also recall about three weeks after being hired thinking about quitting, because I knew that I was not only a pretty horrible jock, but I was a pretty horrible jock on KAAY! Which was just wrong! But luckily, that didn't happen, and eventually I got better, although even by the following April, I think I had only achieved "barely tolerable" status.

Hopefully, this will help supplement anything that David B. comes up with, and if there's anything else I think of, I'll pass it along.

BMac

P.S. And I'll never forget a bunch of us getting together at Pepper Joe's (just down the road from the station) afterwards, and after fellow and former co-worker Sheila Glover said something that had us laughing, David B. came back with the line, "Sheila, you're just a d**k away from being one of the guys!" Which got an even bigger laugh than whatever it was that Sheila said!
 
(Here's the first half-hour of that Last Hour:)

 The final Beaker Street on KAAY, 3 April 1985, Part 1:    stream   |   download

Jerry "Sonny Martin" Sims Shares More Memorabilia!

It seems that most radio stations, back then, had a pen with the familiar mic and call letters on them. Here is the KAAY version. I don't remember us passing them out, so there may not be many in existance. I have more than this one, and offered one to A.J. who already had one. The name tag was possibly never worn. I do not remember using it. Everybody already knew me! (Well possibly there were some small egos from time to time) I hope we all know that the above "everybody already knew me" was a joke. Where was I to pin it? On my KAAY Basketball Jersey?

Jerry (Sonny) Sims (Martin).......(the one with his treasured pen in his pocket)

Gladys Knight & The Pips Concert

Here is a Creative Concerts promotion for Gladys Knight & The Pips at Barton Coluseum; accompanying them are the Chi-Lites and the Fabulous Independents.  The date was October 27 (don't know the year) for a $5 ticket price.  Does anyone recognize this announcer?

Gladys Knight Concert Ad:  stream   |   download


Thanks again to Barry Mac!

Jerry Sims' Comments, Re: A.J.

A.J. was very important to my career because he hired me twice. My first radio job at KXLR (age 18), and later at KAAY. I am sending you a Kx-Tundex (our music survey). I am Larry London, he is A.J. Lyons. John Scott, by the way for local folks, is Gary Weir (later Bozo on KATV 7). We had a great time there at KXLR. I grew up listening to them and always wanted to work there. A.J. gave me that opportunity. He was only a little bit older than I was, but because he started so young, he seem older at the time. I always looked up to him as a "real radio man". He loved his work and was always involved in promoting the station. As we have told before, we (the KXLR guys) sat around and listened to the early KAAY and knew we had our hands full with them. As I have said before, they hit the air giving away mink coats and cars (used), while we were across town giving away records and an occasional radio or stuffed animal. Under A.J., we made every effort to hang on, but the station finally sold. Then A.J. ended up as Program Director at KAAY and called me to come over. I had gotten a "real job" by then and thought I was through with radio and its unstable atmosphere. Wrong! I could not pass up the KAAY offer. I have always been proud of my time there. Even before the renewed interest with A.J.'s blog, I treasured my memories of my time there and knew they were extra special.

David B.'s comments about the staff there certainly are mine as well. I did not work with big egos. I came to work and was made to feel that I was one of the team, and left there with the best of wishes of all. I considered them good friends....still do. A.J. was my radio hero. I pass by Alma, Arkansas fairly often. That was A.J.'s home. I wish often that I had made a visit to see him there both before and after his brief illness. However, we had phone conversations and great story exchanges on his blog. He did several things during his lifetime, but I somehow think his time at KAAY was when he had the most satisfaction and fun, career wise. Me too A.J.!! THANKS.

Jerry Sims....a friend and co-worker.
 

Ron H. Is Back! Re: A.J.

I am glad to see Ron H. is back with us!  The following is his comments on speaking with A.J.:

"A.J.'S first phone conversation with me lasted until his cellular phone battery died. The conversation was so long I thought maybe he used up all of the minutes in his plan. I came close running out my minutes for the first and only time during my initial conversation with A.J. I learned a lot that day.

Ron Henselman"

Jaime Brockett And Beaker Street

Jaime Brockett's "Legend of the U.S.S. Titanic"- what a crazy tune!  Clyde Clifford played it often on Beaker Street, home of the "more than 3-minute tunes" or whatever.  This tune, often sought out but not often found, is available again, via Amazon.com (a little commercial here), on the CD, "Remember The Wind And The Rain":

http://www.amazon.com/Remember-Wind-Rain-Jaime-Brockett/dp/B00078GHT8

Some compare it to Arlo Guthrie's "Alice's Restaurant" in hilarity and cult following...of which I still have ("Alice") on 33-1/3 vinyl!  Needless to say, you may want to view the comments yourself at the link above.  There are many more Amazon offerings for music which was aired on Beaker Street; you'll have to search by artist or song(s) to find their offerings, but they're there!  I wonder how many Beaker Street diehards have bought up a bunch of this music????

Speaking of the "Legend Of The U.S.S. Titanic", please stay tuned...we have that "special treat" we promised awhile back...check the blog on April 2 and April 3 for special anniversary postings...that's all I'll say!

Until then....Bud S. (staceys4@hotmail.com)

David B. Treadway Comments On A.J.

Among his many pursuits, A.J. Lindsey was involved in selling parcels of land up in North Arkansas. This was in 1971, I think, and he would do phone-in spots on Sunday afternoons--when I was on-air as Doc Holiday.

It got back to me indirectly, but the gist of his comment was that he sold more land when I was on than at any other time. Now, that was HIGH praise coming from a legend with whom I got to share an air name!

(It also dovetailed neatly with Walsh Dictum Number Two: "There ain't but one set of ratings that matters a d*mn, and that's how much money did you make.")

To Bud: It's not unusual at ALL that A.J. would take time with you. He would do that for ANYONE who wanted to converse about KAAY. Perhaps he was the one who started the tradition of never being too busy to talk to a listener. Maybe it was in place before him, but no matter. It was firmly in place in the company culture early on.

It bears repeating: every one of the Legends I met during my time there took time to teach me. There was never the slightest hint of ego, and they accepted me as one of their own.

That's pretty much what happened between you and A.J., isn't it?

David B. Treadway
Doc Holiday VII

(Yes, David, that's pretty much it!  And I felt fortunate that One of the Greats took time for a listener, no matter HOW long it had been since he was on the air.  Also, I am fortunate that you, Jerry Sims, Marvelous Mark Larson, Dave Montgomery, Jonnie King, Barry McCorkindale and other Greats, both of early and of later tenure, who also take the time to relate to me and the other KAAY afficianados, both here and in a personal way...we are so rich because of it!  Thank you so much to ALL the Great Ones of KAAY!  Bud S.)

Moore Ford, North Little Rock, AR

Where else could you buy a 1971 Ford Mustang for $2,530.00?  Moore Ford in North Little Rock, that's who!  But that was then and this is now...and I've got NO idea what a new Ford Mustang would cost today!

Thanks to Barry Mac, here is another advertisement aired on KAAY; thank you, Barry!

Moore Ford Ad:   stream   |   download

A "New" KAAY Survey Sheet From Charlie Okle!

Charlie Okle, in moving his digs, came across yet another piece of history and wanted to share it with us!  This is a Survey Sheet from November 7, 1966, signed by "Buddy Karr"...what a cool find!

Enjoy...the view is of the front and the back of the survey:

I'll bet the "Doctor Holiday" he's mentioned is A.J.!

Thanks to Charlie Okle!

A. J. Lindsey And Me

As we all do over time, we drift away from hobbies, persuits, indulgances and interests, all in the game of fulfilling "life"...and sometimes life is not very fulfilling, unless we can do something we enjoy.  Work, for many, is not fun, nor fulfilling, but it is a way and means to get what we want (if we're fortunate) or need (to support a family); many dads, I heard over the course of my growing up, only stayed in jobs not for the enjoyment, but for providing a living for their families.  So sad, may of us (myself included) are in that boat (although I DO derive a sense of satisfaction in what I do....).

Thus, my drifting away from KAAY and Beaker Street in the 1980's.  For a while, I didn't even know they sold out in 1985 until much later, since my job evolved and  I was finally able to work a day shift, after many years on nights, which was where I listened ALL the time.  Even in my late teens and early twenties, work, college and responsibilities to my family, then getting married, took me away from much of my radio hobby....

...then, years later, just a few years ago, I wondered what ever happened to KAAY and Beaker Street.  I missed listening to the hot Top 40 music in the early evening, then the wierd album rock in the late evening, culminating in Beaker Theater.  I got more and more exposure to the Internet, started searching and finally found A.J.'s blog: http://kaay1090.blogspot.com/

What a rush!!!  I started devouring everything I read in A.J.'s blog, in addition to what I found on the web.  Finally, I got the courage to e-mail A.J. and what a wonderful experience it was.  I realized that he had many projects going on at the time we became aquainted, so I tried to keep things brief; at the same time; as I did more and more research, I sent him links and articles with anything having to do with KAAY.  Some he posted, some he didn't and much of what he didn't has been posted here in Mighty1090KAAY.

As time went on, I tried diligently to find and supply him with material (as we all did!) as I found it.  Then, he e-mailed me, saying he was in the hospital, following his vacation, which had followed his cancer treatements.  I was able to call him on the phone a couple of times, the last time being three days before he passed away.  His e-mails going unanswered, I wondered how he was faring, when by chance, his daughter-in-law Brandy notified Jerry Sims and I via e-mail that he'd passed away.  What a shock....

It was through Jerry and ultimately a core group of ten people, that we were able to start this blog; several of us remain to maintain it as much as possible, around the aforementioned work and family schedules and I am very thankful for everything they do to help.  Yes, I might look like the "front man", and as David B. Treadway said to me one time, "You're the guy behind the mic, you get all the glory or all the blame!"  Well, for better or for worse, I and we are in it for the long haul- and we have A.J., and his passion for KAAY and starting his own blog, to thank for what we do today!

Remember what I said about work not being enjoyable or fulfilling?  Well, not everyone was that less fortunate- the guys and girls of KAAY had a great job in what they did.  From the developing relationships I have gained with The Greats of KAAY who are here with us on the blog, we can see, through their stories, memories and anecdotes, that they enjoyed their jobs to the fullest.  Did I say "job"?  They got paid for the fun they had while working...did I get that right, Oh Great Ones????  Nonetheless, in my personal conversations with them, I sense they had loads of fun at what they did- and still enjoy the memories of KAAY.

Why do I open with "A.J. and me"?  Well, me being a lowly listener and him being who he was, he took time with me, tolerated my questions, put up with my voluminous e-mails of material (some he already had) and graciously took my phone calls at times I felt I may have been an intrusion.  And now, here I am, helping with a blog, in the same manner as he, reaching a sense of fulfillment when drudgery seems to be the rule.  A.J. has been on my mind lately and we haven't mentioned him much, except in passing, and in memorium at the beginning of this blog, with a little material thrown in here & there.

Here is a picture of A.J. when he was a teenager at KBBA, Benton, AR:

His commentary was, "I was in high school and working at KBBA, Benton AR, my first radio job when this picture was taken with a wonderful RCA BX-44 that could make even a teenager sound good."  The RCA mics were (and still are) great mics.  Here's A.J. in later years with an RCA 77D:

He also mentioned that RCA mics, as well as Ampex mics, were used extensively at KAAY, the former due to having them from the KTHS days.  Boy, what us Hams can do with some of those mics!  Some Hams DO use these and other mics on their stations, for the rich, wonderful sound they reproduce.  The DO make a fair voice sound much better.  In fact, may Hams who run AM use these, along with other audio gear, for wonderful transmitted audio...but, I'm running a rabbit trail here....

Nonetheless, I miss A.J., as many of us do.  Jerry Sims, a.k.a. "Sonny Martin" and I have had several wonderful conversations about "Doc" or "Emperor Holiday".  A.J. started something great and we all benefitted from his labor of love...we can only hope to continue the efforts here, bringing to light more and more history about KAAY and those Greats who worked...er, played...there.

What are YOUR favorite memories of A.J.?

Let's keep the memories flowing, folks!  Please leave a comment or two, no story is too small, no memory is too insignifigant for us to post here.  Everyone who listened to KAAY, visited its facilities, participated in the giveaways and programs, danced to the music or otherwise enjoyed the station, your comments are welcome!

A.J., thanks for getting us started!

Bud S. (staceys4@hotmail.com)

1953 KTHS Newspaper Notice, From Fritze Prentice!

As many of us remember, KTHS was one of the oldest radio stations in Arkansas, and on Labor Day of 1962, KTHS became KAAY.  Fritze Prentice, a friend and contributor to this blog, has invited us to link to his blog regarding a bit of history regarding KTHS:

http://tvdxseark.blogspot.com/2010/03/on-this-date-in-history-march-24-1953.html

Yesterday, March 24, in 1953, KTHS 1090 signed on at 5 o'clock A.M. as a full-time station with 50,000 watts from the Wrightsville site...I took the liberty of posting the newspaper ad here and it and more info are at Fritze's blog at the above link....

Thank you, Fritze!  What a find!

Be sure to visit and enjoy Fritze's blog often, as well: "DXing From Lincoln County, Arkansas".  Fritze has also prompted his visitors to visit this blog as well.

Bud S. (staceys4@hotmail.com)

Doug Krile To Head Arkansas Broadcasters Association

This story appeared on the Arkansas Business website, under the "media & marketing" category.  Doug Krile is a frequent and welcome visitor/contributor to this blog site.  I know that all of us wish Doug well in his new role with the Arkansas Broadcasters Association.  He will represent the broadcast industry in Arkansas well.  Congratulations, Doug!

Richard Robinson

Doug Krile To Head Arkansas Broadcasters Association

By Sam Eifling

Arkansas Business (arkansasbusiness.com)3/22/2010
Doug Krile, the longtime newsman and marketer, will take over as executive director of the Arkansas Broadcasters Association on April 1. In that role, he hopes to guide member television and radio stations on best uses of new technologies.
"I have not been thrilled with the things that have happened in the broadcast industry over the last 10 years. I don't think anybody has," Krile said, citing the old woes: too few people producing too much news with too little money. He began his career in radio, but Arkansans might recognize him best for the 11 years he spent as a newscaster at KARK-TV, Channel 4. In 1997, he left for a corporate post at the broadcast chain Equity Broadcasting of Little Rock, where he spent 10 years before taking a tech marketing position at Arkansas Children's Hospital. Since leaving that job in 2007, he has worked with a partner on the startup Station X, a digital media and marketing venture.
"Honestly, if I were to design a job for me at this point in my life, I don't think I could do it any better than this one," he said. "It does so much."
The ABA's current executive director, Jim McCall, will remain in the office through July before moving to a consulting role for the body. The ABA is an advocacy and advisory organization for broadcasters, as well as an advertising consortium.

Win Rockefeller, Arkansas Governor, '67-'71

You never know what will pop up as a coincidence...Barry Bac sent me an audio clip for Governor Win Rockefeller from the 1966 election campaign...and I just happened to pick up a March 1967 Reader's Digest and read the article, "Big Rock of Little Rock".  Unfortunately, Reader's Digest doesn't archive anything this far back on the Web (that I could find), so if anyone wants a copy of the article, I'll be glad to furnish one.  Why do I have such an old Reader's Digest?  I like old books and magazines....

Nonetheless, it, and an article I found on Encyclopedia of Arkansas differ somewhat.  Reader's Digest's version was condensed from Time Magazine and seems to evoke more warmth, while the EoA was more impersonal, in my opinion.

Governor Rockefeller has been mentioned here on this blog a couple of times in passing...and, from what I've read, was a gentleman in many ways.  He'd put up part of his own personal fortune to fund many things within Arkansas in the effort to bring progress and upscale change to the state.  When he passed away in 1973 from pancreatic cancer, his ashes were buried on Petit Jean Mountain, his home where Winrock Farms was located.  His personal fortune still benefits Arkansas today through a charitable trust and the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation.

There are several more references to Arkansa's 37th governor, but I'll let this one suffice, since it has several other links.  Audio of a campaign is to follow....

http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-detail.aspx?entryID=122

 KAAY Ad: "Democrats for Win Rockefeller '66":  stream  |  download



Bud S. (staceys4@hotmail.com)

Do You Recognize This Pair?

OK, we're going to reach back aways and bring these guys to you...before you read any further, do you recognize this pair?  One, you've been listening to on some of the advertisements Barry Mac has been sending in; the other fella maintained much of the electronics and hardware to bring you the previous fella's voice.

Here they are standing in front of the 7th street KAAY studios, with a gold record award.  KAAY was always getting awards from different record companies, when the station helped break a new record or contributed heavily to it's success, as in a million-seller.  These same record companies had plenty of records to give away and were in and out of radio stations all the time.

It is not known who's hand that is in the lower right hand corner, holding another award, nor what that award may have been for.

What with KAAY's great coverage, monseterous signal and talent (both behind and in front of the mic), you can rest assured that the station did its part in getting exposure to many, many artists and records, some local talent as well.  One can only wonder how many awards actually graced the walls of KAAY....

This picture is compliments of A.J.'s blog and is well worth posting here.

By the way, the guys above are Matt White (the third Sonny Martin) and Dave Montgomery, the original contributor of the photo.  Dave is always checking in, giving advice and information to post, but so far we have not been able to lure Matt White here!

Thanks go to Dave for the original loan of the photo!

Bud S. (staceys4@hotmail.com)

Ron Henselman: Alive & Well

Dear readers and visitors,

I just heard from Ron Henselman today, a wonderful friend and contributor to this blog.  Ron had a massive heart attack about nine days ago from this date, had a triple bypass and is home resting and recuperating.

To be sure, Ron will be back...I'm sure his creative juices are flowing, albeit a little slow right now, so keep him in your prayers and thoughts.

Ron, get well soon, we're looking forward to you returning and contributing!

Bud S. (staceys4@hotmail.com)

Movie: The Snowball Express

I'm not sure where this fits in, but it was an ad aired on KAAY in the early '70s for a Walt Disney movie.  Harry Morgan, one of my favorite actors, is mentioned in it, as well as Dean Jones and Nancy Olsen.  Also mentioned was the feature, "The Magic Of Walt Disney World".

Many of us grew up on Disney, but were dismayed when we saw what some of the later movies became, along with some of the urban legends accompanying them.  There's still good movies out there in syndication and when they are "brought out of the vault" for sale.  My wife & I still have a lot of Disney movies (VHS) on-hand from when our kids were young, but I'd still like to get more non-cartoon movies.

Enjoy the audio, compliments of Barry Mac....

KAAY Ad for Disney's "Snowball Express":  stream  |  download

It's Spring....

...and a young man's fancy turns to.....antenna maintenance???

Yes, antenna maintenance!  Oh, don't worry, everything's OK in the romance department in my household, but my technical juices are flowing again, now that there's some warm, dry weather at hand.  IF you're a serious hobbyist or monitor, it's time to clean up and fix those antennas and connections possibly damaged from the harsh weather conditions.  When you do, please be careful with those ladders or other supports while you're working on those sky-hooks...

...and, if you're not a serious listener, please just disregard...just setting the radio on a Lazy Susan and twirling it around for a better signal while listeneng to AM is good, too!

Bud S. (staceys4@hotmail.com)

TV Icons, Fess Parker, Peter Graves Pass Away This Week

Talk about memories!  These two actors were the favorites of many.

I especially remember watching Fess Parker in "Daniel Boone" in my youth.  His Disney "Davy Crockett" movies were outstanding as well, along with a long list of other movies.  And, yes, I fantasized about having a rifle like Old Betsy!

Good article here:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100318/ap_on_en_tv/us_obit_fess_parker

And Peter Graves, of the TV series "Fury", later of "Mission: Impossible"...what a great, suspenseful show!  His silver hair had always been his trademark.  I suppose my favorite character, however, was Clarence Oveur in "Airplane!"  What can I say- I love to laugh!

Another good article here:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100315/ap_en_tv/us_obit_peter_graves

Why mention TV?  Because it was a big part of our growing up, along with radio...and these two men were part of great programming, NOT something we get today...much of today's fare is an insult to our intelligence, in my opinion.

Rest easy, gentlemen...see you later....now, back to our regular radio programming....

Bud S. (staceys4@hotmail.com)

We "Broke" 10,000! And Comments From David B. Treadway

Re: the upcoming bittersweet surprise mentioned a few days ago...I'd mentioned to a couple of the guys who collaborated on it and how excited I was to see the number of visitors to the blog.  I only hope that, what with word getting out and the recent (February) Monitoring Times article about KAAY, this little niche tribute site would continue to grow!  And it has, more than ten thousand "hits" on this date!  Maybe not as good as, say a classic car site, or something of the sort, but the memories of KAAY live on!

The wise and sage David B. comments:

"I must remind us of what The Great Walsh said about numbers all those years ago:

"There ain't but one set of ratings that matters a d*mn and that's how much money did you make." He would sometimes add:

"If you believe the good ratings, you also have to believe the bad ones."

Pat could be cynical to the point of surreal, but I am SURE he would be proud of the way his (our) station endures well beyond its expiration date. You may put me in the "proud" column as well.

Yes, Bud, that's a helluva job for a "niche" website! You and your team are to be commended for a job done EXCEEDINGLY well done! Perhaps the niche is a bit bigger than any of us thought?

I look forward in eager dread to reading the Last Day(s) commemoration on the site. Sorta like driving past a lovely meadow and thinking "Say! Wasn't there a bad wreck right about here 25 years ago? It all looks so peaceful now...:"

All the best,

Treadway"

I can only wish I'd had the opportunity to meet Pat Walsh, or to even talk with him before he passed on.  One wonders how a blog or website would progress under his direction.

Stay tuned!

Bud S. (staceys4@hotmail.com)

The KAAY Cash Man!

Obviously, this was a contest where one could win money by stating what radio station he was listening to!  The Sonny Martin of the period (early '70s) is heard on this piece of audio....

Thanks again to Barry for the audio!

 The KAAY Cash Man:  stream  |  download

Encyclopedia of Arkansas: Revisited

Well, I may be in the hotseat again: after my initial inquiry of why KAAY, one of the greatest stations in the country, was not documented in/on Encyclopedia of Arkansas, I was contacted by Anna Lancaster, Administrative Assistant, Butler Center for Arkansas Studies.  She is inquiring with the editors and asked if I would be willing to write the entry.

Naturally, I said yes!  I listed my few, paltry qualifications and I should be hearing from them soon...

...what an opportunity!

I may be citing material from the Monitoring Times article, as well as info from this blog, with aknowledgements to YOU who've contributed to both.  I pray that, if called upon, I do well and represent the station well.

Bud S. (staceys4@hotmail.com)

Alex Chilton (1950-2010), R.I.P. 3/17/10

"Alex Chilton, the pop hitmaker, cult icon and Memphis rock iconoclast best known as a member of 1960s pop-soul act the Box Tops and the 1970s power-pop act Big Star, died Wednesday at a hospital in New Orleans."

Another one gone:

http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2010/mar/17/memphis-musician-alex-chilton-dies/

"Chilton and Big Star had been scheduled to play Saturday as part of the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas. The band was also scheduled to play at the Levitt Shell in Memphis on May 15. It's unknown what will happen to those shows."

Good write-up at the link above...

Rest in peace, Alex....

Bud S. (staceys4@hotmail.com)

Encyclopedia Of Arkansas: No KAAY?

What a shame...one of the most important stations in this country- and in many parts of the world- and NO mention of KAAY, except once in the history of Black Oak Arkansas.

There's some little bits of broadcast coverage, but not about KAAY, only about radio station WOK, which had a very brief history.  If you want to contact them (as I have!) and want to promote KAAY there in print, please do so at their e-mail address below:

info@encyclopediaofarkansas.net

Or you may want to snail-mail them at:

Encyclopedia of Arkansas
Central Arkansas Library System
100 Rock St.
Little Rock, AR 72201

... or call (501) 320-5754....

Their staff contact information is also here:

http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/contact/
 
Just do it!
 
Bud S. (staceys4@hotmail.com)

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I'd wondered, with this day being a big celebration all over the world, would Stag Beer ever have bought special advertisements on KAAY?  What with Stag being a major advertiser (you can hear their ads all over the airchecks!), you'd wonder...but I've never heard one that I can recall....

BE RESPONSIBLE, TODAY!  I can't drive everyone home!

Bud S. (staceys4@hotmail.com)

Deep Purple & Fleetwood Mac Concert Ad, '72

Straight from the vast Barry Mac audio library, an ad for Deep Purple and Fleetwood Mac at Barton Colosseum!  Both were favorites of mine; however, I don't ever remember Deep Purple coming to Mobile, but I sure bought their music!

Ticket prices were $4.50 and $5.50 (prices I remember!)...and (it sounds like) HPS Productions and Superior Attractions were the promoters...does anyone have any info on them?

Enjoy the ad....thanks, Barry!

 Deep Purple and Fleetwood Mac at Barton Colosseum, 13 Dec. 1972:  stream  |  download

The Late Pernell Roberts Revisited

Note to all:

Awhile back Bud posted the notice of Pernell Roberts death.  Here are my memories of actually meeting the man during my time in California.  It was the Summer of 1964:
Living in California, as I did in the early 60's when I was acting, you'd run into those who'd "made it" quite often. That happened alot when I was living in Hollywood.

I was living in the Highland Towers Apts., just a quarter mile from the Hollywood Bowl, and a few blocks up the street from Hollywood Blvd. On the corner, right next to the Apts., was a large 24 hr. Hughes Supermarket.

You could see many "stars" in and out of the Hughes since they also had a fanastic news rack on the premises, and enough food to feed the entire State of California.

One morning I was coming home late from a date with my girlfriend, Sandy, a Pasadena Playhouse grad who was acting locally and living at the then-famous Hollywood Studio Club for Girls...like a giant dorm for budding actresses, and a very cool place.

Anyway, it was about 2am and I needed to pick up something for breakfast. So, I went into Hughes, and was "making a left" piloting my basket around a corner, when wheeling his basket coming from the opposite direction was another customer. Our carts hit each other briefly, and then I looked to see who it was...and it was Pernell Roberts.

I smiled, he smiled back and I introduced myself and told him that I really appreciated his work, and that I had just finished a year at the Playhouse and was living right next door to the market. He wished me luck, said that "Bonanza" was back in production and that he was also picking up a few things before he went home.

Then his wife joined us, he introduced me, and I said I'd best get finished and let them shop in privacy. He said that it was no problem at all, was nice meeting me, and we continued on our separate ways.

As I walked out onto the parking lot there were only a few cars there at that time of the morning. One of them was a brand new blue '64 Corvette convertible with the top down. Since "Bonanaza's" main sponsor at the time was Chevrolet, I didn't have to guess whose it was.

Nice man, great voice, excellent actor. R.I.P. Pernell Roberts, and thanks for your kindness.
JK

PS: To see a pic of my Apt. and other PP & Calif. stories, lots of other pix, etc., just check-out the Pasadena Playhouse section of my WebSite: http://www.jonnieking.net/

More later...I NEVER forget my Big K Friends !

Ron H. Comments On IBOC

Your comments about IBOC are valid. The wideband hiss on adjacent frequencies is something I experience here in the Chicago area when I try to tune between the 50, 000 watt local stations. I noticed many of the IBOC equipped stations have stated they have reduced their audio frequency response on the main AM component of their signal to a maximum of 5 KHz for technical reasons. It doesn't seem fair to allow them to occupy so much bandwidth. With the old AM methods, the only time they occupied the adjacent channel was when an audio tone was above the 5 KHz audio range. This resulted in a scratching noise on the adjacent channel. Most of us learned to ignore the occasional noise when we listened to KAAY. In fact, KAAY was usually strong enough to overcome the adjacent channel signal. The wideband hiss is a different story. It is more than a slight annoyance.

Ron

Jerry Sims Comments On Jim Pitcock

Jim was doing the midnight to 5am shift when I came in to take over (possibly on a Saturday morning). Jim's interest in news was showing then. He asked me to listen to an air check he had made overnight. It was not his "All Night Satellite" program....It was of a newscast! I plead guilty of trying to simply "get through" my news efforts when I worked overnight. Most of us would "rip and read" and get back to the fun part ASAP.

Jim's news efforts paid off well for him, and the rest of central Arkansas too. He went on to become News Director of KATV 7. There he lead his station to many years on top of the local television news ratings.

Moses Records: The Raspberries & Partridge Family Ads

Hey, here are more ads from Barry Mac for Moses Records!  One involves a 69-cent promo for The Raspberries...the other is for the Partridge Family's new LP.

Thanks again to Barry for these audio gems!

• Moses Raspberries promo: stream | download
  
• Moses Partridge Family ad: stream | download

Happy Anniversary David B. Treadway!

I just got this bit of information from David B., regarding a VERY important event in KAAY's history:

"Yesterday (March 8, 2010) marked 39 years since Wayne Moss hired me to do weekends at KAAY."

David B. is very important to us here on the blog...and we have something very exciting (and maybe a little sad) from David (and Barry Mac) coming in less than a month...I'm big on anniversaries, events and what-have-you, so keep on reading here for more to come!

Happy Anniversary, David!

Bud S. (staceys4@hotmail.com)

Stan's Receipt

Hi Bud,

Some people seem to hold onto things forever. The attached file is from an invoice/packing slip sent to me in Vietnam in early 1968. I now realize Stan's didn't have to wait for a check to clear. It looks like my parents sent a money order. It seems strange that I received the record so quickly. I wrote to my parents, and I asked them to phone Stan's to place the order. I actually had the record in my possession sooner than the letter my parents sent to me to say it was ordered. The record was "Apache '65" by David Allen and The Arrows. Notice there isn't an area code listed with the phone number, but there is a zip code.

73,

Ron
 

Christmas: The Gateway, Toy Hill

Yes, I know this is a little early for Christmas, but Barry Mac has once again come through with MORE audio from his massive library to share with us!  One cut is of Clyde Clifford, advertising for The Gateway and the Christmas deals there...an interesting ad!  The other cut is for Toy Hill, with one of the "Sonny Martins" doing the announcement.  This is where the "toys for tots" program in Little Rock takes place.  Our own resident "Sonny Martin", Jerry Sims, went up to Toy Hill this past Christmas to visit with and help his Marine Corp. step son in the effort.

Thanks again, Barry!

• Clyde Clifford for the Gateway:  stream  |  download
• Sonny Martin at Toy Hill:  stream  |  download

"Marvelous Mark" Is Back On The Air!

Dave M. alerted me to an e-mail he got from "Marvelous" Mark Larson, regarding his return to the air, albeit via the Web.  I will share the e-mail here with you, complete with the Web links for his daily broadcast:

"Hello, "Cherished & Valued Listener," fans and enemies....

If you are receiving this email, it's because you were included in my email address book. I apologize if you are receiving this more than once. Some of you have provided an address with a different "handle" or alias, which may not have been weeded out as a duplicate.

The Tampa Bay broadcast business climate, and for that matter, national broadcast business climate is basically no better now than it was a year ago. Budgets are still being slashed, large and small companies leveraged themselves to the moon during the boom and are still up to their eyeballs in debt load; and many of us traditional broadcasters who have worked behind the microphone or camera are not very encouraged by what we see. In fact, ABC just announced another round of cuts last week for the TV side.

On the other hand, Internet media continues to expand. Streaming audio, video and "podcasting" is free from the shackles of bad corporate behavior and also free from many of the government constraints on terrestrial or "over the air" broadcasting. Right now, over 42 million listeners a week are hearing their favorite shows online. With the expansion of wireless/mobile Internet service, that number will grow, along with advertising revenue. Generally speaking, wherever there are cell phone towers, there is wireless Internet, allowing those with iPhones or "Smart Phones" to listen to online shows in the car. This fall, some carmakers will be installing the first in-dash Internet radios, something I predicted years ago. That "Aux" jack on the front of existing car radios and tiny car radio "converter" attachments for MP3 players and smart phones, have already allowed webcasters access to cars for some time.

I love radio broadcasting. But there is now only one serious talk format player in the market. So, thanks to the encouragement of many of you, I am going to fire up a new show on Monday at:

http://www.markinthemorning.com/

The advantages are: Unlike satellite radio, it's free. You can start, stop or pause the show anytime if someone or something interrupts you. With a wireless smart phone or a cheap (under $30) MP3 player, you can take the show wherever you go, including in the car. And it's CD quality.

My web site and radio audience data always showed my biggest web traffic and listening between 7:30AM and 9AM -- the peak morning commute time. So I will have each day's podcast ready for listening/download at 7:30AM. Of course, you can get the show anytime during the day or night -- anywhere in the world!

And I even sprang the big bucks for a toll free call in line, so you can still call The Fone Zone to rant! (See the "Contact" page on www.markinthemorning.com )

Thanks again to all of you who have sent all of the good karma (sorry, I grew up in the '60s) and support. I would not be doing this if wasn't for you. But now I have a request for you. If you know anyone on your email list who enjoys talk radio, please let them know about the new podcast. While there are tons of you on this mailing, it will take tons more to make the show viable. The show's content is national, so please spread the word. The weather page has been expanded for the entire U.S. We are even slated to have U.S. Senator Jim DeMint (R- SC) on the show Wednesday. And yes, our ol' pal Mike Schiano is back with us on Fridays for the week's financial wrap up.

Please visit the new web site and look for the "Podcast" button on the front page.

All the best,

Mark Larsen"

 
I was able to listen in this morning, and on the archived mp3 files, as well!  Congrats to Mark, great to hear you "on" again!
 
Bud S. (staceys4@hotmail.com)

Mike McKinney Checks In!

Mike checked in with us, with the comment that he's glad that this blog is continuing on ( so are we! bs) and to give us a correction on the spelling of his name.  I'm at fault for the mis-spelling, I took it from A.J.'s blog, so thank you, Mike, for the correction!  I've made corrections everywhere I found "McKenny", etc.  We are adamant that we get things right here, in all aspects.

Mike also mentioned he'd look for some audio clips, which is great by us!

Mike, thanks for stopping by, we're looking forward to hearing from you often!

Bud S. (staceys4@hotmail.com)

Addenda to Jim Pitcock Posting

I think it is appropriate to add that Jim Pitcock went on to become one of the finest television news directors in Arkansas, with a long and storied career at KATV Channel 7, the ABC affiliate in Little Rock. Jim's brother Jerry Pitcock, also worked at KAAY. I attempted to contact Jerry a couple of years ago, but Jim told me that Jerry's health prevented him from participating. The Pitcock family were both part of the rich history of KAAY.


Richard Robinson

Jim Pitcock

Little has been said here of Jim Pitcock, who was "Ron Owens" from 1963-1964, and as "Ken Knight" at another undetermined date (I'll have to check this further...mentioned in A.J.'s blog on 9/17/2006- bs).  When JFK was shot, he helped write a news special in about two hours, with all the staff jumping in on the effort.  This tape has been reported as being lost, however.

Jim worked as "Ron Owens" and doubled as Santa Claus during KAAY's "Christmas in August".  This was a contest where residents of Little Rock were encouraged to put up signs in their yards with "KAAY 1090" on them, and the best sign garnered a prize.  Nothing that I've researched so far mentioned what those prizes were.  Here is a picture of Jim in his Santa suit, sans stuffing (probably due to the heat!):

If those Santa suits were like todays, they're mighty hot...I've "played" Santa many times over the last 10 years or so and my own suit, as well as borrowed suits, were HOT, even in cold weather!

Here are some other pictures of Jim in the studio:

Can you believe it? RECORDS!  VINYL!  Here, it was explained that Jim is reaching for a cart, which played announcements and commercials.  This is the KAAY control room on the second floor of the Channel 11 (KTHV) building, from 1963.

Left to right, here (also in the Channel 11 building control room) Jim is pictured with Bobby Vee (recording artist, Liberty label) and Stan Lewis (record promoter), but not THE Stan Lewis we've mentioned here of Stan's Record Shop.  As of 2006, Bobby Vee was still on tour and was an attraction in Branson, MO.

(sources: A.J.'s blog...thank you, A.J., where ever you are!)

Here's a fairly current article from the ArkTimes on Jim Pitcock:

http://www.arktimes.com/Articles/ArticleViewer.aspx?ArticleID=ca446b80-21e1-4dbb-9692-f4250f124b7a

We plan to do some more "retro" postings here, just to refresh the memories and maybe make other memories resurface...stories, anyone?

Bud S. (staceys4@hotmail.com)

J.C.Penny's and Bonanza Ads

Yup, what a day...go to Penny's for a sewing sale, then off to Bonanza for a nice evening meal with the family after shopping!

Does anyone recognize the female announcer on the Penny's ad?  And, just speculation on my part, it sounds like Sonny Martin III and George J. Jennings on the Bonanza advertizement.

We no longer have any Bonanza restaraunts here locally...are there any even in existance anywhere?

Thanks again to Barry Mac for sharing from his collection!

 J.C. Pennys ad:  stream  |  download
Bonanza ad:  stream  |  download

KAAY 1090 interference from 2 IBOC adjacents‏

(note: I cross-posted the text below to the AMDX list of the Worldwide TV FM DX Association list--fhp)

What does a 50KW AM station 65 miles from the transmitter in-pattern sound like during nighttime hours when IBOC transmitters on adjacent channels transmit IBOC ('HD Radio')? A hissing mess. This was observed during a random check at 6:51pm CST (UT March 2 @ 0051) during a KAAY airing of the Focus On The Family daily radio show.

This occurs when KRLD 1080 is at a strong signal level. KAAY 1090 suffers not only from WTAM's IBOC interference on 1100 but also from KRLD on 1080.

Another sad chapter in the decline of what was once Arkansas' premiere radio station.

Fritze H Prentice Jr.
KC5KPV
Star City, AR
EM43aw

http://tvdxseark.blogspot.com/2010/03/kaay-1090-victim-of-am-iboc.html

Thank you, Fritze...IBOC is "In Band On Channel" which, if I'm not mistaken in my description, also allows data transmission systems on top of the carrier & audio of the station's transmission.  Yes, it degrades the quality of the signal...but the owners of the station (and I won't name any names) don't care...it's all about the MONEY....

And as Fritze also added, "...if they cared any about (IBOC interference), KAAY would file an FCC interference complaint about KRLD and WTAM's IBOC and perhaps the FCC would consider banning nightime IBOC transmissions."

Fat chance, especially since the FCC is looking for money, too...and when the government passes rules, regulations and legislation, the money goes into a General Fund...and the FCC sees very little of it, so why bother?  The frequency spectrum is finite and the government is always looking to sell off slices for more money.  One recent intrusion is into the 420-450 MHz Ham band, where they've allowed other users of a business sort.  Even though we Hams are already secondary users, this third user must accept interference from us, but guess who'll most likely get favor?  That's right, the third user who's piddling their money into the General Fund....

So much for quality programming and communications...expect over-the-air and other communications and broadcasts to degrade further.  My best solution is using radio equipment and audio gear that can at least null and tune out at least some of the interference...but that still doesn't solve the problem.

Again, thanks to Fritze for bringing this to our attention.  Maybe as Hams, we should file a complaint, as well.

Bud S., KC4HGH (staceys4@hotmail.com)

More Ray Lincoln

I'd been thinking about what else we could do to bring a little more to this blog about Ray Lincoln (among other folks).  I found a link on A.J.'s old blog that led me to the KTHV-TV website, when they did a tribute to him.  I couldn't pass up bringing a couple of pictures to you, one of Ray apparently having a great time at the console (unknown radio station, perhaps KAAY?) and one of a brochure showing off one of his characters:

To say the least, from what everyone tells us, he was a hilarious, wild bunch of characters rolled into one human body.  If anyone has any airchecks of him besides what we've posted here, please get them to me!  We'll get them posted here a.s.a.p.!

Here's the link where these pictures were found:

http://www.todaysthv.com/news/news.aspx?storyid=34185

Thank you,

Bud S. (staceys4@hotmail.com)

Beaker Street “Head” Bed

This is the famous trippy music bed used by Clyde Clifford (and his successors) underneath their raps on Beaker Street.  It's from the 1970 album "Head" on Buddah Records.  The artist was electronic musician Nik Pascal Raicevic, and there is more information on this blog site by Leonard Holyoke:

http://redtelephone66.blogspot.com/2009/10/head-1970-buddah-lp.html

As has been described elsewhere, the purpose for the bed was to mask the noise from the air circulation fans in the mighty 50,000 watt transmitter, located just a few feet from where Clyde was on mic.  The bed was from the track ‘Cannabis Sativa’, which is 17:52 in length.  It sounds like Clyde took a few minutes from the middle of the track and perhaps looped it to create the music bed for Beaker Street. 

The LP is long out of print; I had made a high-quality dub on reel to reel tape in the 70’s.  I digitized the track and ran it thru a pop/click filter so it sounds pretty clean.  It’s in Stereo, so put on your headphones and enjoy all synth droning, channel to channel spatial effects and just plain weirdness!  

Cannabis Sativa:  stream  |  download

Greg Barman

Denver CO.