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Lou Robbins — Admin/Editor | Airchecks
KTOY | KVAC (WA-1974) | KDFL (WA-1975) | KTTX (TX- 1976) | KWHI (TX-1976) | KONP (WA-1977) | KBAM (WA-1978) | KJUN (WA-1983) | KRPM (WA-1984) | KAMT (WA-1986) | KASY (WA-1988) | KBRD (WA-1989) | KTAC (WA-1990) | KMTT (WA-1991) | KOOL (AZ-1994)
Steven Smith says:
December 26, 2016 9:04 am at
For a very small market, which Mt Vernon really was back then, KBRC over the years was a professional sounding station. They had several good jocks, many of which ended up at KPUG and then they moved to other markets. In the early-70s, Les Cole who had been at KTAC, KMO and KOMO was news director at KBRC. Bob O’Neil who was at KPUG and KGMI was first at KBRC. A friend of mine, Don Wick, started there as a jock in the mid-70s and he went on to manage the station. Eventually Don left and ran Skagit Economic Development Assoc for many years….until his retirement last year. I met the original station owner, Leo Beckley, one time when I was visiting Les Cole. Don Wick began at the station prior to Beckley selling it. Beckley was a colorful and vocal character. Businessmen cultivated in the 40s were a breed apart from what is considered acceptable behavior today. Largely so, they did what they wanted to do to assure success.
mikec says:
December 26, 2016 11:35 am at
fascinating tales Steven! What a pain in the ass it must have been applying for all those post-sunset temp authority grants to broadcast late school & community sports games. Perhaps this was the only way KBRC could convince the FCC to grant them night-time broadcasting authority. A few years back, KBRC became my wife’s favourite oldies station to listen to driving around our community. However, they’ve dumped almost all 60’s tunes & cut back on 70’s music as well so she gave up on them
mikec says:
December 26, 2016 1:25 pm at
Everything I’ve ever read about Leo Beckley seems to portray him as a pretty colorful figure & his successes with KBRC seem to be a result of this
Struggling through my senior years at high school, I can’t imagine NOT starting my day with Bob O’Neil’s Breakfast Club on ‘Eleven-Seven’ KPUG & of course, hourly Mutual News or Sports at the :30 mark
Steven Smith says:
December 26, 2016 1:47 pm at
Mike, were you living in Bellingham then or did you listen to KPUG elsewhere in the area. I am just trying to figure out how familiar you are with the market. Are you a radio enthusiast to did you work radio?
mikec says:
December 26, 2016 3:41 pm at
Steven – I was a teen growing up in Vancouver in the 60’s, an avid “DXer” with decent radio & antenna. I am VERY familiar with NW Wash radio as a ‘broadcasting history’ buff. I’ve worked in radio on/off all my life in both commercial & campus-community FM on-air/production/IT/engineering/MD/APD/PD & Operations Mgr. I’ve lived here all my life except for 4 years throughout the 70’s working in small markets developing my chops n skills. Although my favourite station as a teen, KPUG was a bit of a challenge to hear in the west part of Vancouver due to a bone-crunching ground-plane signal from 50 kW CKWX 1130. None of my portables, nor the car radio would pull in KPUG clearly without adjacent-channel “splatter” from ‘WX. Only my bedroom communications receiver & long-wire outdoor antenna delivered a clean signal from Eleven-Seven
Steven Smith says:
December 26, 2016 7:02 pm at
Got it.