If you have traveled up I-5 from Olympia through Tacoma with KGY 95.3 (Oldies) on your radio, you noticed that it faded out up near 56th Street northward toward the Tacoma Dome. What you then heard were episodes of the old time radio drama, Yours Truly Johnny Dollar. KTQA LP 95.3/Tacoma will change format under new ownership The Interest Compound. No word on the new programming on this low-power station.
Working the smaller markets is the way broadcasters pay their dues, on the way up the ladder to bigger and better jobs. Years ago, I worked at KVAC 1490 in Forks, WA., my first radio gig, lasting all of one summer. The format was MOR with a Top 40 show in afternoon drive for the teenagers. The owner, at the time, was Gordon Otis. We didn’t have a teletype machine at KVAC. Instead, Otis would take a pair of scissors to the morning newspaper and construct the newscast we were to read that day. KVAC changed call letters years later to KFKB. The station has been silent for over a year now, and the license has expired. There are no AM stations now in Forks. The closest AM station would be KONP Port Angeles. I worked at KONP a few years after I left Forks. There is an FM station in Forks. KBDB (Twilight 96.7) was the sister station to KFKB-AM. The format at KBDB FM is adult contemporary music.
KEXP FM personality, Marco Collins was diagnosed with testicular cancer two months ago and has now started another round of chemotherapy, taking him off the air during this time. Collins previously worked at The End 107.7 FM.
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)
With the ownership change to KTQA 95.3 I’m going to miss hearing “Johnny Dollar” or “Suspense” driving from home to work and back each day. (My home and office are near the north and south limits of their coverage area, so this is almost like my own personal station.) They’ve been airing a lot of “Our Miss Brooks” lately and that’s not a favorite. The old radio dramas that I enjoy have been filler because this LPFM station hasn’t generated much local content, except the very strange show “Ask An Athiest,” which is also not on my favorites list.
I wonder WHEN the reported change in ownership will have an effect on programming. This report was from May 2019.
Mark Dolan from Chuck Ellsworth and Lee Perkins’ radio class at LH Bates Voc-Tech? Dewey Boynton was in the class, along with Dave Sawyer, Sam Lawson, Rick Nordlund.
Confirmed: “I remember you at Bates Tech, you, Dave Sawyer and me use to have some good laughs in the old control room at KTOY. I was at Bates tech the last day before KBTC (KTOY to us) went off the air it was pretty sad. They collected all the equipment and license and sold it. Good to hear from you, Mark”
I also worked at KVAC “The mighty 1490” with Larry Bailey, Buddy Howard, Al Clarke, Jerry Bebe. Sorry to hear it went silent, small AM stations are having a hard time of it now days. I remember KAPA in Raymond WA broadcasting out of a trailer. This station went silent also. Seems a lot of AM radio stations are being bought up by churches or have changed to Hispanic programming.. One of my favorite radio stations is a daytime radio station in Olympia Wa KBRD 680 AM, for 250 watts it has good coverage. I guess with the internet and cell phones the newer generation is not listening to AM, l hope the new generation will discover AM radio.