RICK BULGER writes: When I started out in radio back in 1969, I was at a station that subscribed to IGM programming. We ran Don McMaster and Del Olney on the AM and IGM beautiful music on FM. I think Bob Concie was one of the announcers on that format. I’ve been looking for pictures of those guys for a long time.
Thanks to Bob Van Proyen I finally found a picture if Don McMaster of IGM Music with McMaster fame. Still looking for pics of the IGM plant and of announcers Bob Concie and Del Olney.
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)
The music was pleasant and good listening, if only as background music. The variety TV shows of the time featured these artists in extravagent live performances where the music and voice didn’t come close to the recorded hit, resulting in forgettable presentations. The Mike Douglas and Merv Griffin shows had at least one cringey performance each day.
Dear Dean – I discovered MWM when I started college in Bozeman, MT in 1965. A golden age of AM radio for sure. In addition to Top 40 from as far away as KOMA in Oklahoma City, I spent many hours over several years listening to Bennett, Streisand, The Brass Ring, Brasil ’66, Nancy Wilson, VikkI Carr, The TJB, and many more, thanks to Don and his staff. I learned later that he was based in Bellingham for a time. Thank you. Bill Hanson, Laurel, MT
I was just a kid, maybe 10, when Don McMaster was at KPQ. His manner was so personable and his phrase, “Music with McMaster,” so memorable with its alliteration, I remember enjoying his work to this day. Thanks for the info here on your site.
Thank you, Dean.
As I mentioned in my email, we look forward to sharing any pictures or audio you may also have. Thank you for your comments!
I’m Dean McMaster, son of Don McMaster, I’m not sure if you’re interested in knowing more about my father but here’s a brief history, after leaving KGMI and IGM we moved to Wenatchee Washington where my Dad worked for KPQ radio for about 4 years and then it was off to Pasco Washington where he worked for KONA radio until he had suffered a major stroke ending his broadcast career as well as his musical career as an outstanding saxophonist, alto and tenor, he was a gigging musician playing in various Big Bands for decades, I was to eventually join him in playing together when I was just 15 years old! I played bass and still do, I am 60 now and when my Dad had his first stroke he was only 52, ten years past and then at age 62 he had a second stroke and after spending around a couple of weeks at a Veterans Hospital in Oregon he passed away. I took his death very hard, I was only 21-22 at the time but it was the 10 years that were the hardest to witness because after his first stroke he lost several of the things that he loved in one single day, he had went in for a surgery to remove calcium build ups in his arteries in his neck but a piece of the calcium broke off and entered his brain causing the stroke. Besides working in radio and playing music professionally he was an avid golfer, loved fishing and was a great family man, all of that was lost and every day I saw my Dad live in frustration, his speach was affected so bad that just saying a complete sentence was almost too challenging, wrong words would come out and so on, his right side was also affected making it difficult to walk and he could no longer use his right hand enough to even consider working a saxophone. Fortunately he was left handed but just writing his name was difficult. I’m sorry that I didn’t have a happier story to tell but I thought that anyone who either worked with or admired my Dad might like to know “THE REST OF THE STORY” as another great radio personality use to say, I hope that this was helpful. Thank you.
In 1969, I was in College and worked for KWTO in Springfield, MO. We had just put on the air KWTO-FM and had an IGM Music System. Although we were mainly a Country format, we subscribed to Don McMasters program for afternoon-evening hours.
Would love to hear some air checks of his programs, including his intro-exit theme song.
I, subsequently, migrated to TV and started a Company that designed and manufactured television hardware. We are in our 50th year and are doing Oil and Gas electronics
Gene B Randall, Jr
Versatech Industries Inc
14750 S Grant St
Bixby, OK. 74008
Surely, some small market radio station somewhere has at least one of these old tapes. It would be great to get a digitized copy of a couple hours of IGM programming.
Thank you, Dean.
We are keeping watch for any copies of at least a couple hours of Music with Mcmasters or other IGM programming.
Here’s a 1970 aircheck of the “Del-O Show” as broadcast by KSBY-FM in San Luis Obispo: https://archive.org/details/KSBY933FMStereoSanLuisObispoPopularEasyListening1970ReelToReelTape/
There’s an article in the June 9, 1969 issue of Broadcasting (“Automated Radio: It’s Alive and Prospering”) that lists all of the IGM formats at the time. From the description there, I think this would have been the “Sovereign” format, which was “contemporary and traditional popular tunes.”
Locally, KBRO in Bremerton used IGM automation and the AM side aired Music with McMaster and the Del-O Show. Jason, if you can pull up the Aug. 13, 1965, Bremerton Sun on Newspapers.com, there’s a picture of the IGM rig on Page 13.
Awesome! That sound brings back memories. Great find! I added that link to the AIRCHECKS page. Keep them coming, T.K.
BROADCASTING article pertaining to IGM and Rogan Jones also added to AIRCHECKS page.
Now that I had a chance to listen to the entire thing… the tail end of the recording, beginning at 1:25:25, is an aircheck of McMaster.
My subscription to Newspapers.com has lapsed. I hope to renew that subscription shortly.
Here’s the 1965 KBRO Open House clipping with picture of the IGM Simplimation equipment: https://www.newspapers.com/article/kitsap-sun-kbro-open-house-1965/124311460/. (CE Nick Solberg went on to IGM after KBRO. Note also Don Atkinson, who would later buy KTNT and eventually move it to Silverdale, and Jim Blossey, later of KVI. GM Linc Perry was affiliated with KBRO for about 20 years and long involved in promoting amateur athletics in Kitsap County.)
The next page over there is an ad from IGM: https://www.newspapers.com/article/kitsap-sun/124312589/
Here’s an ad from Buffalo with pictures of Olney and McMaster: https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-buffalo-news/124312724/
And here’s a complaint from a loyal McMaster/Del-O listener in Knoxville, upset that they were replaced by Drake-Chenault’s Hit Parade ’71: https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-knoxville-news-sentinel/124313366/ (I had to laugh at how Bellingham=New York to the good folks in Tennessee.)
From what I could find in my search, the largest market station that aired IGM Sovereign was WJR-FM in Detroit.
McMaster and Olney were two different people. The article had incorrect info, but, oh well.
Fun to hear this. When I was a kid in Bellingham my folks listened to KGMI. McMaster in the morning and it seemed like Del O the rest of the day.
Dean….for an article I am writing can you give me an estimate of the year your dad moved to Bellingham to voice track for IGM. I know he was on in 1966 and well into the 1970s. Just trying to determine the years when he was on the air at KGMI by working with IGM and when he went to Wenatchee. Also, did he still voicetrack for IGM while at KPQ? Thanks.