September 16, 1984 – Lee Perkins and wife Carol Lee have moved to Enterprise, Oregon, to operate KWVR AM, a station they bought this month. The purchase includes a construction permit for an FM station.
Perkins, a top 40 personality in the 1950s and 1960s, most recently has been an instructor and department head at LH Bates vocational Institute, Tacoma, and manager of KTOY FM.
He said KWVR will continue its country music format.
Enterprise is in the northeast corner of Oregon, the last town on a dead-end road in the Wallowa Mountains. Perkins said that three major nearby communities are Enterprise, Wallowa and Lostine. When he gets the FM station on the air, Enterprise folk won’t have to tune to Spokane stations.
Andy Ludlum, managing editor of KIRO NewsRadio the past five years, is off to Kansas City, where he will be news director of KMBZ, a news and information station similar to KIRO. It is a sister station, owned by Bonneville broadcasting. Lynn Olson becomes KIRO’s new managing editor, with John Chelmeniak ecoming editor of planning and development.
KIRO has instituted a full-time money-financial editor, Gary Christiansen. He had been evening news host and business reporter since last year. He previously worked at KIRO from 1976 to 1980.
KOMO released off air news director Gary Stewart and two others in what Rich Robertson, general manager, described as a budgetary move. “11 full-time news staffers remain,” says Ken Kohl, KOMO’s manager of news and programming.
KING AM has hired Greg Tantum as program director and operations manager. He previously was news director at KOGO, San Diego. The weekend before Tantum arrived, three news staffers were dismissed as the station change daytime emphasis. Among those affected: Fran Martin and Lisa Gross. According to a station announcement, Midday Report has expanded from 9 AM to 4 PM and will have more interviews, commentaries and news profiles, less hard news.
Former radio columnist for the Seattle Times (1964-1989).
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Where is Lee Perkins now? We used to get firewood together in the early 70s when he and his wife at the time, Rosie lived in Gig Harbor.
Still in Enterprise, though he sold off the radio station years ago.