Victor Stredicke – August 11, 1974 – In a sense, Al Cummings is earning a week’s salary in one day. The day begins at 10 AM Sunday on KBES, Bellevue, and ends at midnight on KRKO, Everett.
“I need the money,” Cummings explained between shows. He is enrolled at graduate school at the University of Washington and expects to spend weekdays with the books.
The new program on KBES is titled “The Sunday Show.” Four of the shows eight hours will permit Cummings to use the station’s mobile unit, to visit and broadcast from a variety of summer events.
“The objective of the show is to make people welcome at Pacific Northwest activities,” Cummings said. He hopes that people who listen may even stop listening and become participants in the events he is describing.
As part of a public service package, Cummings will publicize almost any kind of East Side event, meeting or activity.
The program will include music and sports reports, with voices of Tom Kelly and Don Carlisle when Cummings is on the move.
At 6 PM, Cummings has an hour to drive to Everett, where he regularly moderates another public affairs talk program.
When Everett listeners don’t respond with phone-in and talk, Cummings reaches into his bag of tricks. He offers reminisces, recorded lectures and oddball recordings.
Cummings is the only personality in radio who plays Wayne and Shuster. Nobody has heard from them since Ed Sullivan gave up on Sunday night television.
Household Word…
The most probable reason KJR dumped Norm Gregory is that he did not become a “household word” in his term as afternoon disc jockey. The 6 foot, 7 inch tall disc jockey had no cut-out cardboard merchandise displays of himself, like Tom Murphy used to, and did not offer the promise of appearing before high school assemblies that Kevin O’Brien, new afternoon disc jockey, has.
Twisting the dial…
Fudgsicles, fish and ice cream bars are topics on the short Mike Roy program, Cooking Thing, at 12:15 PM weekdays on KIXI AM. Tomorrow it’s zucchini pimento casserole; Tuesday its ice cream bars and fudgsicles; Thursday its pan-fried trout, Friday its strawberry foam. Wednesday, Roy discusses a restaurant visit.
Tom Berghan IS MUSIC DIRECTOR AT KRAB.
Steve Reeder does mornings on KUOW; Randy McCarthy does mornings on KRAB.
The monthly FM and fine arts guide, Soundings Northwest, is celebrating its ninth year of publication this month.
KING FM’s monthly drama offering, at 9 PM this Thursday, will be “The School for Scandal,” starring Ralph Richardson and Sir John Gielgud.
Ownership stuff…
Sterling Recreation Organization, licensee of KTW and KZOK, has added another property to its broadcast division. The new station is Longview’s FM station, KLYK. Ted Taylor, general manager of Sterling’s AM station, KEDO, will manage both stations.
John Mowbray and Chris Wedes, majority owners of KQIN, Have sold KEED, Eugene, to Margaret J Powell and others.
A reorganization of ownership for KENE, Toppenish, sees John DiMeo out and Donald Nelson in. DiMeo owns KPUG and KERI, Bellingham, and manages KAYO, Seattle. Nelson is a partner with DiMeo and others in KBKW, Aberdeen, and manages KXLE AM and FM, Ellensburg.
Former radio columnist for the Seattle Times (1964-1989).
— View other articles by Victor Stredicke
Did not know that J.P. was part owner of KQIN. I used to listen to Robin Sherwood and Burl Barer on KQIN in 74. They also did weekends at KOL-AM. Sherwood used his real name at KQIN. Jim Hewett.
Not one of his ex-wives. But other than that it is an unusual name. Especially spelled that way. His first wife was an heiress to some tobacco fortune. Of that I know.
Thanks for the info, Steven. No, it doesn’t sound like she was a family member or in that circle.
“DiMeo owns KPUG and KERI, Bellingham, and manages KAYO, Seattle. Nelson is a partner with DiMeo and others in KBKW, Aberdeen, and manages KXLE AM and FM, Ellensburg.”
I think the part about KPUG and KERI is incorrect. I was at KPUG in August 1974 and all of us who worked there believed the boss and main owner was Bob Pollack. We all called him Mr. KPUG since the mid-sixties. First time I heard the term was from Gary Shannon, when I was a teen and he was not that much older. Pollack’s son Mike was the OM of the FM only. Difficult as hell personality to work with (not solely my opinion) but we all knew he would run it all some day. And Bob’s wife Flossie was a frequent visitor and she had plenty of clout. At the time Pollack had his regular job in Seattle, as I recall the sales manager of KAYO, but he often came up to B’Ham weekends to meet with Jim Tincker, the GM at KPUG. Now I know Jessica Longston started KPUG, and it seems to me DiMeo did have an ownership connection or percentage early on. But if he still had one in 1974 I would be surprised. In fact I recall the ownership that was described to those of us who were curious. This is approximate, but not too far off. 1170 KPUG was owned by Pollack with Jim Tincker and Dick Stark having smaller percentages like 15% between them. And KERI was mainly owned by Pollack, but Tincker, Stark and Dave Hall, a longtime employee and sales guy, all had a share in it. Like Tincker and Stark together at maybe 25% and Hall less than that.
Thomas W. Read bought up a lot of Eastern Washington radio properties and started his American Christian Network.
(1976) East Wenatchee, Wash.- Thomas W. Read seeks 97.7 mhz. 3 kw. HAAT: -150 ft. Address: Box 683 Spokane, Wash. 99210. Estimated construction cost: S9,500; first quarter operating cost: 510,500; revenue $60,000. Format: Mature. Principal: Read owns TWR Enterprises which is advertising. radio program production and syndication and broadcast equipment sales firm. He also owns KQIN(AM) Burien. Wash. Filed Feb. 26.
What we see on the sale of KEED: Century- Pacific Broadcasting Inc. to Buyer: Town Crier Inc. for $182,830. Principals in Century -Pacific are John W. Mowbray, majority owner of KQIN(AM) Burien, Wash.; Chris Wedes, Seattle television personality, and James O’Neal. Principals in buyer are Margaret J. Powell; A. J. Summers; Charlotte Summers; Michael Stone, KEED program director, and Jon Guthrie. KEED operates full time on 1450 khz with 1 kw day, 250 w night. Broker was William A. Exline Inc., headquartered in San Rafael, Calif.
(1975) The sale of KQIN== KQIN(AM) Burien, Wash.: Sold by Suburban Broadcasters Inc. to new corporation, KETO CO., which will own it and KETO(FM) Seattle. Principal of Suburban, John W. Mobray, will acquire 30% of new firm. Mr. Mobray also has interest in cor- poration that recently received FCC approval to sell KEED(AM) Eugene, Ore., to Monroe Broadcasting Corp. (Wesley L. Monroe, Stephen E. Dean and Delbert Bertholf, principals) for $200,000 (BROADCASTING, Oct. 27). Remaining 70% of KETO Co. will be owned by KETOFM Association, which now owns KETO(FM) and whose principals are Sidney R. Knafel (50 %) and George Lindermann (50 %). Seller also agrees to pay up to $15,000 in operating expenses. KQIN is daytimer on 800 khz with 500 w.
So, if Monroe bought KEED, that would mean the deal with Margaret J Powell and others FAILED. Broadcasting reported the sale of both stations to Monroe, as of 1975 when KQIN sold.
And then this from February 1976— (BAPH -586). Action Feb. 2. KQIN(AM) Burlen, Wash. (800 khz, 500 w -D, DA)- Broadcast Bureau granted assignment of license from Suburban Broadcasters to KETO Co. for assumption of debt, promise of employment. Buyer: KETO Co. is jointly owned by KETO -FM Associates and Suburban. KETO -FM Associates (70%) is a limited partnership, and licensee of KETO -FM Seattle, John W. Mowbray is president of Suburban Broadcasters (30%) BAL- 8540). Action Feb. 4. KETO -FM Seattle- Broadcast Bureau granted assignment of license to KETO -FM Associates, a limited partnership and Suburban Broadcasters Inc.
dba KETO Company (BALH -2199, BALST -282). Action Feb. 4
KETO -FM Seattle- Broadcast Bureau granted assignment of license to KETO -FM Associates, a limited partnership and Suburban Broadcasters Inc. dba KETO Company (BALH -2199, BALST -282). Action Feb. 4.
February 1977 — KQIN(AM) Burlen, Wash. (800 khz; 500 w -D)- Broadcast Bureau granted assignment of license from
Suburban Broadcasters to Thomas W. Reed for $160,- 000. Seller is owned by John W Mowbray and Anthony E. Thein who have no other broadcast interests. Buyer owns TWR Enterprises, Spokane, Wash., advertising, rep and radio production company (BAL- 8841). Action Feb. I I.
6 months later in August 1976 KETO-FM was sold to Gene Autry’s Golden West Broadcasters and became Top-40 KVI-FM(later KPLZ).That was one of the first FM stations I listened to.
Noticed that Chris Wedes (J.P. Patches) was at one time a part owner of KQIN. Probably not a money maker for that clown 🙂
I grew up in Burien and barely knew KQIN even existed.