AIRCHECKS


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DUANE SMART | JAY HAMILTON | JEFF SNYDER’S RARE AUDIO | KIRK WILDE | MIKE CHERRY | RON DEHART
RADIO CONFERENCE CALL | SAM LAWSON’S AUDIO VAULT | STEVEN L. SMITH | VICTOR STREDICKE



KOMO’s Del Olney voicing IGM’s “Sovereign” format on KSBY FM/San Luis Obispo – 1970 (1:39:01)


(BROADCASTING – June 9, 1969) IGM was founded 10 years ago by Rogan Jones Sr. when he and his associates ran into programming problems for the old Heritage FM network that operated on the West Coast from Los Angeles to Portland, Ore., as well as for their still-owned KGMI -AM -FM in Bellingham, Wash. KPQ Wenatchee, Wash., is owned privately by Mr. Jones Sr. IGM started mastering tapes for the five-station network. And at the same time it began designing and later manufacturing automation equipment for those stations and others. Today, IGM serves 350 stations with its bulk-cued music tape programming.
Three years ago it was a scant 200. The music service accounts for about one-third of IGM’s total revenues which have been increasing at about 30% a year for the last few years. IGM has about 16,000 hours of music on master tapes. Each tape reel contains up to three hours of programming. The Bellingham company offers a series of packages, divided into “announced” and “unannounced” productions. By “announced,” the company means that one of its own announcers introduces each number and in many cases closes the selection with comments. The monthly packages include “Sovereign,” contemporary and traditional popular tunes; “Premier,” bright, medium, quiet music, ranging from traditional pop to conservative good music; “Concert Overtures and Encores,” good music to light classics, and “Heritage,” straight classical selections. To the unannounced series, IGM supplies “Downbeat,” principally traditional pop; “XL Stereo,” ranging from traditional pop to conservative good music; “Music Theater,” utilizing Broadway and movie show tunes; “Spectrum,” a melange of dance bands, pop vocals, smooth orchestra, plain orchestra, selected vocals, concert orchestra, light classical, and “Jazz Quartet,” which runs the gamut of tempos from “robust” to “satin” to “vocal.” On a weekly basis, also unannounced and also unformatted, is IGM’s “Spotlight” package, designed to provide the latest hit tunes for customers who can intermix them with their regular series or mix them with other program sources at the studio. For the unannounced series, stations usually use their own announcers. These programs are put together under the direction of Donald Hedman, a former Seattle disc jockey, who joined IGM nine years ago. The announced series principally carry the identified voices of Del Olney, an ex-Seattle disc jockey, and of Don McMaster, a former Portland and Seattle disc jockey. IGM also uses other announcers whose identities are not made known. IGM also provides customized services to individual stations that desire their own personalized programs, and it also syndicates programs developed by individual stations or groups. At the present time IGM is offering “Americana,” produced by Plough Broadcasting Co., which is headquartered in Memphis, a center for this idiom, and which consists of an announced stereo library service of country- and -western music. Also a part of the “Americana” series is “Spotlight,” a tape of 20 to 30 new selections, sent to subscribers twice a month. Rogan Jones Jr., who runs the firm, has a special view of the burgeoning automated programing field. “I think the hardest thing to do when you automate,” he said the other day, “is to understand your equipment. To make it do what you want it to do.” When Mr. Jones sells automation he sells not only dollar savings, but he tries to impress his prospect with a higher purpose: “By freeing your staff so it can be used more efficiently, you can make the station consistently better all through the week. Your station becomes a more valuable property.”
But Mr. Jones argues that without his saying so, seven out of 10 prospects immediately think of how they can re- shuffle their staff more effectively. “The broadcaster realizes,” Mr. Jones em- phasizes, “that he can use his best announcers and personalities over a greater number of programs.” Mr. Jones cites another reason for the movement toward automation: “Many stations, especially in the smaller cities, can’t get the right kind of people for programing or engineering,” he says. “What they get is marginal people. Or, if they get a good man, he doesn’t stay long: he wants to move up to the big city.”


This is classic MOR [middle-of-the-road] Radio from the 60s. These are airchecks of the best small market radio station in the Pacific Northwest at the time, KASY Auburn. These airchecks showcase the great music, that “KASY Kind of Music”. The commercials and newscast are the only short breaks in the flow of the music. These airchecks from the summer of 1968 – when music still reigned on AM radio, are unscoped. At an MOR station, such as KASY, the delivery was kind of laid back and presented in an adult manner. No morning zoo types here. Sit back and enjoy! [Cue the Bert Kaempfert music]


Part 1 (32:48)


Part 2 (33:06)

aircheck courtesy of Rockwell Smith, Radio Engineering Manager, Journal Broadcast Group – Idaho, KJOT, KQXR, KRVB, KTHI, KGEM-AM, KCID-AM.


KBRO – downloaded from OTR Annex – notations are from OTR Annex post. Both sides of the reel contain an aircheck from KBRO Bremerton, WA. June 24, 1974. Dated by reference in news broadcast regarding Tito’s visit to West Germany and the Supreme Court Jenkins v Georgia decision. There are a few edits but it sounds like mostly a continuous recording. The recording is in stereo and was recorded at 3-3/4 ips. Steve Schilling is the host. Scoped files have only the music removed.

(1) Easy listening music. News at 9am President Nixon’s Watergate issues; Tito visits West Germany; Puget Sound grocery clerks strike ends; commercial for Montgomery Ward.
Easy listening music. Traffic reports. Buy Swap and Sell Show. Announcer reads ads sent in by listeners.
News at 10am Trident submarine; Grocery strike; Alaska ferry; weather
Easy listening music. Job availabilities in the area.



KBRO Easy Listening (27:26)

(2) Easy listening music continues. News at 11:29am. Earl Nightengale and Our Changing World about 15 minutes of commentary. 12 noon Station ID and news; Mike Bentley reads; Nixon watergate; Trident submarine and environmental impacts; grocery clerk strike; electrical workers labor issues; US Supreme Court issues decency decision in the case of the film Carnal Knowledge; other local and area news; comment by listeners;
The Quarterdeck Show- Hosted by Steve Schilling interviews beauty pageant contestants. About 15 minutes of the broadcast.



KBRO Easy Listening (48:58)


KETO Jingles

These KETO-FM jingles (2:40) were shared from a broadcast friend. I would think they date back to the early mid 70’s, but I really don’t know. Mr. Music Man, Duane Smart


KGAA Jingles

KGAA Jingles AM 1460 Kirkland 1979 (1:34). Owned at the time by Wes Monroe, owner of KGA Spokane.


The “YOU” package from 95.3 KGHO Hoquiam. Steve West got his start there when it was KHOK, Stan Foreman was PD there in the late 60’s and early 70’s. Other names from the station… Jimmy Powers, Scott Patrick, Von Williams, Richard Dee, Randy Roadz, Jim Willhight, Paul Thompson, Nic Scott, Charlie Mitchell, Gary Crow, Gary Shannon, Dale Hubbard, Ron Harris, Buzz Barr and a cast of dozens graced the airwaves of the Coastal Washington Powerhouse.


KGHO “You” jingle montage – (10:26)




KGY jingle package


KGY was one of the oldest radio stations in the state of Washington. It was licensed in 1922 and began broadcasting April 15th, 1922, at St. Martin’s College, for a while out of a log cabin, as 7YS. “The log cabin station, where the cedars meet the sea.” The affiliated station KGY-FM began operations in 1992. The AM and FM stations’ studios were both located on Port of Olympia property at the southern end of Budd Inlet.– For most of the modern day period of KGY, the morning show was hosted by General Manager Dick Pust, who had been at the station since 1959. He continually hosted the morning show since 1967–the longest continually running morning radio show in the state of Washington, until Pust was fired after nearly 50 years at KGY. [Wikipedia]
—January 6, 2011 [Olympian]– After a career spanning 51 years with KGY Radio, local broadcasting legend Dick Pust’s career with the station ended suddenly Wednesday when he was let go as the station’s general manager. He hosted his final early-morning radio show Wednesday at the iconic station that overlooks Budd Inlet, the last installment of a six-day-a-week broadcast that began at 5:30 a.m. and has run since 1967.
KGY personalities: Ty Flint, Bob O’Brien, PJ Kirkland, Ed Evans, Willy Kelly, Smilin’ Jay Andrews, Randy Roadz, Rick Schaeffer, Mike Altman, Dick Pust, Bob MacLeod.

The Kerry family sold KGY AM 1240 to Sacred Heart Radio in 2014, ending family operation of the station held since 1939. Call letters changed to KBUP November 2014.



1250 KKFX-Robert L. Scott/Brandi Walker (9:07)


Recorded with an RCA Opal Mp3 player, which receives FM radio and records up to 8 hours of audio.


Here are 2 hours and 18 minutes of the KPLU-KNKX switch. This starts during the final 30 minutes of 88.5 as KPLU… 08/31/2016


Larry Nelson -KOMO (10:44)


Salute to Larry Nelson (16:53)


Kirk Wilde – KPUG



Steven Smith uploaded a video about “KPUG in Bellingham, and probably the most popular ever jock in this town….Kirk Wilde. At KSND, he was Kirk Allison on the air. This has cool collection of 1960’s photos of Wilde and the back ground track is a real KPUG jingle from 1966-1967.”



Early Ichabod Caine Audio (2:15)
This is Randy Evans at KPUG in 1972. The quality is not great, but it does have historical significance. Randy Evans was Randy Hansen in real life. He went over to KJRB after KPUG, then on to Spokane and he ended up as Ichabod Caine in Seattle. So he is one of the Seattle legends and this may be his earliest gig. It is scoped a bit….cut out some music, an ad and news. About 2.5 minutes. I had no clue I had it, just stumbled on it. –Steven Smith

(Newspaper ad circa 1985)



KRKO‘s  format at the time (1993) was classic oldies.  Originally posted by Bill Harms to Tophour website.


106 KRPM Jingles co-owned, by Ray & Cheri Courtmanche, with 1450 Puyallup.(00:24)


KRWM Warm 106.9 Mike Purdy 1996 (14:45)


KUJ Walla Walla Sign-Off late 60s/early 70s (4:58)
KUJ Wake-Up Song

Oldies 1590 KUUU jingle (:02)


A rarity- KXA 770 November 22, 1963 (42:47) — News bulletins and a subtle music change.


Do The Puyallup!
Puy FairFrom the mid 70’s here is “Do The Puyallup”. I can’t recall my source, but it ends a bit abruptly. Just a fun jingle and the videos were fun, too. Mr. Music Man, Duane Smart



Do The Puyallup (1:42)



Out of the archives here are five Bill Pierre Commercials, with his toe-tapping jingle. I believe they ran in the late 50’s and early 60’s. I don’t know where they were produced, I am assuming in Seattle. I don’t know who the announcer is, either. They were transferred from acetates by a broadcast friend and shared with me. – Duane Smart

September 11 1997 – “He could sell ice to an Eskimo. He was just a natural salesman,” said his son Bill Pierre Jr. “But he was also known for his fair deals.” Mr. Pierre, founder of Bill Pierre Ford in 1947, died Tuesday. He had been ill in recent weeks, suffering heart-related problems and pneumonia. He was 85. Seattle Times

Dr. Demento with Duane Smart

I made it through the Doctor Demento request line 30 years ago. I received a letter and a T-Shirt saying my request was going to be used. The show ran on 1590 KJET then. The show was furninshed on 2 vinyl LP’s and the chief engineer, who’s name I cannot recall gave me the two discs, along with the cue sheets. Here is what it sounded like.



Mr. Music Man – Duane Smart … Dr. Demento (4:44)


Harrison Woods. August 21, 1950. Mutual network (Sustaining) Harrison Woods, Mutual Broadcasting System newscaster (possibly drunk at the time) with news and commentary.



Ray Littrell talks about Dick Stokke’s mail & Jerry Holzinger



Wolfman Jack -Today’s radio has got no soul. A discussion of how corporate radio is killing the terrestrial broadcast model we have been used to.



God Made A DJ- Novelty record



Stan Freberg – ‘Who Listens To Radio?’ the original six 1965 radio spots Vocals by Sarah Vaughan, arranged and conducted by Quincy Jones, featuring Byron Kane, Naomi Lewis, Peter Leeds, Paul Frees, and Jesse White. Produced by Freberg for the Station Representatives Association, Inc. (SRA) rather than for the sometimes-credited Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB) or National Association Of Broadcasters (NAB).


Dick Ellingson filling in for Don Lane/KAYO; Van Johnson/KYYX; Magic Matt Alan/KRKO; Gary Lockwood/KJR; Pat Garrett/KMPS (5:40)


Tacoma FM remote live from Tacoma’s Antique Sandwich Shop (1:27)


Summer of 2014 — We visited Bill Wolfenbarger, owner and chief engineer at the Jodesha Broadcasting complex in Aberdeen. Bill has been a part of the Pacific Northwest broadcast scene for decades. His experience ranges from time in small markets like KMCM McMinnville and big time radio such as KOL Seattle. At the time of this interview, Wolfenbarger operated a chain of stations in Southwest Washington.





Several radio station commercials running on TV in the 1980s KVI – KXA – KJET & KZOK




AIRCHECKS: KISN Thanksgiving with Tom Michaels (1967) |
Pat Cashman on SyFy Tv network “We Interrupt This Program” | Jimmy Fidler In Hollywood gossip report (1940)

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6 thoughts on “AIRCHECKS

  1. Among the KXA personalities back in those days: Del Olney, Bill O’Mara, Bill Apple, John Sherman, Rudy Perez, Chuck Bras, Lloyd Allen ?, Dick Stokke (Norm Bobrow left to program a NYC FM station in 1961, I don’t know if he returned to KXA years later but did come back to Seattle.)

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