Read Ron DeHart’s story KTAC-Tacoma’s Big 85
KTAC jingle collection. Includes a few that never made it to air.
KBRD Airchecks: Todd Shelton June 1982, Steve Sibulsky June 1984
The Todd Shelton piece is from June of ’82 Just two AM drive news breaks.
Todd Shelton – KBRD – June 1982 (3:53)
This is my final shift from June of ’84. The entire track is over 30 minutes… I scoped the commercials to bring it in at just under 13!
Steve Sibulsky – KBRD -June 1984 (12:51)
Some notes:
This was a Saturday afternoon shift. Even on weekends, the full-timers only pulled 3-hour shifts!
The spot load was pretty high…and we very carefully ‘ranked’ our spots by obnoxiousness! The most irritating spots – coded as sevens- ran at the :45 break, so as to keep listeners thru three quarter hours before they got fed up! It worked…we had some terrific TSL numbers!
Note the Bob Cochran liners and the Wein Air Alaska spot at the very end!
You’ll also find printouts (remember TapScan?) of the Fall ’83 Arbitron showing my PM drive numbers…I actually beat KIRO!
Click pics to enlarge
Steve Sibulsky
Wes Longino at KBRD FM 104 The Beautiful Music sister station of KTAC.
“Aircheck” kind of implies music, but the way the KBRD studios were set up, the tape decks fed straight to the processing, not stopping at the console. So all you get is the voice and the commercials. We had some great ones! -Steve Sibulsky
Wes Longino – KBRD FM 104 – August 1982 (17:35)
Bruce Cannon KJRB, KTAC personality and Program Director, KPMA, KASY personality and Program Director, KQAK, KOZI – Probably the most memorable of all KTAC personalities, Sugar Bruce.
Bruce Cannon – KASY (23:52)
Bruce Cannon memorial (4:51)
Bill Ogden/Marc Taylor began in broadcasting in 1966, He retired in 2011. “While radio has been a passion,” Ogden said, “I found I had the need for other employment to pay the bills and to keep my sanity. So while I was playing radio in Centralia, McMinnville, Bellingham, Auburn, Tacoma, Olympia, and Seattle, I variously owned some grocery stores, was a college administrator and taught public school (for 18 years).. After his start in McMinnville, Ogden got the newsjob at KPUG 1170, Bellingham. “I got a paycheck! I replaced Steve West! I got my picture on the wall! I even got my picture on the KPUG 1170 Top-40 Hit List.” Under the name Marc Taylor, Ogden worked at KTAC, Tacoma, and then behind the newsdesks at KJUN, Puyallup, KASY, Auburn, KXXO-FM, Olympia, KRPM-FM, Tacoma, and KTAC again, During Metro Traffic stints, he usually was heard on KOMO-AM and KING TV weekend newscasts. In 2012 Ogden was commercial accounts manager at a local car dealership. (VICTOR STREDICKE)
Basement Tapes 1 – Airchecks from KJUN, KTAC, and KOMO
Basement Tapes 2 – Airchecks from KING 5, KVI, KPLZ and KTAC
Basement Tapes 3 – Aircheck from KXXO Olympia
Basement Tapes 4 – KING 5 Traffic, Bob Robertson, KTAC Morning Show
KBRD FM November 11 1989 (21:46)
KBRD FM September 2 1989 (25:40)
KOMO 1000 News July 2001 (3:44)
KOMO News- KIRO 710 and KING TV 5 Traffic Reports (10:34)
KOMO Traffic Reports (3:29)
KXXO August 30 1997 (35:39)
Bill Ogden/Marc Taylor KXXO FM Memorial Day 1989 (35:00)
KXXO October 11 1997 (28:01)
KXXO October 12 1997 (19:52)
Mix 92.5 and KVI Traffic Reports 2003 as Marc Taylor (5:56)
Bob Robertson-KTAC Sports Report 1990 (2:06)
Bob Robertson (1929-2020)
Lou Robbins
Lou Robbins-Bill Ogden KTAC Tacoma May 1990 (8:29)
Lou Robbins-Bill Ogden KTAC Tacoma September 1990 (9:13)
Lou Robbins-Bill Ogden KTAC Tacoma 1990 (2:00)
Celebrity gossip and witty banter from Bill Ogden and Lou Robbins at KTAC Tacoma (4:45)
Lou Robbins and Bill Ogden KTAC includes a Frederick & Nelson spot (4:49)
Lou Robbins and Bill Ogden KTAC It must have been Pet Report day, there is a dog barking outside the KTAC studio (3:15)
Lou Robbins – KMTT Seattle 1991 (14:11)
Lou Robbins – KOOL Phoenix 1995 – 1997 (7:46)
Robert O. Smith KTAC Thanksgiving 1972 (6:32)
Sam Lawson’s Audio Vault: KTAC, Tacoma – Cory Landon (Sam Lawson), 1977
Runtime: 3:47
Cory Landon was my alter ego at KTAC. As I recall it was Harold Greenberg, the station manager, who wanted the station to have a DJ named Cory, and PD Ric Hansen had no objection to me tweaking my last name as well, so Cory Landon was born. From what I can tell he drank a lot of coffee.
Gary Franklin (16:10)
Gary was a weekender at KTAC with a style of his own. One weekend, Franklin had come to work after a few drinks, which lead to him being fired by then Program Director – Ric Hansen. This is a recording from that fateful day.
(August 1980-Tim Shook collection)
H2O News – Demo – GMI Media for KHHO 850 Tacoma – South Sound News format (4:40)
KTAC 850 TACOMA
In the late 1950s, popular local disc jockey and jazz aficionado Bob Summerise, Jr. (1925-2010) used to broadcast the “coolest sounds on Puget Sound” afternoons on KTAC-AM (Tacoma, Washington).
He was the first African-American on-air personality and the first with an engineers license in the area. He owned an influential record store named “Summerise’s World of Music” on Jackson Street in Seattle. – Jim Baxter (FB)
The studio was moved from the second floor of the Puget Sound Bank Building in Tacoma to a beautiful new, studio/transmitter located at 2715 Center Street, literally in the center of Tacoma. In the early 50’s, KTBI received permission to move from 810 to 850 and go full time. On 850, the station call letters changed to KTAC.
Sports and Talk – In 1998, the station was acquired by The Ackerley Group and adopted an all-sports format, featuring programming from ESPN Radio, then CBS Sports Radio and later NBC Sports Radio. For a time, it simulcast 1090 KFNQ in Seattle. In 2002, it was acquired by iHeartMedia, Inc. KHHO changed from sports radio to a conservative talk format on February 8, 2018. —On June 29, 2020, 15 stations owned by iHeart, including KHHO, began stunting with speeches targeting African American audiences. The stations, all in markets with large African American populations, were promoting “Our Voices Will Be Heard” and an announcement took place Tuesday, June 30 at Noon. At that time, the stations launched a nationwide news/talk network deemed the “Black Information Network”, as several domains with that branding were registered by iHeart the previous Friday, the 26th.
Personalities: Jim Nelly worked at KMO as GSM — was hired by Ron Murphy at KTAC and was General Manager at 850 KTAC/Tacoma 1969-1974. KTAC was purchased by Joe Field [Entercom] in 1973. Jim Nelly was let go shortly after the purchase of KTAC by Entercom. Nelly had a short career, approx. 3 months, at KZAM/Bellevue in 1974. From there, he became GM at KORL/Honolulu – hiring Lan Roberts in 1975. In 1976, Jim Nelly purchased KUJ/Walla Walla, he acted as GM & PD there until selling the station in 1980; Roall Erickson, Bill Luckhurst-Chief Engineer in the 60s, Murray Morgan, Clay Huntington [KTBI], Jerry Geehan, Len Higgins [KTBI], Burt McMurtrie, Rich Ellis, Dick Weeks, Ric [Richard Mattson] Hansen, Cory Landon (Sam Lawson), Gary Crow, Bruce Cannon, Bruce Bond (KTAC Production Director late 80s), Bobby Simon [1973 mid-days and mornings in 1988], Steve West, Chris Hill/Dale Unruh, Rick Austin, Bobby McAllister, Bob Case, Robert E. Lee Hardwick, Paul Thompson, Derek Shannon, Greg [Grant Broadwell] Cook, Dudley, Robert O. Smith, Fred Ross–News, J.J. Valley, Don Wade, Ron Ericson/Ron Hoon [FOX 10 News/Phoenix], Ed Jacobsen, Doug Klippert, Joe Fiala, Bill Ogden [Marc Taylor 1968-1970] newsman at KTAC 1988-1991, Jefferson Kaye [Roger Dale], Dale Hubbard, Lou Robbins, Jaynie Dillon, Steve Lloyd, Todd Mitchell, John Nelson, Sean [Vic Orlando] Carter, Rick Donovan [moved to KING AM in 1973], Tom Reddick, Dudley [weekends at KJR 1972], Lee Askervold, Program Director-1967 [from KING Radio], Bob Robertson, Rob Sherwood, Paul Chambers, Kacie Sommers, Robert Brokman (sales manager), John Williams, Ken Copper, Dick Haugen, Nick Diamond, Don Patrick, Chuck Bolland, Mike Garland, Scotty McKay; and the following info from Bill Taylor, news director 1967: Jack Allen (DJ); Dave Allen (DJ); John Welch (DJ); Lee Knudsen (DJ) from KING FM -1967; Bruce McMichael (news director, 1966).
Back Row Robert O, Bobby Simon, Bruce Cannon, front row Rick Donovan, Dick Jenkins, John Williams.
Cory Landon/KTAC aircheck by Sam Lawson is a good high-energy delivery. I enjoyed the same at KOOL/Phoenix. A non-stop 4 hours of relating to the music and what was likely going on with the listeners on that day. It was also the quest for the perfect aircheck. Never fully satisfied, but sometimes came close to what I was seeking.