I read at length over the last few hours an article that is in Billboard this month about one of my major influences in radio, Howard Stern.
While it can and I do often argue that I was doing edgy radio long before Stern found his way to WNBC , still I can say with pure honesty, that Stern showed you CAN be yourself on radio , you can stretch the boundaries, of what’s believed taboo, and what really is territory left alone. I as a youth always had a fascination with anything with buttons, switches, lights and gizmos of every kind. Beit in an aircraft or in a radio studio. That’s how I stepped into the business. I first was introduced up front and personal to a cat in Utah at the KCPX AM 1320 the biggest top pop 40 station in that market at age 7. I went there as a winner of some contest you won if you sent in enough box tops from some childrens cereal. You got a feature spot on a kids morning variety cartoon show called the Fireman Frank Show, that was on the TV side of KCPX. So this evenings taping of the Fireman Frank Show, I was there, and had to go pee really bad. So walked by this big glass studio, the door was open and that control console with all those switches, and lights, this was a toy and flavor I had never tasted before, I could not resist. So there I was standing in front of this old by today’s standards GATES console, wondering do I play with this or not when Wooly Waldron, walked in. He asked me a few questions and said you want on the air? Okay, so I started reading raw air copy of some idiotic store there, shit I didn’t know what I was reading or what half the words meant , but I could pronounce them really good. About this time Mom and Dad , but mostly Mom, got a bit nervous as to where I had went, and the director of the Fireman Frank Show was getting a bit anxious to boot. So mom found me chatting on the air on KCPX, I went in and did my bit on Frank’s show, came back, Mom And Dad and some big head cheese there and Wooly, did some talking, and as long as I kept my grades up, I could come in on Friday and Saturday nights for 3 hours as there was a gap there they needed to fill. Mom and Dad used the time to be Mom & Dad and I was on the air.
Now KCPX didn’t care if I was a bit crude on air infact they encouraged it. An southern hillbilly playing top 40 rock. It was a hoot. I started putting things in about this chick I had a serious crush on in Utah, named Peggy Follett, and all about 5th grade 6th grade and Junior High. This went on until one summer we moved to Idaho.
My slot was filled by Doug Wright , now a leading broadcaster on KSL AM 1160, and for me I ached for the time I could be on air.
Despite many attempts, a preteen was not high on the ladder of places of most PD’s here to prune new on air talent from. I had a helluva time getting on. Kim Lee’s Dad Al, put me on a few months doing this bit for the Hazzard High School’s FFA Class, then KFMA 92.7 which played mostly elevator style easy listening music, did this thing called Saturday Night Dance Party. We played rock. KFMA moved up the dial, and became Z103 a pop 40 station. But it was me giving the concept of a rock FM in the Magic Valley, thanks Kim and all for giving me credit, yea right. A kick in the groin is more like it, that in a few entries. With that resource missing, Dad was buying time on then KEEP AM 1450. The clincher on the ad contract for dads truck company, was that PD Bruce Glenny, and Dave Caps to give me some air time. So a deal was struck, but at that time, the FCC required anyone on air to be licensed. There was no conditional licensing done then you had to have this little green/bluish certificate. So at age 12, Mom and Dad, gathered me and Paul J Wilson who would meet up with his parents later in the day, and to Boise where they gave the exams for the licenses. After a full days studying and a half night reading at 09:00 hours, I went in sat my butt down in this squeaky chair and answered all the questions. All 100 of them, some even on radio wave theory, and algorithms , but at the end of that testing session, I past all 100 questions 100% and had a FCC Third Class Radiotelephone License with element 9 endorsement. Now I was official.
The years past by rather rapidly after that KEEP, became KEZJ AM, as well as FM the concept behind a hot country FM KEZJ 95, was mine. Again thanks Kelly for the credit.
I was always pushing the edge. Just what could be done, what was taboo? What was imaginary or publicly frond on taboo? What music un edited could be played? One night when I was doing up some liners and promos, a good friend in the business, Mike Arms gave me a tape, and I’ll be darned if I can remember his name but this guy was off the edge, great sound and not caring if the world liked it or not. Of course that night as I had done with Paul, on KEEP, when they were on Blue Lakes, I filled in doing news casts for Mike. At the end of the newscast in a 6 minute intro to Heaven on the 7th Floor, Mike and I did this spoof, of the new hot gal at KEZJ. Her name was Kathy Adams, the gist went something to the degree of Mike asked if I had seen the new front office gal, I said I had, he said what do you think? I sad we had just came down on the elevator , he responded, but doesn’t she have a nice pair of hands? She had big breasts. After that, Mike and I were politely asked to move on. Fortunately, Mike had another job at then hit pop KFXD which really started here in Twin Falls, any mile I got a night gig on KLIX AM 1310, with another rebel radical by the name of Pete Arbogaust. This was just before KMTW was bought by KLIX , I had a evening gig there. All for one month prior to the sale. So I was there one night, at KMTW, we played some music, but I had just got off work during the day at The Bliss Stinker Station , I was pooped. So I got lazy, and put on Pink Floyds Dark Side of the Moon, LP. Played it all the way through and only took a commercial break when I had to turn over the record. This opened the door for album rock long version, in this valley, again thank you friends.
Next time the Birth of Long Haul Radio that was the seed for Dixie Diesel Radio goes commercial.
Catch ya’ll L8R TTYL
Quote of the Day:
The thing I hate about an argument is that it always interrupts a good discussion.
--G.K. Chesterton
| Galatians 6:7-8“Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.” Brought to you by BibleGateway.com. Copyright (C) . All Rights Reserved. |
