More KAAY Ear on Arkansas

Someday I will learn the latest post turns up on top. So if you are doing a 2 parter you better work backward.

Here is Part 2 of the Ear On Arkansas 1967 album. Many thanks to Issac Wingfield who did the encoding of the album.

http://kaay.podOmatic.com/entry/eg/2007-06-29T11_41_21-07_00

What ever happened to Joe Dickey?

Joe Dickey was in Sales at KAAY for many, many years. Joe is also a great character voice and we called on Joe many times for various characters. Joe is also a great addlibber. Sometimes Joe would call in on the night show and do a great bit on the air. He had a long running bit about Harry McFetridge who was driving a low boy truck with a giant sparrow on the way to Nashville to appear on the Grand Ole Opry. I wish we had a recording. There is a recording of Joe playing the part of a slot machine on Ear On Arkansas. On this cut you will also hear George Jennings and Walt Sadler a/k/a Ron Owens. This is from an album of the best of Ear On Arkansas for the year 1967. This is part 1.

http://kaay.podOmatic.com/entry/eg/2007-06-28T14_39_23-07_00

Wayne Moss A/K/A Sonny Martin

(Double click on the bio to read)
Wayne Moss was the first Sonny Martin and worked at KAAY twice. I need some help here guys on dates and details. I know Pat Walsh stayed in touch with Wayne over the years. Unfortunately, I can't pick up the phone and get all the info I need.
The above photo and bio are from his first round, 1962.

Now we play the "where are they now" game. I think Pat told me he owned stations in Alabama. Please email me or leave a comment if you can help.

My Grandson Davis Jim

A little personal business. My grandson, Davis Jim Lindsey is 18 months old. His mom has had a blog since he was born. She gets more hits than my blog. She has a link to this blog and I get lots of referrals from her blog, so I must return the favor. Scroll down to links and visit their blog.

Hot Scott Fisher heard from!

I got a recent email from Greg Fadick, a/k/a Hot Scott Fisher. I had the pleasure of working with Greg. Great voice and great passion for the business. As one of his emails traced his path from Arkansas, I couldn't help singing part of the WKRP theme song, "town to town up and down the isle" and the entire song "W-O-L-D". I think it would be great on this blog to play what ever happened to_______________? Or where are they now?

We'll start with Greg:

Now that I think of it, I haven’t been back to Arkansas for about 17 years. I left Little Rock in ‘87 for Y108 in Denver, left there for WAAF in Boston, then down here to South Florida for WIOD, then Brown Bag Productions, and now Download HD, where I think I’ll be until they plant me. Even though the hair is thinning, I’m carrying around a lot of excess tonnage in the middle and the over-50 body doesn’t work like it used to, I’m having a ball down here.

And what is Download HD?

Download HD (which we’ve been developing for the last 2 years) is radio’s first total content service. We provide everything from original production music beds and sounds to movie and TV drops, stand up comedy bits, news and historical audio, plus all the written content a jock could possibly stand, including funny factoids, trivia, household tip, money saving tips to whatever. We also include a massive daily prep sheet with everything a morning jock, or anyone else, could want. We like to call it a radio station in a box. Just add water and you’re done. And it’s all completely categorized and easily accessed through a massive search engine. We even include automatic online tracking that shows you what you’ve downloaded and when, then allows you to enter your own data, such as who used the piece and what for. It’s a friggin’ monster, but it’s also a lot of fun. Plus having a 48 track digital studio in the house and working from here is too sweet.

Thanks Greg.

Someone I've been trying to find out what ever happen to.........Bob Mullins. He was Buddy Karr number 2, I think. He (like many of us) worked at KAAY twice. The last I heard he was headed for California.

Anyone who can contribute a "where they are now" would be appreciated.

Thanks for KAAY Comments

The thing I enjoy about my blogging is the kind, positive comments. I mentioned yesterday I would share a media blog spot that has the most vicious comments causing me to wonder if media people have become this petty. Go to this link,scroll down to the "LR Reporter goes to Pentigon" story and click on the comments:

http://arkansastvnewswatch.blogspot.com/

KAAY Comments

Thanks to those who take the time to send a comment or to those who take the trouble to send me stuff. I am putting a comment I received here on the front page in case some of you don't take the time to read the comments. The comments I receive here are always so positive. There is a TV insiders blog that has some of the most vicious comments I've seen. I don't ever remember being vicious toward our competitors. In fact one newsman, Herbie Byrd. (Yes, that's his real name.)comes to mind. He always worked at a competitor. We didn't have much contact, but I have always had the up most respect for him and his work. He was at KVLC and later KLRA. I'll look up the TV blog address and post it later as an example of what the media has become. All of this to introduce someone that worked in the same market I did and we never worked together but we should. Russell, has always had an interest in archiving radio. A trait I wish I had developed. Speaking of archives, the airchecks that are scattered throughout this blog are on various free websites that I have and most recently on podomatic. I may in the future, move this audio to one website. In that process some files will probably be lost. Therefore I recommend if you are interesting in saving any of these files I recommend you do so before I start messing with it. Go back in the archives to the first post and move forward, saving what you want.

Now today's comment from Russell Wells,
Hi, Doc/A.J.--

I've been reading this blog for a number of months (I'm surprised Savannah, Georgia wasn't listed like a rash on your hits list!), and enjoying the aircheck clips you've included.

I haven't posted any comments mainly because I wasn't really "part of" KAAY back in the day, except just as a nighttime listener when I was little (1970s).

Also, I felt like I didn't really have much to say. So, I've been your basic "lurker."

My connection to Arkansas began when I was 17 and my family was transferred to the state, first to Hot Springs. I received my first radio job at 17, doing 6PM-sign off at KBHS 590 ... a station said to have had a bigger daytime footprint than KAAY. I made my foolish mistakes on a 5 kW blowtorch during critical-hours ... egad!

Went to college at ASU in Jonesboro, worked for KASU (and KEZQ during the Summer), and then graduated in 1987 ... landing my first fulltime gig in Pine Bluff. Young, stupid and green as a 7-UP bottle.

And that's where our paths barely crossed -- I started at KCLA/KZYP, becoming news director, and - if I recall - you were at KOTN. We both left our stations and were co-workers for about 20 minutes at the ill-fated KPBA (someone should write a book about that place). And from there we reversed paths; I was hired to do middays at KOTN and you became ND at KCLA.

I left Pine Bluff and Arkansas in 1990 for Alabama, and eventually coastal Georgia, where I am now.

But while I was in Arkansas, I heard much about KAAY ... it seemed like every radio person I worked with had a sober reverence for the station. And being the radio history geek I am, I was very curious how 1090 sounded back in the day. In the early '90s, I struck a correspondence with the late Pat Walsh, and he loaned me dozens upon dozens of airchecks.

And years later I learned that what he offered me was just a part (!) of his archive. I got hold of some more over the years, and much of what you've offered on your blog is new to me.

KAAY just might be the most archived station outside WABC, WLS and KHJ. Count your blessings!!

As for competition -- I truly believe that radio should never have been allowed to get to the state it's in today (clusters, unattended operation). I doubt there's any way to return to the way it used to be, and slowly I've come to accept this.

You nailed a lot of what I've been thinking in your competition post. Where's the EXCITEMENT? We hear endlessly how radio is a profit-driven business .... ummm, yeah, was it not back in KAAY's glory days??? I doubt LIN was operating that property as a charity! They wanted to make MONEY for their shareholders. Then, as now.

A business can make a profit and still make life fun for its employees AND its customers. I was professionally brought up to believe that music and entertainment was not merely "content" (I hate that word), or - quoting one GM - "the junk between commercials." Spots = $$ to feed the big machine with feeds the real customer (listener). No customer = no ears for commercials.

You know that, but it seems to have been forgotten by many in commercial radio today.

I have a 15-year-old, and few of his peers even consider radio. To them it's as quaint as a typewriter. If I think about that long enough, it can keep me up at night.

Thank God for the old time radio recordings. And for those like Mr. Walsh who rolled lots of tape on what amounted to world-class radio.

This is long enough - I write more and I'll get depressed! Thanks for this blog ... KAAY finally has the good, loving and living tribute she deserves.

Sincerely,
Russell Wells
(Operations Manager,
WSVH 91.1/Savannah, Ga.)

KAAY Beer Rate Card

First, you will note the Lin Broadcasting logo. To my knowledge it never changed. What is interesting is the L I N in Lin Broadcasting stood for Louisville, Nashville, and Indianapolis. That's is where they intended to own radio stations. The "N" Nashville was first. Fred Greg lived in Nashville and raised the money to buy WMAK. Louisville came next with WAKY. I believe Little Rock came next or possibly KEEL in Shreveport. Fred liked buying old McClendon stations but Indianapolis never came about.

The memo above was scanned for the Lin logo but it brought back memories of the many rate cards that developed over the years. This became necessary to compete and give KAAY some wiggle room or perhaps a bit more revenue. Beer advertising was a big category for radio. Some of the best jingles were created for beer companies. The soft drink industry also had some super jingles. Coke even went through an era when top recording talent did the Coke jingle. Today beer sales are down and all of their creative juices seem to go to television what do they have to show for it. Lagging sales! I really don't know what the soft drink industry advertising is doing. The last Coke commercial I saw on TV left me wondering what they were selling. What do you think? Leave a comment.

KAAY competition, XM Radio, Apple, Microsoft and other thoughts

In the local market, Little Rock, AR, KAAY had a lot of competition for listeners and advertising dollars. Rating wise, the most competition came from Brother Hal, folksy caracter, that outlived top 40 KAAY. He was on the air when we signed on and on the air when KAAY changed format. The Top 40 competition came from KAJI. Nationally,I was always inpressed that in major markets, Chicago, New Orleans, St. Louis, there were great top 40 stations but somehow, we had great listeners in those metro markets and in the rural areas.

Radio has changed. Many will say, not for the best, either. If radio is to survive and prosper it must keep up with today's market. The advent of television forced radio into a major change from basicly network old time radio programming, to music-personality radio. Now radio and TV faces the Ipod revolution. The audience now wants to be in charge of their own programming. The Ipod in a way is like the early transistor radio. The big change, (quality aside) is where the programming is going to come from. Radio stations are being left out of the loop. In the early days of top 40, record companies were dependent of radio stations to introduce new music and get it out for people to want to buy records. Now record companies are so big and powerful, they are too worried about the public downloading their music for free.
Where or will radio stations fit into the Ipod revolution. A few will offer their programs streaming online. Thanks to congress that is becoming too expensive for radio stations to want to do it. It's time for stations to step up and create new divisions with seperate talent with exclusive product only for Ipods and online.
Look at the newspapers. Circulation is down and the best they can do is offer their print material online. Many television stations have seen the opportunity and at least are trying to offer unique online services. I see television moving rapidly to an on demand situation. Already we have seen a market for old TV episodes at $2 a pop for what once was free. What will happen to local TV as cable,internet, and satellite move into an "on demand" era? Local news you say. TV has always had a lock on local news. What if local "Drudge Reports" start showing up and achieve the success of Drudge? How does KAAY fit into all this. What I learned from the KAAY experience; it wasn't the music, or the news. or the contests, or the promotions. or the DJs, or the jingles, or the personal appearances, or the production, or the 50,000 watts, it was all those things. The "package" gave listeners a cause. a personal friend, someone who would come to Havana, Arkansas and play basketball on a plank-type gym floor. In my opinion XM Radio comes close. They are missing some key elements though. No contests, no personal appearances, no reason to tell your friends this is MY station. XM seems to me to be a whole lot stations with no unifying loveable corperate image. Somehow Apple gets loyal fans who pay a premium for a status symbol product. Microsoft, on the other hand is hated and suceeds by brute force. Now XM & Sirius want to merge after promising the F.C.C. that they would not. I have had XM for a long time. Ever since I read about it on a DJ online forum. I don't mind paying for it, even though I am known to be frugal. XM to me is a bargain. I fear the bargain and the programming my suffer with the merger. Satellite radio needs to see the handrighting on the wall. The Iphone may be successful in bringing together Ipods, cell phones and TV. Apple may wind up with the last laugh and the last buck (at $500 a pop).

So what does all this have to do with KAAY? Microsoft learn the lessons. Build a company that people like and want and can call their own. What is the future of old top 40 KAAY? Well there are still recordings of old time radio programs from the 1930s. My mission is to to pass along some of the recordings from that era. Keep in mind when I started this I had zero.

I started this blog with the purpose of forcing me to asymble material for a possible book. That may be better left to you. My I suggest that you go back to the earliest archives and save the airchecks. Since these are hosted on several free websites and lately Pod-O-Matic, you should save the files while they are available and let me know if a link doesn't work. Those old time radio shows live on not because of the radio industry, but collectors across the world that keep moving them forward into the current technology.

George J. Jennings on WDGY

Perviously you may have read of the passing of my good friend and co-worker at KAAY, George J. Jennings. If you are not up to date just go to the upper left and type George Jennings in the search box for this blog. You will have read about George being at KAAY twice. He left KAAY for WDGY. I have heard some clips of his news and sports on XM Radio. (XM Radio runs a program on the 60s at 6 channel,that features each Friday a different 60s station) I have heard this show twice. I was lucky enough to be recording it and catch this George sportscast:



http://kaay.podOmatic.com/entry/eg/2007-06-15T17_32_01-07_00

KAAY Logos Continue

As we continue our look at KAAY logos, this was part of a sales kit for our national reps. Double click on the picture to enlarge and read it. Remember the market figures are 1961. You'll notice the use of the elephant with the call letters relating back to the use of "The Baby ELephant Walk" to sign on the station while the original jocks and newsmen read the telephone directory. The elephant never became a part of the logo, which is a shame. As you will see over the next few posts the logo just became boring.

I encourage you to share with me any old examples of KAAY logos. Email me at ajlinds@yahoo.com.

A special welcome to visitors to this blog. You are encouraged to leave a comment. Just click on "comments" below an post entry. I will have an opportunity to read your comments before they go on the blog. This eliminates the offers for making millions on the internet.

I can see the statistics for where you are reading this blog on about half of the visitors. The coverage almost reads like a KAAY response map.

Here are some of the most recent visitors cities:

Chilliwack, British Columbia
Wellesley Hills, MA
Plano, TX
Spring, TX
Denver,CO
Washington, DC
Arvada, CO
New Blockton, AL
Mt. Home AR
Little Rock, AR
Omaha,HE
Hot Springs, AR
West Fork, AR
Church Point, LA
Salem, OR
San Ramon, CA
San Antonio,TX
Fort Smith, AR
Huntsville, AL
St. Louis, MO.
Conway,AR
Ferndale,MI
Ft. Lauderdale,FA
Denver,CO

KAAY Logos and stuff

Over the years of top 40 KAAY there were several logos. I never thought we had a really great one. Maybe we were looking for that special logo. Today we are looking at the earliest logo for both KAAY and Lin Broadcasting. You will see them on the back cover of this brochure.

This brochure was produced as a sales piece. Show me a radio station that gets 14,437 pieces of MAIL. One item that is omitted in this sales piece, is that these were more than just letters. They were orders with $4 (I think that was the amount)for a Beatles four color booklet. That fact was omitted, so that Madison Ave. wouldn't get the impression that we were a kid's station.

As usual double click on the pictures to read them.

KAAY & EBS

Len Carl, who we have written about previously on this blog (go to the top right and search this blog for Len Carl)sent me some KAAY items which I really appreciate. One of the items was this article which he wrote in 1965. Double click on the pictures to enlarge them to read.

More Jim Pitcock

I have often written about Jim Pitcock on this blog. If you are a newcomer I suggest going to the top left and search "Jim Pitcock" on this blog. I was cleaning out my yahoo mailbox which had over 9000 undeleted emails. It went back to the year 2000, long before this blog was started. I found an article on Pitcock, which does a fine job except there is no mention of why he moved to Little Rock in the first place. It was KAAY. With that said, enjoy a bit of history:

Friday, May 04, 2001

The online home of the Northwest Arkansas Times

Veteran TV newsman Jim Pitcock wins Ernie Deane Award

Column by Maylon T. Rice

I can still see the tall, gangly guy with the crew cut and
his signature
black glasses setting up a television interview in the
mid-1960s. His
signature voice rapidly delivering a breaking news story in
a no-nonsense
style was riveting.

It was Jim Pitcock interviewing politicians on a hot, June
morning -- his
signature white short-sleeved shirt and Navy blue string
tie already wilting
under the Southeast Arkansas humidity. Often, he shot his
own film with a
bulky hand-held, wind-up camera.

In interviews, he was patient, kind and thoughtful, and he
always got the
story -- the full, balanced story.

But while Pitcock could be smooth and sweet, he was also
tough, fair and
always evenhanded in his coverage.

Today, generations of Arkansans can simply close their eyes
and hear
Pitcock's voice and immediately recall news story after
news story he has
covered in his more than three decades on television.

Pitcock is a methodical perfectionist. His professionalism
and willingness
to mentor those just breaking into the ever changing news
business are
legendary. Pitcock has helped more young news hounds
fulfill their
aspirations with a kind, firm hand.

All these things and more were said Friday night at the
University of
Arkansas' annual Walter J. Lempke Journalism Days ceremony,
but what may
have been glossed over at "J Days" was that Pitcock has
always been a ground
breaker.

He was rightfully the state's first television newsperson
to be awarded the
Ernie Deane Award for his life's work. In a news release
announcing the
award, Pitcock was ever the astute, shy gentleman, praising
the former
recipients of the Deane award -- all print journalists --
and solemnly
remembering the late Ernie Deane.

The originator of the popular Arkansas Traveler column in
the Arkansas
Gazette in 1956, Deane is best remembered locally as a
journalism professor
at the UA and a fervent supporter for preserving Old Main
when the landmark
was in peril of being torn down.

To generations of Arkansans who saw television become a
dominant news
source, Pitcock defined professionalism. A native of Fort
Smith, he signed
on in 1964 with the news department of KATV Channel 7 in
Little Rock-Pine
Bluff. Less than two years later, he was, as they say,
running the place --
named the ABC affiliate's news director.

Still, on occasions over the next two decades, Pitcock
could still be seen
covering assignments or taking his place behind the news
desk anchoring the
6 or 10 p.m. newscasts. Few people could outwork him. His
work ethic is
legendary.

Pitcock has an endless index of sources, friends,
politicians and everyday
folks at his disposal. Another hallmark of his career has
been that he knows
every nook and cranny, every hill and valley and wide spot
in the middle of
the road in this state. He instinctively knows how long it
takes to get to
the scene, and he knows a good days work when one is turned
in. He's often
called those of us in the print media with kudos about
hard-hitting pieces.

As a chronicler of Arkansas events, Pitcock helped create
the vast KATV
video archives, which now house almost 16,000 hours of
tape, all
computerized for rapid access.

Now in semi-retirement, Pitcock helped coordinate the major
network's
coverage of the Paula Jones trial in Little Rock and has
also dabbled in
some political races.

Begun in 1993, the Deane Award has honored Bob McCord,
Swampy Graves and Ray
Kimball, Richard Allin, Bob Douglas, George Fisher, Betty
and Cone Magie,
Ernie Dumas and J.E. Dunlap. Pitcock fits well within that
company of
journalistic legends.

But most of all, he has fought back against a serious
illness to remain
among us. A few years ago, a brain tumor sidelined Pitcock,
but today he's
in good health.

The Ernie Deane Award for valor in journalism recognizes
Arkansas
journalists or writers whose work best exemplifies the
spirit, style and
courage of its namesake.

Pitcock fits that mold. Congratulations Jim.

Maylon T. Rice is a features writer for the Times and has
known Pitcock for
decades. He can be reached at maylonr@nwarktimes.com.

The Day The Pulse Book Arrived at KAAY

Well rather than relate a story just look at a clip from WKRP. Obviously the writers have been there, done that. Anyone who has been in radio has lived this moment:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hMqRybYxygw

Also watch some of the other WKRP videos from thw person who posted them on You Tube. Watch quick. I have previously used You Tube links to WKRP cuts and they have been removed.

Black Oak Arkansas - KAAY Concert

Today I am happy to be able to post a brochure done for sales purposes of a Black Oak Arkansas concert at Barton Coliseum on June 23rd. Unfortunately I don't have the year. I am depending on a reader to email me the year so I can make this post complete. The brochure is about 7 inches square and done in black and white. I don't know who selected the font. I guess they were trying to be arty. The excellent photographs are by David Conrad.

Be sure and double click on the photographs to see them large and print it out so you can have a copy too. If you have the date or comments to add to this post, email me at ajlinds@yahoo.com.

KAAY Remembered in a Comment

Hello A.J.:

I just saw your post regarding replies to your blogs.

First of all, let me say that your page is one of the pages I check on a daily basis. KAAY was one of the most influential radio in my life. It was one of the few reliable stations from Arkansas I could receive in St. Louis (KLCN in Blytheville and KLRA were two others). I have relatives in NW Arkansas and have a soft spot in my heart for the state. Besides that, KAAY was one of those stations that had a magic all to itself--a 50 thousand watt station that made a personal connection to its listener (WLAC and WWL's "Road Gang" show had that kind of quality too).

I know I'm not the only one who felt this way.

If you have a direction for this site, here are some suggestions. All over the web are tributes to the past history of great radio stations--WLS, CKLW, WABC, KHJ, reelradio.com, and NBC Monitor come to mind. KAAY definitely deserves a page to itself, with a history, airchecks, and photos. I'm sure this is a labor of love, and I'm grateful you have put this site together. If you want to take a site like this further, you may want to contact the individuals who have put these other tribute sites together. They may offer some insights for you. Also, Clyde Clifford and Barry McCorkindale (sp?) (who hosted KAAY's "Radio Yesterday" show)might be able to help you as well.

For several years, WABC has hosted a Memorial Day "Rewound" show featuring hours of old airchecks, and since December 2005, the station hosts a Saturday Night Oldies show. This year, WLS hosted their rewound show, featuring live talent (most notably Larry Lujack and John "Records" Landecker). These shows came about, without a doubt, because of those who cared about these radio stations, during their Top-40 heyday.

Best Wishes/73

Paul Harner

Still Waiting

I am still waiting for comments from you the reader on any subject relating to KAAY. This gives me a direction to take this blog. I am getting hits from all over the world about 24 per day, but I get very few comments. So let me hear from you: ajlinds@yahoo.com.

When I first started at KAAY, the memos, the hot clocks, the contest formats, news formats, all were printed on an old Ditto machine. Those of you old enough will remember those purple print copies that (if they were freshly run) could almost give you a high from sniffing. I guess kids today are still looking for a high to sniff.

Shortly after I came to KAAY, we got a NEW, MODERN, Thermofax copy machine. You ran an original in and got out a toasty, brown copy that deteriorated rapidly if exposed to heat or even time.

See how badly I need you to give me a change of subject and direction.