I Was There

Len Carl has left a new comment on your post "Here IT is .....The Greatest Aircheck of All TIme":

Many fond memories. Thanks for sharing this. It was a great day and I was there.

Len Carl
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Thanks Len, can you identify the voices on the "greatest aircheck of all time"?

Greatest Aircheck Ever Revised

Thanks to Ron for continuing to improve "The Greatest Aircheck Ever".

If you saved the first one posted here you might want to change to this one:

LINK
Ron identifies the date as Sunday evening, September 2, 1962 which I believe to be completely accurate. I now think that the voice on the two recorded production elements is Dub Murry a/k/a the first Doc Holiday. I would sure like to here from some of the guys who were there to help identify/verify the voices. Based on the time of day of the recording, I would assume the voice reading the names is Tom Campbell, aka the first Rob Robbins.


Here is Ron's comments on the revision:

Hello A.J.,

My friend Andy Nemec, KB9ALN, informed me there was a heterodyne in my KTHS recording. It is around 5000 Hz. That is the frequency at which my ears ring, so I couldn't hear it. He removed the tone with a notch filter. I am sending the modified file to you. I decided to see if I could hear the tone by using the graphic equalizer in Cool Edit Pro. When I increase the 5 KHz range up to 18 decibels, I hear it plenty loud. Nobody, including my wife Linda, told me the tone was there when I asked them to listen to the file. I wonder if her hearing loss is greater than I previously thought. Let me know what you think about the tone being removed on the attached file. I think it is an improvement.

Sincerely,

Ron

Here IT is .....The Greatest Aircheck of All TIme

I can't seem to get any of the blogspot mp3 players to work this morning, so I am just giving you the link which should play on everyone's computer. You can and should save this aircheck.

Why is this the greatest? I have always looked for this. Even KAAY apparently did not save any of the Labor Day Weekend change from KTHS to KAAY. I have written about this several times on this blog. This was the most unique call letter and format change I have ever heard. Playing Baby Elephant Walk over and over was not so unique. Lots of stations played a record over and over. Reading the Little Rock phone book was. As the clip starts you hear some of the phone book reading. All of the air people, took turns at 24 hour shifts over the weekend. This clip is very early in the weekend. I know this because of the produced "YAAK" bit. YAAK is, of course, KAAY backward. After about the first day, KAAY was introduced with production elements.

As you can hear this was recorded off the skywave which really gives authenticity to the recording. What are the odds of someone recording this? What are the odds of getting a recording so early in the change.

Several years ago, I tried to get George J. Jennings who was news director on the original staff to recreate the event but he never did.

I can not thank Ron Henselman W9FT Melrose Park, IL for this recording. It was on reel to reel and the tape oxide was deteriating. He worked hours on restoring this great aircheck.

Please leave comments to thank him for all his work and his willingness to share this with everyone.

Here it is:
LINK

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Here are some comments regarding the recording from Ron:

Hello A.J.,

I had just turned fifteen eight weeks before I made the recording. You heard the whole event, so maybe your description of the transition is more accurate than what I remember. I think I made the recording seven hours before the official change of call letters. It was around 10:00 or 11:00 at night when I made that recording. I'm pretty sure I listened on the hour to verify they were still using KTHS as the call letters. This was a big deal if one was a radio DX'er. They announced "Tune in at 6:00 AM tomorrow morning for a big surprise. If you can't hear the mighty ten ninety during daylight hours, then tune in tomorrow night to hear the surprise." I listened to the station until about 1:00 AM, but then I had to go to bed. I couldn't hear anything the next morning, so I had to wait until close to sundown. They were already doing regular programming as KAAY when I was able to receive the station via skywave the next evening. I liked top forty music at that time, so my ear was glued to the radio for most of that evening. The tape I used was recycled. It was labeled, "Paul Grove Sunway Vitamins Show 1955 WCKY." I recorded over the existing material. Tape was too expensive for a kid to buy, so I was very lucky when Gary Wegners's father Wally gave us a bunch of used tape he found. Acetate tape was probably all that was available when that tape was manufactured. Some of the tape my sister bought in 1959 was made from different material, and it survived much better.

Sincerely,

Ron Henselman

Countdown near

Tomorrow the greatest aircheck ever will be posted right here!
I say that because of the rarity of this aircheck. I even tried to get some of the participants to recreate a part of the event, but was never able to get that done.
This is the real thing and it was recorded off the sky-wave which makes it even better.

Get your hard drives ready. This will be one you will want to save and share.

Holidays usually mean a lower traffic count on the blog. I am counting on this aircheck to make it our biggest "hit" day in the history of this blog.

Invite all your radio friends to join us tomorrow!

KTHS To KAAY

Yesterday, A HOLIDAY, this blog scored one of the highest number of hits ever. Thanks again Ron for the "Greatest Aircheck Ever" (scroll down and see the post and listen to the aircheck). Normally, weekends and holidays are very slow, but Ron's teaser campaign helped bet great hits. I was also astounded with the KTHS listener. Since this is a KAAY blog we tend to forget there was a small contengent of KTHS listeners who must have been upset at the change. KTHS was a CBS radio affiliate with block programing. Tommy Trent did a country show. The only programing that made the change to KAAY was Marvin Vines and his farm reports at 5:30 AM and at noon. I have written several times about Marvin Vines. Just do a search in the upper left box and search this blog.

Dub Murry a//k/a Doc Holiday

David Lewis has left a new comment on your post "Greatest Aircheck Ever Revised":

You mention Dub Murry as the real name of the first Doc Holiday in Little Rock. Here in Nashville at WKDA, we had Robert Murray DJ'ing as Doc Holiday in '64 - '65. The similarity in real names leads me to believe Dub Murry and Robert Murray are the same Doc Holiday, though I haven't heard anything about him since 1969.
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I'm sure you are right David, since most of the original KAAY crew came from Nashville.
The Lin Station in Nashville at the time was WMAK. It makes perfect since to take a great jock from the competition and get him out of the market. The last I know of Dub he was selling cars in Texas. Any better updates would be appreciated.

KTHS to KAAY Comment

Anonymous has left a new comment on your post "Here IT is .....The Greatest Aircheck of All TIme":

Great catch of radio history, Ron! Would we all be so fortunate. But, then again, if we were, we wouldn't have this much-anticipated teaser! Thank you so much, Ron, for sharing this with us! And here's hoping we can find more KAAY recordings for 2009! Bud, Mobile, AL

KTHS Remembered

Amazing Grace has left a new comment on your post "Here IT is .....The Greatest Aircheck of All TIme":

I always wondered what happened to my favorite radio station, KTHS. I listened from 1951 to 1954 to the late night jazz program hosted by Jonny Holliday. I went on a trip to Canada in August-September of 1954 and when I returned home, the program and station no longer existed. I've often wondered what happened to Jonny. He and his program are the reason for my lifelong love of jazz from the age of 14. Thanks for clearing up a mystery.

My Favorite Radio Station WCFL

Every DJ has his favorite radio station other than his own. Mine was WCFL. It really didn't become my favorite until after I left KAAY. I became familiar with a jingle package done by Chuck Blore for WCFL. I was so impressed. When I moved to Decatur, Il to the TV station Lin Broadcasting had purchased WAND,I could hear WCFL during the day. This was the time period when Dick Orkin was at CFL and Chickenman was produced. Their production was the greatest in the country. The DJs were also super. Larry Lujack went back and forth between WLS and WCFL. I believe Ken Draper was the PD responsible for the sound. Here in the player on the far right is an aircheck shortly after Thanksgiving in the 70s. If someone can nail the year I would appreciate it. Also, here is the link for anyone wanting to save it to your computer:

LINK

What ever happened to Howard Watson?

(Pictures from the KAAY record album "Silver Dollar Specials)
Howard Watson a/k/a Ken Knight was the first Ken Knight. Howard is one of the greatest wits I have even been around. Howard can find humor in any situation. His show was full of humor and inside jokes that only employees of KAAY would understand. His music tastes really went more to the jazz and "good music" side, but he played top 40 in his own style. I suggest at this point you read previous posts by going to the top left hand corner and enter "Howard Watson" in the search box and search this blog. In those posts you will find a very brief comment by Pat Walsh.

When I became program director, during a staff meeting one day, I brought up a television program "That Was The Week That Was". It was a satirical review of the weeks national news. I ask why we couldn't do the same thing on KAAY only focus on local news. Howard took the ball and ran with it. The name "Ear On Arkansas" was a satire on channel 11's "Eye On Arkansas". The theme music was "baby Elephant Walk" (the music KAAY played over and over when it first went on the air). Howard developed most of the characters and did the bulk of the writing. A weekly 30 minute all talk radio program takes a lot of script. If you had a slow news week, it really became a challenge. Some clips of "Ear" are on this blog. Do the search. Sadly all of the Ear masters were given to University of Arkansas at Little Rock by Pat Walsh with the hope they would be properly archived. Pat told me several years ago, the tapes had been erased by the campus radio station and reused. If anyone has any of the old Ear tapes let me know. The are two 33 1/3 records that KAAY pressed that are still around. Satire is such a great form of humor. Today Fox News has a program called "Half Hour News Hour". Don't miss this program if you appreciate good satire. The writing seems to be getting better each week. Over the years Ear on Arkansas had several writers. After a while each person seemed to burn out from the heavy job of writing and producing the show. Often times at 2 A.M., a frantic telephone call would be placed to Tommy Riggs a/k/a Rock Robbins, to help fill 5 or 10 minutes. Tommy always came through with a song or bit that saved the day. Sometimes we would be forced to use a lot of the theme music opening and closing to pad out the time.

I digress from "the weird beard" as he was also known. When I became program director, Howard had a difficult time dealing with being passed over for program director. I was 19 he was older. Finally Howard left KAAY for KMYO. He tried to take the name Ken Knight with him. Pat Walsh got an injunction to prohibit the use of a name that KAAY had service marked with the state. Howard changed his name to Lynn Day. Much press ensued and I regretted Howard's leaving. The inspiration and as Paul Harvey would say "the rest of the story" needs to be credited to Richard Robinson for the research that netted this article in the Hot Springs Village Voice newspaper:

A setback for the 'Voice of the Village'
By VERLEE WALTER


Gerry and Howard Watson Twelve years ago, when Howard Watson became Len Day as KVRE's morning man, he quickly became the Voice of the Village. His distinctive baritone was a welcome addition to our breakfast tables.
The man knows his music, and knew we knew it, so his selections were geared to our past, awakening nostalgia for high school and proms and special dates with special girls or boys, turning our todays into yesterdays and our yesterdays to todays.
Planning retirement, he changed his mind when he heard of a vacancy at our local station and began a new career.
Watson came to us from Little Rock where he'd been night radio man Ken Knight. To the delight of his new audience, he had a speaking engagement with us between 6 and 10 a.m., presenting "Adult Standards," an expanded version of "The Music of Your Life."
His notoriety as Len Day overwhelms his persona as Howard Watson, man-about-town in its best sense - involved in Masonry and the Shrine Club, charities and foundations, the Hot Springs Jazz Society, and Village United Methodist Church.
Still he found time to stay in close touch with his and Gerry's three sons, and their seven grandchildren and one great grandson.,
For nearly 11 years he sat in his cluttered broadcast room amid the tens of thousands of records and cassettes and CDs he had collected, choosing the music we loved, interspersed with commercials made pleasant through his mellifluous voice.
He commuted from Little Rock to the Village for five years before he found a home here to hold his treasure trove of books and music without disrupting the life of his wife, with whom he celebrated 50 years of marriage in late May.
The mention of which, is the reason for this item.
This was to have been an inspiration piece for those who have survived and taken on new life following a stroke such as Watson had in 2006 after 53 years in broadcasting.
He did a few commercials for the station a month or so ago.
However, a few hours after the joy-filled anniversary party given by the Watsons' three sons, he was stricken again - this time it was much harder on him.
As Len said of his life, "Work is my vocation, my avocation and my pastime."
Sadly, at least for the present, he is deprived of this pleasure.
It is particularly sad when bad things happen to good people, but he and Gerry have much courage and faith, and are set to fight again.
Weeks of therapy will follow his hospitalization, so let him know you're thinking of him by sending mail to 40 Herencia Circle in the Village.

Several recordings of Howard are on this blog, however, I do not have an aircheck of one of his shows on KAAY. If have one please contact me at : ajlinds@yahoo.com.