From the Aircheck trader’s board at our co-located sister site, Radioinsight.com comes this super-old and very rare aircheck of Country station KAYO 1150 Seattle. This is a scoped recording, however, very noticable while editing this down from the original, this morning show was very sold out… plus, notice (especially you kids…), this is NOT a ‘more music’ station by any stretch. The jock, Buck Ritchie, is really coming across like a country personality. This could be good or bad, depending upon how one looked at hillbilly-types back in 1964 in Seattle.. but he definitely fit the music and the format here.
Noteables: KAYO local Seattle news on the Hour, Mutual news on the hour and half hour, LOTS of local commericals, and not even ONE station jingle. This is dry, with a few songs per hour, and a jock that rambles on and on… Personality radio? yes. Easy to listen to? Well… not for this webmaster. But this is definitely a history lesson for anyone wondering where the Country format was over 40 years ago.
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Iam the one who posted this in the first place–not sure what sold out means?? and yes at least one jingle was used–thanks for posting on your site–yes it was a different time-but I think we agree that it is good to get this old stuff once in a while–don’t be so critical
Date on this airchek has to be November 6, 1964. Election was November 3rd, which is referred to both as “Tuesday” and “last Tuesday.” As I recall, it was much more common then to refer to a weekday in the recent past as being “last” Tuesday, for example, rather than the prior week.
Enjoyed hearing this. Jock is friendly, having a good time, and society in general is slower-paced.
Plenty of music here, too. Remember, there’s more room for chatter since the songs weren’t much over two minutes long.
This brought back memories . . . I grew up listening to KAYO in the sixties – B. Buck Ritchie, Bill Goff, “Bashful” Bobby Wooten, Gary Vance, Ed Howell and the rest.
I could even sing along with the Bill Pierre Ford and Washington Builders jingles, they left such a mark.
KAYO was always very heavy on personality to go along with the music, and with a strong news content, too. I also remember they usually played one country gospel song every hour. They were a Mutual affil until ‘68 or ‘69, when they switched to ABC Entertainment.
BTW, “sold out” means having a full 18 minutes of ads, which was the max then. This hour came pretty close.
This was a fun hour to listen to.
In my fathers belongings I came across some black and white photos. In the bqackground is a banner depoicting a cowboy themem and the words “Sunday Night, Buck Ritchie”. From the style of dress of the men in the audience the photos appear early 60’s vintage. Were radio personalities allowed to have naked girls on stage in those days?
For those that are interested, these are the real deal. My father, Ed Howell worked with Buck Ritchie and the rest of the crew until Jessica sold out the successful format in the 80’s.
All the radio personalities were gentlemen and enjoyed interacting with their listeners as would talk to them on the phone while songs played. It’s very hard to talk into a microphone for hours every day and come up with something to say. You have to like what you’re doing and like to talk!
I have very fond memories of going to work with my dad on Saturdays and wandering around the station. Not only would my dad have to run the board, pick and file the 45’s for the show, play the commercial carts and select all the news items to read and keep to the format clock.
Somewhere in a box, my mother has at least one box of real-to-real tapes from those 70’s shows.
And yes, the teletypes in the background of the news portion were really typing new items full time.
Oh, Kerry, PLEASE try and dig out those tapes!! I remember listening to your dad as a kid. Wasn’t his theme a Floyd Cramer cover Al Hirt’s “Java”? And I wonder what happened to the “Walk of Fame” that was outside the building – now THAT should be at a museum somewhere, although it probably fell victim to a jackhammer. I even still have my “KAYO Kountry Klub” membership card somewhere.
Its old home time .. my dad was “Bashful Bobby Wooten” and I have the same memories as Kerry although being a recent high school grad at the time, I didn’t get to KAYO that often. He sent me some tapes of his show while I was in VietNam and even did a radio show there back in 1967.
Hi Folks,
All this talk about Buck is really something.
I knew him well, as a matter of fact he taught me the very first chords and the first song ever on the guitar.Which ended up being a second career for me now for 47 years. He also played mandolin,”I think it was his first instrument also the fiddle .We,the families,the Shumans,Don,Diana,Bruce ,Cyndi and me Richard with Buck,Paulin and Brent, spent weekends at our cabin on Point Monroe,Bainbridge Island,WA….Thanks for the memories……..Richard
Could it be the same guy? I found some photos in my fathers stuff recently. A Big banner on the back wallin the photo says “Saturday Night with Buck Ritchie”. The banner displays a south West cactus motif. The crowd is all men in suits and skinny ties. In the foreground is an attractive young lady taking off her negligee. This had to be somewhere in the South King County area. Did Buck evere host adult shows?
Kenneth,
Thank you so much for remembering our dad — and what a great memory you have: his theme song for his entire radio career was “Java” by Al Hirt!
Kerry and I could sing the words to every country song from the dawn of time until about 1973/4, as the radio was always on in our home. And we knew when we heard “Java” at 8 PM that our dad was on his way home.
One of the highlights of his time at KAYO was the shows at the Opera House. We kids were able to attend a few, and I met Minnie Pearl, Tom T. Hall, etc. I still have a photo taken with Freddy Weller (from Paul Revere and the Raiders).
More KAYO trivia: Andy’s Diner, just down the street on 4th Avenue South, is now Frank’s Diner here in Spokane.
Hi, KAYO FANS!
I’m Gene Larson, who worked with all the guys you’ve mentioned at KAYO from March 1972 to September 1975. I was the “weekend guy” who worked the ungodly 12:00 Midnight Saturday nights to Noon Sunday shifts, then 6:00pm Sunday nights to Midight. Weekdays I worked with the other guys in various capacities and did Superstar interviews at the Opera House as “Granpa” (or “The Old Timer”).
I will never be able to forget those “golden days” of radio and each fellow-jock I had the pleasure of working with. I’ve saved all of my interviews. I remember getting Star bits to play for Ed Howell when he did afternoon news for the “GOODNIGHT,ED” news ending. THOSE WERE THE DAYS, MY FRIENDS!!
I’m searching for “Golden Days” broadcaster named John R. Forrest (Johnny). I am hoping that Gene Larson might remember him. His accomplishments include: News broadcaster on KOL (1960 to 1969), news broadcaster KFKF Bellevue (1969 to 1971), playwright of two Suspense Theater plays (“Mission Completed” starring James Stewart, 1949, and “The Daisy Chain”, 1961). He wrote a hit tune, a pop ballad called “Blue Tears”, recorded on Golden Crest Record Label and aired on AM radio in 1960. John was also known for broadcasting the Seattle Seafair Hydroplane Races during the 60’s—-BEFORE Pat O’Day acquired that gig. I have commented on various radio sites, including KOL, but no one remembers him. Sadly there is very little documentation about him on the Internet. In desperation and frustration to give him “credibility”, I created a web site for him on Footnote. I also addedd him to my own web site (photo gallery); which is http://www.MaiaSantell.com. (John Forrest died in 1971 and the young age of sixty-three.)
I remember the old days of growing up with the country KAYO club. I remeber the picnics and train rides and all the feasts that they used to provide to their fans. I remember Buck Richie when he used to holler YaHoo Mountain Dew and i still till this day have the hat that I won at one of the picnics. The whole crew back then was the best group of people ever. I will never forget the pleasure they gave to me and my entire family. I also will never forget how well they treated my brother after his return from vietnam. My brother was wounded real bad and we took him to the Kayo Picnic. The response that he got from the crew, Bashfull Bobby, “B” Buck Richie, Ed Howell. All of these people were great and radio has not been the same since. I miss them all.