Comments on: KSRA: Finding missing livestock

By: Jack Allen

Jack Allen — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 02:32:46 +0000

LOL. These stories could have originated from my old home town station KKID (no longer) in Pendleton, Oregon. Sweet memories. If you have a radio story to share you might check out my (unusual) forum at http://radiodogs.lefora.com . It’s a place for us radio dogs to have some fun.

By: elchupacabras

elchupacabras — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 15:01:04 +0000

I think you can strike a balance and come up with a format that sounds professional even in a small town. Too many think that podunk radio has to sound bad to serve the public, albeit some things are just too hard to change. When I first came to the Magic Valley and took KBAR from music to talk (I am no longer PD of the station), I really stirred up a lot of hate. I will never forget the letters sent to me for “destroying our beautiful community station.” I was called an “M-F’er” for changing Paul Harvey from 6:42 in the morning and again at 7:27 (to 6:30 and 7:30), because it had been that way forever! I got a call from someone telling me that I made them 5 minutes late due to the change and they wanted me to pay for a half hour of their wages! I sent them a $10 check with some choice words!

But I will never forget being crucified for the ultimate sin: nixing the obituaries! How would I know? I never lived in a small town before and thought reading the morning “necrological report” was about as hokey as it could get. Obviously I was wrong, because all of those things are back and the station has a KSRA type format. People seem to love it.

I brought in what I thought were all the proper “radio rules” after working in SLC, Idaho Falls and Tri-Cities, TN. They flew in my face. Oh well! You live and learn!

By: Former Prompter Jockey

Former Prompter Jockey — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 14:32:21 +0000

Ah, the good ole days. I too remember KSRA. I grew up “across the hill” in Montana and we would always tune in KSRA when we traveled through Salmon. Later, as a young would-be-television journalist, I would call KSRA and deliver the weather forecast from KIDK. Later, I could always count on KSRA to help us track down football and basketball scores from Salmon, Leadore and Challis.

It was simply: community. Cows and all. I miss it.

fpj

By: browndriver

browndriver — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 23:29:29 +0000

This post reminds me of another small town radio station-KSKI AM. Back in the 70’s before the Wood River Valley was “Aspenized” with tourists, “out-of-staters” , etc., KSKI would do the live remote thing. Everyone, I mean everyone would show up to one. I remember, a bank would be giving away money each Saturday in the month of November or December for Christmas. KSKI was there. They also had a remote in front of the old library. Of course, many local citizens were there.

LONG LIVE LOCAL RADIO!

By: Formerly Roger

Formerly Roger — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 11:47:50 +0000

Good story Margo…..the fun of running and working at a LOCAL, LOCAL, LOCAL Radio Station.

I guess what all these posts are suggesting is….stations might have the greatest play lists, the most balsy voiced announcer telling listeners that they play the most music, etc.. However when it comes right down to it…people will ALWAYS migrate to the station that is LOCAL.

A long time ago, before dirt was invented, I was selling Radio Advertising. Seemed like the nemesis was always the Newspaper. I read somewhere the true reason for that….When you are born, your parents look in the Newspaper for your birth announcement. When you achieved “great” things during your K thru 12 grade….you read about it in the Newspaper. When you got engaged and then married, your announcement and ceremony were documented in the newspaper. When you die, your obituary is in the newspaper.

KSRA….apparently is doing all it can to change that. Once again take note consultants and “big time” radio operators. Become the LOCAL RADIO STATION again…..and in my opinion you will have a nice profitable Staion.

By: Margo

Margo — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 13:11:58 +0000

What a joy those memories of KSRA. I was raised on Dave Ainsworth and I’ll never forget the time of the infamous sign off. The AM station, and that’s all we had in the late 60’s, had to sign off the air at about 5:30 in the winter. Our family would be sitting at the table finishing up dinner and we’d hear the standard sign off. The day always ended with the playing of River of No Return. You might remember the tune…..”There is a river sometimes it’s peaceful sometimes its wild and free” it’s from a Marilyn Monroe movie. Anyway typically you’d hear that tune and then the station was off the air. This particular night the song ended and then you heard a crash and some very colorful adjectives which I won’t detail in this writing. Then you heard the phone ring and Dave saying “Hello……What?” Then the air went dead.

Then there was the owner’s brother Blair Smith who wore so many hats ….engineer, mid day guy, public service manager and because of that he wasn’t all too concerned about keeping a tight show. There were so many times you’d be listening to the radio and the record would end and you’d hear the schoo…schoo….schoo sound as the needle hit the label or for 2 or 3 minutes. Then Blair would walk in the studio realize his record had ended while we was fixing some other problem. But that didn’t get Blair too riled up. He’d calmly walk to the turntable lift the needle. Sit down. Put his head phones on then crack the mike …..we referred to it as Blair air.

I started working there in 1977 and I so remember those days when being a jock was a ballet where you’d carefully back track the record so that when the turntable got up to speed it would hit the beginning of the song. You had to lightly hold the vinyl while the turntable spun underneath it….then reach over to turn up the pot….hit your mic pot and mix the music all without some pre-recorded image liner in between.

I even worked there after my daughter was born which was a challenge to run the board and nurse at the same time….okay maybe offering way too much information now.

Thanks for the memories.

Margo Vaughn

By: Mitch Pruitte

Mitch Pruitte — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 06:11:35 +0000

Not only is Evan Slack on KSRV, so is a new version of Tradio. Matter of fact, with the kind of show Dale does in the morning, and all the local sports etc., KSRV is coming dangerously close to being a real radio station, I miss being a part of it. It’s funny, all the things we bitched about the most back in the day, are now some of our fondest memories. Hey Rocky, I read all your contributions here without falling asleep, that’s an inside joke between me and RDS. I think I miss the jocks the most, in the middle 70’s at KBRJ (950 AM) there was Straight Arrow, John Duane, Bill Bailey, Rocky Smith, Barry Poole and me, and that was just the full timers on a daytime AM. It was bad craziness, but it was fun. In today’s radio that many guys would be running 5 stations and sweating their jobs.

By: RDS

RDS — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 17:27:01 +0000

Yes. KSRA did “broadcast” the night games to what was probably the first true tailgate party ! The transmitter used back then had what is known as a “dummy antenna” that you could connect in place of the tower for testing purposes when you shouldn’t actually be on the air. There was enough leakage from the dummy that you could hear it for about 1/4 – 1/2 mile on a good car radio. So, they invited folks to come park in the 4 acre lot that the tower was on, and listen to the game. I know they kept doing it, so the trash problem must have been solved somehow. The game was live to the folks in the pasture that evening, and taped and played back the following day for those that did not come out listen the previous evening. This, of course, was only done for out-of-town games. A local game you were expected to go see it (even it was taped an played back the next day).

By: Doug Raper

Doug Raper — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 16:37:49 +0000

Hi Norm…

Yes I remember the funeral announcements on KWEI. That was the first thing I heard on the station before moving to Weiser, with the terrible music behind them. Those were the days…

By: Formerly Roger

Formerly Roger — Sun, 05 Oct 2008 14:01:43 +0000

WOW!!! What memories many of you bring back. Many years ago, and I do not remember the name of the owner, the story goes like this. Salmon High School went to State in one of the High School sports. Since, at the time, the A.M. was pre-sunrise/Daylight only….the owner figured how to screw the power output down on the transmitter. He sold advertising and announced that everyone who could not attend the game, could come and listen to the broadcast, LIVE, at the cow pasture his tower was located.

Next morning, the pasture was littered with bear cans and trash. His response…..well you try to do something nice for people and they just pee in your ear. That story, whether true or not always made me laugh.

In this day and age of consultants trying to out Ipod an Ipod….and LOCAL CONTROL being given over to them. KSRA and all the local “YOKELS” should be given medals. They are truly what made RADIO great, and why most of us chose this as our profession.

Hint to the “big boys.” Want to win and win consistently….make it LOCAL, LOCAL, LOCAL.