Big Jack hangs up the mic
Don @ IdahoRadioNews | September 2, 2009Big Jack Armstrong is hanging up the microphone after 36 years in the business. Read his retirement letter after the jump:
This is to inform everyone that as of today, Tuesday, September 1st, I am “officially” retiring from radio. I’ve spent 36 years in this business and have had tremendous successes.
Impact Radio Group has made the decision to pull the plug on the Oldies format. In my 3 years with Impact, I did what was asked of me and more and I partnered with them with several high profile promotions that my company RPM Productions produces.
To that, my wife Patti and I will now put a fulltime effort into our company to grow the size and strength of Northwest Motorfest, Idaho’s Largest Car Show and the Capital City Cruise on Saturday evening of ‘Motorfest weekend. We currently produce 11 car shows, a huge New Year’s Eve show at Boise Centre (which is now available for station sponsorship) and the Christmas Show with Stacey Wayne as Elvis at the Nampa Civic Center.
Would I do it again knowing what I know now? ABSOLUTELY!!! My 36 years of on-air and programming has been an incredible ride shared with many incredible people. But this ride has come to an end. RPM Productions is my new ride and it will keep me very busy.
In the words of Brett Favre “… I am retired!”
“Big Jack” Armstrong
jack@rpmprod.com
Best of Luck to you sir! I’m glad I got to work with you before you ditched the mic. Good luck with the future and don’t get run over by any reindeer.
How sad – we will miss you and the oldies – best of luck with your new adventure, but I’m really upset about loosing our only GOOD oldies station.
I’ll never forget my time with Big Jack.
No matter what was happening, We always had FUN!…If you weren’t having fun around Jack, there was something wrong with you. Thanks for being a wonderful teacher in the game of radio, I wish I would have been a better student. I will never for get my time at the Owyhee Plaza Hotel with Jack and the rest of the people at the good old radio ranch.
If Journal was smart, they’d find a place for Jack on the air staff of K-Hits.
Follow your passion, and the money will follow. Who knows, in a few years if things go right for you Jack you might be the one owning the radio station. Wouldnt that be a gas!
Good luck on all your pursuits in the future. Its been good having you around and adding to the character of Treasure Valley Radio…..
Big Jack,
I remember you on 13K NPA back in the day. You gave us hours of great music. Good luck in ‘retirement’!
So does that mean the door is open to come back on the air :o) Good luck Jack I wish you the best.
VERY sorry to see Jack depart and royally ticked @ NON-STOP Jackson “Thriller” and new format —which will most likely be ANOTHER country station!! I listened to Jack on 104.3 (along with Tracy & Margo) until they changed into ANOTHER country place! Good luck to Jack and all. We have now deleted 99.1 as a favorite.
jack,
your kf95 was the reason i decided to move back home to boise and make a go of it in radio. it was one of the most energy-filled stations in the west (i’ve been around) rivalling the energy of kkss in albuquerque (whew, electric). unfortunately, our paths missed crossing there by about a month. but it was a great pleasure talking shop with you in the clear channel hotel downtown. you were a source of knowledge.
if only idaho had a radio hall of fame….now that you are passing the baton, good luck with your promotion company. take good care of yourself. health and happiness my friend, that’s what’s important.
God bless you.
chris
No heads up , no nothing. Jack is gone. Hope he finds a new oldies station. I will not listen to 99.1 again.
Sorry to loose you and Brian and Scott Shannon from the air! You’ve been the voice of the Oldies (my music) since it was new. I’ll miss you – Impact Radio made a great mistake! Thanks for all the years!
Jeff Cochran gives you his best!!
(sorry bud…couldnt help myself..hahahahha)
Good luck Big Jack in all that you do in the future! I listened to you on 99.1 and 104.3, and still think you’re one of the best radio personalities around! You will be missed deeply.
Jack, Best of Luck to you…
I remember the days back in the late 70’s when I was in a Career Education Broadcasting class, and interning at KBBK-FM, those were the days!
Thank you for everything that you have taught me about radio in those days, I have cherished everyone of those lessons, plus Mitch Pruitte were part of those lessons as well.
Good Luck Jack!!
You will be Missed!!
Russ
That’s too bad Jack… You are the King of the oldies! Anita and I took the kids to Meridian Speedway last Saturday for the first time in years. It didn’t seem the same there without you playing off of G.W.. Boise radio will not be the same either… let me know if there is anything I can do.
Big Jack, when or if I ever get to 30 plus years in the business, I will fondly look back at the time I got to work with such a legend and I will remind people that there was a radio personality that truly lived up to his name, Big Jack. You will be greatly missed, but I have a feeling we won’t hear the last of you! Thank you for all that you shared with me and all the listeners.
Web Man Eric
Big jack. Household name. You did it. Something we all wanted when we started.
Jack, sorry to hear your hangin up the headphones… You have been fantastic teacher over the years. Some of my greatest memories are from the Clear Channel hotel! Watching and listening to you verbally beat up Brad Chambers everyday! Always brought a smile to my face! You’ll be missed my friend.
Good luck in everything you do.
Big Jack = Big fun…no doubt!! I haven’t worked with anyone before or since who preserved such a wholesome, lively, motivational standard of work. It’s a poor reflection on anyone who could not work with Jack . For teambuilding, leadership and GREEEAAAAT radio, Jack get the gold Watch (even though there’s nobody to give it).
To share a memory…I walked into the Kool Oldies studio at Park blvd and asked him to explain all the lines to “Do you remember these” by the statler brothers (before my time)…he rattled them off with a huge smile on his face.
You done good Jack, you gone good!
My Big Jack and Wombat reunion vigil is officially over.
From “The Farm” out on Amity to the Owyhee Plaza, it was always fun when Big Jack was in the house. His presence will be missed on the air, but the community will know he’s still around.
Take care, my friend. See you at the auction.
Jack, I have never met you, nor do I know you. However, I wish you good luck in your ventures. The times I had the opportunity to listen to you, I always thought you were very talented. Advice is generally worth what you pay for it, and in this case you have paid nothing, so here goes. There is life after radio. Since you have made the break, don’t look back. Don’t let someone play to ego that we all have, and get your head twisted around.
Best of lluck in your ventures…..I found that you can make a lot more money for less stress and hassle once you have escaped…..LOLOL
When an ICON like Jack hangs it up–you can BET he has bigger & better things to concentrate his time on. Radio will NOT be the same without you–no doubt.
To share MY favorite Big Jack story…
Jack used to have fun (at my expense) immediately following a remote I had finished, on my way home the first break he tracked went a little like this: “Oh by the way, the car dealership just called and wanted me to tell you that you had left your billfold in the ladies room….again.”
My plan for retribution went a little like this…Jack was scheduled to do a remote at Roaring Springs on a Saturday, and back when Kool 104.3 had just two single remote breaks per hour, I would intro Jack in my voice tracks and he would act as though I was handing it off to him totally live. It actually sounded pretty slick, even if it WAS all tracked on my end. I had one talkover immediately before Jack had a break towards the end of the hour and thats when I decided to have a little fun. I began my talkover by acting as though it was time to ‘check in’ with Big Jack. I went ahead and let dead air play for maybe 5 seconds when I popped the mic again and said, “Right about now Big Jack is knocking over an old lady trying to get to the microphone, but I’m just havin’ a little fun and we’ll check in for REAL in just a moment…”.
I recorded that on a Friday, and his remote wasn’t ’til the next afternoon…and sure ’nuff I got a message on my cell the following afternoon laced with well-placed words-that-can-get-you-fired and according to Jack he really DID almost knock down an old lady trying to reach the mic…
Ahhh, the Good Old Days…Jack you truly ARE one-of-a-kind and Boise, the state and indeed broadcasting in general are better having been associated with you. Stay cool and THANKS for the memories.
Sorry to see you leaving, Big Jack. You are a business man now and have had the vision to create another line of business to supplement or go full time when the radio business goes south on us. Good luck and continued success. I think the two signals that Impact Broadcasting has in the Gooding area should be focused on those more central and southern areas of the state and I think the group will find some succes. Boise has more radio signals then it needs so I would concentrate on other areas. Otherwise I think that the future for those two properties 40 miles plus east of Boise are doomed to repeat the revolving door in format changes.
Thanks for the kind words and the some of the great stories of years of Boise radio. Since Monday I have had many phone calls, even more emails and several listeners stopping me in the stores to give their support and opinions!!
Response to some of the comments:
RRRadioguy … nice reindeer dig. I hate that song!!!!!
Doc Brown … Owyhee Plaza will ALWAYS be a highlight. Especially nice doing mornings and ordering ham and cheese omlettes from room service!!
RadioActive … “Who knows, in a few years if things go right for you Jack you might be the one owning the radio station. Wouldnt that be a gas!” Not saying a word … remember now, I’m retired! :-)
Doug Raper … Brett Favre is my consultant!!!!
Chris Brewer … How many times did I offer you a night shift at KF95?? Remember when my night guy Steve Ryan called you every hour on the hour and played Motley Crue’s DR FEELGOOD over the phone to you because KISS-FM didn’t have it!!! Oh the memories!!!
Well Dunn … YOU DOG!! Nice shot. I’m laughing at that one.
Jim Smith … I miss Meridian Speedway too. I was there once this year. it took about 15 minutes but it all came back and I had a blast. Maybe again very soon.
Web Man Eric … If this is the same Eric I worked with, WHERE’S MY PICTURES???? Give me a call and I’ll pick them up. It was a good time hangin’ with ya.
luckytohaveajob … THANK YOU! Nothing I set out to do but it just kinda happened.
shutupdummy … Oh yes, the Brad Chambers bashings and verbal attacks. But I ask you, you won the fights. Who’s your buddy, who’s your pal. I was a bit stubborn then and very protective of what I knew was right and I stood up for it and we were successful!!!!
Tobin … my friend. You are missed. I hope things are well in your life. I do remeber the Statler Brothers explanation. You had this “Oh my god” look on your face. Glad I could help.
Sledgehammer … Big Jack and Wombat!! I must say that was a very fun show to do. We took it to the edge and sometimes never came back. A reunion vigil??? WOW, maybe it’s time to blow out the candles.
RadioJeff … I forgot about the Roaring Springs remote. You got me good on that one. After all these years … YOU’RE FIRED!!!!! That made me feel like Donald Trump.
Jack
Jack gave me my chance to live my teenage dream to become a screamin’ nighttime rock and roll air personality when he let me loose in Rockin’ Robin’s Request Nest Saturday nights on KOOL 104.3. I had the rare opportunity to play oldies that weren’t on the approved list, but that WERE on the top ten lists of every listener who made me his or her best friend three-to-five hours a week! I owe a lot of gratitude to Jack for going to bat for me and the show several times when management wanted to pull us off the air. Jack, you know Sandy and I will see you at the car shows you PROduce!
Hey Jack, I still do a pretty mean James Brown, Wolfman Jack and Beavis & Butthead imitation. I’ll never forget the time we tricked a female listener into thinking I was a sheep. I still have that cart! I also can’t believe Cable One paid for the LIVE read we did as “Jack and James Brown”. I’ll never forget how hard we laughed after that that one!
It’s that kind of FUN I remember having with you, Jack. Thank You. You made an otherwise very hard time in my life bearable…
Somewhere, I know Dick Lumenello is still cursing our room service charges!
jack,
i shoulda took one of the many offers. thank you for that. yeah, i remember steve ryan calling and jamming me with dr. feelgood!
oh by the way, i heard your talk up on elton john, what was it “saturday night’s alright for fightin?” freakin sweet! the only thing missing was you saying “kay-cee-bee-que!” that was a major market talk up buddy. gave me goose bumps.
Jack….
Ron Collar called…..
He just upgraded his BMW..you know the one..its the one with the rifle rack in the back….. for a Prius…. Says if you get back to Arkansas to look him up….says he looking for a morning guy at a religous station he is now running…Says he could use a guy with your abilities…….
See….Things are looking up already…..
RadioActive … Now that’s funny!! I’d forgotten about Ron. A great memory to laugh at!!! After he gassed me, about 3 months later, he got thrown out too. I saw him at Albertsons at Ustick and 5 Mile right after that. He wanted to be my friend and I openly laughed at him all the way across the parking lot. Revenge is soooo sweet!!!
Jack-
Thanks for the memory upgrade… You did what I wish I could have. I was working somewhere else when the GM of that station gave me the news. SATISFACTION was the word of the day.
Forever etched in our minds….” I dun never furred anyone in my life….They dun went and furred themselves…”
Take care!
Jack……I will truly miss your professionalism, your hard honesty and your friendship. We go way back, but it wasnt until 2007 when you came to ontario that we actually got to work together. gee….your 36 years and my 33 years……its gotta account for somethin…….radio will be a lot less without ya…….
Jack has always been someone who encouraged me and made me laugh… I listened to him while in high school and ended most of my nights with “The Big Jack Attack”. Somewhere I still have a tape of him signing off the night show before taking over mornings on KF95. Even while I was dying on the overnight shift at KIYS, Jack would take me out to breakfast and tell me to hang in there. The day after KIYS started its implosion and most of us got broomed, Jack was the first one to call and make room for me on the weekend till the pm drive shift opened up. Jack is a great guy to work along side with and for. Its a sad day to hear someone who has been part of the radio fabric of Boise for so long won’t be heard regularly anymore. Thanks for the fun out on Amity Road and in the Owyhee Plaza, Jack!
By the way, Wombat is living in Singapore these days. I can connect ya, but doubt he’ll be back in Boise any time soon for a Big Jack & Wombat reunion.
Jack… thank you. Your 36 years inspired my 25 (and counting) years…
I remember waking up to Big Jack and the Barnyard while going to Bliss High School. By the time I got to the Boise market and KF95, I’d missed him by a year or two….and was stuck with KASPER! :-) But then as fate and radio would have it, we all ended up in the same building anyway. One of my funniest memories is watching Big Jack and tiny Athena who was on KISS at the time. I swear she was about 3 feet tall! Jack would put his hand over the top of her head, and she would push right back into it and swing both arms trying to playfully punch him….with about 4 feet of air between the two of them! Wish I had a picture to post! Thanks for the fun Jack, and the gunship that hangs here in my mancave. Best wishes to you and my favorite Hawaiian shirt maker!
Big Jack,
I am sorry to hear that you have decided to retire from radio. I have followed your career in the Boise area for more years than I'm willing to admit. I will miss you but understand the need to continue forward. I'm currently at an important crossroad in my life, also. Know that some people out here in radioland still love you and would listen to any “oldies” station you signed on with.
That stupid Impact Radio really screwed up this time!!!!!!!!!!! The Virus Station stinks and nobody will listen t it!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The many days of hearing Thriller was a real pain and we all were waiting for you and Byran Gregory to return..When you didnt,I was just confused and sick!!!None of your fans had no idea what was going on.You and the music was Awesome.99.1 has ben removed from my radios.Good Luck and we all hope to see you back someday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!