I attended LH Bates Vocational-Technical College, now called Bates College, back in the early 70s. The radio broadcast tech program allowed one to practice being a broadcaster on a working radio station and acquire your 1st-Class FCC License in the meantime.

These days, a “1st” is not required. A lot has changed in the radio business. Radio is not exciting, nor fun and is losing listenership to Internet radio, IPODs and other new technology. 91.7 KTOY was the radio station at Bates. My instructors were real radio pros: Chuck Ellsworth (KJR) and Lee Perkins (KJR). The station alumni included Paul Berg, better known as the legendary Pat O’Day.

KTOY was a great launching pad for many radio people. Many are still in the business locally and across the USA. KTOY programmed Top 40 [with R&B on weekends]. The station changed call letters many years later to KBTC. The brain trust at Bates decided to sell the station at one point. It went dark and was later picked up by the UW. KEXP programming was tried under the KXOT call letters and later, CBC, BBC and NPR cast-off programming that KUOW had no room for in their schedule. No real attempt was made to keep 91.7 local to Tacoma. In fact, the KXOT Tacoma producer was laid off in August. The station is ripe for picking by some educational or religious broadcast company. The frequency cannot be used for commercial purposes under current FCC rule.

Will the last radio station to leave Tacoma for Seattle, please turn the lights out?