June 1962 – Bozo The Clown debuts on KTVW 13.
November 1964 – “My Little Margie” re-runs still play on KTVW 13.
September 1965 – Wynn McCracken named Operations Manager at KTVW 13.
August 1969 – J. Elroy McCaw, 57, president of KIXI Seattle and KTVW 13, and former owner of WINS New York, died in Seattle. He was also president of Colorcable Inc., Renton, and Twin City Cablevision Inc., Centralia-Chehalis, and past president of Washington State Association of Broadcasters. Mr. McCaw sold WINS in 1962 to Westinghouse Broadcasting Co. for $10-million. He had been president of Gotham Broadcasting Co., New York, owners and operators of station, for many years. He was also formerly chairman of board of Manhattan Cablevision. He also once owned KYA San Francisco.
For more on KTVW TV 13, the people and the programming — use the SEARCH tool in the Menu on this page, keyword: KTVW
Tags Bozo The Clown, Colorcable, Gotham Broadcasting, J Elroy McCaw, KIXI, KTVW 13, KYA, Manhattan Cablevision, My Little Margie, Twin City Cablevision, Washington State Association of Broadcasters, Westinghouse Broadcasting, WINS, Wynn McCracken
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January 2, 1956 was the first night of the elongated weeknight schedule for KTVW TV 13 Tacoma. The station remained on the air each morning until 3 AM, showing old black & white movies and syndicated TV programming.
“Old-timers” may remember that Wally Nelskog hosted a variety show on KTVW TV in the 50s. That was before he quit, to turn his attention full-time to his radio ventures in the Tri-Cities, and later, KIXI Seattle.
1967– The U. S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has upheld a lower court’s ruling that broadcasters in Washington state must get licenses from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers if they use ASCAP music. The decision, issued Jan. 13 , in effect denied the contention originally advanced by a number of Washington stations that state law prohibited their taking out ASCAP licenses. The case originated as an fringement suit brought by a group of ASCAP publishers and composers against seven Washington stations. Four stations settled, and in I964 a U. S. district court in Seattle held that the remaining three-KGMI Bellingham, KPQ Wenatchee and KIXI Seattle-had failed to take out ASCAP licenses “only because they wanted to avoid paying license fees” and that they were guilty of copyright infringement KGMI and KPQ subsequently settled with ASCAP, taking out music performance licenses dating back to Jan. I , I959, and thus satisfying the judgments against them.
KIXI, however, appealed the district court decision, and it was on this appeal that the court acted in its Jan. 13 decision, affirming the finding
of infringement. KIXI could have obtained an ASCAP license but instead “continued its unconscionable conduct in unlawfully appropriating [plaintiffs'] property without cause and without justification,” Stanley Barnes, appeals court judge, said in his decision for the three-judge panel that heard the appeal. The judgment against KIXI in the district court case was for $ I ,OOO in damages and $252 . 31 in attorneys’ fees.
The New Year will bring a couple popular talk shows back to Seattle radio. When KVI dumped Conservative Talk for Oldies Rock, the Sean Hannity and George Noory shows were up for grabs. Hannity moves to KTTH, a logical move. George Noory’s spacey late-night talk show moves to KIRO FM.
Inclement weather brought out the best from Newsradio KOMO FM and NewsTalk KIRO FM. Constant coverage of the weather and traffic situations kept stranded drivers company, some commutes across Puget Sound taking 8-10 hours one-way, as traffic snarled and cars spun-out or stalled in the icy, slippery, snowy mess. This was an example of how “live & local” radio best serves listeners.
If there is a Santa Claus…please bring Seattle:
1 – Country Oldies radio station on FM
1 – 60s MOR/Beautiful Music station on FM Something like classic KIXI or KSEA 100.7
1 – Oldies station on FM with personalities, a full-service Oldies FM – maybe a simulcast of the new KVI
Santa owes me for all the times he failed me as a kid.
KIRO, KIXI, KOMO, KTTH, KVI
KQDE Rock N Roll owned by Wally Nelskog 1958 [910] KUDY 1960 Rock format continues under new call letters, KIXI 1961 Beautiful Music [910] also aired 18 hrs [each week] of Negro programming, as it was called.
Network affiliation of Seattle radio stations has changed over the years, and is much less important to the listener these days. No longer do networks carry daily entertainment programs on radio, as they do on television. Gone are the dramas, westerns, variety shows, Arthur Godfrey, Art Linkletter and Don McNeil’s Breakfast Club.
Remember when we used to count on CBS for House Party each afternoon? This Art Linkletter program made us laugh when he would interview the children during his time on the air. KIRO 710 carried this and Arthur Godfrey on a daily basis, as well as other CBS entertainment and network news programming.
Network affiliation in 1960s Seattle radio was typically:
570 KVI – Mutual
710 KIRO – CBS
850 KTAC – ABC
950 KJR – ABC
1000 KOMO – ABC
1090 KING – NBC
1150 KAYO – Mutual
1400 KTNT – Mutual
1300 KOL was a CBS affiliate prior to KIRO getting the network in 1937. KOL later hooked up with Mutual. All this, long before KOL started rocking Seattle.
ABC was a spin-off of the NBC Network, called the Blue Network, incorporating as the American Broadcasting Company in 1945. In the 60s, ABC split into four distinct networks for various audience demographics. There was ABC Entertainment, ABC Information, ABC Contemporary and ABC FM Network.
These days, NBC Radio has all but disappeared, sold off to Westwood One years ago. The NBC Radio News name is simply branding that Westwood One uses during certain newscasts, there is no real connection to the NBC Network. The Mutual brand was purchased by Westwood one in 1985 and signed off for the last time in 1999.
“Theater of The Mind”, or radio programming, as we knew it, has been revived in programs like the CBS Radio Mystery Theater, still in reruns on stations throughout the country, and available online. KIXI Seattle carries old-time radio programming during the feature When Radio Was, and the Adventures of Harry Nile. The few specialty programs featuring old-time radio, are all that is left of radio’s golden age of entertainment, on terrestrial radio. Still fun to listen to, after all these years.
Tags ABC, Art Linkletter, Arthur Godfrey, Burns & Allen, CBS, CBS Radio Mystery Theater, Don McNeil's Breakfast Club, House Party, KAYO, KING, KIRO, KIXI, KJR, KOL, KOMO, KTAC, KTNT, KVI, Mutual Broadcasting System, NBC, NBC Blue Network, Westwood One, When Radio Was Harry Nile
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Lately, my car radio pre-sets have been assigned to:
680 KBRD – ancient jazz & Big Band tunes.
880 KIXI – Nice to hear the old tunes, but when they play some of the newer cover versions, I tune out.
1030 KMAS – Oldies on the AM band and local DJs. Cool!
1180 KLAY – News-Talk. Lakewood/Tacoma.
1240 KGY – Adult Contemporary and local DJs
90.9 KVTI – Classical music & NPR programs
96.1 KXXO – Adult Contemporary and local DJs
96.9 KGY FM – Contemporary Hits, Recurrents and local DJs
97.3 KIRO – News-Talk [KIRO FM licensed to Tacoma, who'da thunk?]
Not your grandson’s radio choices!
The most recent People Meter ratings show Star 101.5 KPLZ back in the #1 spot, for the first time since 1989! Music stations KJR FM/Oldies, KRWM FM/Adult Contemporary, KZOK FM/Classic Rock, KBKS FM/Pop-Hip Hop, KMPS FM/Country, KJAQ FM/Top 40-Classic Rock, KKWF FM/Country & KCMS FM/Chrisitian [all music stations] took the top positions for listener ownership overall.
Stewart Ballinger, avid golfer and former owner/partner in KIXI Mercer Island & KFKF Bellevue, died this week. Ballinger changed the KFKF format from beautiful music to rock and roll. KFKF, as the new KZAM, was the first Seattle station to hire female deejays. Ballinger was 95.
Dr Demento takes his radio show exclusively to the Internet this fall. Demento will move his syndicated series from terrestrial channels to an Internet stream which will allow him flexibilty to play tunes that would otherwise be censored by radio stations now carrying the program.
KGY FM/Olympia, has yet to fully develop their website. The station plays a mix of Oldies & current Top 40 tunes with local deejays slaving over hot CD players and music servers. [It would have been much easier just to say "hot turntables", but those days are long gone]. “The Sound” carries hourly news reports from CBS along with local news.
Tags Dr Demento, Have You Read My Blog, KBKS, KCMS, KFKF, KGY, KIRO, KIXI, KJAQ, KJR, KKWF, KMPS, KOMO, KPLZ, KRWM, KTTH, KZAM, KZOK, Stewart Ballinger
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Clay Hungtington has operated stations KFHA-Lakewood, KLAY FM Tacoma, KQLA-Lakewood and now KLAY 1180-Lakewood, serving the Tacoma and South Sound area for well over 50 years. [pictured: Clay Huntington, voice of Tacoma Tigers baseball 1946-1951;] Huntington’s early sports broadcast career includes stints at KTBI, KTNT and KMO radio stations and both KTVW and KTNT television. All of this, as well as sports broadcasts on a 14-station network that covered Washington, Oregon, and Alaska. His vast record of community involvement includes helping to fund the construction of Cheney Stadium in 1960 and bring Triple A baseball back to Tacoma.
KLAY 106.1 FM was the first STEREO FM station in the Puget Sound region. At that time, KLAY FM was a Beautiful Music station. Ahhh…the sounds of Mantovani, Enoch Light and Richard Claydermann. Beautiful music orchestrations, programmed as background music, pleasant, relaxing and suitable for the office, home or in the car. Listeners stayed with KLAY FM for hours each day at work and at home. This format was relaxing and almost hypnotic when programmed right.
Competition for this format grew during the 60s and early 70s, with several stations adopting the format for some period. Over time there was KEZX, KBRD, KSEA, KIXI and KBIQ. Oceans of Beautiful Music emanated from some great Puget Sound area radio channels.
KLAY FM switched to a very different sound in the latter part of the 60s, Progressive Rock. Again, the station performed well and many people still recall that era and the DJs of KLAY. For example, Steve Slaton, who went on to a career at Album Rock stations in Seattle.
The FM was sold in the early 80s and became KRPM FM [now KBKS]. Clay Huntington continues to operate the AM, located in Lakewood at 1180 AM. He is still at the helm each day as 1180 KLAY broadcasts a talk radio format. Featured are many local hosts, such as well known civic leader Mike Lonergan and longtime horse racing expert and broadcaster, Vic Cozzetti, known as Victor the Predictor.
Tags Beautiful Music, Cheney Stadium, Clay Huntington, Enoch Light, Have You Read My Blog, KBIQ, KBKS, KBRD, KEZX, KFHA, KIXI, KLAY, KMO, KQLA, KRPM, KSEA, KTBI, KTNT, KTVW, Lakewood, Mantovani, Mike Lonergan, Richard Claydermann, Steve Slaton, Tacoma, Tacoma Tigers, Vic Cozzetti, Victor the Predictor
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The VOICE of KIXI Radio has died. Bob Liddle passed away at the age of 88, on May 19, 2010. Bob Liddle, formerly of Portland, Oregon stations KXL and KEX, joined the airstaff and stayed with KIXI for 45 years.
Here is the tribute to Bob Liddle that aired on KIXI –
KIXI featured Beautiful Music in it’s heyday, and a staff of great announcers. With the purchase of an FM channel, KIXI took the beautiful music format to FM radio in a simulcast of the AM back in the 60s. KIXI dropped the Beautiful Music format in 1980.
KIXI, originally at the 910 position on the AM dial [Roman numerals IXI], moved to 880 AM in 1983 and boosted power to 50,000 watts daytime/10,000 nights.
