Pat O'Day Featured Speaker at 2016 Eastside Heritage Center Benefit Dinner

From the SeaTac Media blog, Pat O'Day spoke at Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue for the Eastside Heritage Center.  As you would expect, he gave a rollicking speech.

KJR's Slickhawk

For the last few years, on the Mitch Levy program on 950 KJR, there has been a voice known as "Slickhawk".  He is Matt Mikolas and is technical director for the show.  From his outfit and effects, it looks like a well deserved nickname.  This picture curtesy of the NASORB blog.

Radio Exec Kevin "O'Brien" Metheney Dead At 60

The Seatac Media Blog  reports the sad new of the passing of Kevin Methenyy.  Metheny used the name Kevin O'Brien when he was brought to Seattle by Pat O'Day as a teen age prodigy to work evenings at KJR.  He worked as a radio executive in Cleveland, Chicago, and other major markets, but was perhaps best known as the Program Director at WNBC who tried to reign in Howard Stern.  Metheny was loosely portrayed as a composite character  Kenny Rushton, whom Stern called Pig Vomit in on the air ridicule.  I e-mailed Metheny from an old KJR tribute site after watching the Stern movie and he sent this reply

Metheny, Kevin

Mar 28, 2003

To

• mdbarer@yahoo.com

It's a MOVIE.

Not a historical text.

Bears SOME resemblance to fact. But not too much.

(It only required 10 years or so of therapy!)

You related to my old friend Burl?

KM


Kevin Metheny,
Regional Vice President of Programming, NE Ohio,
Clear Channel Radio
Metheny was program director at KGO-KSFO at the time of his passing.

Seattle Sports Talk On FM Band!

In a move that expanded it's coverage multi-fold,  Seattle Sports Radio KJR has begun to simulcast it's programming on 102.9.  The move will allow it's signal to heard clearly in isolated places like Maple Valley, where it can be scratchy and nearly impossible to hear at night.  It will also allow me to listen on my ipod, which has an FM band, but no AM.  The move was announced today and programming began immediately.

Nina Heading For Sacramento

Sacramento, coincidentally, may be losing an NBA Franchise, but it also is gaining a radio personality. KJR-AM traffic reporter Nina Hajian has left to begin work as morning co-host with NOW 100.5. Hajian will team up with Baltazaar starting April 25th. Hajian announced her departure from KJR earlier this month.

Former Sonics Owner Dies

Barry Ackerley, former owner of the Seattle Super Sonics has died of a stroke, he was 76. Steve Kelley sums up Seattle's Ackerley years in today's column. Barry Ackerley acquired several local stations, including the legendary KJR, in which he turned into a sports talk station, one of the first in the country, if not the first. As the owner of Ackerley Communications, his name could be found on billboards in the area, as his company dealt in outdoor advertising.

KJR Sportsradio's influence can be seen in new stadiums for both the Seahawks and the Mariners, ironically, while the Sportsradio station may have staved off moves by our professional football and baseball teams, it could not stop the team that Ackerly once owned, the Seattle Super Sonics from leaving. Ackerley was instrumental in bringing the WNBA to Seattle. The Seattle Storm have been brought two championships to our city, something no other pro team has done.

Going Down Memory Lane--Seattle's KOL

There was a time when radio's DJs were so sharp, you could not wait for the song to end just to hear what they would say next. In this riveting report, we go back to Colorful KOL, a rock and roll station that was the perennial bridesmaid to KJR in the mid to late 60s in the Seattle Radio Market. It was at KOL, that my cousin Burl first made a name for himself. Burl, as well most of KOL's staff would eventually wind up at KJR. In fact, the unstable nature of the radio biz had DJs continually pingpong from one station to the other.

Seattle Radio Legends

Michael Hood of BlatherWatch, a blog that covers Seattle radio, posted this picture of KJR DJs from the mid 60s, in this picture are Larry Lujak, Jerry Kay,Dick Curtis, Jerry Kaye, Lan Roberts, Dick Curtis, Lee Perkins, and Pat O'day. In a few years, white shirts, and slick back where in most cases gave way to printed shirts and shaggy hair. KJR, a hit music station back then was the dominant station in the market.

Women Against Fantasy Sports????

Yes, there is such a site . When I heard the morning guys on KJR talk about it, I thought that it was "tongue in cheek" but no it's dead serious. My guess is that these ladies have a little too much time on their hands. They should probably start their own league.

ESPN 710 To Air

The Seattle market may have lost one sports team, but they have gained one sports radio station. In the early 90s, KJR raised eyebrows by turning into an all sports station. They since have pretty much had a monopoly on full time on-air sports reporting, still going strong after 16-17 years. Now after winning back the Seattle Mariners, KIRO has moved it's news type programming to the FM band (97.3) and will change it's 710 am station to all sports next month.

My feeling is that ESPN710 will reports sports in a straight forward serious manner emphasizing information, while KJR will continue to be the "rah rah" entertainment approach. We will soon see who will win the battle of the all-sports stations.

When Radio Was King In Seattle

The title was not meant as a pun--long ago when there were fewer TV and Radio choices, KJR had a 30 something market share in the Puget Sound Region. The DJ's were well known around the community. Here is a video from 1979 with Rock and Roll Jocks Pat O'Day and the late Lan Roberts on a popular local TV talk show.

Burl Barer Tells How He Got His First Seattle Radio Job

It takes a real skill to get people to crack up at a friend's wake. Burl can do it. I had wanted to post this a year ago have finally figured out how to do it. It's Burl speaking at a memorial lunch at Andy's Diner (downtown Seattle) for Jerry Kaye.

New York Vinnie Leaves KIRO

I'm sure it was said at one time that noone could fill the shoes of former KIRO sportscaster Wayne Cody. In most ways, New York Vinnie comes close. The talk show host made his name at Sportsradio KJR, during the fight to save the Mariners. Sounding more like a New York cabbie than a cookie cutter sportscaster, Vinnie dazzled listeners with his anecdotes about baseball in the Big Apple and what sports can mean to a community. It may be said that New York Vinnie was just as important to saving baseball in Seattle as Lou Piniella and Ken Griffey, Jr. After losing his gig with KJR, Vinnie turned up at KIRO. Last week, he was let go along with Ron Reagan as the station revamped it's format. Here is wishing happy landings for Vinnie.

How Burl Barer Got His First JR Gig

My cousin Burl Barer talks about how he broke into Seattle Radio