Rick Carroll Left His Mark On Seattle Radio

He wasn't the most famous man named "Carroll" to work in Seattle, he really wasn't famous in the Puget Sound area at all, but because of the partnership of two of the most innovative radio people at the time, station owner Pat O'Day and LA based radio consultant, Rick Carroll, KYYX has a place in history as Seattle's new wave station.When I had come aboard at KYYX as a board operator, it was a top 40 FM station playing music similar to what many other stations were doing.   It had some of the old KJR DJs, as well as some other veteran radio voices. 
At a meeting at a Chinese restaurant (I think it was the Golden Crown), we were told that there would be a huge change.  We were introduced to Rick Carroll, who was program director at KROQ (K-Rock) in LA and told they were the hottest station in LA with a format known as "Rock Of The 80s.  This was a combination of New Wave, Punk, and a selected combination of other artists that seemed to define the young decade.  Many of the listeners of this type of music could be seen in the University District and Capitol Hill in Seattle.  It would be a huge change for a station that seemed to be marketed at the time to suburban housewives.
It was new and exciting, Carroll's role with the station was consultant as he spread the Rock Of The 80s format to other markets in the country.  The format was also boosted by the emergence of MTV, at that time, only playing music videos and becoming a visual source of new music.  After a few months, Time Magazine ran a story about him.  I remember him as a balding sharp tongued man who wore a Mickey Mouse wristwatch.
A few years later, I read in Rolling Stone that Rick had passed away, but perhaps had he not come aboard, KYYX may have become a forgotten radio station.

Working The Hydros At KYYX

In 1982, I had been at KYYX for almost a week, I was scheduled to work the Seafair Hydro broadcast.  Not on air, but I would assist in the studio.  Pat O'Day, the owner of the station was on the "shores of Lake Washington" announcing the race. Burl Barer, my cousin, was in the studio playing "The hits between the heats" and Pat's son, Garry and I were in the studio assisting Burl.  It was something of a "family affair".

At the time, the station sponsored  the Miss KYYX hydroplane, which was driven by Brenda Jones, the first woman to pilot a hydroplane.  It was a different era as Seafair encompassed the entire town.

Radio Voices From The Past

They got Seattle rolling in the mornings.  Bobby Ryan and Gary Ryan comprised the "morning drive" team of Ryan and Ryan on KYYX-FM and KXA-AM in the early 80s.   They were not related.

Barers Of Maple Valley Learns Of Loss

In the world of blogging, basically, free form journalism, nothing can be more satisfying that the approval from a member of the family of someone that you are writing about.  I was very fortunate to receive a comment from the son of former KLSY "Lights Out" host Randi Thomas.  It was very touching when I read that the comment was in past tense.  A Google search confirmed what I had feared, that Randi (above right) is gone.
Randi (her radio name), started about the same time that I did at KYYX, the early 80s.  We were board operators playing music for the Seattle on-air personalities, who taped their shows.  Randi also had an on air gig with KJUN, a country station out of Puyallup.  Over time, working the odd hours that encompass working in radio, we would go out for drinks usually with Rosemary Smith, another good friend.  With the burden of her other job, Randi would often call me to fill in for shifts that she was unable to or too exhausted to pull off.  She was a happy, outgoing girl with a deceivingly sharp sense of humor and an undying devotion to her craft.
Many years later, I crossed paths with a colleague who, by coincidence knew of her. He told me that she was working at KLSY, an adult contemporary station in Bellevue.  My friend Garry and I went over to the station and joined her for breakfast at The Keg.
My wife is an AC radio fan and when we were dating in the early 90s, we would listen to "Lights Out" on KLSY, which Randi was hosting at the time, she would play love songs and read listener dedications, I believe it was the show that earlier rocketed Delilah to radio fame.    I think my last contact with her was by e-mail sometime in the late 90s. I told her that I had gotten married and she e-mail the reply "you should have me dedicate a song to your wife". 
Randi, who actually left us in May of 2011, was dedicated to her craft and will be missed.

KXA Radio Seattle 1980 TV Commercials

Until now I had not seen this commercial nor had known of it's existence. I did, however, in the early 80s, work for Old Gold 77 KXA, a somewhat forgotten Seattle radio station that had been acquired by O'Day Broadcasting. It's sister station KYYX has much written about it including several web sites.
Most of the employees including myself talk of working at KYYX, but all of us started at KXA. Because of working there, I acquired a good knowledge of hit radio from the 60s and 70s (which where barely oldies at the time).
KXA had an extremely loyal following including a listener named Richard who would call daily and make requests. Richard would know the ID number of the songs. I remember him as being very insistant that his songs be played. KXA would eventually become a Christian Radio station and has since changed it's call letters to become a Conservative talk station.

KYYX Radio Tribute Site

There are many web sites dedicated to defunct Radio Stations. I was knocked out by this one on the station where I have so many fond memories, KYYX.