Former Walla Walla DJ Survived Health Scare

Lyn Daniels worked at KUJ and Kiss-FM after graduating from Spokane Falls Community College.  It was the early 1980s.   Daniels also did some voice over commercials for my Cousin Burl, who had the rights to local commercials on the Walla Walla cable system.
It was known around town that Daniels had survived an incident as an infant where she pulled a coffee pot on top of her, nearly burning her to death.
Daniel's left Walla Walla to resume her radio career in her native Spokane.  About 13 years ago, she had to be rushed to the hospital with an aneurysm.   She once again survived and was in recovery when this great article was written, sent to me by a friend. You can click here.

Old Walla Walla Radio Remembered 15

More from Walla Walla DJ Dave "Rockin" Cochran....

Old Walla Walla Radio Remembered Part 13

Thank you to Hank Unck, who as Lee Michaels, worked at KTEL in the early 70s.  When the station shut down it's downtown office, to move to the transmitter site, he bought the old equipment and found this in the mixer board.

Old Walla Walla Radio Remembered Part 12

Dan Tory was a 1960s Walla Walla radio personality.  Mr Tory worked at different times for all three of the local stations, K-Hit, KTEL, and KUJ. Dan's sister, Jaynie Dillon, became well known in the Seattle radio field.  Jaynie sent this aircheck of his brother doing the "Road Show", the afternoon drive program that I remember Ken Brooks doing for many years.  Click here

Old Walla Walla Radio Remembered Part 11: Vintage KUJ

It's been awhile since I've posted anything from Joe Drazan's Bygone Walla Walla page.  This KUJ ad was published when Herb Studebaker owned the station. I believe he is the original owner of the station.  The year of this ad was listed as 1957.

Nissan 2015 Super Bowl Commercial | “With Dad”

Howard Hoffman, a resident of Walla Walla, was the track announcer for this spot that ran during the Super Bowl

Old Walla Walla Radio Remembered--Part 5

Denney's Hi Spot was a lunch bar on Main Street near Palouse in Walla Walla.  It was known for frequently heard radio commercials featuring owner Joe Denney.  Denney's songs were simple yet conveyed the message of  who, what, and where.   Thank you to former KTEL air personality Lee (Hank Unck) Michaels for digging this up!

Old Walla Walla Radio Remembered Part 2

When thought of as a radio market, the city of Walla Walla is not only mostly overlooked, it can be the subject of ridicule  However, a closer look at radio history for the town reveals an impressive roster of talent, some who grew up there and some who used their experience at the area's stations as a stepping stone to bigger things.
At the head of the list is Walter Brattain, whom is  co credited with the invention of the transistor. Transistor radios were definitely the rage in the 60s and 70s.  Brattain was a professor of physics at Whitman College in the town.  Bill Yeend, Burl Barer (my cousin), Dale Unruh, and Bob Larson were Walla Wallans who succeeded in the Seattle market.  Kent Phillips was a Whitman Student who spent his out of class hours spinning wax at KUJ, before becoming one of Seattle's longest running morning jocks at 101.5.  Dana Wagner had just graduated WSU when he took a $400 a month gig at XT-97 on his way to being a Las Vegas morning weatherman . Danny Murphy was on KTEL before becoming a children's show TV host on Spokane's KXLY. Bill Anderson would leave his name behind and become Adam West, Television's iconic Batman.   
Walla Walla native Edward P. Morgan was an ABC radio news anchor from 1955-1969, winning the George Foster Peabody award.  I remember listening to Morgan while at the family dinner  table and being shocked to find out he was from the town that I had lived in.
Last, but not least, national reporter Bob Garred grew up in Walla Walla.  He is pictured in the article above.  He grew up in the Palouse Street house that his parents sold to mine in the mid 1960s.  I can not find out much about him, but heard that he died at a very young age.  I had thought that he worked at Mutual Radio, however, all that I could find from the few articles on the Internet was that he worked for CBS. His father was the owner of Walla Walla Drug.   I want to thank Joe Drazan for the information on Mr. Garred.  He also found out the correct way to spell his name.   Joe also has this poster on his blog from the late 1970s version of KUJ

This became a pretty big hit on facebook.   I was also inspired by Sara Van Donge's article in the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin.

Old Walla Walla Radio Remembered

This shot of former Walla Walla Rock DJ, Dave "Rockin" Cochran of KTEL appeared in a recent addition of the city's paper, the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin. It was from a column by Sara Van Donge about radio from the past, my cousin Burl Barer was also mentioned. The Gallery was a department store in what was then (July 8, 1973), Walla Walla's brand spanking new Eastgate Mall.

 

 

Old Walla Walla Radio History

Two Walla Walla radio stations had downtown business offices and studios before moving to their transmitter sites.  KUJ was well before my time and I'm not sure of the exact location, although the sign was up well after it's departure and I have faded memories of it.
I remember KTEL in the Book Nook Building (officially known as Die Brucke Building), the station would broadcast it's daytime programming downtown and it's evening and weekend programming at it's tower and transmitter site.  In the early 1970s, the station added on to it's transmitter studios and moved out of it's downtown location.

Union-Bulletin Does Feature On Late Walla Walla DJ

Annie Chernley Eveland wrote a full page piece on Dave "Rockin" Cochran in the Walla Walla Union Bulletin, bringing back memories to Walla Wallans coming of age when he dominated the town's evening airwaves, some excerpts...
"WALLA WALLA — The sound of a prop plane roaring in for a landing at the Walla Walla Airport opened the 1970s Night Flight radio show hosted by local rock ’n’ roll DJ Dave Herbert Cochran, recalled Richard “Rich” Greenwood, who as a teenager caught his broadcasts. Cochran died Nov. 27.

Burial was Friday at Pine Grove Cemetery in Hood River, Ore.

Variously known on air as “Rockin’ Cochran,” “Dynamic Dave” and “Sebastian,” among others, the Hawaiian shirt-clad Cochran was part of area radio activity from the late 1960s into the 1970s. He died at age 62, shortly after Thanksgiving, and was found at his Walla Walla home at 11 E. Chestnut St., said Greenwood, the Walla Walla County coroner.

Despite being a bit of a loner, Cochran reached thousands over the airwaves. Some of his first audience was captive.

It started in his early teens when he built a transmitter. He lived near the Washington State Penitentiary and had a pirate radio station in his basement with a six-block range. “His broadcasts hit the pen and inmates listened to him,” Greenwood said"

The article continues to speak of his KTEL days as well as after radio life in the town he loved.  There were rememberences from family and friends as well as excerpts that I provided from this blog. 

Walla Walla Radio Legend Cochran Dies

Word has been received that former Walla Walla Rock DJ Dave "Rockin" Cochran has died.  Cochran worked for KTEL in the late 60s and early 70s when the station played Rock and Roll at night.  At the time, employees at KTEL were basically "day laborers", the full timers would put in an 8 hour regular shift while taping programs off the network feeds, cutting commercials, etc for a seemingly laughable wage, all in hopes of getting the big break.  For Rockin' Cochran, being on KTEL seemed to be all that mattered. To the listeners, he was bigger than life, to the management,  from what I've pretty much heard, he was a major headache.  His talent and rebellious spirit came really came across on the air.  Much of the music that I've come to love over the decades was introduced to me by listening to Rockin' Cochran. 
Cochran was let go from KTEL towards the mid 70s, he did voice over  commercials on the local cable TV channel and even a Yakima/Tri Cities station before reappearing again in the summer of 1976 as a rock DJ on KUJ, which had recently been purchased by out of town interests, it was a short lived engagement as management there grew weary of Cochran's free form ways. 
Dave Cochran may be gone, but former Walla Walla teens who wanted to be part of the scene, decades ago will never forget him.

Veteran Broadcaster Bock Honored

This blog contains many posts on Walla Walla radio history.  Jim Bock is a living breathing part of that. He has been on the air since 1979 and is still going strong.  He has worked for each of Walla Walla's 3 big stations, K-Hit, KTEL, and KUJ.  Known locally as The Voice Of The Valley, Bock has just won the John P. Destito Award, an award that goes to non-Italians for promotion Itatian heritage.  According to the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin, he is known to most as the announcer to the Walla Walla Balloon Stampede.

Lost Audio? Verne Russell's KUJ Sign Off

Almost exactly a year ago, I wrote a series of articles about Walla Walla radio stations. I went in depth on the city's oldest, most powerful, and most well known, KUJ. I also touched on the late Verne Russell and his memorable daily sign-off.
"And so we come to the end of another broadcast day." Russell, the station's owner, was able to use his voice as a paintbrush as he described the area where the station was located at. Last weekend, I received an e-mail from someone who read the piece and was wondering if the recorded sign-off was still in existence in some dusty attic. I sent a few e-mails, and heard a few suggestions, but so far, no answer. Stay tuned, because if it turns up, I will try to put it on the blog.

Old Walla Walla Radio Shows

Just to jog your memory and following up on my past posts on radio from the 60s and 70s, KUJ used to have a show called "Swapping Time", it was a cross between "Craig's List" and talk radio. Local listeners would call in to buy and sell their items and would be put on the air. A tape delays allowed the host to screen calls for suitable material. KTEL's answer was "Trading Post" however the DJ would read what were basically want ads over the air. KTEL also had "Pet Patrol" where listeners would could post lost and found for dogs and cats.
Another show that you may remember was the Men's Garden Club that would air on Tuesday mornings. On that show, the Walla Walla Men's Garden Club would answer questions fed from listeners. The radio station announcer would answer the phone and jot down the questions, to which a panel of experts would answer on the air.

Many of you may remember the "Hi Fi Show" change aired Monday through Friday at 8:00 on KTEL. DJ Dave Cochran would ask listeners to identify a record, the first caller to identify the record would win a 6 pack of Coca Cola. In order to play, you had to get a "Hi Fi" which for local teens, was as coolest thing to have in their wallet next to a driver's license.