Old Walla Walla Radio Rememembered 19--KTEL Newsman Terry McConn

Terry McConn was the newsman, morning show personality when I was at KTEL.  At the time, it was exclusively Country music with news and sports. The station owner had grown old and for the most part, ran the station over the phone.  The motivation had to come from within. 
McConn was a hard worker.  He was amazingly focused and always delivered. 
I worked at KTEL twice and both times, McConn was there.  I remember his work on the story of  a local elderly woman's murder by a local teen.
It was a pleasure working with Terry. We were always on friendly terms. 
After working at KTEL, McConn would begin a 30 year career with the local Walla Walla paper, the UB.   After I moved to the Seattle area, I saw him on the news, being interview after he witnessed an execution at the State Penn.  It was at the local paper that Terry probably got the recognition he deserved. 
Terry was recently featured in an article by UB columnist Annie Charnley Eveland.  After 30 years on the city beat, he is retiring.  We wish him well!

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.

My KTEL Days

My first commercial radio job was something to remember. The station was KTEL and it was where my cousin Burl cut his teeth in the business. It was 1978, the station had been remodeled since Burl had worked there as they had moved the offices from downtown to the transmitter. It was still a real dilapidated place. When Burl and Lee came to visit one time, Burl pointed to the little holes in the wall and said--"that is where I fired a pellet gun at the bugs crawling on the wall". When I got on board the station was all country which took some getting used to, they had just stopped playing rock. My friend Jeff recently told me in the rock days, everytime a jock would play In-a-Godda-Divida (the classic 27 minute song) the Cranky Engineer would screech into the parking lot fearing that the DJs were partying.
KTEL was also the station where my Grandfather gave gardening tips on Tuesday morning as part of the "Men's Garden Club". The station was totally run by Jack Keating an elderly man who was rarely at the station. I only saw him 3 times during the year that I worked there. Once was when he hired me.
I was the last DJ to sign off of the old board. We were the Seattle Super Sonics station and I was working the board running the game when they won their NBA title in '79. Also the cranky Engineer was terminated after working there for 25 years during that one year. I later went back to WSU to get my degree and returned to KTEL for a brief time 6 years later.

The Third Class FCC License

My goal as a child was to get into radio.  It may be because as I remember, the tower of KTEL, a few blocks away, was visible from the house on Leonard Street where we lived until 1965.   It could be that when we moved to a new house, I had the bedroom that once belonged to Bob Garred, who had gone on to become a national radio voice before his passing. It may have been the memory of  my dad taking me to KTEL, back when we lived on Leonard to visit Burl, who at the time, was working as a Rock And Roll DJ at night and on weekends, while going to high school during the day.
At the time, to get a radio job, you needed a 3rd Class FCC Radio Telephone License with Broadcast Endorsement.
When I started my Junior year of High School, I studied to get my license.  To get the 3rd Class License, I had to pass elements 1 and 2 which were very easy, but element 9 was rather difficult and I was not great at passing tests..
During Spring vacation, we went to the Seattle area, of course we were all in Walla Walla at the time.  We stayed at the Thunderbird in Bellevue, which eventually would become one of the two Red Lions in that town, it would eventually become the Doubletree and then, later, be torn down for high rises.  The test was administered on certain days at the Federal Communication Commission  on the 32nd floor of the Federal Building in Downtown Seattle.
Both my sister and I were dropped off at the Federal Building to take the course.  I knew that I passed elements 1 and 2, but was not sure about element 9.
I found out that I passed all three elements and received the license looking like the one above, my sister passed elements 1 and 2, but was unable to get a broadcast endorsement.  Her's looked like this

When I got my first radio gig, it was a KUGR at WSU.  The license was not needed because it was heard on the cable system, rather than the "air".  I remember that was so the station could play commercials, giving valuable experience to a radio sales force and to production engineers.
 I finally got a gig at KTEL where I did need my third phone, which I proudly posted, but I was mad to find out a few months later that operator licenses where being phased out and operated were getting a permit in the mail with no test needed.  I believe today, operators at any level are not licensed.

Old Walla Walla Radio Remembered Part 27 KTEL's Brother John Hammond

KTEL's Brother John Hammond worked  the night shift on the radio and was a student at Wa-Hi during the day. Because he was still in High School, he had valuable insight on what worked on local radio.
Hammond is probably remembered most as the DJ who was on the air in March of 1974, urging listeners to streak outside the KTEL studio.
This cut  was done many years after Hammond left the airways.  He was doing a fun tape with fellow Walla Walla legend Dave "Rockin'" Cochran.

Walla Walla's Top All Time Sports Broadcasters

I was asked by a friend to name the top 5 Walla Walla sports announcers.  Having not lived in Walla Walla in the last 22 years, I picked 5 who stood out in my memory, they are:

1. Roy Elia--Local guy, did sports reports on KHIT-XT-97.
2. Verne Russell--Owner of KUJ, play by play man for Walla Walla Phillies, Islanders, Padres.
3. Bevan Roth--KTEL  Wa Hi Blue Devil Football and Basketball.
4. Bud Bowman KTEL Wa Hi teacher and Bevan's sidekick on local sports broadcasts.
5. Larry Weir  KUJ, KTEL  Play by play Wa Hi Sports, then I believe, became announcer for EWU.
Honorable mention Pat Gillette, Chuck Boyk, Mike Cherry,Dana Wagner, Sherm Mitchell. Anyone you wish to add?

Old Walla Walla Radio Remembered--Part 31 Old KTEL Mike Insignia

This piece of radio history was on the mike at the downtown studios of KTEL many decades ago.  It was sent to me by former KTEL DJ, Lee Michaels, who bought the equipment when the station moved it's business offices and main studio to the transmitter site, which had served as the night studio.
Instead of being on a mike, it is with a Mike.   The letters are backwards due to this being a self taken picture better known as a selfie.

Walla Walla Teen Memories--The Hi-Fi Show

Contests and rock radio go hand in hand, KTEL had a daily contest that was somewhat unusual.  The Hi-Fi Show, I remember from 1970 on.  Hosted usually by Dave "Rockin" Cochran, it started with the Coca Cola jingle (it's the real thing).  Then Cochran would introduce the show and instruct everyone that a Hi-Fi card was needed to play.  For those too young to get a driver's license or a credit card, the Hi-Fi card was a must have for the wallet.  Each card had a number, many cardholders still incredibly remember their number.  My first was 1572-B.  Cochran would tell the listeners how to get the card.  The KTEL offices "high atop the Book Nook Building". Back then, KTEL had a downtown office and studio, while the transmitter and tower were on 2nd and Tietan, the night broadcasts were at the transmitter site.  The contest was usually to name the song and the artist of a song that he played.  When someone would get a correct answer, Cochran would cut in on the record and say "No more calls please, we do have a winner"  The winner would get a six pack of Coca-Cola, but I think some people just enjoyed getting their name on the radio.

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.

Old Walla Walla Radio Remembered 42--KTEL Becomes Area Seahawks Station

in 1976, dreams across Washington came true when Seattle Seahawks joined the NFL. Seattle was actually awarded the franchise in 1974.

In Walla Walla, KTEL won the rights to broadcast the games. 

My brother Steve found this article in the UB archives. Written by the sports editor at the time, the late Jim Reding 

Old Walla Walla Radio Remembered Part 29--The Whitman Campus Station

This Walla Walla station is 48 years old, yet it's easy to ignore. Many people who have lived in Walla Walla for years, may not even know it's there.  

KWCW is Whitman College's campus radio station.  It is located in the Reid Campus Center. 

I found it because it played rock, which was hard to find in my Walla Walla school days.  It for the most part wasn't mainstream pop.  It was things  like obscure album cuts, obscure bands, acoustical music, 60s music.  It was the ultimate underground station. DJs played what they wanted.  

In 1978-79, I took a break from WSU.  I got  a job at KTEL and went to WWCC for a year.  The community college did not  have a radio station and KTEL played all country. 

I volunteered to work at KWCW, that way a could play rock for the city.  I did not go to Whitman, but they were happy to have someone fill the air shift. It also helped that I had a 3rd class radio license, which was needed at the time. 

If you live in Walla Walla, you can listen to KWCW, known on campus as K-Dub at 90.1.  

KTEL Lee Michaels 1971

 

A blast from the past, Lee Michaels doing the Coffee Break show on KTEL in the early 70s.  Rockin' Cochran can be heard doing a commercial at around 8 minutes.  You can also hear local favorites like Dave Dirks and Bevan Roth.

Dave "Rockin" Cochran And The Voice Of Thunder

If you were a teenager or a young adult in the late 60s or early 70s and a fan of hit music
growing up in Walla Walla Washington, you would be perfectly happy turning your radio to a scratchy fading in and out station in the Tri Cities,(KALE or KORD depending on the era). If you had a good summer or night job, you could go down to the "Record Center" or later "Hot Poop"(Walla Walla's Hippest Record Store) or "StereoBird"to buy enough records to satisfy your hunger for the hits, as night fell and the Tri Cities stations followed FCC guidelines and broadcast in low power, you could turn on KTEL. KTEL,at 1490 khtz, was one of three local AM radio stations and one of only two that were allowed to operate at night. It was also the only one to play rock and only at night. Dave "Rockin" Cochran was prime time night Disc Jockey. He was actually working in the daytime as well playing country music and what not. Dave Cochran had a voice that would boom into the radio and as such you would think that he could shout from one end of town to the other without benefit of a microphone. The station consisted of a fly and spider infested ramshackle hut under the big radio tower on the outskirts of town, but to listen to Rockin Cochran, you would have thought it was a palace on a hill as you could hear some of the greatest music ever played. His lifestyle was a topic of frequent discussion at schools. Cochran would play teen music from 8:00 until 10:00 and hard core FM style rock from 10:00 until 11:00, I would hear groups like "10 Years After" and "Quicksilver Messenger Service", it is no wonder that I was bitten by the radio bug. Dave was assisted in the hour off that he got for dinner by first Steve Lloid and then Mike Turner. At 11:00, it was time for the Star Spangled Banner and sign off. This was, afterall, Walla Walla.

Old Walla Walla Radio Remembered Part 4

Ex radio personality Hank Unck was kind enough to send airchecks (recording of shows) from when he worked at KALE (Hank Simon) and before that, KTEL (Lee Michaels).  You can click here to hear both his KALE audio which I have previously posted and his KTEL, which is special in the fact that it was done in 1971 and has features commercial spots from familiar voices as Bevan Roth, Dave Dirks, Singing Restaraunt owner Joe Denny, and Rockin' Dave Cochran (doing Pantorium Cleaners spot about 8 minutes in).   Hank also worked for KXLY radio in Spokane as well as some other radio stations.

KUJ--Walla Walla's Pioneer Radio Station

If you are entering the City Of Walla Walla from the west, the first thing you may notice is the twin radio towers of KUJ. KUJ is Walla Walla's oldest and most powerful radio station. At 1420khtz, it was between K-HIT and KTEL on the dial. If K-HIT was the station that your father would listen to, chances are, in the 60s and early 70s KUJ was the station that your mother would have on. It's soft adult contemporary music and low keyed radio hosts were probably perfect for a "stay at home" housewife. For many years, it carried the Arthur Godfrey show. The owners of the two other stations in town had both worked early in their careers at KUJ. It's owner, Verne Russell , was perhaps the valley's best broadcaster, known mostly for his recorded end of day sign off ("we will shake those watts and Kilocycles out of bed..."). While KTEL carried most of the high school sports play by play, KUJ carried the local minor league baseball team's broadcasts. Russell himself did play by play in his smooth broadcaster's voice. Eventually, he bought the team.
In the mid 70s , Russell sold the station as well as the baseball team to Jim Nelly.

Ho Ho Ho A Jewish Santa Clause?

When I was 6 or 7, Cousin Burl Barer was still going to High School in Walla Walla where I lived at the time. He also was working nights and weekends at the local radio station KTEL. Burl's official title was "staff announcer" , it consisted of playing country music during the day, then at night, he could play the rock and roll that he and his peers wanted to hear. We did not know that this would be the beginning of a successful radio career for him. KTEL was small and a somewhat cornball organization, it had a tradition of doing a remote broadcast at Christmastime. One of the staff announcers would be Santa Clause at JJ Newberry's ( a well known national departments store with a huge toy department) he would ask children to tell what they wanted for Christmas and it go out over the radio. Probably so the real Santa would hear (rumor had it that he was a listener--Oh well). One year that duty went to Burl, my parents took me to Newberry's and told me not to tell anyone that "Santa" was really my cousin. When it was my turn to step up to see Santa, he asked if I was "any relation to Burl Barer", that was a difficult concept for me to fathom at the time so I said, "that's you"
Because he made a great Santa, Burl got to hand out gifts at the family Chanukkah party that Saturday night.

Walla Walla Sweets Bring Baseball Back To Borleske

For the first time in a generation, summer baseball is back in Walla Walla. Sure there are the Little League, high school and college teams, but Walla Walla had not had a team to represent the city since the Northwest League Bears left in 1984. The Bears left to become the Everett Giants (now the Aqua Sox). Walla Walla had a 15 year history with the Northwest League. During it's run as a farm club for the San Diego Padres, future Hall Of Famers Tony Gwinn and Ozzie Smith began their professional careers there.
After 27 years baseball is back in Borleske Stadium. The Walla Walla Sweets of the collegiate West Coast League, started this month. The games will be broadcast on KTEL When we visited the old home town over the Memorial Day Weekend, the local paper did a real nice article on the team and what it means to the town.

1951 Jack Keating Takes Over At Walla Walla Station

June of 1951, Jack Keating takes over at KWWB, whom he would later have the call letters changed to KTEL.

Keating would own the station until his death in the mid 1980s. 

Old Radio Remembered Part III

Walla Walla native Hank Unck previously who worked at KTEL as Lee Michaels, sent this aircheck of his last show on KALE.  KALE was popular with young people in Walla Walla because the local stations didn't play contemporary hit radio during the day.  Unck used the name "Hank Simon" during his Tri Cities stint and also did the evening newscast at KNDU.

Walla Walla's Unique Record Store Owner Featured

 In the Conservative relatively, clean-cut town of Walla Walla, Washington, Jim McGuinn happily stands out.  He is the owner of what is reportedly the oldest independent record store in the state of Washington, Hot Poop. 

Hot Poop, in 50 years, has gone from a small record store on the outskirts of town, to a prominent Main Street landmark.

McGuinn is now a beloved mainstay of the town.  I have pleasant memories of McGuinn, who had knowledge of seemingly everything related to music and loved to talk.  We had many long conversations.  

As a teenager, I learned of Hot Poop in, of all things, an ad in the Wa-Hi Journal (our high school newspaper).  Soon, they were advertising on KTEL, which played rock music at nights, Monday through Saturday.

Annie Charmley Eveland, the great feature writer of the Walla Walla Union Bulletin wrote a wonderful feature on the store.  click here