Hydro Post Goes Viral

My post on KIRO 7 TV ending it's live hydro coverage has well over 4000 hits and over 70 Facebooks shares.  It has knocked the Tracy Taylor post out of the top spot for the first time in 3 months.  Residents of the Seattle area are very angry to see this tradition end because it was one event that seemed to bring us together at one moment in time.

KIRO 7 Will Stop Live Seafair Race Coverage

The Seattle Times is reporting that KIRO 7 TV is stopping it's live coverage of  Seafair  Hydroplane Races.  The copyrighted story by veteran reporter Eric Lacitis appeared on the paper's front page. 
When I moved to Seattle for the first time in the early 1980s, the "world" stopped on the first weekend in August when the hydroplanes raced.  Hydoplanes were the perfect marriage of Seattle's airplane building heritage and it's proximity to the lakes and the sound.  At one time the races were carried live on KING, KOMO, and KIRO, the area's three major network TV stations.  Of course at that time, the Seattle Mariners were fairly new and Seattle's offerings seemed smaller.
Of course, times have changed, Seattle is probably known more for being home to Amazon, Microsoft, Starbucks, and Costco, than to Boeing and newcomers now probably outnumber natives. 

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.

KIRO TV Sacks Pat--KIRO FM Picks Him Up

Seattle area residents reading this morning's Seattle Times (June 21st) were shocked to read that local radio icon Pat O'Day was asked not to return to KIRO 7's Seafair Hydroplane Race broadcast.  This, of course made little sense, since Pat had done the broadcast in some form since 1967.  At that time or soon after, Hydros and the race itself ruled in the city, since major league sports have arrived in town, as well as an influx of people all over the globe, the race's grip on the city has loosened.  In other words, the target audience for the race, is the same target audience that would probably long to hear the Seattle legend.
Enter KIRO-FM, which is no longer affiliated with KIRO TV.  They announced today that Pat O'Day will host a one hour special during the weekend of the Seafair Race.  The announcement was made during the Ron And Don drive time program on 97.3 KIRO FM.