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: My Brush With Big Time Radio

When avid Seattle radio listeners hear KYYX, most likely they would remember it as a Seattle's New Wave radio station. But in reality, it only had that format of the last year and a half of it's existence. It's founder and owner was Pat O'Day (pictured above) virtual czar of all things radio in Seattle in the last 40 years.
It was the summer of 1982, a hot August day in Walla Walla, Washington. I fresh out of college, working in my Father's business in the weekdays and moonlighting with a part time gig at KUJ, babysitting their automated FM. I had spent the winters traveling the west coast, in the guise of looking for work, actually enjoying the experience of culture different from Pullman or Walla Walla. I had stops in Phoenix, Las Vegas, LA and San Francisco.
Cousin Burl ran out and told me that Elvin from KYYX was on the phone. Elvin told me that there was an opening for a part timer and I could have the job if I could make it up there now. This was the most exciting thing to ever happen. I was to do what I had been dreaming of, to work radio in the big city.
KYYX at that time consisted of 2 stations. The low power AM KXA was on the 3rd floor and played golden oldies. It was more or less, the training ground for the big KYYX-96.5 FM upstairs in both location and stature. I was to start at KXA working afternoons and some overnights until I got my licks in enough to work upstairs.
to be continued

Dick Curtis--Seattle Radio Icon

 Dick Curtis, veteran area radio voice and a friend, rival, and associate with Pat O'Day, has died, according to reports on facebook.  Curtis had worked on-air at KJR and also at KJR's arch rival, KOL.  

He worked with O'Day at Concerts West bringing national acts to the area.  Curtis was newsman at KYYX/KXA while I worked for that station.   He was later director at the Seattle campus of the Bailie School Of Broadcast.  

I believe his most recent work was as newscaster at KVI.  You can hear Curtis at 2:25 in this video.

Brenda Jones First Female Hydro Driver Dies

 Brenda Jones, who became the first female hydroplane driver piloting the Miss KYYX, has died. 

I worked for KYYX/KXA radio when Brenda raced.  I did not get to know her but I had a photo that she autographed that I had up for years. Jones raced in an era when the Seattle area went crazy for the Hydroplanes.  Tri-Cities, too. 

KYYX--Part III

There is a certain sense of bonding when you work in overnight radio, not only was I talking to Rosemary Smith upstairs, but I would talk for long hours with Connie Cole at KZOK and Janice Caine who was also at KZOK. Janice and I went out to breakfast at 13 Coins and Connie invited me sight unseen to her wedding which I accepted. I played Old Gold at KXA, not my favorite music at the time but a learning experience (I can tell the group of almost any pop hit, like Build Me Up Buttercup by "The Foundations"). I was not terribly anxious to get on at the FM quite yet, the KYYX after all played a very safe light top 40 targeted at mostly women and ultra yuppie men. Sort of like Seattle's warm 106.5.
Things would soon change as Randi Thomas came on board. The same Randi that had an excellent career later on at KLSY, playing songs in the night. Randi at the time also had a gig at KJUN, a country station out of Puyallup. She started at KXA, but soon got a shift at KYYX, I started to get restless. Especially since KYYX made a radical format change to say the least.
They began playing Rock Of The 80s. This new wave music for the last 18 months of it's existence would define the station forever. I nudged and poked Elvin in the ribs to get time with KYYX and finally around New Years got to work the big FM.

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.