Bill Virgin's Radio Beat May 22, 2008

Includes archive of Bill Virgin's columns fromJ une 2006 - March 2009

Bill Virgin's Radio Beat May 22, 2008

Postby radiofan » Wed May 21, 2008 6:57 pm

On Radio: Some radio shows age well
By BILL VIRGIN
P-I REPORTER


"The Scandinavian Hour" is a throwback in multiple ways. In content, it's a living connection to one of the earliest major influences in the shaping of Seattle -- the Scandinavian community. In style, the show has a local, folksy, almost small-town feel that is a far cry from slickly produced, nationally distributed programs.

And in longevity, it's a stark reminder that radio isn't always about the format, host or program of the month. Even in an industry in which people are sometimes only as good as their next ratings book, it's still possible to carve out a longstanding relationship with listeners (although it may take jumping from one station to another to maintain it).

The recent passing of Ron Olsen, co-host of "The Scandinavian Hour," reinforces the point. Olsen and Doug Warne hosted the weekly show (with a short interruption in the early 1960s) since 1959, on half a dozen stations, and it operated with a different host before then. Most recently it's been heard on KKNW-AM/1150 at 9 a.m. Saturdays. With Warne pledging to continue the show, "The Scandinavian Hour" appears to be extending its title of the longest-running local show in Seattle radio.

But there is a close rival for the title: "The Swing Years," heard Saturday nights on KUOW-FM/94.9. Although details are sketchy as to when the show officially started, current host Amanda Wilde says a query to a couple of longtime listeners indicates it was on in the early to mid-1960s, perhaps even earlier.

There have been others with lengthy careers in Seattle radio. Robert Baron, better known as "Music With Moskowitz," had a run of nearly 30 years, also on at least half a dozen stations, until his death in 2006. Ken Wiley's "Art of Jazz" on KPLU-FM/88.5 has been running for 26 years.

Nationally, four well-known radio shows that are still going are among the longest-running. The Grand Ole Opry launched in 1925 and adopted its present name in 1927. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir's "Music and the Spoken Word" launched in 1929 (it's now heard at 7 a.m. Sundays on KBSG-FM/97.3). The Metropolitan Opera (heard Saturdays on KING-FM/98.1) began radio broadcasts in 1931. And "CBS World News Roundup" marked its 70th anniversary this year.

Paul Harvey (heard locally on KVI-AM/570) started his news and comment program in 1951 and "Rest of the Story" in 1976.

Compared to those, some of the best-known programs of today are mere infants. National Public Radio's "All Things Considered" debuted in 1971, while "Morning Edition" began in 1979. "A Prairie Home Companion" didn't start until 1974. And Rush Limbaugh didn't launch his nationally syndicated talk show until 1988.

The Seattle market can count a number of hosts who have had careers counting into the decades, such as Jim French (a talk host before moving to a second career as producer and writer of a radio drama series) and Bill Yeend (who put in 30 years at KIRO-AM/710 before moving over to his present post at KOMO-AM/1000). On the music side of the radio dial, veterans include Ichabod Caine at KMPS-FM/94.1, Steve Slaton and Gary Crow at KZOK-FM/102.5 and Kent & Alan at KPLZ-FM/101.5.

So what is it that allows a host, or a show, to stick around so long? "When it comes to (radio) personalities, the first word is being genuine," says Tom Evans Krause, head of the broadcast department at Green River Community College. "They're real people, someone you'd like to meet and hang out with." KIRO-AM's Dave Ross is a prime example, he says, of someone who shows a bit of himself on the air so that "you feel as a listener like you get to know these people." At the same time, "They're always talking about things people care about."

Enthusiasm for radio also counts for a lot, Krause says. "You can tell when people are phoning it in," he says. "A lot of people in the business are thrilled to be paid to be on the radio. Most of them would have paid to be on the radio. That kind of attitude really comes across the airwaves."

In other radio notes:


The Lyric Opera of Chicago performs John Adams' "Dr. Atomic" at 7 p.m. Saturday on KING-FM/98.1.


The Sunday edition of French's "Imagination Theatre," heard at 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday on KIXI-AM/880, features a new production of a classic Sherlock Holmes story.

P-I reporter Bill Virgin can be reached at 206-448-8319 or billvirgin@seattlepi.com.

Bill Virgin's Radio Beat ... Thursdays in the Seattle P-I
Those who danced were thought to be quite insane by those who couldn't hear the music.
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