Best Daytimer DX Verified

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Re: Best Daytimer DX Verified

Postby jon » Thu Apr 05, 2012 2:47 pm

Interesting time in Seattle Radio History, when KTW was Top 40.

Those with a clearer memory of those days, feel free to correct me, but here is what I remember, without doing any research.

At the time that KTW switched to Top 40:
  • KAYO had abandoned the format for Country
  • KOL had abandoned the format for "Music from the Mudflats" Middle of the Road
  • Leaving KJR the "only game in town"
  • in the suburbs, KTAC Tacoma was probably not Top 40 yet, KRKO Everett probably was, and KPUG Bellingham very likely was
Did I miss anyone?

That must have made the decision "pretty obvious" to management, but I still find it hard to believe that anyone in their right mind would believe that you can run a successful Top 40 station in a major market without being on the air in the evening, even if you did get early evenings in the summer because of late sunset times. Signing back on at 10 or 11pm after most of your audience has gone to bed just isn't a recipe for success, especially when you sign off at 4:30 pm in December.

All that said, I'm with sky on this one: they sounded amazingly great.
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Re: Best Daytimer DX Verified

Postby Anotherwpgguy » Fri Apr 06, 2012 1:59 am

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Re: Best Daytimer DX Verified

Postby skyvalleyradio » Fri Apr 06, 2012 2:24 pm

jon - all of your statements from your last message are correct. My actual timeline recollection that I remember KTW as Top 40 was 1965. BTW, KTW had been a non-commercial station until sometime in the 1950's when they received FCC permission to go commerciaI. I too, thought their Top 40 format sounded polished and pro on air and preferred them over KJR while in existence. And yes...KRKO & KPUG were both also Top 40 then. KJR had the Seattle teen audience to themselves in 1964-65 and indeed, KTW suffered because of the sunset-11:15pm off air time. This was prime time for teen radio and to be off air evenings meant KTW just couldn't compete or cash in on premium evening ad rates. One small anomaly in their sked was Sundays. KWSC Pullman, being a student-run station, was off air all day Sunday and this was the one day a week that KTW could run continuously during evenings and overnight. By the time KOL had returned to Top 40 which I think was spring 1966, KTW gave up and switched for a short time to country then began its somewhat successful experiments with talk/phone-in. KTW's sked in the late 60's & early 70's was an odd mix of paid religion, right-wing talk and overnight religious music.
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Re: Best Daytimer DX Verified

Postby jon » Fri Apr 06, 2012 3:18 pm

I hadn't realized that KTW did anything overnight except paid religious programming. I so clearly remember the late Brian Williams after midnight Sunday nights listening to the Russian Pacific Coast station on 1250, under KTW. He preferred Carl Macintire's program, during the 3-4am hour, because he left long pauses during his diatribes on Communists hiding under your Bed, which made it easier to hear "the Russian" while doing his best to null KTW.

Other stations on 1250 were off the air for transmitter maintenance at the time.

Never thought of the irony until now: Brian waiting for a fierce anti-Commie program to hear a Communist radio station underneath it. Carl is probably squirming in his grave at my mere mention of the concept.
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Re: Best Daytimer DX Verified

Postby skyvalleyradio » Fri Apr 06, 2012 8:11 pm

KTW also tried some post-midnight talk at some point. I was examining some of the radio schedules Jason Remington has posted on his SeaTacRadio site & noticed talk past midnight on KTW...didn't pay attention as to when
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Re: Best Daytimer DX Verified

Postby Eldon-Mr.CFAY » Sat Apr 07, 2012 4:40 pm

Greetings Everyone,
Before I forget, hope everyone has a wonderful Easter Weekend in 2012!!! Weather in Greater Vancouver is quite nice but cold at night with frost. Supposed to Sunny tomorrow on Easter Sunday. Heard other areas of Canada have some snow this weekend though!

Really enjoying all the info. about Daytime Only radio stations. Had sort of forgotten about KTW 1250 and that discussion is very interesting. Yes I heard them quite a few times way back in the 60s and early 70s. Didn't get them verified but I do have a music chart from them that was mimeographed out in blue. That is probably from 1l964 or 65. Its a Top 40 Music chart from the mid-60s. Yes thats great Sky Valley and Jon for all the info.. Good discussion here!!! VE7ROX was enjoying it too he said. Okay on KYAC 1460 being a daytimer too. Interesting Sky Valley about the sign-off stuff back then!!! I know even today some daytimers do stay on later than their licensed FCC authorization. In some cases they have received some pretty stiff fines for doing so. However I think these days the FCC isn't quite as strict about it as in the past however if another AM station complains thats another story!!!! Dan thats great on hearing 990 in Albany, Oregon not once but on two dates from different locations, congratulations!!!! I*m still trying for them and hope to maybe hear them before I leave for Ontario this month!!!! They are Comedy 990 and KTHH now with only 250 watts Day and that whopping 9 watts at night! Wonder if they would still verify a dx report???? Anyway Washington and Oregon used to have more daytimers than currently. Oregon has lost most of them as they went overnight with low power or off the air completely. One station that was a daytimer but went dark was KRAM formerly KWSA 1070 Klamath Falls West, Oregon. It was a more recent one licensed (within the last 15 years or so) but its off the air and deleted now. The original owner died and other licensees decided to throw in the towel I guess!!! They had a nostalgia/big band format I heard. KWNC 1370 and KGRG 1330 in Washington State are still on-air but with low power at night so they are no longer daytimers but used to be. Those are good dx catches especially when they were daytimers. I did hear KWNC 1370 Quincy Wash. a few times near sunset when we lived in Mission on Rose Ave.. It came in fairly well but was not a regular. I don't think I have heard them from North Surrey or Langley and never sent them a dx report. Did you get KWNC 1370 Quincy verified Jon???

Arkansas has quite a few daytimers still, over 20 of them! One I have heard on the wi-fi internet radio and airchecked is KVDW 1530 England, Arkansas. They were 250 watts but I think they are now 2500 watts day. Station is nicknamed VERN AM and has a very colorful website as well. They are local and Black Gospel. The owner's name is Vernon Wells so I guess thats why calls the station Vern AM!!!! Quite a lively station to say the least!!!! Lot of local programming too!

Anyway good stuff on this thread, hope the spring listening is great for all!
73s, Have a good Easter!!!! Eldon
Bye . . Mr. CFAY "Frequently On The Frequency"
The CFAY Website: http://cfayradio.wordpress.com
CFAY Radio: http://tinyurl.com/l9qqmh
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