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The KOY Time Capsule Is Open

J

johndavis

Hats off to Audicy for being good sports and opening up the KOY Time Capsule today on the anniversary of KOY opening its then newly remodeled studios in 1977.

The top story on this day in the Republic was penned by Jana Bomersbach about civic leaders backing the effort to build the freeways.

Those of you who are new in town have no idea what this town was like back when a jingle could say "Bell Road and the Freeway" and everyone knew where it was because we only had one.

I didn't get to town to see it, but I'm pretty sure some of the Nielsen family (not the ratings people, a former owner of KOY back in the day) made the trip.

There's photos in the KOY alumni Facebook group if you're curious about what was under that weathered plaque outside the front door.
 
I presume this was the original KOY on 550. It remains the only three letter call sign in Arizona. Most of the time the format was adult contemporary, long before the talk from the far right. For years the programmer was Nat Stevens.
 
CAVEMANager said:
I presume this was the original KOY on 550. It remains the only three letter call sign in Arizona. Most of the time the format was adult contemporary, long before the talk from the far right. For years the programmer was Nat Stevens.
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Until the later 70's, the format was not Adult Contemporary... it was solidly in the realm of MOR.

The KOY morning show with Bill Heywood was as MOR as you could get outside of WGN or KMPC and maybe WOR.

Ex-Phoenix radio personality Bill Heywood, wife found dead

Former Phoenix radio personality Bill Heywood was being remembered Thursday by friends, former co-workers and his longtime boss as someone who got the city going in the morning with his quick wit and calming, smooth voice.
lasvegassun.com lasvegassun.com
 
DavidEduardo said:
The KOY morning show with Bill Heywood was as MOR as you could get outside of WGN or KMPC and maybe WOR.
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IIRC, in the 1970s, KOOL/960 and KXIV/1400 were also MOR, but played music that was older than what aired on KOY.
 
KeithE4 said:
IIRC, in the 1970s, KOOL/960 and KXIV/1400 were also MOR, but played music that was older than what aired on KOY.
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The mention of KXIV brings back lots of memories. As a kid I would tag along with my aunt to the studio on weekends when she did her 12-6pm shift on weekends back in the 70's That's when my love of radio was born, got to cue up records, start up the carts, pick out records for her, and got to play in the production studio downstairs, although scolded for touching Frank's vintage records (can't remember his last name but hosted a popular vintage music program there).

This was when they had their offices up in the Western Savings tower at Central and Osborn. The studio was in the floor level plaza, had a plate glass window in front of it with a speaker, so passerbys could see and hear all.

She helped Preston Westmoreland get into radio by talking management into hiring him. His shift would follow hers.
 
Part of me wishes that 100 years later, KOY wasn't on 1230. Then again, the original KFCB was something like 1320. (The 3 letter call sign came after KFCB.)
 
KilowattKat said:
The mention of KXIV brings back lots of memories. As a kid I would tag along with my aunt to the studio on weekends when she did her 12-6pm shift on weekends back in the 70's That's when my love of radio was born, got to cue up records, start up the carts, pick out records for her, and got to play in the production studio downstairs, although scolded for touching Frank's vintage records (can't remember his last name but hosted a popular vintage music program there).

This was when they had their offices up in the Western Savings tower at Central and Osborn. The studio was in the floor level plaza, had a plate glass window in front of it with a speaker, so passerbys could see and hear all.

She helped Preston Westmoreland get into radio by talking management into hiring him. His shift would follow hers.
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KXIV...a Dick Van Dyke radio station. (what the hell was he thinking?)

Meanwhile, back to the topic:

1640105481163.png
 
DrAkbar said:
KXIV...a Dick Van Dyke radio station. (what the hell was he thinking?)

Meanwhile, back to the topic:

View attachment 2428
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My dad always said that KXIV existed as a tax write-off. Once the tax law changed and the station needed to make money, Dick's personal jukebox was put on the market. Not sure how true that was, but it made sense.

As for the Heywood billboard, I always wondered how much money Gary had to spend to license the "dynamic ribbon" design on that billboard. One thing's for sure, Edens never hesitated to market his stations. KOY and Y-95 was always on billboards, bus cards, and TV. When I was a baby DJ working for Fred, we always wondered if Gary spent more on T-shirts than Fred did on salaries.
 
DrAkbar said:
KXIV...a Dick Van Dyke radio station. (what the hell was he thinking?)

Meanwhile, back to the topic:

View attachment 2428
Click to expand...
Not to derail the topic again, Dick also built a TV studio out in Carefree where he filmed his early 70's sitcom "The New Dick Van Dyke Show", another ill-fated idea.

Ira Levin also was a KXIV owner, and just remembered.. .it was Frank Pollack who had that show, later he was on KLFF.

OK, enough KXIV...back to KOY!
 
DrAkbar said:
KXIV...a Dick Van Dyke radio station. (what the hell was he thinking?)

Meanwhile, back to the topic:

View attachment 2428
Click to expand...
Ah, a billboard designed by someone who understood the medium. Short, direct message that could be read and understood a few seconds while driving by.

Yesterday I drove by 30 billboards on the I-10. There were 3 that had such a clear message... the rest too much text or too "busy" to read.

I listened the other day to some 70's CHR unedited airchecks. What amazed me was the number of entertaining commercials, either jingles that were catchy or rather fun dialogue. Today it seems they are all "If you have been abused by persons of authority.... dial 1-800-Sue-Them." I wonder if much of the annoyance with commercials today is due to the horribly un-creative use of audio.
 
Does anyone know if Alan Chilcoat "Sings the weather", is still alive? Probably be in his 80's now. He was definitely KOY's number two personality, holding down afternoon drive. I heard he went to work at a car dealership after leaving KOY
 
DavidEduardo said:
I listened the other day to some 70's CHR unedited airchecks. What amazed me was the number of entertaining commercials, either jingles that were catchy or rather fun dialogue. Today it seems they are all "If you have been abused by persons of authority.... dial 1-800-Sue-Them." I wonder if much of the annoyance with commercials today is due to the horribly un-creative use of audio.
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Back in the 90s, Smith Mesa Nissan hired a comedian to do their radio spots. It was roughly 30 seconds of topical humor and 30 seconds of commercial. The disclaimer always was up front with a distinctive music bed. It was the only time I've ever turned up a car dealer commercial when the disclaimer copy started and listened to the whole thing because they were always clever.

The spots often poked fun at other car dealers and the car buying process in general.

If you want people to listen all the way through the break you have to make spots something they want to listen to.
 
johndavis said:
As for the Heywood billboard, I always wondered how much money Gary had to spend to license the "dynamic ribbon" design on that billboard. One thing's for sure, Edens never hesitated to market his stations. KOY and Y-95 was always on billboards, bus cards, and TV. When I was a baby DJ working for Fred, we always wondered if Gary spent more on T-shirts than Fred did on salaries.
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Gary Edens cut his teeth on radio and knew the importance of advertising and marketing in a market flooded with other stations. He also knew the value of top talent and didn't hesitate to pay for it. Those days are gone forever, but it's fun to revisit the past. Sure the flux capacitor set to 88mph will bring us back, but the future aint as much fun!
 
DrAkbar said:
Here's coverage from FOX 10 (KOOL-TV in 1977): 40 years later, time capsule buried by Phoenix radio station opened. Too bad both reporters called the station koi - like the fish. Fifty Five Phoenix....Kay Oh Whyyyyyy.
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The fact that these call letters have been essentially buried is sad. Especially because KOY played a brief, but important, role in getting channel 10 to air with the time share. Phoenix got channel 10 two or three years sooner than it could have otherwise.
 
KeithE4 said:
IIRC, they aired Suns games around that time. That should have given them decent ratings.
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Source for that? I remember KXIV as being home of the Phoenix Giants, all 140 games per season. (It actually worked for me as a kid, as I could wake up the next summer morning -- after a night game -- and stay on the Jim Spero morning show.)

KTAR and KOY were too upmarket/mainstream for minor league baseball. The Heywood-era KOY was a monster with TV ads to augment their billboard promotion.
 
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