Reno/Carson City KOLO Radio Former Studios used as fire training area

[RF101]

KOLO 920 AM is long gone. What better way to let it go than to use it as a training ground for firefighters. No need to play "Disco Inferno" here as this was just chemical smoke.

KOLO Radio building used to train local firefighters

KOLO Radio building set for demolition being temporarily used by firefighters for training

www.kolotv.com

 

[davideduardo]

Interesting. KOLO 920, the Las Vegas AM on 920 and KENO in Las Vegas were the three easiest Nevada stations to hear in the East back in the early 60's. I logged all 3 from Cleveland, OH.

 

[michael hagerty]

So---that is the last of four homes that KOLO radio had. It was only there from 1981 to 1987.

When it went on the air in 1946, its studios and offices were at the transmitter site on Pyramid Way in Sparks, bulldozed ages ago for a shopping center.

In 1956, KOLO moved to the El Cortez Hotel:



In 1971, the station moved to its own building at 406 California Avenue. I'd been there a few days when we took our 1977 Christmas Card photo on the steps of the building:



Let's see how good my memory is.

Top row: A woman I don't remember, I think she was in sales. In the orange shirt, the legendary Dave Finley, who did mornings. Middle, Jock Scowcroft, a lovely, brilliant man who left soon after I arrived (I don't think that was why) to do Classical radio at KUNR. Right, our version of Herb Tarlek, a sales guy whose name I do not remember.

Center: Ron Longinotti, junior sales guy who went on to be General Manager at KPIX-TV in San Francisco. He's putting the bunny ears on Bob Glassburn, sales manager, who later was GM at KROW (780), now KKOH. In the yellow t-shirt, B.J. Backlund, our bookkeeper and den mother. If everyone else in that photo called in sick for a week, she'd have kept us on the air. The blonde next to her shoulder is Pam Butler. She was sales. Up from her, the young woman in the glasses, I believe did the commercial logs, but I can't remember her name. She was gone shortly after the photo. The woman next to her is Cathy---our receptionist and B.J.'s daughter-in-law. The guy with the hair, glasses and mustache with the dark shirt and his arm over the rail is the guy everyone thinks is me, but no. He was sales, and I don't remember his name. The blonde guy in the open blue shirt and the gold watch is the legendary Pete Carothers, who did middays and may hold the record for endorsements.

Bottom: Robin Holabird, news. Tim Grant (the guy in the brown jacket with the paper) General Manager, the kid in the ski sweater, jeans and sneakers is me, Patrice Bingham was our news director and the guy in the World War I helmet was Lou Gutenberger, who did afternoons.

And that building still stands today. It had been the Nevada Baptist Convention for many years, but is now Derby Barber and Supply:



The air studio was the upper right window, the newsroom the upper center window and my office the upper left. Beautiful views. I loved doing my show from that place. But we were severely overcrowded.

We moved into the building being demolished now in the summer of 1981.

KOLO-TV had lost its building in a fire in 1977, was concerned about the age and fire safety of 406 California, moved to temporary quarters and began work on a complex that would hold KOLO-TV, KOLO-AM and Donrey Outdoor Advertising in separate buildings:



KOLO-TV top, KOLO-AM middle, Donrey Outdoor bottom.

The "new" building now being used for fire training was a palace. A huge lobby with a skylight and atrium (all those squares on the roof are where the skylight was), beautiful, spacious new studios, state-of-the-art equipment, a lunchroom, enough offices for everyone.

I have no pictures---didn't get to spend much time in it. I got my first TV news job at KTVN-TV just around the block about ten weeks after we moved in. I was laid off after six months, KOLO brought me back and then after 90 days, KTVN asked me to come back for more money than the first time. So all told, I only had about five months in the "new" KOLO.

Donrey sold KOLO-AM to the owners of what was then KWNZ-FM, which moved it into their building and changed the calls to KQLO (Donrey insisted on exclusivity of KOLO for TV, which it was keeping.

It is now (and has been for many years) KIHM and is Relevant Radio---in fact, it was the first station in the Immaculate Heart Radio Network.

 

[michael hagerty]

So---that is the last of four homes that KOLO radio had. It was only there from 1981 to 1987.

When it went on the air in 1946, its studios and offices were at the transmitter site on Pyramid Way in Sparks, bulldozed ages ago for a shopping center.

In 1956, KOLO moved to the El Cortez Hotel:

View attachment 10318

In 1971, the station moved to its own building at 406 California Avenue. I'd been there a few days when we took our 1977 Christmas Card photo on the steps of the building:

View attachment 10319

Let's see how good my memory is.

Top row: A woman I don't remember, I think she was in sales. In the orange shirt, the legendary Dave Finley, who did mornings. Middle, Jock Scowcroft, a lovely, brilliant man who left soon after I arrived (I don't think that was why) to do Classical radio at KUNR. Right, our version of Herb Tarlek, a sales guy whose name I do not remember.

Center: Ron Longinotti, junior sales guy who went on to be General Manager at KPIX-TV in San Francisco. He's putting the bunny ears on Bob Glassburn, sales manager, who later was GM at KROW (780), now KKOH. In the yellow t-shirt, B.J. Backlund, our bookkeeper and den mother. If everyone else in that photo called in sick for a week, she'd have kept us on the air. The blonde next to her shoulder is Pam Butler. She was sales. Up from her, the young woman in the glasses, I believe did the commercial logs, but I can't remember her name. She was gone shortly after the photo. The woman next to her is Cathy---our receptionist and B.J.'s daughter-in-law. The guy with the hair, glasses and mustache with the dark shirt and his arm over the rail is the guy everyone thinks is me, but no. He was sales, and I don't remember his name. The blonde guy in the open blue shirt and the gold watch is the legendary Pete Carothers, who did middays and may hold the record for endorsements.

Bottom: Robin Holabird, news. Tim Grant (the guy in the brown jacket with the paper) General Manager, the kid in the ski sweater, jeans and sneakers is me, Patrice Bingham was our news director and the guy in the World War I helmet was Lou Gutenberger, who did afternoons.

And that building still stands today. It had been the Nevada Baptist Convention for many years, but is now Derby Barber and Supply:

View attachment 10320

The air studio was the upper right window, the newsroom the upper center window and my office the upper left. Beautiful views. I loved doing my show from that place. But we were severely overcrowded.

We moved into the building being demolished now in the summer of 1981.

KOLO-TV had lost its building in a fire in 1977, was concerned about the age and fire safety of 406 California, moved to temporary quarters and began work on a complex that would hold KOLO-TV, KOLO-AM and Donrey Outdoor Advertising in separate buildings:

View attachment 10321

KOLO-TV top, KOLO-AM middle, Donrey Outdoor bottom.

The "new" building now being used for fire training was a palace. A huge lobby with a skylight and atrium (all those squares on the roof are where the skylight was), beautiful, spacious new studios, state-of-the-art equipment, a lunchroom, enough offices for everyone.

I have no pictures---didn't get to spend much time in it. I got my first TV news job at KTVN-TV just around the block about ten weeks after we moved in. I was laid off after six months, KOLO brought me back and then after 90 days, KTVN asked me to come back for more money than the first time. So all told, I only had about five months in the "new" KOLO.

Donrey sold KOLO-AM to the owners of what was then KWNZ-FM, which moved it into their building and changed the calls to KQLO (Donrey insisted on exclusivity of KOLO for TV, which it was keeping.

It is now (and has been for many years) KIHM and is Relevant Radio---in fact, it was the first station in the Immaculate Heart Radio Network.

Correction on the 406 California Avenue photo (it's been a long time). The upper left window was the production studio. My office was next door to that, with a window facing east onto Lander Street.

 

[AlligatorClipz]

Thanks Michael! I really appreciate this history, detail, and personal connection. I yearn for the good old days. It makes me sad thinking about how it was and why it can't still be the same way now.

 

[michael hagerty]

Thanks Michael! I really appreciate this history, detail, and personal connection. I yearn for the good old days. It makes me sad thinking about how it was and why it can't still be the same way now.

I'm a realist when it comes to living in the present, and I've had a great life since KOLO, but I will say that if you offered me one more evening in that studio, looking out the window at either the budding leaves, the falling leaves or the snow, playing the music I played from November of 1977 to January of 1981 (when I switched to the news department) on that great old RCA BC-7 console....



...I'd probably take you up on it (not the actual KOLO console, but a dead ringer).

Also---I left out that Jock Scowcroft did weekends and fill-ins and, thinking about it, yeah---my arrival probably did have something to do with his leaving.

I got the 6-midnight slot that Jock, a grown, married man, would have liked to have. But I was replacing Lindy Thurrell who left for KLOK in San Jose (and later started the Academy of Radio Broadcasting in Southern California with her husband, Tom King). She was Music Director and I had that experience and those contacts and Jock didn't.

Jock could have worked at KSFO in the glory days. In fact, everyone on that airstaff could have worked at KSFO except me, because I was 21, and didn't have the life experience and seasoning to be that level of personality. So I was the kid who kept it tight, got the wit and wisdom (if any) in over the intros to the records and couldn't believe my good fortune in being asked to join that group of total pros.

 

[Oldie919]

I'm a realist when it comes to living in the present, and I've had a great life since KOLO, but I will say that if you offered me one more evening in that studio, looking out the window at either the budding leaves, the falling leaves or the snow, playing the music I played from November of 1977 to January of 1981 (when I switched to the news department) on that great old RCA BC-7 console....

View attachment 10328

...I'd probably take you up on it (not the actual KOLO console, but a dead ringer).

Also---I left out that Jock Scowcroft did weekends and fill-ins and, thinking about it, yeah---my arrival probably did have something to do with his leaving.

I got the 6-midnight slot that Jock, a grown, married man, would have liked to have. But I was replacing Lindy Thurrell who left for KLOK in San Jose (and later started the Academy of Radio Broadcasting in Southern California with her husband, Tom King). She was Music Director and I had that experience and those contacts and Jock didn't.

Jock could have worked at KSFO in the glory days. In fact, everyone on that airstaff could have worked at KSFO except me, because I was 21, and didn't have the life experience and seasoning to be that level of personality. So I was the kid who kept it tight, got the wit and wisdom (if any) in over the intros to the records and couldn't believe my good fortune in being asked to join that group of total pros.

We had a BC-7 at WHEB back in the 70s.....
The relay rack was mounted IN THE STUDIO.....so you learned quickly to make sure the mic pot(s) were DOWN before keying in....or you got the infamous "TWANG!" on the air!!!!;(
To this day --- even with solid-state/VCA boards, I still use the old "pot down, key in, pot up ---- pot down, key out" procedure....
Old habits are hard to break....!!

 

[radiofan2023]

So---that is the last of four homes that KOLO radio had. It was only there from 1981 to 1987.

When it went on the air in 1946, its studios and offices were at the transmitter site on Pyramid Way in Sparks, bulldozed ages ago for a shopping center.

In 1956, KOLO moved to the El Cortez Hotel:

View attachment 10318

In 1971, the station moved to its own building at 406 California Avenue. I'd been there a few days when we took our 1977 Christmas Card photo on the steps of the building:

View attachment 10319

Let's see how good my memory is.

Top row: A woman I don't remember, I think she was in sales. In the orange shirt, the legendary Dave Finley, who did mornings. Middle, Jock Scowcroft, a lovely, brilliant man who left soon after I arrived (I don't think that was why) to do Classical radio at KUNR. Right, our version of Herb Tarlek, a sales guy whose name I do not remember.

Center: Ron Longinotti, junior sales guy who went on to be General Manager at KPIX-TV in San Francisco. He's putting the bunny ears on Bob Glassburn, sales manager, who later was GM at KROW (780), now KKOH. In the yellow t-shirt, B.J. Backlund, our bookkeeper and den mother. If everyone else in that photo called in sick for a week, she'd have kept us on the air. The blonde next to her shoulder is Pam Butler. She was sales. Up from her, the young woman in the glasses, I believe did the commercial logs, but I can't remember her name. She was gone shortly after the photo. The woman next to her is Cathy---our receptionist and B.J.'s daughter-in-law. The guy with the hair, glasses and mustache with the dark shirt and his arm over the rail is the guy everyone thinks is me, but no. He was sales, and I don't remember his name. The blonde guy in the open blue shirt and the gold watch is the legendary Pete Carothers, who did middays and may hold the record for endorsements.

Bottom: Robin Holabird, news. Tim Grant (the guy in the brown jacket with the paper) General Manager, the kid in the ski sweater, jeans and sneakers is me, Patrice Bingham was our news director and the guy in the World War I helmet was Lou Gutenberger, who did afternoons.

Did you ever talk to Lou very much or not?

 

[michael hagerty]

Did you ever talk to Lou very much or not?

Every day for the year or so we were both there. I followed him on the air. He did 2-6 p.m., I did 6-midnight.

 

[radiofan2023]

Every day for the year or so we were both there. I followed him on the air. He did 2-6 p.m., I did 6-midnight.

Cool, did he ever talk about working at KSTT in Davenport?

 

[michael hagerty]

One of the things I loved about my job was that I got to spend time with everybody. Being young (21) and (I thought) immortal, I worked at least 12 hour days, showing up between 10 a.m. and noon. Dave Finley and I shared an office, I'd see Pete Carothers during the day, I'd relieve Lou and I was relieved by a guy named Click Slocum.



(this is the Lander Street side of the building, facing east)

Click was a high-functioning alcoholic who lived in the small house on the left of the photo, owned by KOLO. He'd been with the station forever, alcohol ate his life and God bless them, the station kept a roof over his head when he lost his house.

He eventually did something---I don't remember what---and Tim Grant (the GM) fired him. We hired George Sepulvida from KPTL in Carson City to replace him in overnights.

The stairs in that photo lead to the back door to the kitchen. The upper left window is the office Dave and I shared. There's a center window over the door---that's a hallway with a view. The two windows to the right (one blocked by the tree) are the production studio.

On the ground floor, the window to the left is the GM's office. The door was a fire escape only. Only openable from inside. The window to the right of that was commercial continuity and the window at the far right was the lobby.



On the west side of the building, top floor nearest window is the air studio, the two small windows are men's and women's restrooms and the rear window was bookkeeping.

On the ground floor, all three windows are the sales department, there's another emergency exit and the rear window was the Sales Manager's office.

Because the stairs at the back were wooden, they didn't count as a fire escape, so we had one of these in a box on the floor right below the windows (all of which opened) in every upstairs room:





The fire that destroyed KOLO-TV was the second major fire in a year there, and other Donrey properties, including KORK-TV, in Las Vegas, had been having fires lately, so there was a lot riding on those emergency ladders, especially for those of us working long late shifts alone in the building.

Fortunately, it never happened and that lovely building survives today.

 

[michael hagerty]

Cool, did he ever talk about working at KSTT in Davenport?

He mentioned it when we were talking about where we came from, but by the time I got there, Lou was 45 years old and had been at KOLO for 8 years. His life was very much in Reno. Wife, kids in school. That whole thing.

I was surprised that Lou came from Top 40, because he really resisted a lot of the newer music. I was hired to transition KOLO from MOR (they were somehow clinging on) to Adult Contemporary...take the music from Sinatra and Peggy Lee to Steely Dan and Linda Ronstadt.

I thought Pete Carothers was going to be the most trouble (he'd been there since 1965) but he actually enjoyed it. Lou would back-announce records with things like "Well, it may not be good, but it sure is loud!"

One specific story I remember was that Lou would always fade the Carpenters' "Goodbye to Love" as soon as the end guitar solo began--a minute before the actual end.

(for those who may not know or remember the record)

It was Gold, so it only came up in his show every couple of months. At first, I just thought it was a timing thing (we had to hit NBC News at the top until we started pre-recording the :54 feed), but after three or four times, I realized it was deliberate.

So the afternoon I figured that out, when I came into the studio and he got up to give me the chair, I just said casually "Hey, Lou...I notice you fade "Goodbye to Love" early. You don't need to do that. The record's six years old. The audience knows it. Let 'em hear the whole thing."

He said "Okay, Mike", and that was that...Lou didn't hang around for more than five minutes after a show. Dinner was waiting at home.

A couple of months go by, "Goodbye to Love" pops up on Lou's show again....and he lets the solo play....and the fadeout....and the dead air...and the "thunk thunk thunk" as the stylus hit the label and Lou said "hang on...I want to make sure they're done before I cut them off."

In either late 1978 or early 1979, an FM in town, KSRN (now KRAT), which was this bizarre mix of beautiful music and polkas (the owner's favorite) offered Lou the chance to do mornings live and play Standards and Lou jumped at it. We hired Johnny Steele from KONE (a country station in town) to replace Lou.

Out of the frying pan and into the fire. What we didn't know was that Johnny had a cocaine problem, and any notes I had for Johnny could be greeted by anything from "GreatideaMikeloveyamanlet'shavelunch" to "How about I throw you out the f***ing studio window right now, a**hole?"

And I had to follow him every day at 6.

The good news, he eventually realized he had a problem, got help and he and I had a good relationship---communicated every now and then until he passed of cancer 10 or 15 years ago.

What I loved about Johnny was his setups for me over his last record---always some great line. The one I remember:

"That's it for Johnny Steele. Back tomorrow at 2. Mike Hagerty's next on KOLO. Go easy on him. He's had a rough day. Lost his chewing gum in the chicken coop and thought he found it five different times."

 

[michael hagerty]

And son of a gun, look what you find when you go looking. This is a young woman who used the name Brandy Marshall and did weekends for us in 1978 and 1979.

It is the only shot of the KOLO air studio on California Avenue that I have been able to find online:



Lessee what I can describe here----I had forgotten that the speaker for the air monitor was right down there with us---something isolated it from the console. I had forgotten that there were two copy stands and I don't remember why---the STL and other monitoring stuff was in a rack about six feet behind us, but I think the FCC required that we see one certain thing from where we sat, which is why that one whatever meter is on top of the speaker.

The Sales Manager, Bob Glassburn, was a darn fine cartoonist---that's his Mickey Mouse---this was probably taken when we were giving away weekends at Disneyland---the Pink Panther bendy thing on top of the Sennheiser mic was there when I got there and still there when I left, there are two ITC TriplePlay cart decks side by side. On top of that is an ITC record/playback unit. We used it to record the :54 feed of NBC news so we could play it back anytime after :59:30 and not have to sweat perfect network joins anymore.

Out of frame and to Brandy's right are three turntables...two always set at 45 rpm and one at 33. I don't remember what brand.

The phone was off to the left. The red light was probably for the doorbell at the top of the back stairs. Sometimes jocks forgot their keys. Sometimes there were visitors.

All this was replaced by brand new equipment in the studios that are now being used for fire training.

 

[radiofan2023]

The phone was off to the left. The red light was probably for the doorbell at the top of the back stairs. Sometimes jocks forgot their keys. Sometimes there were visitors.

Didn't some studios have a red light for the hotline?

 

[michael hagerty]

Didn't some studios have a red light for the hotline?

Yeah, but KOLO wasn't like that. We had a hotline that only staff had the number to, but it was just a red button on the phone that lit up (the others were white).

The phone's placement was such that you could see it in your peripheral vision even if you were looking forward.

It was rare that the hotline would ring because of a problem with your show, although I made it happen a couple of times:

One day, I was subbing for Pete Carothers in middays and I could see them changing the sign on the black building in the photo below from the studio window:



Since 1963, that had been the First National Bank of Nevada building. FNB had been bought by First Interstate bank and the new signage was going up.

And so, going into a spot break, I said:

"92/KOLO. Mike Hagerty for Pete Carothers this morning. Sitting here watching them change the signage on the First National Bank of Nevada building.

F-N-B is now gonna be First Interstate Bank. F-I-B.

How much more closely are you going to check your monthly statement from a bank whose name is "fib"?"

And bam---straight into the first recorded commercial. Fun little punctuator.

Not even ten seconds go by---hotline. Tim Grant, the GM:

"Hey, Mike! Wanna take just a wild guess at how much business we get from that bank?"

And I did it one more time, after I moved to news.

In one of my newscasts, the last story was about functional illiteracy. I do the weather, and "I'm Mike Hagerty, you're up to date with KOLO News."

Carothers rolls the first record and over the intro says "Mike, how do you spell "functional illiteracy?"

I know the record, know I've got the time, so I say:

"F-o-o-t-b-a-l-l-S-c-h-o-l-a-r-s-h-i-p" and hit the vocal dead-on.

Carothers is dying laughing, I'm proud of myself for all of five seconds and then the hotline. Tim:

"On the week that I'm negotiating a new five year contract renewal to carry the University of Nevada Reno Wolfpack football games, you had to say THAT?"