Howdy… I’m Dan Rarick, but everyone has called me Dan the Electric Man for decades. I currently live in Las Cruces, NM. My love of radio goes back to the mid 60’s when my brother Dave was a DJ at Top40 KVSF in Santa Fe. I followed his footsteps and got my 3rd Class License in Denver at the age of 15. That got me my first radio job at KDCE in Espanola, NM doing Top40 after school each weekday. Worked weekend mornings at KAFE, a country station in Santa Fe and did that thru my high school years. I worked at Country KDAZ in Albuquerque the summer after graduating high school and then attended DeVry University in Phoenix learning electronics. Moved back to Santa Fe waiting on an engineering job at KGGM-TV in Albuquerque and did Top40 at KVSF as Danny Ray while waiting on that TV job that never came. I was at KVSF in 75, 76, 77 and built two mobile disco units, The Boogie Machine and The Spirit Machine, and did dances and night clubs with my business partner and KVSF DJ Jose Pino.
In 1978, moved to Denver and got my First Class License and got my first engineering job at KLIF in Dallas and worked with Charlie Van Dyke, Steve Scott and others. In 1979 I ran into the corp engineer for Jonsson Communications Corp., Rick Neace. Jonsson had just sold KRLD in Dallas and purchased KROY in Sacramento and I went to work at Top40 KROY-AM, AOR KROI-FM and also did engineering at the company’s stations in Reno, Oldies 1270 Sparks/KORY, and Top40 in Manteca/Modesto, California KORI. Also helped build the company’s 24 track recording studio, Swing Street Studios in Sacramento. In 1980 I became the chief engineer for the California and Nevada properties.
In 1984 I left Jonsson Communications and went to Tribune Broadcasting and was an engineer at News-Talk KGNR-AM and Soft Music KCTC-FM. In 1985, Jonsson Communications sold what was KORI-FM (changed to KSAC-FM) to Commonwealth Broadcasting out of San Diego. Commonwealth brought in powerhouse Captain Showbiz, Ted Atkins (former PD at KHJ, KFRC, KIMN and others) to manage the station. Ted went back to the KROY call letters and Top40 and it was the new 97 KROY. Ted invited me to lunch and I went back to KROY and the Modesto FM that Ted programmed as Top40, The Rebel as chief engineer.
Commercial satellite communication started so I learned how to install the big dishes and started my own company on the side installing satellite systems at radio, TV, military and commercial sites in California while still holding down the chief engineer position at KROY/Commonwealth. After a year or so of doing this double time communications, I left KROY and ramped up my business, Broadcast Services, to full time doing commercial satellite and contract engineering for smaller northern California radio stations. By 1988 the satellite end of the business was doing well and I dropped the contract engineering of radio stations and did only commercial satellite. Moved to Albuquerque in 1990 and I’m still in business doing commercial satellite, custom multimedia systems and I get my radio fix when doing satellite work at stations My business has taken me all over the country, to Mexico and even doing work for a Brazilian based TV Network. I have been self employed for nearly 40,years. My love of radio has been good to me and I have lifetime friends and memories from the stations and places I worked. I hope to find some of those I worked with here.
In 1978, moved to Denver and got my First Class License and got my first engineering job at KLIF in Dallas and worked with Charlie Van Dyke, Steve Scott and others. In 1979 I ran into the corp engineer for Jonsson Communications Corp., Rick Neace. Jonsson had just sold KRLD in Dallas and purchased KROY in Sacramento and I went to work at Top40 KROY-AM, AOR KROI-FM and also did engineering at the company’s stations in Reno, Oldies 1270 Sparks/KORY, and Top40 in Manteca/Modesto, California KORI. Also helped build the company’s 24 track recording studio, Swing Street Studios in Sacramento. In 1980 I became the chief engineer for the California and Nevada properties.
In 1984 I left Jonsson Communications and went to Tribune Broadcasting and was an engineer at News-Talk KGNR-AM and Soft Music KCTC-FM. In 1985, Jonsson Communications sold what was KORI-FM (changed to KSAC-FM) to Commonwealth Broadcasting out of San Diego. Commonwealth brought in powerhouse Captain Showbiz, Ted Atkins (former PD at KHJ, KFRC, KIMN and others) to manage the station. Ted went back to the KROY call letters and Top40 and it was the new 97 KROY. Ted invited me to lunch and I went back to KROY and the Modesto FM that Ted programmed as Top40, The Rebel as chief engineer.
Commercial satellite communication started so I learned how to install the big dishes and started my own company on the side installing satellite systems at radio, TV, military and commercial sites in California while still holding down the chief engineer position at KROY/Commonwealth. After a year or so of doing this double time communications, I left KROY and ramped up my business, Broadcast Services, to full time doing commercial satellite and contract engineering for smaller northern California radio stations. By 1988 the satellite end of the business was doing well and I dropped the contract engineering of radio stations and did only commercial satellite. Moved to Albuquerque in 1990 and I’m still in business doing commercial satellite, custom multimedia systems and I get my radio fix when doing satellite work at stations My business has taken me all over the country, to Mexico and even doing work for a Brazilian based TV Network. I have been self employed for nearly 40,years. My love of radio has been good to me and I have lifetime friends and memories from the stations and places I worked. I hope to find some of those I worked with here.
