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KJR 950 HISTORY

T

thebeach33445

Hey Guys:

I just want to make sure I have all of this correct on the history of KJR 950

1. Top 40 1959-1981

2. AC 1981-1988

3. Oldies 1988-1990

4. Talk 1990-1992

5. Sports 1992 to Now

T.J.
 
Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think KJR was ever "talk", I believe they played music up until the sports switch. I have 1991 as the year for that. The rest looks correct. BTW, KJR had the Sonics starting in '87, as a music station.
 
89-91 were hybrid years...basically sports talk in evening and gold during the daytime dayparts. Then full time sports. The FM didn't switch until 1994 (95.7 was K-LITE until '94 when O'Shea bumped it to KJR-FM as 70's gold).
 
Hey Guys:

Thanks for that correction!! I found some of my research of later KJR formats from radio ratings that I have from billboard. In the summer of 1992 it is listed as Talk, then in the Fall of 1992 it is listed as sports. But I guess Billboard arbs were wrong.

KJR Oldies/sports hybrid was like WQAM here in Miami. They were oldies then oldies/sports hybrid then went all sports.

To dialtwister:

I am hoping to get as much correct info together to either make a internet site or contibute my research to one. I see that the Puget Sound Radio Guide is gone. I had radio grids printed up from 2000 and 2001.
Hey Dialtwister how good are you with Seattle radio history? Can you help?

Thank again for all of your help.
T.J
 
I was out in Seattle during Christmas time in 1990 and if i remember right KJR was already all sports because I Remember the Sports Babe was on KJR at the time. and if i recall i think KJR was the 2nd all sports station in the country behind WFAN.
 
t.j. said:
In the summer of 1992 it is listed as Talk, then in the Fall of 1992 it is listed as sports. But I guess Billboard arbs were wrong.

KJR Oldies/sports hybrid was like WQAM here in Miami. They were oldies then oldies/sports hybrid then went all sports.
Click to expand...

Sounds like a great project you're working on. I'd love a resource like that. As for KJR having been talk, I wouldn't say that Billboard was necessarily wrong but it is true all of KJR's "talk" was sports-related. I think that the genre terminology hadn't quite been properly refined/defined.
 
this is a little off topic from KJR discussion. but don't forget that 99.3 before Bustos Media of Seattle took over, they were KAYO (country)
 
Hello TJ,
Great project you have going on here.

I was one of the last music DJ's on KJR. When I started at the station in July of 1990, it was mainly a music station. The slogan was "Greatest Hits of the 60's and 70's" and we still said 'Channel 95 - KJR'. Sonics games were on KJR as Ackerly owned it at the time. At the end of '90 the slogan changed to "More Than Just The Great Songs - 950 KJR" and eventually/quickly to "SportsRadio 950 - KJR". Corp DJ Rick Scott kept me on as the mid day host until April of '91. Morning show DJ Gary Lockwood played the last song on KJR about a week after I left the station.

So there is at least that piece of your puzzle...

As a side note; THOSE WERE SOME GOOD TIMES! The whole Ackerly family was wonderful to work for!

DJ Alan :)
 
You mean Ackerley?

Secondly, the only Alan there was a guy who ran the board on occasion, pulled a weekend shift and helped in the sales department.
 
Hey DJ ALAN:

Thanks for that reply!! I really needed that info. Would you happen to know the exact date KJR went all sports in April 1991. It would be a big help.

Thanks again!!

T.J.
 
dadetim said:
this is a little off topic from KJR discussion. but don't forget that 99.3 before Bustos Media of Seattle took over, they were KAYO (country)
Click to expand...

You're correct. 99.3 was KAYO Country. KAYO Country began as the FM side to KBKW 1450 in Aberdeen at 701 East Heron Street which is now the site of the Guest House Inn across from the Aberdeen Burger King. KAYO was originally known as KJMD (the JMD stood for John Michael Downing, the son of Don and Terry Downing- principal owners of the stations). It evolved from a simulcast of Country KBKW 1450 to a Rock format in the mid 80's, to its own Country standalone format. Not bad that Greg Smith and company built that thing up with tower upgrades etc to eventually sell it for over 20 Million 'eh?

BDR
 
i wonder if the old building was demolished...i worked there in 1994 or 95 for only a couple of months (as a board op, since KBKW was an automated news/talk/sports station and i engineered the grays harbor gulls games, and KAYO was satellite ran). i liked working there, but the drive between centralia and aberdeen was far for me and for only minimum wage, i couldn't afford going back and forth.
 
Speaking of old buildings, how about the old Harbor Island KJR facility? Not much has been posted about this classic structure, but I find it fascinating.

First, my understanding is the stick and studio building were built there to take advantage of the "water-advantage" of increased coverage on the AM band. (Not being a technical person, I don't quite understand that, but it was explained to me there was a real reason for being close to Elliott Bay).

I toured the facility in the mid-70's, right in the middle of the main 'JR studio being moved from its original location to a "new" addition to the building. The legends, (O'Day, Roberts, Lujack, and many other legends) used the old studio, and it was Charlie Brown and later Lockwood that used the new studio circa '77. My memory was it was, or became, a 2-story structure, but still very minimal. Such great radio originated from these studios, and I'm sure there are plenty of "lounge" and "parking lot" stories that may or may not ever be revealed.

What year did KJR desert this facility? And, is the building still there? If so, I would vote it as a Seattle historic structure.
 
Deserted in 2001 when earthquake essentially made tower useless...forcing the group to resolve the tower relocate once and for all (Tacoma 850 site used). As soon as the "functional" need for the building went away...the Port unceremoniously wiped out the building. I also wanted a "wake" for the place...but gone before we had a chance to find out what time it was. Not sure if building was designed to take advantage of the AM technology...but I do know they (illegally!) connected ground plane to the railroad tracks!! Thanks, Burlington Northern, for all that conductivity!

I think it was always 2 story...studios were upstairs all the time. When the addition was added...the studios moved into the new part...but still a 2-story building. Don't remember what occuipied first floor of the addition beneath new studios. I do remember the gear in the new studios was all pretty much home-grown (custom board, special studio displays [pre-computer], etc.)
 
The location for KJR/KOMO (originally diplexed into the same tower) was owned by the Fisher Family as part of the flower mill property across the waterway. It just so happened that it had an excellent salt water path and thus superior ground conductivity to the North and toward downtown Seattle. The site was built in late 1935 with the 570' 5/8 wave self-supporting tower built by the Truxon Tower Company for $10,800.00. The building and tower was never located on Harbor Island. KOL was on Harbor Island. KJR was technically located in West Seattle on what was known as the West Seattle Waterway.

The old reinforced concrete portion of the building was to only house the two Westinghouse transmitters for KOMO and KJR. Upstairs were the transmitters and apartment for the maintenance engineering staff, downstairs were the power supplies for the transmitters.

KOMO and KJR swapped frequencies in 1940, and the second 1/4 wave tower was added to the South to make KJR directional at night. KOMO moved to Vashon when Fisher sold off KJR post frequency swap.

In the 1950's, the red brick addition was added to the transmitter building where the production rooms and control room were added. The upstairs of the old building where the apartment was became sales offices. The transmitter moved downstairs with the engineering shop, accounting, and lunchroom. The General Managers office was just off the reception area by the front door.
 
LITTLEBOYBLUE said:
Deserted in 2001 when earthquake essentially made tower useless...forcing the group to resolve the tower relocate once and for all (Tacoma 850 site used). As soon as the "functional" need for the building went away...the Port unceremoniously wiped out the building. I also wanted a "wake" for the place...but gone before we had a chance to find out what time it was. Not sure if building was designed to take advantage of the AM technology...but I do know they (illegally!) connected ground plane to the railroad tracks!! Thanks, Burlington Northern, for all that conductivity!

I think it was always 2 story...studios were upstairs all the time. When the addition was added...the studios moved into the new part...but still a 2-story building. Don't remember what occuipied first floor of the addition beneath new studios. I do remember the gear in the new studios was all pretty much home-grown (custom board, special studio displays [pre-computer], etc.)
Click to expand...

One small correction. KJR remained on the air through the earthquake in spite of the top 60' of the old tower wilting over. What knocked KJR off post earthquake was a mud surge that flooded the transmitter room. It seems that the main city water line that runs to West Seattle ran under the KJR building. The water line ruptured, causing thousands of gallons of muddy water to pour into the KJR building. That was the end of the site, as there was no choice but to bring the new combined transmitter site near Fife on line to get back on the air.
 
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