Old Las Vegas Radio:KRGN 102 FM

[mailman ron]

Penrod,
You have a great memory....I did move from midnight-6 to 7 -midnight to replace Kurt....I remember those 3 am trips in the backyard to read the transmitter towers with "Wolfman Jack/Don Morgan for the United States Army" going for a half hour...One night I noticed that a tower light seemed out of place, which it was because someone cut the cables and it had toppled down. This was when Donrey's newspaper, the R-J, had their printers out on strike. Donrey didn't mess around, fired 'em on the spot and replaced them..it was suspected that they cut the cables..Also we had a bomb threat for a bomb to go off at midnight at "KORK"...Kurt & I didn't know if they meant the TV station or us!!..called the GM who said it was probably nothing and to give him a call if something happened!..Brave guy...we were going to phone him and have a explosion sounder in the middle of our call...Bob was a nice guy, actually was going to fill in for me while I went on vacation & told me before I left that KORK was planning to let me go...Came back from vacation & whoops, the ratings came out and mine were pretty good..I said," It would look pretty stupid to fire me, right?"...Some guy named Dick Renkes(?) had taken over the PD job..said he didn't want to fire me, McMurray did....went to McMurray and he said "I don't want to fire you, Dick does."...Needless to say, didn't trust anyone there anymore and it was about 6 months later that the ax fell...Worked weekends with Walt at KVEG "Vegas Country 14", KDWN ( so my folks in San Francisco could hear me) and KNUU...Also I think I was hired by Scott Gentry at KENO-FM "Your Album Station" around 1980

 

[mailman ron]

Forgot to mention our "format change" around 1978 when we went from "MOR-Personality" to "Ray Coniff, Bert Kaemphert" easy listening crap with no talking and even Red & Walt could only do "time-temp & selection"...We all did it so smarmily that I think they changed back after a week or less!!...It was horrible, but you were on the edge of your seat waiting to hear what Red & Walt would do since they were the pillars of KORK and not about to be canned.

 

[Penrod Rightout]

Ron, you've got some great stuff on KORK from that period! I remember well when one of the towers had been vandalized. Seems like Donrey properties had a streak of bad luck in the 1970s, remember the fire that destroyed the TV studios on Boulder Highway and Desert Inn? I can't remember if a cause was ever found. I saw Bob a few years ago when we invited him and his wife to our 30-year high school reunion, he still looks the same! I still remember when Kurt walked into the KLAV studios looking for a job, smoking his pipe. After his first weekend air shift the GM told me, "He talks too much, tell him to shut up and just play the music." You mentioned another name I haven't heard in years: Dick Renkes. Don't know whatever became of him.

I can just imagine colorful Walt doing time & temperature...that must have been done in answer to KDWN's entry into the market...and perhaps the reason for going Hot AC in 1981. Here's another blast from the past: Mike Farrell from KDWN, he married Terri Courtney who I credit with getting me my very first job in radio at automated KLVM-FM 94.1 in Henderson and my first "live" gig at KLAV.

You started at "All Album FM KENO 92" around the time I left, Burkhart-Abrams had become the station's consultants and they called the format "Silver, Blue, and Gold"

 

[mailman ron]

Penrod,
It's great to have an old hand from that era to bull with...Do you know Alvin Zuchert?...He was an engineer at KLAS-TV 8 and also wrote a periodic newsletter about Vegas radio personalities and goings-on...He's a great guy, now retired and living in Albuquerque after working for years at the PBS station there and also the University of New Mexico...He had an outtakes print that the various engineers around the country for CBS would feed down the line to each other, with Star Trek outtakes, Mork & Mindy and even Walter Cronkite goofs on the CBS Evening News...Hilarious stuff, but alas, I've lost my copy...New Question...there was a voiceover guy from the late 70's-early 80's who did all the upcoming concert plugs...He had this deep,ballsy voice and I think he was only about 16 at the time...Any names?... Also I did a late night talk show on Friday nights at KORK called "Thru the Looking Glass" with Jerry Carney, who was an ex-con and Bob Woods, who was a businessman...Anybody know what happened to them?..When I took Kurt's spot, they carried on with John Snow for awhile and then Craig Parsons I presume...also worked with "The Voice"- the late Buzz Jones..nice gentleman...Any history about Red McIllvaine would be appreciayted...Also worked with newsman Bill Buckmaster, who was from the San Francisco Bay Area like me, who I think moved to Arizona and continued in the business.

 

[mailman ron]

Penrod,
One other thing....I've got my old radio shows on cassettes and need to transfer them to CD's...The tapes are so old that I'm afraid to rewind them to the ends or they might just keep going!!!..I've been meaning to do this for years and I've just bought a cassette player off EBAY because those are impossible to find...I've heard there's a way to put it through your computer to at least capture the shows that can then be transferred to CD thru the computer...Or is there a company that does this...Again, the tapes are pretty fragile after 30 years and I'd rather be the one to screw them up than some employee who gets careless...My problem with a company in checking in the past was it was expensive to do...I've got maybe 100 60-minute cassettes front & back...Any leads, ideas or tips how to do this would be greatly appreciated...At very worse, my son said to get some new cassettes and at least transfer them to newer cassette tapes until I figure out what to do...Looks like I should go to EBAY for cassette recorder #2.

 

[Penrod Rightout]

...Do you know Alvin Zuchert?...He was an engineer at KLAS-TV 8 and also wrote a periodic newsletter about Vegas radio personalities and goings-on...He's a great guy, now retired and living in Albuquerque after working for years at the PBS station there and also the University of New Mexico...He had an outtakes print that the various engineers around the country for CBS would feed down the line to each other, with Star Trek outtakes, Mork & Mindy and even Walter Cronkite goofs on the CBS Evening News...Hilarious stuff, but alas, I've lost my copy

I didn't know Alvin, but I think I've seen that outtakes print, great stuff! I do know the radio engineers from that time, worked with Gordy Alsum for years, along with Joe Sands, Warren Brown, Gordon Atterberry and Jim Flint Sr.

I know exactly who you are talking about, the ballsy voiceover guy who cut concert spots in the late 70s-early 80s...don't know his name, but I'm pretty sure he wasn't local. I searched online and there's very little on Red McIlvaine, but quite a bit on his movie and TV roles--he appeared in "The Electric Horseman" along with TV shows "Vegas$," "Simon and Simon" and others. I remember him leaving the market for a gig in Los Angeles (possibly KMPC) but ended up returning to Vegas.

Yep, its fun to dust off some memories from 70s Vegas Radio!

 

[Penrod Rightout]

Ron,
I'm surprised how well my old aircheck cassettes have held up over the years, but to preserve them I've been converting them to digital and ripping them to CD. I use the tape out of my audio amp into the line in of my sound card, record and save as MP3s using Audition (Audigy is a great free program to use) and burn them to CDs. You can tweak the EQ and levels once you've recorded them. It's time consuming but not difficult to do.

 

[Penrod Rightout]

Craig Caples is a Vegas radio veteran who added some great information on the history of KRGN on my Vegas Radio History website http://gapfel.com/vegasradio/?p=137&cpage=1#comment-59

Craig, who like me, is a graduate of Las Vegas High, will be contributing more to the site... and as always, I welcome comments, additions, and corrections - can't trust my memory of 30+ years ago, sometimes....

Coming up I'll have a story about Vegas locals who grew up, went to school here, and remained in the Vegas market in their broadcasting careers. Sheez, that sounded like a music tease going into a stopset.... and now, back to the countdown...

 

[Craig Caples]

Craig Caples is a Vegas radio veteran who added some great information on the history of KRGN on my Vegas Radio History website http://gapfel.com/vegasradio/?p=137&cpage=1#comment-59

Craig, who like me, is a graduate of Las Vegas High, will be contributing more to the site... and as always, I welcome comments, additions, and corrections - can't trust my memory of 30+ years ago, sometimes....

Coming up I'll have a story about Vegas locals who grew up, went to school here, and remained in the Vegas market in their broadcasting careers. Sheez, that sounded like a music tease going into a stopset.... and now, back to the countdown...

 

[niteowldaughter]

I am Martin Black's daughter, Victoria. I was born in Las Vegas. I have been trying to find any information, particularly footage, from the Night Owl. Any information would be greatly appreciated. (My dad is alive, nearly 90, and it would so wonderful to find out info for him). Thanks

Wow, that's a gold mine, great site, thanks! I remember Maury Zenoff who started KSHO-TV 13, I recall their first facility on the grounds of the El Rancho, it looked like a barn! Vegas TV stations like 13 and channel 5 had very modest beginnings, when in high school I was on a show called "Young America Speaks" hosted by Jack Kogan, it was filmed in the original channel 5 studios on Boulder Highway in a converted gas station. The person we interviewed was a newcomer attempting his first run at governor: Mike O'Callaghan.

This also shows the sign-on dates for the stations: KENO-AM 1460 (1940), KENO-FM 103.9 (1947), KLAS-AM 1230 (1947), KORK-AM 1340 (1951), and KRAM-AM 920 (1946). Note that KORK and KRAM swapped frequencies, this enabled KORK to increase power and go with a directional array. KRAM's PD was Martin Black, who was a prominent local TV personality in the 1960's, I used to watch him host "The Night Owl Club"

 

[JasonJ]

Did you also work with Watson Jelks? My parents were great friends with him. Watson started the Parade Of Lights at Lake Mead. I believe that the parade still happens every December. You might also remember Don Holladay who worked in the advertsing community. We were all boaters as my parents owned a boat shop on Las Vegas Blvd in the late 70's.

Demodave,

I would just like to take a minute to say thanks for remembering who actually started the Parade of Lights. I am not sure who your parents were, but I definitely remember Don Holladay, Cal McKinnley and many other boaters. Many weekends on the lake provides some great memories.

As for where Watson Jelks is now... He is retired and living in Missouri. A stroke in 1991 ended his radio career but not his love of the lake and fishing.

Thank you again,

Jason Jelks

 

[Demodave]

Hi Jason,

My parents are Bobby and Cheryl Martin. They owned Bobby Martin's Las Vegas Boat Center, a big blue building on LV Blvd just south of Charleston. I'm still great friends with Don's daughter, April Holladay. We have many great memories and stories from our time on the lake.

Please say hi to your Dad from the Martin family.

 

[Charlie990]

Hope I am at the correct location for the following questions. Being a long time radio historian and collector I have been looking a long time for the production work Jeff Colson did at KRUX Glendale when he worked there with Floyd Thackery and Todd Wallace. Jeff Colson voiced all of the Drake style stagers and liners that were normally done by Bill Drake for KRUX and sister station KTKT Tucson circa 1970-1974. I also have been looking for the Johnny Mann Drake style jingles used by both stations circa 1970-1974.

On another note long time Tucson radio TV voice Dan Gates spent short periods of time in Las Vegas three and four times in his career spanning 1955-1995. Once or twice at KENO I think. Does anyone remember Dan in Vegas and anything radio related he may have done while there?

 

[dbjohns]

This weeks American Top 40- The 70s was a rebroadcast from January 1974. One of the new affiliates Casey Kasem welcomed that week was KRGN/Las Vegas Nevada. KRGN was on 101.9 (or 102 in those pre-digital days). I first heard AT-40 in Las Vegas on that frequency when it was KFM-102. I always wondered when they first started running the show, now I know the exact years were January 1974-Christmas Eve 1980. KFM switched to country the next day and AT-40 moved to KLUC.

Does anybody here have any memories of KRGN? I found two rather obscure things about the station on Google. There is actually a KRGN aircheck available from December 28 1969. Their format is described as non-personality automation, a pop nostalgia format called "Hit Parade 69".

There is also an obituary for KRGN PD Dennis William Campbell who died at age 32 in 1972. They actually listed home addresses in obits back then. He lived on Espanita Avenue which is right next to where Boulder Station is today. Does anybody remember Mr. Campbell? I'm sorry to hear he died at such a young age.

Yes, I met Dennis in the spring of 1972. Bat Henderson was the station manager. I was in the Air Force at Nellis and my partner in crime was Rick Willis. The format was automatic but we won an NRB award for best promotion with our Rubber Ducky Secretary of the Week contest. We also created a 30 sec. radio show called Moe Needleman with his faithful sidekick Ben Dover. (It seemed cute then.) How do you know of Dennis?

 

[dbjohns]

I was there. I met Steve Gold. 1971.

 

[dbjohns]

I worked as an acct rep at KVEG in the old Castaways in Jan 1973. I just got out at Nellis. Emma (somebody) was the station manager and on board voice talent was my friends Ted Quillin and Sonny Melendrez (produced the pop group Spiral Staircase). I still remember his black 73 chevy pickup with painted flames. (Good memories)

 

[dbjohns]

This weeks American Top 40- The 70s was a rebroadcast from January 1974. One of the new affiliates Casey Kasem welcomed that week was KRGN/Las Vegas Nevada. KRGN was on 101.9 (or 102 in those pre-digital days). I first heard AT-40 in Las Vegas on that frequency when it was KFM-102. I always wondered when they first started running the show, now I know the exact years were January 1974-Christmas Eve 1980. KFM switched to country the next day and AT-40 moved to KLUC.

Does anybody here have any memories of KRGN? I found two rather obscure things about the station on Google. There is actually a KRGN aircheck available from December 28 1969. Their format is described as non-personality automation, a pop nostalgia format called "Hit Parade 69".

There is also an obituary for KRGN PD Dennis William Campbell who died at age 32 in 1972. They actually listed home addresses in obits back then. He lived on Espanita Avenue which is right next to where Boulder Station is today. Does anybody remember Mr. Campbell? I'm sorry to hear he died at such a young age.

I saw him the day before he went home and had a heart attack. 32 years old. You are correct.

 

[Stephen Bridgman]

Martin Black was my step father and Louise Black was my Mother. I am trying to find anything on What's new with Louise Black and anything on the Night Owl Club. If you happen across anything. Thank you. Stephen Bridgman. Las Vegas 50s and 60s TV and Radio.

 

[Doug Shane]

Big Marty goes to KOMP

I remember Big Marty coming to me after the flip and he said "Doug I just can't do Country" I appreciated him being so honest and wished him the best.. Next he was on KOMP...

 

[Doug Shane]

Thanks - Doug Shane

Hey everyone thanks for the memories.... Doug Shane