Former Broadcast Companies

With the recent passing of CBS Radio, I thought it would be a good thread to test everyone's memory of past broadcast groups that used to have stations in the Seattle-Tacoma area. I'll start:

Ackerley Group/New Century Media
SunBelt Communications
Park Communications
EZ Communications
Sterling Recreation Organization (SRO)
Longston
Kaye-Smith
Viacom
Metromedia
Wally Nelscog
Clear Channel

Golden West
KING (as its own entity)
Hercules (KOL)
Cook Inlet (predecessor to Ackerley-New Century)
Sandusky
Shamrock (Disney)
Tacoma News Tribune, then Viacom
O'Day

And both the above posters, as well as myself worked for multiple owners listed above. (4 for me) Best/Worst experience? I won't go there...

btw, no big deal, but it is Wally Nelskog, not Nelscog. A good man and great owner.

Infinity and Heritage

How could I have forgotten: Fisher (duh)

Just remembered a few more from down South:

Noble Broadcasting
Buckley
Gaylord (KSTW)
Clover Park
Tribune

Can't forget

Kidstar

Obie bought KAYO from Longston
(There were a bunch of religious ones); and the people that ran the Montlake Terrace Station (1560?)

Tom W Reed - TWR - KQIN
All Pro Broadcasting - KQIN

LITTLEBOYBLUE said:

Obie bought KAYO from Longston
(There were a bunch of religious ones); and the people that ran the Montlake Terrace Station (1560?)

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Whatever happened to that station? To be honest, I've always felt a little isolated since everything either focuses on Everett or Seattle. One you guys forgot, First Broadcasting, the owners of KMCQ before EMF bought it.

How could you all forget Fisher Broadcasting or Belo?

Alliance - KYCW - Young Country 96.5

That was 1510. A little 500 watt daytimer known as KURB, KAAR, KKNW and KKZU. When sunset hit on those STA test nights, you could be directly below the big Mountlake Terrace Water Tower and not hear the KKZU signal over the sheer BLAST of KGA Spokane. And on overcast winter days, it never seemed the KGA signal quite faded back over the mountains. I'm amazed they lasted as long as they did. They went off the air permanently in 1985.

That would have been an interesting thing to DX, unfortunately I didn't even come into this world until they were off the air for eight years.

Was 1510 in Mountlake Terrace KILO in one of their incarnations?

I am remembering KILO at 1460 in the 70's.

boombox4 said:

Was 1510 in Mountlake Terrace KILO in one of their incarnations?

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KILO was the original KYAC 1460. KILO lasted from 1975-77 before becoming KGAA (Country) and KARR (originally Music of Your Life in 1984, became Family Radio in 1986.) 1460 was a daytimer that went 24 hours in 1984.

Bingham Broadcasting

KHIT FM 1984

Roddybob said:

Bingham Broadcasting

KHIT FM 1984

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I still say Bob Bingham should write the story of KHIT.

Yeah, like how a high school radio station kicked KHIT's a$$? Bob and Steve Weed would probably leave that part out of the book.

That, and the million dollar contest fiasco, pi$$ poor promotion, stealing other stations playlists, audio processing that sounds like it came from KMart..

Maybe the title could be: 'KHIT, A Hard Lesson On How Not To Do Radio!'

Kelly A said:

Yeah, like how a high school radio station kicked KHIT's a$$? Bob and Steve Weed would probably leave that part out of the book.

That, and the million dollar contest fiasco, pi$$ poor promotion, stealing other stations playlists, audio processing that sounds like it came from KMart..

Maybe the title could be: 'KHIT, A Hard Lesson On How Not To Do Radio!'

Click to expand...

I may have shared this before, but it is a great story. Two Seattle CHR Program Directors happened to be at the same social event (circa mid-to late 80's). One of the Program Directors with initials SW had a car with a personalized license plate "10 Share". The other Program Director with initials CK recognized the car in the parking garage and just happened to have a page of those old adhesive stickers in different colors. This was back in the day when the WA personalized plates were green letters on white. So Program Director #2 simply took out his adhesives and put a green dot between the 1 and 0 in "10 share". Legendary!