Article from Friday's Everett Herald ...
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KRKO turns 100
- Thread starter Treehouse SWL
- Start date
KRKO is indeed a trooper on the Puget Sound dial. Now whether they were actually the first radio station in the area remains in a fog (and KJR proponents will definitely argue.) But make no mistake, it's incredibly tight for a small market Classic Hits/Oldies station. So someone's paying attention. And it shows.
KRKO only really interested me up to the point they started using syndicated network oldies and later talk programming in the late 1980s. But for a while, it was a surprisingly good AM CHR station in the 1980s, both as KRKO and post-KBAE "country-crossover" fiasco as KRFE in 1986. With a healthy dose of SnoCo news. But still worthy of a button as a local FM alternative.
It was also interesting hearing the live WFAN New York City traffic reports, advertising and imaging at around 4am during a live feed of Don Imus's show over here on KRKO in the 1990s (that was rebroadcast with local inserts at 6am.) But as a sports station, it really didn't have a hope beyond being a third-ran to KIRO-AM and KJR-AM. With Classic Hits, they've secured themselves as the unrated, but best local alternative to 95.7 The Jeb.
KRKO only really interested me up to the point they started using syndicated network oldies and later talk programming in the late 1980s. But for a while, it was a surprisingly good AM CHR station in the 1980s, both as KRKO and post-KBAE "country-crossover" fiasco as KRFE in 1986. With a healthy dose of SnoCo news. But still worthy of a button as a local FM alternative.
It was also interesting hearing the live WFAN New York City traffic reports, advertising and imaging at around 4am during a live feed of Don Imus's show over here on KRKO in the 1990s (that was rebroadcast with local inserts at 6am.) But as a sports station, it really didn't have a hope beyond being a third-ran to KIRO-AM and KJR-AM. With Classic Hits, they've secured themselves as the unrated, but best local alternative to 95.7 The Jeb.
1250, 1300 and 1360 were around in some form in 1922, no?
Yes, two big batches of new licenses were approved. The first in 1921 and next batch in 1922.
I always thought 1240 KGY was up there as well.
If it was issued a three letter call, then chances are it was. Too many to bother keeping track of. Every ma and pa was applying for licenses back then.
1250 KWSU was also issued in 1922. It is still considered the anchor station for NWPB's "News" network, and indeed Northwest Public Broadcasting is highlighting their 100th birthday in August.
KWSU was my first paid gig. Not much, just enough to go to Cougar Country for their great burgers. But a great opportunity to move up...to part-time at KLRC Lewiston! KRPL Moscow, and then amazingly got a part-time gig at KING-AM Seattle. Eventually turned that into full-time at KIXI-FM, then to KPLZ with Casey Keating for several years. I rolled the dice with many of these but they always seemed to roll my way. Luck? Perhaps. Probably more about hiring young guns who didn't demand much pay as I look back.
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There were two rollouts of three letter calls, one at the beginning and another around 1926. KEX was part of the second round.
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