1974: KISM T-Shirts & Lee Smith

1 thought on “1974: KISM T-Shirts & Lee Smith”

1. IGM if you please

   Steven Smith • October 6, 2026

   Funny, I remember that KISM was trying to get something going back then. AM was still the king in town. I was working at both KBFW and KPUG in 1974. But I don’t have any recollection of Lee Smith, as in the Emperor I presume, onair in Bellingham. Thinking it must have been an automated show with the IGM ties and all to KISM. If so, all of his personality would have been missing on KISM. You can’t exactly tell original jokes with that system…the IGM tapes repeated with the embedded jock announcements about every 24 hours minimum…some more often as in morning drive and again in afternoon drive. At KBFW at one point we had IGM country with Chris Lane. He had all these cutesy lines like “here is Rhinestone Cowboy for all you dudes and dudettes in the audience.” Or “here is a new one by a guy called George Strait and that last name is spelled S-T-R-A-I-T.” Anyone who didn’t catch on it was canned repetitive and lame nonsense was not paying attention. Automation got a little better eventually, but IGM never evolved….even when Lester Smith bought it.

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