Here’s audio of the on-air announcement, followed by O’Day and Roberts resorting to some on-air theatrics to persuade Spokane listeners to accept the change.
There was some second-guessing that Les Smith had made a mistake. After all, wasn’t KNEW a key piece of the Seattle-Portland-Spokane Radio corporate identity? Wouldn’t there be some confused, or even lost, listeners from the name change? Actually the KNEW-KJRB change was turned into a positive. Just as Metromedia put a near duplicate call-sign on both national coasts, Kaye-Smith, certainly with Pat O’Day’s help, stamped the company’s flagship station brand (KJR) on both sides of Washington state. And look at the long-list of budding on-air talent that came up through the KJRB-KJR “system.” And as for KJRB’s standing with the Spokane market? It did just fine — in fact — better than fine, thank you.
So, what price for an AM call sign? In the case of the KNEW-KJRB switch — just $75,000 cash, in exchange for enduring long-term business benefits…..as attested by history.
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June 16, 2020 at QZVX
Edgar Bennett says:
I lived in the bay area in 67 when KNEW was talk. I moved there from Tacoma in November of 66 and I could not figure how they got those call signs since I knew it belonged to Spokane. (I learned about a year later) I remember the very conservative late night host Pat Michaels and the morning host Joe Dolin. Those too guys just hated each other and would take verbal swipes at each other on the air. Dolin became no.1 rated morning host when Don Sherwood left KSFO. Michaels wanted to get naked statues out of Golden Gate Park and one little old lady called up and said “i don,t like you. you don,t like statues” then she started bawling on the air. Interesting times. I enjoyed reading your story. Very interesting. On an unrelated note, I also could not figure out why XERB started with an X. It was over a year later I found out the transmitter was in Mexico. Apparently, the mighty 1090 has recently shut down. Never thought I would see that day.