VICTOR STREDICKE — July 28, 1988 — Kirkland, and the Eastside, may have another radio station by year’s end, playing big-band music. The Tacoma station KKMO, 1360 kHz., has received Federal Communications Commission approval for construction of an experimental synchronous AM station in Kirkland. The new station would broadcast the same programming as the primary station, KKMO. That means the big-band and popular ballads of the ’50s and ’60s, first popularized on KIXI-AM, will return. The blend of music, called “Stardust” by its syndicator, the Satellite Music Network in Chicago, will continue on KKMO. James Baine, owner of KKMO, said the experimental process will be studied intensely, since it is the first of its kind in the Northwest.
“It’s not a simple procedure,” Baine said, “but it’s not complicated, either.” The music, already delivered by satellite from Chicago, will bounce off another satellite to get to the Kirkland transmitter. “It’s a 3,000-mile trip up and down, to skip across 21 land miles,” Baine said.
Baine said he will meet in August with three engineers who have experimented with synchronous broadcasting.
GAG FALLS FLAT
Charlie Brown and Ty Flint were off the air two days this week, “suspended” for a comedy bit that some listeners did not find funny. Brown’s gag referring to Dick’s hamburgers has been changed to “Dial for Hamburgers” to avoid future problems.
TWISTING THE DIAL
– R.P. McMurphy, morning personality, has added duties of program director at KRPM-AM-FM. He has worked at several Puget Sound stations the past 17 years and has been with KRPM for four years.
– Don Fuhrman, nighttime disc jockey at KVI in the ’60s and early ’70s, died June 30.
– Sky Daniels is new program director of KISW. Daniels previously was program director at KFOG, San Francisco. He has worked as an afternoon personality at stations in Detroit, Chicago and Los Angeles. He will not have an air shift at KISW, however.
– John Cheshier has become general sales manager at KOMO.
– KUOW has added a translator in Bellingham, which carries the station on 90.5 instead of 94.9 mHz. in the King Mountain area.
October 24, 2023 at QZVX
Dick Ellingson says:
That guy reading the paper had the first experimental eye transplant from a sloth and was then able to read upside down. The surgeon later opened a vision clinic for pole dancers.
October 24, 2023 at QZVX
Jason Remington says:
Now, I wonder how many others have realized that the paper would be upside down? I didn’t. Maybe the guy was just hiding behind the newspaper.
October 24, 2023 at QZVX
Neal Darrow says:
KDFL a Sumner day timer broadcast big band music. I enjoyed working with that format during the summer in 1966.
Vintage Radio
July 16, 2025 at QZVX
Jason Remington says:
I worked there and the format was Big Band/Swing, WWII era music. Financial failure. Previous to that, the station (owned by James Weese, a Sumner jeweler) the format was Popular/MOR. That was fun! Longacres race reports, sunset sign-off. Co-workers were Bill West and Larry Brown (Mason Dixon of KUJ) There was a Swap n’ Shop program, rip & read news, view from the studio in Sumner was a cow pasture where the tower was set. Good times!
October 23, 2023 at QZVX
Dick Ellingson says:
KREN “1420 in Renton” tried the big band format in the 70’s or 80’s. I liked the music (still do) but I was living in Edmonds about a half mile north of Aurora Village and could just barely pick the station up.
October 23, 2023 at QZVX
Jason Remington says:
The tower site for KRIZ/Renton.