Andy Barber officially retired from Classic Hits 92.9 The Drive, KBEZ/Tulsa in 2020. The following audio is a scoped hour from summertime 1977, during his time spent in Seattle at 1090 KING. The photo shows Andy Barber with Andy Gibb in the KING control room, taken in 1977.
That summer brought us Star Wars in the theaters, a big film sale at the Fotomat Store, and “The Italian Stallion” (his words), Andy Barber on the KING!
Runtime: 4:39
Other posts featuring Andy Barber:
- Radio Conference Call Podcast: Jeff Conwell Interviews Andy Barber, 2021
- Andy Barber Really Got The Listener’s Attention: Victor Stredicke, The Seattle Times, 1976
- Another 1977 Andy Barber KING aircheck
June 24, 2025 at QZVX
Rob Conrad says:
Great to hear Andy in Kings heyday.
Hmmmmm...
June 20, 2025 at QZVX
Jason Remington says:
Wasn’t there a hum on the 1090 frequency (?), at least I thought I was hearing a faint hum from where I listened in Tacoma. This was during the day, while at night that and interference together made listening a challenge.
11 KING
June 19, 2025 at QZVX
DT says:
Remember when KING went to Soft Rock in 1980? Remember when they went All-News in 1982?
The Country KING
June 19, 2025 at QZVX
Jason Remington says:
Maybe if KING had gone Country. They tried everything else before being sold off.
KING's 50,000 watt signal
June 20, 2025 at QZVX
Sam Lawson says:
KING also had some signal related issues that I recall. In the sixties, you could hear a Mexican station underneath their audio at night. I believe it was XERB (later XPRS) with Wolfman Jack on the same frequency, 1090. This was particularly noticeable since KING ran a talk show in the evening.
Their 50,000 watt signal also never seemed as powerful as KOMO or KIRO, because of a directional pattern necessary to protect other stations on 1090.
I also recall a huge wind storm in the late ‘60s that toppled one of their towers on Vashon Island. The tower was rebuilt, but it seemed that their signal never fully recovered. I have no technical knowledge about that, so it may have just been my perception as a listener.
The Colonel??
June 19, 2025 at QZVX
Jason Remington says:
Trying to figure that bit out? Who was this Colonel?
Long live KING 1100
June 18, 2025 at QZVX
Jason Remington says:
Andy Barber, China Smith and the great MusicRadio line-up, making the most of the time alloted for “personality”. A good part of everyday was spent with the radio. These jocks were great entertainers. They kept us coming back for more.