Hardwick Broadcasts Dial-up Computer Service

November 11, 1984 – Your radio can now talk to your computer. Bob Hardwick is vice president of a Redmond company pioneering digital data casting, and he is host of a weekly radio program that demonstrates its potential. His program “Download,” is heard at 9:30 PM Sunday on KAMT 1360. Hardwick’s features include Computer News That Didn’t Make the News and other high-tech information. The key ingredient, however, is a series of screechy sound packages that Hardwick says disperse useful computer instructions. Other than some experimental broadcast on KMPS two years ago, Hardwick believes this is the only such program in existence. The KAMT broadcasts require a 4800 baud modem. Hardwick said the program distributes computer programs that are in the public domain. That includes programs for games, color bars, alternate computer filesystems, and whole wordprocessing systems. Last week Hardwick delivered a flight training simulator program.

Victor Stredicke

Victor Stredicke is a longtime figure in Seattle-area media, best known as the former radio-TV editor for The Seattle Times. He wrote a dedicated column covering local and regional radio broadcasting, including station changes, programming, personalities, controversies, and industry news. This legacy is the driving force behind QZVX (qzvx.com). In 2023, Victor Stredicke was honored at the Radio Conference Call meet-up for his longtime contributions as a newspaper radio-TV columnist, with appreciation from readers and people he had covered.