Old Seattle Radio Saturday: more KING1090

According to OSRS loyalist, Albuquerque Dale, KING1090 was never strictly a Top 40 station in the 1950's and 60's.

He points to the popular Lucky Lager Dance Time which aired late evenings and was a precursor to the fabulously successful Top 40 AM radio format.

(KING morning guy, Al Cummings, donned polka dot trunks in 1959 to bat around a few fly balls with heavyweight Max Baer, who reportedly took a dive. Credit: Seattle Times).

Dale wrotes that Bill Muncey, the eight-time Gold Cup winning hydroplane driver had an early evening music show in the late '50's. "He was surprisingly laid back -- so unlike his image out on the race course."  (H/T to Dale)

 
 

Comments

[Ed Bennett]

I,m not that familiar with 50,s Seattle radio. I knew KING did some rockin out in the 50,s My mom listen to KING and I remember it being mostly easy listening. Occasionaly they would play a teenage tune. I think Bill Muncey was also a musician. He played a trumpet. He would fill in for Stan Boreson from time to time and even hosted Seattle Bandstand on KING-TV.

[Eric D.]

Nearly all stations were "mass appeal" (read 'Middle of the Road') in 1950's. KJR and KOL didn't begin their famous battle until early 1960's. Most dominant were KOMO, KVI, and KING a somewhat distant player -- though all anchored by personalities well known to households (KING's was Al C. (above) in 50's and early 60's, Frosty Fowler in the mid/late 1960's). The Top 40 transition hit in 1971...and really didn't last all that long by "big" calendar standards, as it moved back into a softer AC by end of 1970's and then to news/talk in early 80's. But in either format -- no doubt Seattle had some innovative radio. Much different than wall-to-wall music and "background" talent we have today.

[BT]

Cummings and French (before Jim went to KIRO) collaborated on many very creative and funny on-air promotions, such as their highly imaginative but entirely fictitious Lead Balloon Factory. During his years hosting KING Radio's morning show, Al did his program from the "ape cage," a booth on Aurora Avenue just outside the blue KING Broadcasting building. This at a time when Aurora (Highway 99) was Seattle's major north-south thoroughfare.

Al would encourage commuters to blink their headlights as they drove past his booth, and nearly every car and truck on Old 99 did so as they sped by 320 Aurora Ave. North. Such was the power and popularity of KING Radio at the time.

When Frosty Fowler took over the morning show (KING's KLOCK), the imperturbable Cummings returned to Harbor Island, where he was one of KOL's "Seven Terrible Tigers." His next stop was KVI (when Hardwick headed to KMPC, Los Angeles), and then Al came back to do afternoon drive at KING in the mid '60s.

Along with Seattle's morning luminaries like French, Hardwick, Lan Roberts, Buck Ritchey and Larry Nelson, Al epitomized the term "air personality."

A real honest-to-goodness character, too.

[travesti ilanları]

Along with Seattle travesti ilanları s morning luminaries like French, Hardwick, Lan Roberts, Buck Ritchey and Larry Nelson, travesti ilanları Al epitomized the term travesti ilanları air personality. travesti ilanları