KTOY Silenced By A Series Of Errors
I attended LH Bates Vocational-Technical College, now called Bates College, back in the early 70s. The radio broadcast tech program allowed one to practice being a broadcaster on a working radio station and acquire your 1st-Class FCC License in the meantime.
These days, a “1st” is not required. A lot has changed in the radio business. Radio is not exciting, nor fun and is losing listenership to Internet radio, IPODs and other new technology. 91.7 KTOY was the radio station at Bates. My instructors were real radio pros: Chuck Ellsworth (KJR) and Lee Perkins (KJR). The station alumni included Paul Berg, better known as the legendary Pat O’Day.
KTOY was a great launching pad for many radio people. Many are still in the business locally and across the USA. KTOY programmed Top 40 [with R&B on weekends]. The station changed call letters many years later to KBTC. The brain trust at Bates decided to sell the station at one point. It went dark and was later picked up by the UW. KEXP programming was tried under the KXOT call letters and later, CBC, BBC and NPR cast-off programming that KUOW had no room for in their schedule. No real attempt was made to keep 91.7 local to Tacoma. In fact, the KXOT Tacoma producer was laid off in August. The station is ripe for picking by some educational or religious broadcast company. The frequency cannot be used for commercial purposes under current FCC rule.
Will the last radio station to leave Tacoma for Seattle, please turn the lights out?
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September 27th, 2009 at 7:31 pm
Yeah it’s a shame the current state of the radio industry, I know personally a few of the stations I have enjoyed listening to in the past are no longer present because of the fact that it is just so hard to compete these days, and plus… with the fact that the radio industry is heavily censored… where as the satellite radio is not… well.. yeah… the end result is the regular radio continues to fight a losing battle
Till then,
Jean
October 30th, 2009 at 5:38 am
KTOY-fm, and KTPS-tv. I went to Tac V-T from late 63 to late 63. Chuck Ellsworth was my radio instructor and became a good friend. Miss him. Did everything on KTOY, even got to PD. This was before any “outside” music was allowed and we made due with MOR and the archives. But I learned, and have never forgotten radio and the joy it can bring.
TV had Richard McDonald, and I came to deeply respect him for his dedication to getting my head out of my butt re TV. I was RADIO!!! Well, thanks to Dick McDonald, I stayed with it. And yes, I did get my First Phone, on the second try. One of the best times of my life.
Best to all alums,
Michael Hayne
October 30th, 2009 at 5:39 am
Sorry, I meant late 63 to late 65. Guess I’m falling apart.
October 30th, 2009 at 10:52 pm
Michael is an OLD-timer! I attended Bates in 1972. Ellsworth had done his time at KTAC and was then working at KMO in Tacoma. The Bates broadcast tech program — good times!
October 31st, 2009 at 2:46 am
Thanks, Duke,
Chuck was all over the dial back then; he had that magnificent voice. I remember him also doing all-night backups at KJR, ‘cleaning the KJR coffee pop’ was one of his gags. And built an FM station in Centralia, and two other friends, and alums from TVT, Dave Kight and Jerry Lambertus, went with him. BTW, is Chuck’s First Class License still posted there at the school? I visted in ‘86 and it was hanging in the radio department. Keep in touch!