And then there was Thurs-dee... Another day, more audio here at BroadcastKC, as we continue our weeklong trip into the BKC Audio Vault. For today's airchecks, as we told you Wednesday, "we'll share what we want... one KC frequency's audio from retro to right now." That's right, it's a pair of airchecks from 2001 Kansas City move-in 105.1FM.
We start in June of 2001, when the pre-launch sound of a beating heart finally disappeared, and KFME, e1051.fm, took to the airwaves. I was really shocked to find this one hour un-scoped sample of the station in a stack of cassettes, and I'm excited to share it here (scoped - unfortunately had to cut all those great songs). I'm terrible at writing dates (or anything at all) on my tapes, so without any jocks or concert/event spots, I can't tell you exactly when I recorded this, but it had to have been in late June.
A number of cool elements come into play on this one:
-- First, there's the burn-in factor of the music. A ton of great 80s cuts that exude energy (Information Society's "What's On Your Mind", Duran Duran's "I Don't Want Your Love," Yello's "Oh Yeah," and "Point of No Return" from Expose, among others), mixed in with recent hits like Smashmouth's "I'm a Believer" and Madonna's "Music."
-- It seems "Retro to Right Now" was NOT the original positioning. Indeed, at about four minutes in we hear a jingle for "The Most Hit Music," a liner at 3:30 calls the station a "source of energy" (see 80s tracks above), and the audio (at 4:45) of the station's TV commercial includes a promise of "Retro Satisfaction." (And who doesn't remember those "Go Ahead. Touch That Dial." billboards?)
-- Also gotta point out the still-memorable "KFM...EFM" legal ID, which appears around the two minute mark.
Here ya go... June 2001 audio from e1051.fm!
June 2001 - KFME Early Audio: One Hour Scoped (08:50)
Well October 2004 came around, and with it brought a change at 105.1, where e105 (as the station was then called) would go away in favor of the popular Variety Hits format, as 105-1 Jack FM. (For more on that transition, check out our Jack FM fifth birthday post.) Last month, I got a chance to visit the Jack FM Broadcasting Complex and meet some of the great Cumulus KC folks, including Jack's very own Nycki and Truta, who were kind enough to let me sit in on Jack's Big Breakfast.*
* Let me just say after seeing how fast Truta can cut audio on the fly, it's embarrassing to admit how SLOW I am scoping all this audio to post here! I oughta hire him to do it for me - we'd have a whole lot more audio posted here MUCH faster that way!
Before the time for Jack's Eight Tracks came around, we set the Crack Research Team to work searching for songs about radio, and they didn't disappoint - I've got audio to prove it. From the 8PM replay, here's the special "Radio Edition" of Jack's Eight Tracks!
October 9, 2009 - Jack's Eight Tracks Replay: Radio Edition w/ BroadcastKC (07:58)
There you have it! Jack in the (Audio) Vault for your Thursday, with an early e1051.fm sample too! Tomorrow's Friday, where we'll have both Freeform Friday AND some related Audio Vault airchecks for you. See ya then...
Happy Veterans Day from BroadcastKC. To those of you who have served our country and defended our freedom, a very heartfelt THANK YOU, today and always.
Today we've got some more audio for you, as promised. This go round we feature a KC station I've been thinking about lately, Entercom's KRBZ. 96-5 the Buzz is a bit of a paradox on the local radio timeline. On one hand, it doesn't seem like the station is within a year of its tenth anniversary, but on the other hand, the longevity of the Buzz personalities (despite that whole Seattle experiment) makes it seem like the station's been around forever.
One thing that's clear, however, is that today's Buzz is NOT the station that signed on in August of 2000, replacing KXTR. At its inception, 96.5 the Buzz (note the "point") was a "Rock 40" outlet (KC's second under the direction of Brian Burns, after KXXR in the late '80s), programmed by Valorie Knight, and positioned to assault KMXV. By 2002, the station had switched gears to Hot AC (anyone else remember the days they used to play Pink's "Just Like a Pill," or the "Buzz version 2.0" imaging?), until ANOTHER shift on April Fools Day. On April 2nd, coinciding with the debut of newly imported morning team Kenny Holland and Afentra ("The Kenny and Afentra Showgram"), the station would start down the road to what it is today, making the switch to a Modern AC format. By August of that year, 96-5 the Buzz would become "Kansas City's Only Alternative."
I could keep going, but how about you hear for yourself just how much The Buzz has changed over the years? For today's audio, I offer you the first day of disc jockeys on The Buzz! The clip features Phil Werline, Valorie Knight & T (Theresa) in morning drive, and Chris Phoenix on late afternoons.*
* Sadly, I was at school and couldn't record any midday audio. I THINK Todd Violette was in middays for a short time before Misti Mundae came aboard, but I could be wrong. I also, regrettably, ran out of tape before the night shift started. I know Stash (Ryan Morton) was there, BUT on the first two nights he was partnered with another jock, and I have no idea who. On night one, they called themselves "The Bone Brothers" and went by the names of "Fish" and "Wish." The second night, they were "The Ash Brothers" "Slash" and "Stash." If someone knows the identity of that second mystery jock, and/or the story behind those two nights, I'd love to hear it. You'd solve the #1 radio question I've wanted an answer for this decade...
Fall 2000 - KRBZ Jocks First Day (12:04)
Here's a "Bone Brothers" snipet (also from the first day of jocks at KRBZ) I squeezed onto the tail end of another cassette... Can anyone name that (non-Ryan Morton) voice?
Fall 2000 - KRBZ "The Bone Brothers, Fish & Wish" aka Ryan "Stash" Morton & ??? (00:23)
I also found some more Buzz audio from early on, spring of 2001, to be exact. A little Misti Mundae, Stash with his memorable "Dorm Storm" promotion, AND an aircheck of early Buzz weekender Kevin McCullough! Note that the McCullough aircheck includes a promo featuring the "Ryno, Mongo, & Val" morning show crew. Give these a listen...
Spring 2001 - KRBZ Misti Mundae (00:32)
Spring 2001 - KRBZ Stash "Dorm Storm" Caller (01:18)
Spring 2001 - KRBZ Kevin McCullough (04:46)
Always fun to take a look back, isn't it? On Thursday, we'll share what we want - and it'll be one KC frequency's audio from retro to right now. Stay tuned...
We told you on Monday that we'd be sharing new audio on the site every day this week, however we didn't anticipate lacing it with news...
That turns out to be the case today though, as BroadcastKC has confirmed that Greg Schaum, co-host of Royals Pre-Game & Royals Postgame on KCSP for the past two seasons, will not be returning to those broadcasts in 2010. Schaum, who maintains his full-time role on the 610 Sports Radio sales staff, was reportedly informed Monday by KCSP Program Director Ryan Maguire that his Royals position will be eliminated in a budget-related move.
While he will not be a part of gameday broadcasts, it appears Schaum will maintain his Royals media credentials, continuing to report and fill-in on-air at the Entercom sports outlet. The Kansas City native, known for his depth of knowledge about the Royals farm system and the minor leagues in general, also continues his baseball blogging at www.LeftOfTheFoulPole.com. In addition, he remains active on Twitter, where his username has changed from @RoyalsPostgame to @Greg_Schaum.
When contacted for comment, Schaum told us, "It has been my pleasure to be a part of the Royals postgame show the last two seasons. I was not surprised by this decision, and saw it coming awhile ago. I tried to enjoy my time every day at the K and took a ton of pictures to capture a fun time in my life. I will miss the callers, and the fans of the show (like Danny, Will, Mark, and Husker)... I was a fan that was given a microphone and I tried my best to call it like it is."
As for our audio today? It's the first segment of the final Royals Postgame in 2009, following a loss to the Twins in Minnesota. In this one, Greg flies solo, as his on-air partner Robert Ford was back in KC for the day's Giants-Chiefs game. It was a Sunday game, so not only did the broadcast air on "The Sunday Home of the Royals" KMBZ, but it was also a short program. Despite that, it still included plenty of highlights, analysis, and feedback from the KCSP text line, so check out the first segment below...
October 4, 2009 4:40PM - Final Royals Postgame of 2009 w/ Greg Schaum [First Segment] (08:14)
For our second audio clip of the day, since we were already recording there... Another top of the hour legal ID saved for posterity: the KMBZ 5PM legal ID that aired after the conclusion of the Postgame show...
October 4, 2009 5:00PM - KMBZ Legal ID, into ABC News (00:18)
Stop back by on Wednesday for more from the BroadcastKC Audio Vault!
