I'm curious to hear or read about the initial moments in which a station goes from being not-on-the-air, to on-the-air.

I guess you could include stations that make a switch in formats too. But from what I can remember, those are usually done quickly and without much fanfare. I'm more interested in the dramatic openings or lead-up to it. Something that is creative and publicized as an event of some sort.

The only one I can remember right now is a station playing nothing but a heart beat for the days leading up to the offcial programming start. Stuff like that is what I'm talking about.

Not the abrupt " That was Tu Pac - now - here's Garth Brooks...welcome to our new format." type deliveries/unveiling.

Somewhere in my lost box of old cassettes I have the recording of Seattle's legendary KOL (one of Robin Mitchell's Seattle successes!) changing to their new country format of KMPS in 1975. As I recall there was about 5 seconds of dead air between the transition. On purpose? I hope so, but it could also have been a mistake. I am going to have to dig this up, because it was one of the MAJOR format transitions in the history of NW radio.

Also, when Top40 KIOK in Tri-Cities, WA, was bought and changed to country in 1996, they did about 24 hours of thunderstorm sfx, only to become "Thunder Country". Unfortunately, except for a couple of years in the late 90's, they have been beaten by the heritage country KORD. Again, and again.

I think I have a tape of KBBT 970 going "live" around 1990. Up until that point they had a two-week techno beat loop from "People Are Still Having Sex".

Wow. TWO WEEKS of LaTour?

Man, I'd love to hear the transition check though.

In the mid 80s when KRCK went from rock to classical, the switch happened at midnight...the last song was "You Can't Always Get What You Want"....Then a montage of guitar licks and the like talking about how "no one has rocked you like KRCK". Then a door with reverb slammed shut..a few seconds of dead space, then a liner about "Portland's new home for classical music and the fine arts.....101.1 KYTE-FM....." then into a long classical piece. The best part was all the people waking up in the morning just sure that the morning show was goofing off...until they heard the stern canned older voice announcing the next selection. As I recall we even got some bomb threats over the next few days since we had taken away peoples "right to rock".

KUJ FM in Walla Walla (Power 99) Played the Macarena over and over and over and over and... well for 72hrs that damn song played... made CNN Headline news!

Tommy Boye

Just a couple of weeks ago we were off the air due to the flood in Tillamook, We had 13 inches of water in the building! Anyway when the engineer finally got us back on the air (Middle of the night somewhere) he turns the mic on... taps it a couple of times and say's "Is this on" hunh hunh cool! WERE BACK!" then played Rod Stewart - Have You Ever Seen The Rain! classic guy he is!

Tommy Boye

http://www.radiowest.ca/airchecks07.html is pretty interesting. But, I'm biased, as I originally recorded it, MTV-style, in 1969. The once legendary Top 40 CFUN, already reduced to Chicken Rock, makes it official that they are "Mostly News" by changing their call letters to CKVN (Voice of News). I tried to record the highlights of the last day. You'll note that they had still managed to hang on to some of the top Top 40 DJs in the market.

You'll also find some other launches at http://www.radiowest.ca/sound.html though nothing from Portland.

they later switched back to Top 40 and still later to CFUN.

While not Portland radio, I have an mp3 recording of the recent format switch at KFRC-AM in San Francisco. For those not aware, Infinity sold the KFRC-AM frequency to Family Stations Inc, which broadcasts a listener supported Christian music and talk format. The switch was pretty dramatic in that KFRC was broadcasting contemporary pop at the time.

Actually, they were simulcasting Oldies. I don't think the FM had gone to Classic Hits yet. There was however a top rated CHR a few years ago that was purchased by a religious company and turned religious. That must have been a shock to the listeners!

Ironically CBS ended KFRC AM with virtually no fanfare, but Family Radio's debut included an acknowledgement of the heritage and history of 610.

How about some first moments on the air....ever?
What was your first experience, and tell the truth.

OK, since nobody is biting...

Broadcasting my high school's basketball game on my high school radio station. The student staff included the moderator of this board, Mr. Dan Packard. I know my parents were listening, not sure many others were.

I vividly remember queuing The Cult's, She Sells Sanctuary 12" with a hand that would have that made Katharine Hepburn look like a skilled spinal surgeon.

And my air check sounds like I am 9 year old.

The rest is, as they say, tragic.

According to Katherine Hepburn, she did not have Parkinson's disease. The shaking was inherited. It just got worse as she aged.

Is Dan Packard formerly of Klog, years ago?

I have the "closing" moments of Magic 107 on tape, somewhere. I know...not the question.

THAT IS NOT THE QUESTION!!!

I AM OUTRAGED!!!!

Still, for posterity, kinda cool.