On September 26, 1937 The Mutual Broadcasting System made it's Northwest debut at 4:30PM. The inaugural feature was a 90 minute program called "Welcoming, From The East".

Mutual was able to expand, thanks to CBS, severing ties with The Don Lee Broadcasting System. For more on this see Part 2. This colaberation began December 30, 1936 when the Don Lee owned stations affiliated with Mutual, they were: KHJ Los Angeles, KFRC San Francisco & KGB San Diego.

The next step was to move MBS into the Northwest as The Mutual-Don Lee Broadcasting System, MBS's Western link. This was the largest regional network in the U.S. at the time, counting the California affiliates. The Northwest affiliates debuting 9-26-37 were:
KOL Seattle
KALE Portland (aka KPOJ)
KMO Tacoma
KORE Eugene
KSLM Salem
KIT Yakima
KVOS Bellingham
KGY Olympia
KIEM Eureka
KPQ Wenatchee
KRNR Roseburg
KXRO Aberdeen

The Don Lee owned stations also produced programming for Mutual and it's West Coast Network. They were offered to affiliated stations when MBS was silent. The Don Lee Network became a stockholder in Mutual in 1940.

This concludes the series "Networks Connect The West".

The "Larry King" show in the late 70's & 80s on the radio was very popular, largely because of the Mutual connection. Isn't that right? Would King be popular today on Mutual? Just wondering.

Popular at night, today? I wonder with all the network all night talk shows. He tried to move his all night Mutual Show to daytime and it failed. That's when he moved to CNN full time.

I don't think King would make it with an all nighter today simply because we are now living in the age of Art Bell and he runs over the competition. At the time King started, he didn't have much to compete with.

King owned nite-time radio in the 80's. He was unique in those days, broadcasting from Washington D.C. and always talking about Duke Ziebert's (sp?). Plus he had good guests and talked alot about books, baseball and other things that were entertaining. Jim Bohannon was his fill-in and now does a show similar to the original King show.

Larry King had the added advantage of exclusivity. The show began before the days of satellite networks. Mutual carried King over its single 5kc land line network. But Larry also scored where two other hosts in that slot failed.
Mutual's original all-night show (around late '75, I believe) was the Herb Jepko Night Owl show out of KSL, Salt Lake City. That show did well on KSL and a few other stations, but bombed nationally. As you may recall, the only two subjects discussed were 'how well is the signal coming in' and 'why are you up all night?'
Mutual replaced Jepko with an issue-based show out of NYC, Long John Nebel and Candy Jones.
King came along around '78 with his combo of politics and personality. While there are certainly plenty of 'Larry's a creep' stories running around DC the past 20+ years, he certainly deserves credit for making that show work. There aren't many liberal Jews from Brooklyn (his description of himself) who could become popular in Middle America, but King did it.

There were at least two problems with Larry King's daytime effort. It ran in PM drive in the east and the 50kw stations carrying it at night, some of which were still Full Service ACs didn't want to part with their successful late afternoon programming. Also, King was unimpressed with the overall quality of callers he was getting from the stations that did run his show. If the second part hadn't been a factor, he probably would have given it more time to find its audience before dumping out.

Great MBS & Larry King Talk background you guys! God, I haven't thought of Herb Jepko in years! How about Al "Jazzbo" Collins or Ira Blue on KGO?(not sure on spelling). Any comments on those guys? I think they're both in talk show heaven now.

Ira Blue. . . there is a name out of the past! I can remember listening to him when I was a kid and I would go to San Francisco to visit my grandparents. I believe he was one of the original 'talk show hosts' as we know them today.
This was back in 1950's and he was on for a long time on KGO (maybe mid-70's).
He was part of the fbric of San Francisco just like Herb Caen. KGO must have been a 50,000 watt station because I can remember picking up his show at night in both Portland and Eugene.
BTW, Craig, great series on history of radio in the west.

"Jazzbeaux" Collins, the coolest individual to ever grace the airwaves anywhere! His last gig was on a non-commercial jazz station in the bay area. He passed away at age 78 of cancer a few years ago.

http://www.enigmaterial.com/jazz/hill_jbeaux.html

Wasn't The Purple Grotto downstairs from wherever he happened to be working at the time whether New York or San Francisco?

Yes, and the one at his last New York gig (WNEW '83) also had an Automat upstairs.

I remember listening to Ira Blue 'live from the Hungry Eye' in San Francisco... and a little "Blues in the Night" to start the show. One of those things that made me want to be just one thing when I grew up: An adult!

Here's a memory: In around 1983 the ol preacher Pat Pattee (what a legend he was) played a song by Al Jazzbo Collins called "Little Red Riding Hood" complete with a flute. I think I have never heard it before or since the days of KAAR 1480, but I am fortunate enough to have it on cassette, along with other Pattee unforgatebles, such as his theme song "blow Pat blow." Anyone work with the ol Preacher? I heard he retired from the night club scene

Yes Oldduck! KGO was 50kw at the time. It also didn't heart that KPDQ was still a daytimer. Randy, thanks for that picture of Jazzbeau. He looked just like that when I met him in 1980. He broadcast during the day for a few hours on KCYX McMinnville on one of his caravan trips to the Northwest. As nice in person as he was on air. Wayne, I believe that record was on the Capitol label in the early to mid 1950's.

On April 26, 1959 ABC Radio bought the Don Lee Network and programs became part of the ABC schedule later in the year.