1965-1970

KATI MOVES INTO A NEW HOME…AND A NEW ATTITUDE…..

 

The mid to late 60’s in North America was alive, the economy was good, but times were turbulent.  What we were watching and listening to was also changing, new artists and groups, new shows on the tube reflecting the times.  The Vietnam war was constantly in the news.  KATI too, was reflecting those times.  Top 40 radio was evolving with “Surfin’ Sounds” from the West Coast, The Midwest’s horns & Jazz arrangements.  Motown from Detroit and of course the BEATLES on the other side of the pond.

THE KATI KABOOSE & THE DUMP DRIVE-IN…..

On the air, KATI was tuning-in to its young listeners with nightly live programs from a Drive-In restaurant called “The Dump.”  Broadcasting from a remote studio called “The KATI KABOOSE” with announcers Sarge McClintock and Joedy Linneman.  They would take requests and dedications nightly from 8:00 p.m. until Midnight.  The kids would drive around all night listening to the radios for their requests and personal comments to their friends.  The show from the “Dump” also spawned a world record as DJ “Big Daddy” Joedy Linneman stayed on the air continuously for 84-Hours and 50-minutes.  At the time, it was the longest marathon ever at any radio station in country.

 

THE “FAT DADDY” RETURNS TO THE KATI AIRWAVES……

One of the young forces of KATI in the early 60’s made a return the airwaves and management of KATI in 1965.  Steve Broomell came back from Colorado to KATI and was responsible for building new studios (1400 KATI Lane),and taking the station into a new era of “Rock” radio.  His ear for new music and picking the hits would bring KATI two certified “Gold Records” for being the first station in the country to play the new hit songs.  Gold records for Simon & Garfunkel’s “Sound of Silence” in 1965 and Paul Mauriat’s “Love is Blue” in 1967 hung on KATI’s walls for years into the 70’s..  Programming on KATI would become more progressive with Steve Broomell & Bill Sims in management positions.  While KATI would still have a more “Adult” sound during the early mornings and the day, from about 3-o’clock on the radio station was turned over to the younger audiences.

 

THE “CY STRIP SHOW”…..

1966 brought a new concept to night-time radio with a sales promotion and program called the “CY STRIP SHOW!”  The show ran every Monday through Saturday night from 8:00 p.m. until sign-off at 1:00 a.m. and would feature only advertisers who were located along CY Avenue.  There were special program opens and closes with mid breaks every half hour.  Originally, Larry Wakefield, an announcer from Shieridan, was brought in specifically to do the program nightly and play the tunes for those kids cruising the CY Strip.  Later folks like Mike Reed, Bill Porteous (Dick Burton), Dave Nutter, Doc Shutts & Gene Wallace were behind the mic on the “CY Strip Show.”  Officially, the STRIP ran from the parking lot of the “Red Barn Drive In” at 2nd and Grant Street through the “A & W Drive In” parking lot on CY Avenue.  Thousands of gallons of gas was burned nightly on this trek through the streets of Casper and KATI and the “BIG 14” was on every radio in every car.

Every song programmed and played on KATI from 1960 to1963 and again from 1965 to late 1968 was picked by Steve Broomell.  In addition he would be playing those records on the air using the name “Fat Daddy” Steve Harris.  Steve came to KATI as a 19-year old electronic, engineering and programming genius.  As stated earlier Steve Broomell, Bill Sims, Bill Yeager and a few others were the heart and soul of “KATI the Cutie in Casper.”  Steve would later leave the station for a final time in 1968, going to work for Gates Radio, a national broadcast equipment manufacturer.  While Steve left KATI & Casper for a while, he remained a friend and fan of KATI radio until his death in 1991 at the young age of 52.  His spirit has remained with KATI long after his demise and to this day his name is synonymous with Casper radio and KATI!

THE MAJOR TALENT THAT ENTERTAINED CASPER…..

The late 60’s would bring names like Bill Sims, Larry Wakefield, Larry Payne, Larry “The Horse” LaVerne, Tek Smith, Mike Reed, Alan Bowker (Don Sherwood) Bill Porteous (Dick Burton), Dave Nutter (“Real” Don Steele), Warren W. Cook and so many others too many to remember or mention.

KATI COVERS THE NEWS……..

One of the things that Pat Meenan and the management of both KATI & KAWY tried to maintain was a commitment to both local news and coverage of local high school and Casper College sports.  During the day, KATI presented a local newscast every hour following the CBS National news.  Originally, the board operator or DJ would read the news from the Associated Press Teletype machine located next to the KATI control room.  The local portion of the news was usually a one or two minute cast with a weather forecast and current temperature from “HIGH ATOP THE KATI WEATHER TOWER…THE TEMPERTURE IS 67, THAT’S 6–7 CORRECT KATI COUNTED DEGREES!” Over the years KATI also had a “Weather Window” and other cute phrases to bring you the weather and current temperature.

In 1969, Meenan made a real commitment to local news by hiring the first full-time local news-person.  Carolyn Burridge was hired and her only commitment was to gather, write and broadcast local Casper and Wyoming news.  Carolyn came to Casper from Washington D.C. where she covered news there for a local outlet. Burridge’s husband Jim worked for one of the members of Wyoming’s congressional delegation.  Carolyn covered the newsbeat for a little over a year until her husband was called back to Washington in late 1970.

KATI’s had a series of news reporters whose names would later become synonymous with national news organizations and political and congressional positions.  Some of names behind KATI & KAWY-FM’s news microphones were Carolyn Burridge, Pete Williams (NBC News & Vice-President Dick Cheney), Don Hardy (Senator Alan Simpson’s, Chief of Staff & Biographer), Ken Johnson, Bob Coleman, Steve Lobel, Chuck Harkins, Vickie Daniels, Tom Edwards, Roger Mayer and probably others that we’ve missed.

 

 

KATI was called a number of things of the years, “Action News”, “Total News and other classy names.  One of Pat Meenan’s favorites that he came up with in the early 70’s, during Don Hardy’s time as News Director, was “KAT-I-Spy News.”  The station actually had a mobile telephone installed in one the station’s vehicles so the news-person could report “LIVE FROM THE SCENE” from a news event.  One of the more interesting live broadcasts, if not one of the longest, was the felling a a concrete and brick smokestack located in the old Burlington Northern railroad yard. The city fathers were removing this large structure and had to block Center Street traffic during the felling and clean up process.  It became a news event that Don Hardy tried to provide the play by play for but it kept getting postponed and delayed due to issues with the explosives and the broadcast went well over an hour of painful commentary.  It eventually came down with no real issues but it was one for the archives of Casper broadcasts.

 

LEAVE THE BRONCO’S AND COWBOYS TO OTHERS…..KATI IS LOCAL!

Pat Meenan also wanted the stations to have a passion for local sports.  University of Wyoming and the Denver Broncos sports programs were important and covered extensively by other Casper radio & television stations, Pat had a commitment for local sports.  KATI had always carried the games for Natrona County High School beginning early in the sixties.  Kelly Walsh high school came on the scene in 1965-66 school year and management decided they would cover KWHS as well, both home and away.  Beginning in 1966, Larry Wakefield became the voice of the Trojans and Bill Sims the announcer for the Mustangs.  During some away games, the station would many times take a feed from the away broadcaster so the game could be covered.

One of the most interesting things about covering the high school sports was when NCHS and KWHS would play each other as in the “Oil Bowl” in football or the “Peach Basket Classic” in basketball.  In 1967’s basketball challenge, Bill Sims and Larry Wakefield decided they would carry the game on KAWY-FM, broadcasting the game in “True” stereo.  Somehow the guys came up with the idea that when Kelly Walsh had the ball, Wakefield’s voice would come out of the left speaker and when Natrona had the ball, Sims voice would come out of the right channel.  I think this strange broadcast went until the game’s half-time when listeners and management decided it was too confusing to listen to and the brought the two voices together on one single channel.  It was truly unique radio experience!

 

THE MUSIC & THE “FAB 14″……

From the new home at 1400 KATI Lane, tucked behind the new Holiday Inn, radio history was made daily by playing groups like Simon & Garfunkel, Blood Sweat & Tears, The Temptations, Supremes, Smokey Robinson, The Beatles, Stones, CCR, Beach Boys, Neil Diamond, Doors and so many groups and single acts that never had a hit record before 1964.

 

 

IF IT WAS A HIT….IT WAS ON THE “FAB 14!”