Pictured above is Lester Peter Aloysius Snow (Gene Miner) in the KBYR radio studio.
Do you remember those wonderful days when you listened to your favorite Anchorage, Alaska, radio personalities?
Sometimes you listened at home. Maybe you were tuned in with your car radio. And who can forget that nifty invention called the portable transistor radio? You could take those with you just about anywhere.
An anonymous reader remembers:
“Sitting here with my coffee in hand, I started thinking about a long time ago.
I used to wait in my bedroom until “The Scotty Ferguson Show” would come on the radio on KFQD.
The music was so good, and I really got a kick out of his commercials. There was the soft drink team, whose jingle I can still sing, and there was “Gerald McBoing Boing”.
I remember when his show ended, Gardner Ted Armstrong would follow. I listened to Ruben Gaines all the time; he had a way of making you feel things were good.
It was a wonderful time to grow up in Alaska.”
First in Anchorage and Alaska
Pictured above is KFQD radio when it was located on 4th Avenue in 1924.
Did You Know?
When KFQD radio went on the air on May 24, 1924, it wasn’t just a first for Anchorage. They were also the first radio station in Alaska.
Note:
The station’s call letters. K-F-Q-D, don’t mean anything; they were assigned randomly.
The Second Radio Station in Anchorage
In the photo above is the KENI radio building. The building sits on a bluff with the rear of the building overlooking Westchester Lagoon. The building is now a private residence.
24 years after KFQD began broadcasting, “Cap” Lathrop, the owner of the 4th Avenue Theatre, also built the second radio station in Anchorage, Alaska. KENI radio, which began broadcasting on May 2, 1948, from inside the 4th Avenue Theatre building. Later moving into its own building.
KENI Radio and the Coke Show
In the photo above is Ron Moore, the Royal Coachman.
Did you listen to the Coke Show, hosted by Ron Moore on KENI radio?
You could call in, request a song, and dedicate it to your friends.
Photo courtesy of Ty Pierce.
The Coke Show originated from the small radio booth you see above on the roof of the Bun Drive-In.
And remember, when the cars in the parking lot would beep their horns, Ron called them “Honker Bonkers.”
BONUS
You can hear the Coke Show again and Ron Moore’s Royal Coachman theme.
Take a look at Anchorage Coke Show Memories and enjoy.
Yes, You Can Share This Edition
And when you do, your friends and family will be so happy that they will send you on an all-expenses-paid Alaska cruise every summer for 5 years straight… well, it could happen.
Mukluk Telegraph
Remember how you could connect with Alaskans who were in remote areas? The radio station would broadcast your messages.
GrandmaRobbie had a comment:
“We also used the Mukluk Telegraph to contact friends who homesteaded at Sunshine near Talkeetna.”
The KENI radio program, Mukluk Telegraph, was a great service for Alaska audiences.
Mary of Anchorage Memories recalls that her family used Mukluk Telegraph to communicate with other family members at their commercial fishing site at Point Possession, across Cook Inlet from Anchorage.
“Everyone used Mukluk Telegraph to communicate with family while we were going back and forth to our commercial fishing site during the summer. People in places like Tyonek, Chickaloon and Point Possession all relied on Mukluk Telegraph.”
Because that type of radio program was such a well-received community service, other Anchorage radio stations had their own versions.
North Winds on KHAR
Jim remembers:
“In 1959-1961 my father was assigned to Fort Richardson.
Around dinner time there was a regular radio program, probably out of Anchorage, that preceded or followed announcements from people on the grid to homesteaders beyond routine contact.
“For Bob & Sue on Triple Creek: Arrived safely, baby boy 7 lbs 6, mom doing fine. Home on the 13th.”
The program that followed, something like Tales of the Tundra, Jack London-like Sourdough stories read by a man over a background of the song,Claire d’Lune or other mood music.
Note:
The show that followed North Winds was hosted by Rubin Gaines, a favorite Anchorage radio personality.
When you listened to his radio program, you heard Ruben, a fellow named “Six-Toed Mordecai,” Mrs. Malone, Chilkoot Charlie, and a few others. Each one had a strong voice and distinct personality—and Ruben Gaines had created every one of them in his very creative mind—and brought them to life with his incredible vocal talent.
As you listened to Ruben’s show, you couldn’t help but be amazed at how he seamlessly weaved his characters in and out of conversations.
And speaking of conversations, his radio program “Conversations Unlimited” was heard in the afternoons on KHAR, Monday through Friday, to the absolute delight of Anchorage audiences. His theme song was “Clair de Lune” by Claude Debussy.
Chilkoot Charlie
Of all of Ruben’s characters, one became the namesake for a local bar.
Now known the world over, Chilkoot Charlie’s (sometimes just referred to affectionately as “Koots”) in Spenard has the following bar motto: “We cheat the other guy and pass the savings on to you.”
BONUS
You can listen to Ruben’s radio show. Click on the following link to hear not one, but two recordings from February 1974.
Listen to Ruben Gaines and Conversations Unlimited and enjoy.
1970s Anchorage Radio
Click on the following link and enjoy:
By the way, the KENI radio personality is doing his program from the KENI building near Westchester Lagoon.
Oh, the Memories
Cabin Fever in the Winter
Fun Times in the Summer
Local Anchorage radio kept us connected, entertained, and informed.
And we all had our favorite local radio personalities.
BONUS
Do you wonder where your favorite Anchorage radio personality is now?
Take a look at Your Favorite Radio Personalities: Where Are They Now? And remember.
You Can Listen Once More
A website called Alaska Oldies has some recordings of many Anchorage radio personalities doing their shows.
Listen to Your Favorite Anchorage radio personalities and remember.
Connect with Mike and Mary
What a great episode of the Anchorage, Alaska Memories Club!
Did you enjoy remembering your favorite Anchorage radio personalities?
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Until Next Time
Mike and Mary
Anchorage, Alaska Memories Club
Great history…Thanks for sharing.