Anchorage DJ Ron Moore, 64' Quake Memories

He was back on the radio in 18 minutes.

Ron Moore at the Mic

What were the very first questions that popped into your head right after the earth stopped shaking, following the 1964 Great Alaska earthquake?

1. What just happened?

2. Are my family and friends alright?

3. Where can I get information?

You may have had different questions, but one thing is sure. It wasn’t easy to get answers. No electricity meant that radio and TV stations had been knocked off the air.

But Ron Moore and KFQD radio came through. Ron Moore tells his amazing story.

Scotty Ferguson and yours truly were doing a 5:30 pm news-sports cast on KFQD.

I had just finished the news and Scotty was doing sports in the studio behind me, but I could see through a mirror above me. 

A loud sound I thought was an airplane since QD was in a flight plan to the airport.  As it became louder, Scotty closed his mike switch and took off. 

I said, “one moment Please” and headed for the door to the control center to see what was going on. 

A safe on wheels had exited the bookkeepers office and rolled down the hall and slammed into the door as I opened it.

So I went back to the control center and a large wall-mounted speaker had fallen on the console, so I chose to kill the power to the equipment and climbed over the safe, which was not an easy task. 

As I headed for the door

I noticed Nancy Peck, daughter of aviation legend Jack Peck, pinned against the wall at the top of the stairs, which were a good 10 feet above the parking lot. 

So, I grabbed Nancy and helped her down the stairs, where we stood watching the car’s rear end bounce around with engines in the front those days. 

The tower guy wires were also a concern because they could give way and the tower head towards the parking lot where everyone was trying to hold on. 

The quake seemed to take forever, but as the quake subsided, everyone but yours truly took off to see what had happened to their homes. 

I went inside and saw extensive damage throughout and headed downstairs where there were two large diesel generators that had never been used. I had only been involved once with how they operated. 

It was difficult to see down there

The first generator didn't turn over, but the second started and immediately filled the room with black, choking smoke.  I had forgotten to open the exhaust pipe that went outside. 

In the next room, a light bulb came on, and I switched power from normal to generator. 

Upstairs, the meters on the transmitter that took up an entire wall were barely moving. But I found a portable radio and went into the control room and hardwired a mike around the console to feed directly to the transmitter.  I heard feed back, so I knew we were getting out somewhat. 

That was 18 minutes after the quake stopped, and for 54 hours I stayed on the air.

Largely because most staffers couldn't get by the fissures in the road, and I was unable to get home.  I found out my wife was working downtown at the time and her Dad and my son were in front of the Anchorage Westward Hotel (Now the Hilton) to pick her up.  They escaped the falling debris from the front of the hotel. 

Most of my time on the air was spent delivering messages to listeners, so they could find shelter and supplies to stay warm on a chilly March night.

There wasn't any emergency communications except from car to car for the police and emergency personnel, so the Civil Defense people brought a radio to the control room and asked me to repeat messages throughout the coming days.

We directed our messages to a different part of town every 5 minutes, so people could save batteries on their radios. 

One of the few reports of vandalism was about people breaking into stores to get batteries.  Radio was an undeniable friend back then. 

By the way, I didn't know for quite a while how extensive the damage was citywide.

But when the KFQD chief engineer came back to the station, he told me he could hear me OK and that his two-story house two blocks away on Clay Products Road now had the second floor at ground level. 

During a break on the front porch at night

I saw fires burning in the city, largely from gas explosion's. Fears during the night of a Tidal Wave never materialized, and the aftershocks that continued for days kept us all on edge. 

KFQD and other broadcasters cut back on their operations for a long time since they weren't sure Anchorage was going to recover or how soon. 

So, I went on the air from afternoons to overnight for a couple of months and worked with the Anchorage Jaycees to solicit donations from other Jaycees nationwide. 

Quite an experience and one I will never forget.

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Get Ready to Play

After all that earthquake talk, you need a break, and the Anchorage Memories Game Show is just the thing.

Can you name those fries?

Click on the following link: And have fun.

Do you remember A&W Drive-In?

From our North Stars (that’s you)

Frank had a question:

“I’m trying to remember who was the co-anchor with John Valentine on KIMO channel 13 in the 1970s. She was a blond, and wasn’t there long.”

The Answer:

Anchorage Memories contacted our friend Cindy Suryan and the answer was -

Beverly Michaels

Remember Beverly on KIMO channel 13? Remember Cindy Suryan?

Have You Seen All the Great Anchorage Stories, pictures, and videos?

Head on over to Anchorage Memories.com. You’ll even find a page full of Coke Show memories with Ron Moore.

Connect with Mike and Mary

Our thanks to Ron Moore for getting things up and running at KFQD in just 18 minutes after the 64’ quake. And Wow… on the air for 54 hours. Remarkable. Ron must have had a case of “tattered tonsils” after all that.

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Until Next Time

Mary and Mike

Anchorage Memories Club