A KTRH Gallery
Updated 7/6/2020
Barry Sheft, a newsman and part-time DJ at KTRH; courtesy of Texas Radio Hall of Famer Bud Buschardt.
Chad Lassiter, first all-night talk host on KTRH, courtesy of Sam Lester.
The following photos are courtesy of Charlie Pena. Because of the size of the post and because I may add to it over time, I've experimented in this post with including smaller images in the post; it is still possible to see larger images by clicking on them.
A fascinating document, believed to be in Jesse Jones' own hand. It's dated a month before the sale of KUT to Jones was okayed by the FRC and on Texas State Hotel stationery rather than Rice Hotel stationery. Because of the mention of the Columbia Chain this must've been a projected budget for KTRH. And are the figures monthly or yearly? $175 a month for an announcer sounds like a princely sum.
Shots of the KTRH facility on the La Porte Highway, today's 225, probably taken in early 1930 after the move had been approved by the Federal Radio Commission but before operations began in Houston. I have always assumed the building faced the present day highway as later buildings on the site have done (KXYZ occupies the site today), but is the roadway pictured in front of the building the highway or just a driveway? Just a few years earlier, in the mid-1920s, there was no paved highway to Austin and no bridges over some streams that had to be crossed but this would have been a heavily traveled route on weekends as Houstonians made their way down to La Porte to Sylvan Beach Park and Bayshore Park. Perhaps the buildings faced in an easterly or westerly direction.
In the twenties and thirties and beyond, communities and broadcasters were proud of their broadcasting facilities and picture postcards were produced showing off buildings, often with the antenna in the background. I've searched for such postcards for the Houston stations and this is the closest I've seen. It at least identifies the Rice as the home of KTRH.
An unknown technician and what appears to be an electrical transcription machine and a portable one at that. Before the advent or wire recorders and, thankfully, tape recorders, this is how recordings were made by radio stations for rebroadcast or time-delayed broadcast. A large, long playing disc was produced which could be played back immediately.
KTRH owner Jesse Jones.
The group includes station owner Jesse Jones and comedian Jack Benny. I'm guessing the man on the left is a station announcer and the woman is a listener. It was a lot easier for network radio programs to go on the road than it is for TV shows and many shows, if not most, traveled, especially quiz shows and comedy shows. Benny may have been in town originating his show from KTRH or may have been in town for some other occasion. The show probably would have been performed live on the stage of the Music Hall or one of the big downtown movie houses rather than the KTRH studios so a large live audience could be accommodated.
A country music band, probably referred to as a hillbilly band at the time. Correspondent Andrew Brown has identified the fiddler as Dickie Jones and the group as Dickie Jones and his Rhythm Riders. Jones had several bands and performed in the Houston area a lot; this group was active ca. 1948-1950. The female may be Helen Smith. In the 1940s and early 1950s all the stations in town except KCOH aired at least some hillbilly music.
Unknown group although the person second from the right appears to be W. Albert Lee, owner of KLEE and KLEE-TV. He was associated with the Houston Fat Stock Show and Rodeo for years and because of the cowboy hats this may have something to do with that event. It's been suggested that's film star Tom Mix beside the microphone but it doesn't look like him to me and that's not his trademark style of hat, plus IMDB says Mix was 6 feet tall which would make 3 other men in that photo around 6'4". The gentleman on the right looks familiar and may have been a Harris County Sheriff.
Pictures like this make it evident how 'mic flags' got their name.
An unknown keyboard performer, possibly a station employee or a visiting artist.
This appears to be a man-in-the-street program, possibly on the sidewalk along Texas Avenue outside the Rice Hotel. Judging by the vehicles visible in the background and in the reflection and by the military uniforms, I'm guessing this was in the 1940s and after the end of World War II. This was long after Vox Pop had gone to the network but there would have been may occasions for a man-in-the-street program.
Dr. Ben Oldag, on the left, and Bill Zak (corrected). This is the most recent photo in the collection and probably dates from the 1970s.
Thanks again to Charlie Pena for sharing these photos and if anyone can help with identifying any of the individuals pictured, please contact me by email or post a comment.
The following photo has been contributed by Dave Lubeski.
Here are some comments from Dave's accompanying email:
"Good Times... This was taken in the Astrodome one morning after the show. The station sent out a professional photog to take the pic. It was during the rodeo and you can see part of a horse in the photo if you look real close. Anyway, I've posted much about Larry and Alvin and the good times we had. The show was a hit in the ratings, had many national celebs as guests and always something funny and clever and entertaining. Those two guys were pros and their imaginations were boundless. I was glad to be a part of it"
Thanks, much, Dave. That's an awesome shot.
The following newspaper clipping was submitted by Jan Hutton
Ask Ruth was hosted by Jan Hutton's mother. You can read more about it in the comments section below.
63 comments:
Great photos, but that was Ben Oldag seated next to Bill Zak and not Dewey Compton.
Hi,
I have a number of old photos by Bob Bailey. The man standing by the mic in the group shot is definitely Tom Mix. I have a cropped and enlarged print of this photo taken the same day, in 1938. He was 5'8" according to the Tom Mix Museum, not 6' as the movie studio claimed.
My Dad (still living) was Chief Engineer until retirement some time ago. We have some good photos of station shots, etc. He was with the station through the Rice Hotel location & to Lovett Blvd for several years after that.
I looked (on here) for some reference to Babe Fritz (Hillbilly Bandwagon Time) but couldn't find anything. I listened to him while growing up. Also, that's where Dan Rather got his start & doing play-by-play at Buff Stadium baseball.
Babe Fritsch is mentioned in the comments section following the post on Biff Collie, Texas Bill Strength and other DJs. The search box unfortunately doesn't seem to search comments unless they're open. Follow the link to the commenter's blog, Wired for Sound, for more.
http://houstonradiohistory.blogspot.com/2008/02/biff-collie-texas-bill-strength-and.html
Any chance you'd be willing to share some of your Dad's pics? I probably have more on KTRH than any other station on the blog but would always love to have more. If so, contact me. It's not necessary these days, of course, to get actual prints of the pictures.
Thanks.
I used to work at sister station KLOL at the Rice Hotel and on Lovett and later moved to the KTRH sales staff. Walter Cronkite was a KTRH employee in the early days way before my time. When we moved to Lovett, there were many old recordings of him and other old timers that were throwm in the trash bin. What a loss. I did grab the final front desk bell from the Rice as it closed.
Old timer, Tom Jacobs, was the business manager there when I came on board in 1972. He was the board op when War of the Worlds aired. Tom obviously knew that it was just a radio play and continually broke in with that fact when he saw that people were beginning to panic.
Thanks for the stories.
What a tragic loss that those old recordings were tossed. Sadly, it probably happens regularly when radio stations move. I'm sure it did at a couple of places I worked at.
old memories flooding back... I worked at KTRH starting in 1969 at the Rice Hotel until the end of 1974 on Lovett Blvd. I left to join the start-up Associated Press Radio Network in Washington, DC and spent the next 35 years there, retiring as sports director.
I remember all those people. chief engineer Les Mullan and engineer Bob West. I loved working with Bill Zak and Ken Krinsky in the mornings. Newsmen included Russ Harlow and Lou Hanlon, Dave Godwin, Hal Kemp, Howard Phillips, Jack Ford, Bruce Dadd and Charlie Miller.
Tom Jacobs and Babe Fritsch were the old timers then, working in the office after on-air careers.
I produced the Morning Show hosted by Alvin Van Black and Larry Oldham and handed that job over to Tom Haymond when I started doing sports on the station.
Lee Allen was a PD and Ben Baldwin joined us from a station in Atlanta.
There there was Howard Finch. We called him Uncle Howdy. He retired as GM of Channel 13 and did a poetry show for us. Off the air he constantly had us all in stitches.
I still got sports press releases addressed to Dan Rather. He and Bill Zak were good friends even after Rather became famous. Clarence Chaline was a PD for awhile and went by the name of Bob Elton. Of course there was Dewey Compton and then his son Ronnie. they died in a plane crash with their wives. Ronnie was the pilot.
Bill Showers also worked in sports. Max Cohen ran the sales staff.
And then there were the boys and girls at KLOL. The station simulcasted with FM, then broke it off and started KLOL as Mother's Family. Pat Fant was the PD and Jerry Lee the GM. They were one floor above us in the Rice and I'd go up the fire stairs in the morning to take overnight scores and the weather forecast to the DJs. I'd get a kick out of walking into the studio to the sweet smell of you-know-what. Jefferson was one of the DJs and so was a guy named Beachamp. Jim Pruett (as Tony Raven) and I were neighbors and would car pool to our morning shifts. Jim Hilty I remember. I adopted a stray cat and when I moved to DC and Jim took the cat.
Okay, now I'm just rambling. Loved working there doing sports. Bob Allen of Channel 13 was on KPRC Radio doing sports at the same time. We became, and have remained to this day, good friends
This is my 2nd attempt to post. the first disappeared when I hit the send button, so if it shows up in addition to this... nevermind.
I worked at KTRH for nearly six years from January of 1969 until September of 1974. I left the station to become sports director of the start-up Associated Press Radio Network in Washington, DC where I worked for 35 years.
Had some great times at KTRH beginning downtown at the Rice Hotel and ending at the location on Lovett Blvd in the Montrose area.
I produced the very wacky Morning show starring Larry Oldham and Alvin Van Black in addition to being the sports voice on the station. I eventually inherited the morning show from them and co-hosted with Becky Bailey while Tom Haymond took over my role as producer. Tom lives in NYC now. He has had a colorful career in sales and was GM at several stations when he "grew up."
Alvin later hosted an afternoon talk show before going to Channel 13. One day the subject was streaking so I decided to streak through the studio while he was on the air. It wasn't until I was through the door in full stride did I find out he had some U of H students in the studio to observe the inner workings of a radio show.
I worked the morning news block with Bill Zak and Ken Krinsky.
Zak had developed a friendship with Dan Rather when Rather worked at the station and they remained lifelong friends until Zak passed away.
Howard Finch retired as GM of Channel 13 and came to work at KTRH and did poetry readings. Off the air he had us in constant stitches. A truly funny man.
From the news staff I remember names like Charles Miller (who now works for the Justice Department here in DC), Bruce Dadd, Jerry Kamin, Howard Phillips, Jack Ford, Hal Kemp and weekenders Russ Harlow and Lou Hanlon.
Before them there was Dave Godwin (who helped me launch my radio career several years earlier) and Carl Brazell. Those two ended up in Los Angeles radio. Dave passed away in about 1983.
Lee Allen and Ben Baldwin were talk show hosts and Dan Sessions was a producer. So was Rusty Stonefeld.
Old time air personalities Babe Fritsch and Tom Jacobs worked in the office back then.
I also remember the KLOL gang when KTRH, which simulcasted with KTRH-FM, broke off to form a separate radio station. They were one floor up in the Rice with the sweet smell of you-know-what wafting in the stairwell. Jerry Lee was the GM and Pat Fant the PD. Jefferson, Jim Hilty (Hilty adopted my cat when I moved to DC)and a guy named Beauchamp were DJs. Jim Pruett was later a PD there(then known as tony Raven). He was my neighbor and we carpooled to work. Sometimes after work we'd go flying. He was a pilot and was trying to log hours to get a twin-engine license.
I mentioned a lot more names in the first attempt, but this is enough for now.
Great times. Great memories
I posted both David since they were not duplicates. Every little bit of info is fascinating.
You mention Dan Rather. I am his sister, compiling examples of his lifetime work. I have an extensive collection, but the collection of his early years in Houston is close to nil.I have located the KHOU TV films. Do you have or can you direct me to where I might find audios and/or pictures of his days at KTRH radio (1954-1959)? Thank you for any help/direction you may give.
Let me check with some contacts and reply here in a couple of days. If you want to contact me directly, go to my profile page for my email.
Thank you, Bruce.
I have been able to come up with just one picture, no audio.
Enjoyed the comments from Dave Lubeski. I worked with him at KTRH, I was there after being News Dir at KILT from '68 -'73, then at KTRH from '73 to '77, came to Albuquerque in '77 and did morning news there for 20 years. Still doing news on a Christian AM station here KKIM. 55 years on the radio. I did news and a talk show on KTRH. Those were great times in the Rice hotel and the Jones family were the best bosses you could ever have. A lot of history went through that radio station. Those really were the "good old days", we just didn't know it. If you can find one of the KTH/KLOL promo brochures it has a lot of history and pictures. I may have one some where. If I find it, I'll send it to you. Thanks for this site. Frank Haley
Congratulations on 55 years! Wow. I remember hearing you on the radio. Thanks for the comment.
The woman in the picture is Mrs. Jones (who may have also been a listener).
Aha! One of the perks of being the owner's wife! Thanks.
It occurs to me the other man in the picture is Phil Harris, band leader and vocalist on Jack Benny's program who also played himself as a character in Benny's skits. He definitely would have been touring with Benny. I've never seen a picture of Harris that young but there is a good resemblance to photos of him in the 1940s.
Hello: I am a caregiver for a man who's aunt (according to his memory) headed up the advertising department in the 30's: Margaret Krebs. Does anyone remember her, or have information of the station back that far? He remembers another woman who did something for the children, but I can't remember her name. We would be very interested in hearing any other memories of those women. Thank you.
Does anyone know the intro theme song to The Howard Finch radio program that aired in late 70's?
Others of us are also wondering what Howard Finch's theme music was on his poetry reading program?
I was at KTRH in the late 70s and I'm just one of many who enjoyed Howard Finch's poetry program, and his theme song. It was an lush string instrumental treatment of the song "Once Upon a Time", on an LP of Broadway hits by Percy Faith. My first radio job was at an easy listening station and I wore that LP out listening to that song, and the others.
Finally got an answer! Thanks, Jim.
Thank you Jim Bell.
Just reminiscing and went back to see everyone's posts and saw two of mine from five years ago. I'm still in touch with former KTRH colleagues Ken Krinsky and Frank Haley through Facebook. I wonder what happened to a few others, like Carl Cramer (newsman) and Bo Brody (salesman) and Bruce Dadd (newsman) who later worked in a non-radio job in Washington, DC I believe. Krinsky was the morning newsman when I was there. He was also a fanatical Beatles fan and decided his goal was to meet every one of the fab four and he did it. It took quite a few years. he met Lennon when he and Yoko came to Houston when Yoko was trying to track down her ex-husband who had their daughter. Kenny met them at the airport, befriended them and visited them in NYC a few years later. He toured with McCartney who was then with Wings to do a radio doc on him in the early 70s. He met Ringo on an airplane and Harrison at the radio station (KLOL) when he came up to be a live guest one night. Krinsky got the call that George was there and drove in to meet him. We had a station softball team for a few years. We were called the Jones Boys because John T. Jones was the station owner. I know channel 11 and KPRC had teams in the league along with an ad agency or two. one year we had former Oiler head coach Lou Rymkus coach our team. He had coached players George Blanda, Billy Cannon and Charlie Hennigan in the early 60s. Lou's sons worked in sale at the station. News Director Hal Kemp was on the team along with Dan Sessions (producer), Lee Allen, Brody, Cramer, Krinsky and I think, Jerry Kamin. Anyway, just checking in. Still remember my KTRH years as good times.
Thanks again, Dave. Fascinating details. Hope you hear from some of these other folks.
I've wondered about Carl Cramer too for a short time he was ND at WBAP in Ft. Worth, and then ended up some where in Colorado. I hear from Hal Kemp once in a while. Good to see your post Dave.
-- I think I discovered KTRH in early 1970 (or perhaps during an earlier sojourn in Houston, ending in June 1963). In the early 70’s I often spent my lunch hour in the car, listening to the news (Hal Kemp?). Dewey Compton taught me how to maintain St. Augustine. There was the English guy with the evening call-in program on current affairs. And at 5 o’clock on Fridays, the announcement: “the correct time is… weekend!” So much more!
-- What really prompts me to write now is my hazy memory of a guy with a very short early morning social gossip column. Things like (I grossly paraphrase):
- “Joe Blow is an oil millionaire, who is now in Kuwait working on an oil deal. So why was his wife, Mrs. Jane Blow, seen at 2 o’clock this morning, leaving the Rice Hotel hanging on the arm of his partner and best friend John Doe?”
- And he always closed with a booming “IF YOU DON’T WANT IT IN THE NEWS, DON’T DO IT!”
-- I wish I could remember that last guy’s name. And I so much wish I could have a recording!
That's a new one on me. I really hope someone writes in with more on this! Thanks.
Hi Bruce... have no idea about the gossip person. If he was on, it was after 1974, when I left. re-reading all of our memory posts and thought of a couple more names... Phillip Clarke was the English night time talk show host. He left to work in L.A. I heard from Ken Krinsky that he died a couple of years ago. Speaking of L.A., Steve Edwards was a top notch talk show host when I came to work there. He went to work for channel 11 and from there went to L.A. where he was on TV there and for awhile was co-hosting an L.A. based national daytime TV talk show. In the 90s when I was covering an NBA Finals between the Lakers and Chicago Bulls I ran into Steve in the Lakers locker room after a game. A good guy. Two more names I'm not sure I mentioned, but often wonder about were newscasters Howard Phillips and Jack Ford. I worked with them in the early 70s. People may also remember newsman David Crane who died many years ago. I think he was at KILT before he worked at KTRH.
Yes. I'm sure whoever that reporter was, he must have had full documentation on hand.
Nowadays "Joe Blow" would tweet "FAKE news!" and curse the dickens out of the media, especially KTRH...
The notice: "Your comment has been saved and will be visible after blog owner approval" is fine, but perhaps it could be made to appear immediately on thw same screen, rather than having to be discovered at the very top, when trying to see whether my comment was entered or not.
I grew up with Larry Oldham, from grade school to high school. I administer a Facebook site where we try to recover what we can of our past. We would be oh so pleased if we could hear Larry's base voice again. Do any of you have a recording you could share with us. Larry disappeared in California somewhere, even his mother did not know what became of him. Anything anyone could add about him would be appreciated. My email is hiwasseedam@yahoo.com.
I worked with Bruce Dadd, Charlie Miller, Jerry Kamin, and Lou Hanlon and many others for several years at KEYH 850 AM when it was all news. Prior to that, i started traffic central and turned it over to Marty Ambrose when i went to keyh. Sadly, Bruce passed away around 20 years ago. We had just had lunch the day before he died. Lou Hanlon died in the early 80s, not sure what happened to Charlie Miller or Jerry Kamin.
Jeffm11851 - thanks for your update. Jerry Kamin passed away several years ago.
I remember when KEYH was in the planning stages in 1974. Bruce Dadd and Charlie Miller had talked to me about making the jump from KTRH with them when the new station went on air. My plans were interrupted by the Associated Press. They were starting a new radio network based in Washington, DC and I ended up there.
Sorry to hear about Bruce Dadd. He was a serious newsman with a total pro delivery, but also had a dry wit and tremendous sense of humor. I also remember his wife from his days at KTRH. Lou Hanlon, whose real last name was O'Hanlon was one of the weekend warriors at KTRH when I started there as a weekend part timer. We were all news on the weekend and he co-anchored with Russell Harlow.
Charlie Miller's journey is quite a story. He decided to get out of the business after KEYH and went back to Beaumont to run his dad's toy store. Eventually he sold it to the employees and got back into radio at an FM there in the Golden Triangle. He called me when he heard about a new news network being formed in DC. I can't recall the name of it at the moment, but he was hired and moved to DC where we got together on occasion. Charlie's beat was the justice department and when the network folded he became a spokesman for the Justice Department and began writing novels under the name C.S. Miller. You can find his works on Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/C.S.-Miller/e/B006XFDYEK- - Charlie met and married a woman from the DC area and they eventually moved to Mexico for a few years and now reside in Israel. He's on Facebook and we get in touch now and then.
I recently heard about another KTRH name from those early 70s days. Larry Oldham. An old high school friend of his said Larry died from cirrhosis of the liver in January 2004 in a nursing home in Chico California. He was 58 years old. Larry and Alvin Van Black hosted the Morning Show that was launched by the late Ken Fairchild. I was the show's producer. I last heard from Larry in 1985 when he was on the air in California using the name Matthews.
I need to send a CORRECTION on my previous post. In the last graph I was relating information I'd received about the death of Larry Oldham. It was apparently incorrect. I have since learned that Larry died when he fell and struck his head on a table in his apartment where he was found several days later.
Does anyone remember 1950's engineer Ed Parkerson? He was my Dad, now deceased and I would like to message with any of his co-workers who are still living.
This warms my ❤️ I'm Lee Allen's daughter. He passed in 2014. His show was on when I was in grade school and I have many fond memories of his time there.
Hi Jill - I'm glad you posted here. I remember when your dad arrived at KTRH. We had heard airchecks of his radio work before he arrived. I'm a little fuzzy on the memory, but did you come to Houston from Louisiana? I think I'm remembering that he was in Baton Rouge... or was it Shreveport? Anyway, the morning talk show team came up with the idea to welcome Lee to the station by throwing a parade (at the time it was Ken Fairchild doing the show with contributions from Larry Oldham and Alvin Van Black. I was in the control booth screening their calls and playing the commercials and any other sound we injected into the show. Larry and Alvin took over the Morning Show for Ken when he left for a job in Dallas). The parade was an exercise on how radio could stir the imagination. It was all done from the studio. sound effects and special guests and marching bands and fireworks....and none of it was real. We just made it sound like it was the real thing. We had reports from correspondents on the scene. I think Alvin reported from a helicopter and we even had reporters from Channel 11 pitching in. Again... All done in the studio with special effects. At the end of the "parade" your dad, who was sitting in the studio and remained silent the entire time, got to blurt out a sentence just before we had to stop for the network news at the end of the show. He was the afternoon talk show host when he arrived and I'm thinking that he became the program director when Fairchild left, but I'm not sure. Dan Sessions was his producer and I remember your dad as a low key very steady personality with a great sense of humor. I was sorry to hear about his passing, but I'm glad you have fond memories of his time at KTRH.
Thanks so much for your response and lovely words. I remember the parade when we moved here! Such a clever idea. I was 6 years old and my dad had to explain to me about it not being an actual parade lol. And yes, we did move from Baton Rouge to Houston. You have a great memory! I remember hanging out with Dan and his wife Michelle Sessions all the time with my parents and the station's softball team and going to the games. Such fond memories. I believe my mom still has the clippings from the parade announcement that was in the Chronicle or maybe The Post. I was so proud of him. And yes your memory of him being a low key steady personality with a great sense of humor is spot on. Thanks again for this blog and all the great memories.
Bruce, my late mother, Ruth Hutton Fred, hosted a KTRH show, “Ask Ruth”, with Howard Finch as the announcer. I believe her show ran for 13-15 years during the 1960s and 1970s. She and Howard were both born Michiganders and used to kid about it. My mother was often stopped in stores by people who recognized her voice from the radio show. My mother’s papers, photos, etc. were requested by a new archive at Rice University, the Houston Jewish Historical Archives. Included are 5 tapes of the show, “Ask Ruth“ which are now being digitized and will soon be available to the public. The archives have asked me for more information about the show, including start and ending dates (Late 70’s?) I was in high school (Lamar) when the show began and living elsewhere when the show ended and have only vague memories of dates. Googling, aside from the gift of finding your blog, has not been helpful. Any suggestions for more info or should I just be happy with what I have! Thanks.
Hi Jan, that's another new one on me but as you can see, there are lots of knowledgeble KTRH exes out there who regularly read this blog. Hopefully someone who remembers something will pop by.
Interesting to hear about the archives at Rice; I hadn't heard of that.
Good to see the post from Jan Hutton. For a brief time I was the producer in the booth screening the calls during the Ask Ruth programs. I enjoyed working with your mom, Jan. She was always cheerful and friendly when she came into the studio for her show. I also recall a time when she was worried about her daughter who was away at college. Not sure if my memory is clear, but it could have been in Michigan. There were apparently some assaults/attacks of some kind going on near or on campus at that time. I don't know if you have siblings and it was your sister or if it was you she was worried about. It was the only time I saw her in distress. Her shows were well done and helpful to people calling in for advice. She always had an answer for the caller and was very professional. My time with her (the memory of it anyway) was when the station was still located in the Rice Hotel Annex. We later moved to a new location on Lovett Blvd in the Montrose area, but by that time I had other duties at the station and that may have been when she worked with Howard Finch, who was also good people. Thanks for posting. I enjoyed working with your mom.
Just found this site! I also worked at KTRH as a producer. First the morning shift, then afternoons when Tate and Oldham show was launched. My time at KTRH was the best of my long checkered career. Mr. Jones was a class act. I remember following Hurricane Allen he hosted a Thank You dinner at the Rice hotel to recognize the effort the staff made during the storm. He made some comments after dinner and then, to everyone's surprise, reached under one of the tables and pulled out two boxes. He then presented each of us with a very nice Seiko watch. Engraved on the back it said, "Allen" and the year. I still have the watch in safekeeping. My God I could write on and on. I have a reel of a show I produced with Tate and Oldham when we spent a week in NYC. At that time Curtis Sliwa and the Guardian Angels were new patrolling the subways. I arranged for Sliwa to take Tate, Oldham and I on a walking/ riding tour of some of the toughest routes in the city. Some of the purest, grittiest audio documentary you've heard. I've not heard the show in decades; I think it is my best work ever. I still have the master but need to find an audio archivist who can play it back and transfer it. I'm concerned the emulsion has stuck the edit master together. If you know of a facility that can restore the tape, please contact me: Rick Herrmann rick@rickherrmann.com
Thanks Rick. I love it that we have so many KTRH exes finding this site and helping to fill in the story. Good luck with that old tape. I have some of those myself.
Hey Bruce... how does one post a photo on this site. I notice photos on some of the posts. I tried the simple copy and paste, but no go. I have a publicity photo of the Morning Show in the early 70s with Oldham and Van Black that I'd like to share.
On that subject, I'd like to ask Rick Herrmann if he could give us a timeline on when he was at the station. I left in September of 1974 for the bright lights and big city of Washington, DC to be part of the launching of the AP Radio Network and spent the next 35 years there as sports director (I covered 17 Olympics for the network). But enough about me...
I asked about the timeline, Rick, because you mentioned producing the Tate and Oldham show. I didn't know Tate, but there was one on another station when I was working in the market... Oldham? that intrigues me. Do you mean Larry Oldham? That would mean he came back to Houston and KTRH for a brief time? I didn't know that. After the Morning Show he left before I did and moved to Hawaii with a rich divorcee he was seeing. He later resurfaced on air in Northern California and I had heard he was even in NYC for awhile. All this before email, websites and the internet in general, so keeping in touch was not an easy thing when making changes to new surroundings and challenges.
Please add some dates to your stories, Rick. Your Curtis Sliwa story was fascinating and John T. Jones giving out the watches at a dinner sounds quite bizarre. I was there for several hurricane coverages (KTRH had the best) and don't recall ever hearing a peep out of John T.
By the way, we had a station softball team in a media league in the early 70s (ad agencies, KPRC and Channel 11 were in it) and we called our KTRH team... The Jones Boys.
Dave - would love to have the photo but I have to post pictures in this format. Can you email me a scan? My email is on the About Me page; Just attach it to the email.
Reply to Dave Lubeski from Rick Herrmann: My best guess about my time at KTRH was 1977- 1980. Yes, Larry Oldham was Jim Tate's partner on the Tate and Oldham show. Station manager Hal Kemp put the team together. Another "star" I worked with at KTRH was Sportscaster Jim Nantz. Decent guy who was a broadcasting pup at the time who declared, "I'm going to be a TV network Sports anchor one day." Kudos to Nantz. (He and I both left KTRH to work at KHOU-TV, Channel 11.) Also worked with CBS Radio Dave Barret, Wayne Dulcifino, Howard Finch and Ruth of "Ask Ruth."
Here's a story I shouldn't share. As a producer, I selected the Show Open music each day that was appropriate for the guest. Jim Tate was the host and some local Klansman was the guest. The music I selected was, "Camptown Races." The tune was barely playing when Program Director Ed Shane raced into the control room. Every vein in his head was popping. I was scolded. OMG! My wife just found the watch with the engraving, "Allen" KTRH 1980
did my long reply to Lubeski get submitted? Rick Herrmann
Rick, I’m Ruth Fred’s daughter. Rice University Requested my mothers papers, tapes, photographs, for their new Houston Jewish History Archives. Going through everything, I found several tapes, with Howard Finch, that have now been digitized and are in the aforementioned archive. There’s a wonderful one from a long-ago Christmas day broadcast where Howard and my mother are talking as friends and colleagues, rather than a Jew and a Christian. I also have several Chronicle newspaper articles reporting on “ask Ruth“, but there seems no capacity here to attach that story, replete with image Thanks so much for sharing
Jan Hutton
Thank you, Rick Hermann. I missed you by three years. My six years there were very eventful. I had a great time and it set the stage for my longer run with AP Radio. I sent Bruce a photo of the Morning Show when it was Oldham and Van Black in the early 70s. I'm in the photo, too. I hope he will post it. I pressed all the buttons and screened the calls for Larry and Alvin and became a part of the show as they used me more and more in their bits and skits. When Larry left and Alvin moved to afternoons, I became co-host of he Morning Show with Becky Bailey and Tom Haymond was our producer. I was there in the beginning for station manager Hal Kemp and CBS anchor Dave Barrett. You may have already read it in the previous posts, but Hal was one of the morning news anchors when I first arrived in 1969 and a few years later a very bright U of H student became my intern. That was Dave Barrett. Dave and I ended up at many big sporting events together years later, including several Olympics. We stayed in touch on a regular basis. He became one of he best on the air and was the nicest of the nice. I was very sad when he passed away. It's been a few years since I heard from Hal, but last I heard he was living in Austin. Jim Nantz came after I left. I knew he was a KTRH alum when he became famous. John Quinones is another one I missed, but met briefly on a commuter bus once when working in DC and living in suburban Virginia. I didn't know then that he had also worked at KTRH. I worked with Ruth Fred back when we were broadcasting out of the Rice Hotel and with Finch at the Lovett Blvd location. I think I've got a pretty good idea of what you were like. The Camptown Races gave it away. I'm sorry I missed you, Rick.
Hello again, Jan Hutton. Glad to hear those tapes have been digitized at Rice. Send me a scan of the article(s) and I can add them. I started this blog as a solo project because of my interest. I did all the research and wrote all the articles originally. I've been very surprised and pleased at how big a following it has attracted but the original platoform doesn't allow additions to the blog other than by me. Perhaps I need to look into adding a discussion board.
Contact me at the email available on the About Me link on the sidebar. I'll have to get busy clearing my inbox out - it gets rather full.
Bruce Williamson
Rick Hermann - I believe so, above. No?
I got two copies of your first comment. When I get these long replies I do not see the whole text, only the first few lines. The posts looked identical so I posted only the second one, assuming you had made some corrections or additions. If the first one contained significantly different content, let me know and at this point, I can still post it.
I 'moderate' all content submitted. This really only is to keep ads for skin cream, hemorrhoid treatments and Russian brides, etc., off the blog.
Bruce
I hosted a program called "Young Houston Speaks" on KTRH when I was editor of the South Texas College newspaper. I was 19 or twenty. It was a call-in talk radio program. I am now 76 years old, trying to write a memoir for my grandchildren. I wish there was a way to document this.
For Bruce and others wondering about the guy ended his daily gossip show with "And he always closed with a booming “IF YOU DON’T WANT IT IN THE NEWS, DON’T DO IT!”
That was Bill Roberts, who had a daily gossip column in the old Houston Press in the 1940s and 50s. He called it "The Town Crier", and he was absolutely fearless about the stuff he found and wrote about. He didn't care how rich and important you were. He moved to the Chronicle when the Press folded in the early 60s. He also did a five minute daily radio show at KTRH. One of his assistants -- Maxine Mesinger -- took over the column when he passed away in the 1960s.
Jim Bell -- Retired Houston Public Media Anchor/Journalist who did two hitches at KTRH. 1976-1979 and 1988-1991. Now living in east Texas and I love your website Bruce.
I'm not sure who the gossip columnist Ariel mentioned might be (on KTRH?) but my favorite gossiper was on KILT-AM about 1965. Same shtick but lots of politics too (like "Who might Mayor Welch's young pretty mini-skirt-clad new assistant be? We'll tell you as soon as the mayor's wife finds out about it.") He was Frank Lyon. His open: "Hi, Frank Lyon with the IN-side!" His outcue: "Frank Lyon, here, there and EVERYwhere!"
As an elementary school kid at the time I even heard a joke about him. "How did they describe the scene when Frank Lyon got hit by a Mack truck?" - "Frank Lyon, here, there and EVERYwhere!"
Thanks Old Radio Guy. Glad to know you're enjoying your retirement and I always appreciate you sharing your extensive knowledge and insight. I know other readers of this blog do to. I remember Bill Roberts but thought he was in the Post. Now the name Marge Crumbaker comes to mind. Maxine outlasted them all.
And who came up with the term 'swankienda'? I know Maxine used it a lot.
I remember the name Marge Crumbaker. She was there when I did my Young Houston Speaks show.
I think you're right Bruce. Bill Roberts may have moved to the Post when the Houston Press went out of existence in 1964. The Chron was a bit too high toned for Roberts' in-your-face style of gossip. His assistant Maxine Mesinger went to work at the Chron the same year.
I just found you guys. Somebody in one of the posts mentioned Jack Ford. I well remember when Louie Welch defeated Curtis Graves in one of Loui's mayoral races. Jack's teaser for his morning report was: "Welch desecrates Graves". Curtis was none too pleased but Louie damned near died laughing in the KTRH newsroom just before he went on air.
Hal Kemp
KTRH - 1968 -1974
My father was an engineer at KTRH in the 1960s. His name was Ollie Cunningham.
Retired Old Radio Guy: I love you, Dude. For lo, so many years I have told people about the fella with the IF YOU DON’T WANT IT IN THE NEWS DON’T DO IT! closer. People I told usually doubted my sanity. Now you have given me a name (Bill Roberts) to go with it. And a compatible timeframe – I lived in Houston from September 1958 to June 1963. (Also, from November 1969 to June 1979 and again from September 1986 to June 2017 – I finished retiring to San Antonio in the nick of time before Harvey).
As I now recall, KTRH had undergone a Jekyll-Hyde transmogrification sometime while I was away, and sort of lost me as a devoted listener.
For Dave Lubeski: I think I remember when you first appeared as a minor button-pusher, gradually moved into the sports arena, then totally took over that turf.
Unrelated, I still have (somewhere…) a cassette of my guest appearance on what I’m pretty sure was “ASK RUTH”, in about 1973. If I find it, and confirm it was “ASK RUTH”, I’ll gladly give it to Rice for their project. Address, please, anyone?
For Ariel Thomann - You nailed it. I was a minor button pusher and started as a part timer on the weekends. Eventually I went full time working as a button pusher on the morning report and the talk show that followed it. That talk show started as the Ken Fairchild show and featured Larry Oldham and Alvin Van Black. Those two became the show's host when Ken left for a job in Dallas and I eventually became the shows host with Becky Bailey. Yes, I moved into sports reporting and I owe it all to the late Bill Zak. He was the Morning Report host. Kind of the glue that kept it together. He did the weather, read Sports off the wire, did live commercials and introduced the individual news segments. One morning he was very busy and came into the producers booth with the sports summary he'd just torn off the wire and said "you read this today.' I did, and that's how I ended up as the sports director for several years until I got the job with the AP. By the way, today is the 50th anniversary of the Battle of the Sexes - the Billie Jean King - Bobby Riggs tennis match in the Astrodome. I was there to cover the story. What a night that was. I ended up, in addition to local reporting, doing voice reports for several stations around the country, CBS and even Australia. Many memories of my time at KTRH where I also covered Super Bowl VII (8) in Rice Stadium. My first. My last Super Bowl coverage was #38 in 2004 in Reliant Stadium. Kind of fitting. Of the many Super Bowls I covered, my first one and last one was in Houston and they were 30 years apart.
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