tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6766534511299368622.post4920215262449985863..comments2024-03-12T15:03:22.262-05:00Comments on Houston Radio History: 1929 Part 1 - K-The Rice HotelBrucehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02689118444867837021noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6766534511299368622.post-26368884984920204182010-09-27T11:02:17.398-05:002010-09-27T11:02:17.398-05:00Great. The key word here is mezzanine. KTRH was ...Great. The key word here is mezzanine. KTRH was on the 6th floor of the Rice, a little tall for a mezzanine, probably, and I've never heard any reference to a mezzanine in connection with their studios. There were several Houston stations that operated form mezzanines; I guess it allowed for public viewing in an era when that was a big deal. And from 1934 to 1953 KPRC was one of them, operating from the mezzanine of the Lamar Hotel, another fancy hotel downtown that is now gone. Check out the Station Profile for KPRC on the sidebar and go to the link for the pictures from the Bob Bailey studios at UT and see some pictures of KPRC from that era; you may even recognize the studio shots. Also, search that archive for 'lamar hotel' and see some images of the hotel that you may recognize.<br /><br />I don't know what restaurants there were there except I believe the famous LC cafeteria was in the basement, a hugely popular downtown spot. I went once ca. 1963 and it was pretty fancy for a cafeteria (I'm from a small town, too). <br /><br />Check out the Monthly Anniversaries category on the sidebar too for the month of February where I have a mention and photo of KULP. Is that where you worked? Have any shots of the control room from that time?<br /><br />Thanks so much for these comments; I love 'em.Brucehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02689118444867837021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6766534511299368622.post-31286605677128301192010-09-27T10:04:21.676-05:002010-09-27T10:04:21.676-05:00I could be mistaken about the call letters for the...I could be mistaken about the call letters for the station in the hotel. I was probably not even a teen the first time I went there. My grandmother would take me shopping and then to the hotel for a fancy lunch. Her favorite part was the lovely restaurant. Mine was the radio station! I wanted to go in, but was so intimidated by all the unfamiliar sights and sounds, I just stood outside with my nose pressed into the glass, until one day, the newsman came out to meet me, prompted by a request by my grandmother to the front desk.<br /><br />I actually thought they were on the mezzanine of the hotel at the time, but I could be wrong. It was a very exciting, and obviously life-changing experience for me. The impetus for my desire to have a future of some kind in broadcasting. My career took many fascinating turns after that, but I always came back to my roots somehow. Mr. Flaherty was a very imposing figure to a little small town girl at the time, I grew up in Eagle Lake, TX and spent summers in Houston with my beloved grandmother. <br /><br />I am an original voting membe of the TX Radio Hall of Fame, among other things. <br /><br />Mary Sam Stoddard<br />http://www.stoddardmedia.com<br /> <br /> [1st Female DJ Video] 3-min.marystodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12125905360395078925noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6766534511299368622.post-2635660504928414132010-09-27T07:03:51.212-05:002010-09-27T07:03:51.212-05:00Thanks so much for your comment, Mary. You have a...Thanks so much for your comment, Mary. You have a lot of good stories to tell.<br /><br />I never knew Pat Flaherty worked for KTRH, I only knew of him from his long association with KPRC.Brucehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02689118444867837021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6766534511299368622.post-35509117243663814922010-09-27T00:33:49.579-05:002010-09-27T00:33:49.579-05:00I remember going to Houston's Rice Hotel many ...I remember going to Houston's Rice Hotel many times with my grandmother, for lunch. We stopped by the studios of KTRH to watch through the glass as broadcasters like Pat Flaherty reported the news. I was fascinated with all the lights, equipment, microphones, and all in the studios and with being able to hear the broadcasts on the speakers in the hotel hallway. My grandmother had to tear me away everytime we went, because I did not want to leave. When I was 15, I had my own show on KULP radio in El Campo, TX, a Houston suburb, and later went on to become the 1st FCC licensed female anncr. in Dallas Radio - KVIL FM's Girl Named Sam in late 1964. TV Radio Mirror magazine ran a two-page feature story on my broadcasting career in Oct. '65. I've worked at McClendon's KLIF and one of the first Internet Radio Networks, Real Talk Network, in 2000. Thanks for doing this history. I've been a fan since the late forties. One of my biggest thrills came when Mr. Flaherty stepped out of the studio into the hallway to meet and talk with me - his devoted young fan. He was very kind and had a deep, beautiful 'radio voice' I liked. - Mary "SAM' Stoddardmarystodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12125905360395078925noreply@blogger.com