Several times a week I’m in my car at midday, and will switch on the radio while driving, usually to a talk show (not the same show each time). The talk show hosts leave me slightly dissatisfied and uneasy, and I think I’ve figured out why, by comparing them to their forebears.
Thirty years ago Portland had only two talk radio stations of consequence, KLIQ (1290 AM and 92.3 FM), which operated out of Oaks Park, and KKEY (1150 AM), which operated sometimes from Vancouver and sometimes from the Flatiron Building on West Burnside. (Ringler’s Annex is there now.) KLIQ sold more advertising and had a more polished sound to it; KKEY was the poor relation. The hosts were called "moderators" as they viewed their job to lead a discussion, not to dominate it. Neither station had any clear political view, and both employed hosts across the political spectrum. For example, at one point KLIQ’s lineup included Allan Hirsch (a flaming liberal), Harvey Dick (a Reagan-style Republican who owned the Hoyt Hotel), Jerry Dimmitt (the light-hearted innovator of "quad talk," in which he’d connect four callers at once and let them argue with each other), and "Pete Wheeler" (a pseudonymous retired Army man who took a lively interest in national politics). In the middle of them was columnist Doug Baker, who used his two hours a day to pontificate in lordly style. (He was also the only one of them who refused to accept a call from anyone under 18; a rule he waived for only one caller.)
What made KLIQ’s and KKEY’s talk different from today’s less interesting fare? I identified two differences. First, the hosts were local. They interacted with each other. Mr. Baker didn’t like Mr. Dimmitt and they would carp at each other from time to time, to the amusement of their listeners. Mr. Hirsch would disguise his voice and call "Just Plain Jack" Hurd or Dave Collins, two KKEY moderators, hoping to goad them into blowing up on the air. I don’t hear Rush Limbaugh’s voice calling Dr. Laura Schlessinger, though he could apparently use some of her advice; but it would make both shows more interesting if he did.
The second difference is that each of the hosts would listen. They didn’t use their shows simply to broadcast their own ideas; they wanted to have conversations with their callers that would be interesting to their listeners. It’s a lesson that today’s "gas bags" (a name Time Magazine gave to radio talk hosts in 1974) could do well to learn.
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28 responses
I completely agree, Isaac. I try to listen to Randi Rhodes on Air America (620) because I want to support progressive talk radio. I find her annoyingly talkative and pray that she will take a phone call from a listener. But most of the time she starts talking over the caller as soon as he or she begins to make a point–especially if she can tell that the caller doesn’t agree with her 100%. This isn’t talk radio; it is monologue radio.
I couldn’t agree more. I want a _moderated_ discussion. When someone makes a false or misleading statement, I want them called on it. When someone commits a logical fallacy, I want that pointed out. I want to know the strongest arguments of both sides of an issue so I can decide for myself.
I don’t want “The Terrorists hate freedom”, and I don’t want “Liberals hate America”. Give me arguments with substance.
I enjoyed those old talk shows for a time as well, but they went the way of the buggy whip for good solid economic reasons.
In the current climate the conservatives know how to run a popular and profitable talk show. The liberals meanwhile are clueless about talk shows and about being successful generally at anything they can’t steal or take at gunpoint.
I disagree. I think That Jerry Dimmitt was a great host. That radio show was very funny to alot of my friends and family too. I think that what made their talk show so special was that they were layed back and didnt really care about what anyone else thought. I think that the world needs alot more people like Jerry.
I think that Randi Rhodes is one or the most self centered person I have heard. She is stupid and selfish, and thinks as if she is so intellegent and has all the facts about a subject. She is a very rude person to her quests. Do not se how you can say she is the number 1 host. People are so stupid that they would have others think for them, and tell them what is right for them.
Anybody remember a British talk show host who passed through Portland for a couple of years in the early to mid 70s by the name of Peter Marlin Jones? I wonder whatever happened to him.
My name is norman I was named after norman mayler the author by rick miller one of the hosts on kkey radio. I’d like to share my appreciation for key radio!!!!!Ralph Wygant the wonderfull owner at the time I banged on his desk with my fist demanding position with the hosts. He was so graceful and I so green even about manners and living it’s self.The preveledge’s I experianced at and with kkey radio shall HUMBLE me for ever and ever!!! I was a preveledged to host a show after yrs of too afraid even after Mr. Wygant him self hired me twice, once on the air when he was a fill in host for some one else. I have a wonderfullll feeling when I remember KKEY RADIO AND ALL THE COUNTLESS CONVERSATIONS AND RICH OH SO RICH FOOD FOR THOUGHT I will write you again and please drop me a line anyone wanting to remember the wonderfull times on key and yes with norman and the demitt too old get out of town demitt I liked his show more than often norman out thank you for being here I thoughy may be NO one remembered how wonderfull rocking chair radio really was and still is produceable in fact I still have an ambition for that show norman out!!Oh ya you can pick old norman up on google at the wisdom of norman woodstock spalding its a laugh by intent!!!
Norman Woodstock, are you the “Stormin’ Norman” that I remember from KKEY in the 70s and 80s?
YES, my name is norman woodstock spalding!! i am here to cause a lovely effect and let me tell ya folks fat fat fat fat chance is what i told my sender!!!! so its going to take alot of converseing to cause a lovely effect and thats exactly what has to happen humanity must must must perswade the stingy gone from EAR(th)!!!so ok please watch and respond to your call humanity google the wisdome of norman woodstock spalding and respond to that same name no spaces gmail.com if you would consider dialog especially coserning none of the above on the ballot and remembering”WHAT HAS TO HAPPEN EAR(th)!!!” i would like to share some ideas with all my kind for a passive effecting schedual came to me from asking!!!! everything!!!!! THANK YOU FOR REMEMBERING NORMAN!!!
humans are as individuals living such a short time!!!it is a logic to experiance living in a very commraderic rather than this absents of a logic of curiositys!!!pioty develops as skeptic iver a absents of confessional as school teacher for example of a absents among human now!!!! honesty is a measurement or degree of curiosity!!!!the generositys that progress from the vocabularic expresions of whitnessings that follow are intreegeing in experiances from spontinaitys exchangeings!!!not only with humans through coseption crossroads even occurances not whitnessable through sences are obseved and related with when desired too!!!! oh to human the mammal of dedicativeabilitys!!!! pretty coollll!!!!
HOESTY AND GENEROSITY!!! THESE ARE A LOGICS THESE ARE THE LOGICS OF THE (RESULT) MAY AND USUALLY ALWAYS IS PEACE!!!
something SOMETHING I SAY WITH EXCLAIMING AND IN BEG YOU ALL AND ALL YOU YOU’S TO EXCLAIME!!!! THERE IS AND IS SO MUCH TO EXCLAIM I AM SPELL BOUND ABOUT THE KINGDOM OF HONESRT AND GENEROSITY THAT IS OBVIOSLY HERE!!!!!THE OBVIOS HAS COMMRADDERY AND THAT IS KINGDOMS CONTENT!!! THE CONTENT OF KINGDOM IS AND IS SPOTINAITYS CONVERSATIONAL BEFORE THE STARS AND PLANETS FOUNDATION WAS POORED!!! REMEMBER FOUNDATIONS ARE A BURRIED ITEM ONLY KNOWN BY ENGINEER AND ARCHITICT AND DEVELOPERS ARE SHIESTERS THATS HOW AND WHAT ODDS A FOUNDATION IS WORKING WITH TO DO ITS SO CALLED JOB IN FACT NOTE THAT EVERYTHING ON EAR(TH) NOW AND AS LONG AS HUMANS HAVE ERRECTED SOMETHING HERE IT’S BEEN DONE BY SOME HUMAN CHEETING THE BEST IDEA AND LIEING ABOUT THE REASON TO THAT HUMANS SELF!!! USEING TERMS THAT ARE UNDERSTOOD TO NOT GO FAR ENOUGH AND CALLING THE NOT FAR ENOUGH PROGRESS WHEN PROGRESS WAS AND IS KEEPING UP WITH SOMETHING GOT HERE BEFORE ANYONE AND BE HERE AFTER EACH ONE LEAVES!!! THE WORDS AND TERMS TO FOCUS ON HERE IS EACH, AUTHENTIC, MUTUAL, SYMOTAINIOUS, PASSIVE, CARE, REMEMBER,NO, YES, HONESTY, GENEROSITY,GENEROSITY,GENEROSIITY, GENEROSITYSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!USE AND CHALLENGE THESE CONSEPTS AND LOGICSSSS LOGIC LOGIC CURIOSITY IS AND IS A LOGIC A LOGIC A LOGIC A LOGIC LOVE IS A LOGIC FEW REMEMBER EVER LOVE’S DEFINITION IS seeks not its own love seeks not its own love seeks not its own!!!!are you seeking your own and caLLING IT LOVE NO ITS NOT LOVE TO PROSPER LOVE DOES NOT SEEK PROSSPERITY!!! LOVE DOES NOT SEEK PROSPERITY IN A FEDERAL RESERVE GRAVE YARD THIS IS THE GRAVE YARD OF FEDERAL RESERVE NOTE!!!!
the maker of the planet earth is obnoxshus the lord is obnoxious the one they mis call god is hainessly obnoxious!!!!! the evedence is every where!!!!the obvios makes the churches cry delinkquit!!!!faithb is the never used premace of curiosity!!!! honesty is curiostys efferts and truth is seldom acheived!!!! inclusive is more like the experiance not able to phrase the truth inclusivly with nameing tewrminologys of enuendoeing and skepticle ends!!!happy ever after is more and the only consistant excepted something to hold out as inheritance!!! not a bandaid of faith a project of dedication!!! not from esscape no with the living ear(th) something live withable!!! for all !!!!
the most important event for humans now is not the issue it is the delemma of comunication about the issue!!! humans are suffering a very personal problem for long timeing of events more and longer than the count of the year!! or any other measurement humans any where are useing!!! so vertually the misuse of term now is as much an absents as top soil!!!!humans in citizenship must come together and descuss these issues!!! at work at play at employement even if the fore man says not to!!! tell her her to join in and when she won’t humiliate here at work at church at play bust the snitch forman make the union repp get the money in check not benifit never to see play!!!the term use is conveluded and traditions are by enuendoed misconseptions and humans in fobia sharade inhibited quiet and pouting destaining skeptics!!! of dedicated honesty and generositys from living citizen humans and like to cause the absents of conveiniance to vulnerable and the absents of honesty and generosity is where these parasites of grant addiction play!!!!
THIS THE MOST WONDERFULL TIMEING FOR HUMANS TO REUNITE HUMAN CONSEPTION TO A BOYANT LEVEL!! AND OR A LEVEL OF CONVERSATION THAT INDORCES INSTEAD OF SKEPTIC IT INSPIRES BOYANTCEY AND SCUTLES THE PENDUALEMS EFFECT FROM ENUENDOED SKEPTICS!!! THE DESTAIN IS OVER THE TRAINING AGENT OF HUMAN AND THE DESTAIN THEY HAVE BEEN TEACHING AND EXAMPLEING IS OVER THE GOOD NEWS OF THE KINGDOM IS AT HAND IS AND IS SPREAD EVERY WHERE CAMILOT IS BACK THE CLINTONS ARE SO SO SO WONDERFULLY MORAL AND MAMMEL I LIKE THE CLINTONS IMAGE SO MUCH THANK YOU VERY MUCH THE BILL CLINTON FAMILY!!!!THE CHRISTIAN IMAGE OF HYPOCRACEY IS NO REPLACEMENT FOR THE HONESTY OF SEEING THROUGH ENUENDOE OR OTHER WAY OF PHRASEING SEEMING OF SOLOMONS WARNING ABOUT SEEMING NO SEEMING USUALLY LIKE EATING FRUIT OF THE TREE OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL THAT CONSEPTIONAL DEATH TAKES PLACE JUST LIKE GOING BLIND FROM MASTERBATION!!! ALL THESE WARNINGS MAKE SENCE AFTER ITS TOOO LATE HUH???
hey every thing vesible or experianced thru sences of any method gather round this is import!! export and all ports a call!!! meaningfull you can pass it on and everyone can use this and here it is IS IS IS IS !!! AND THATS WHAT !!! SO HONESTY AND GENEROSITY ARE THE MOST CHALLENGEING AND THE DEFENITION IN FUNVTIONAL TO WITNESS A HAPPENING IS THIS SO CALLED EXPERIANCE IS FUNCTION OF REMEMBERING ACCURATELY TO A MORE INCLUSIVE DEGREE THAN THE CLASS ROOMS CONSIDERATIONS OF THE TERMS USED TO DEFINE ANY THING THE DOCUMENTARY MUCH MORE INCLUSIVE THAT’S CLOSER TO SURE THAN THECLASS CAN EVER UNDERSTAND!!!THE CLASS ROOM CONCIOUSNESS IS OUT DATED TO WHEN EVER IT STARTED TO THE DAY ITS OUT LAWED THE CLASS ROOM A FAILURE NOT THE PUPLIC SPEECH AREA FOR CLASS!!!THE CLASS ROOM INSTRUCTER HAS PUPLIC SPOKEN LONG ENOUGH TO WHAT CHARGE HINESTY AND GENEROSITY’S PRASE NOT IN PRINT ANY WHERE WHERE WHER IS THE CHALLENGE DEFINED PERSONAL AND PRIVATE THERE???? MY HONESTY IS NOT YOUR BUSINESS SAYS PROFESSIONAL AND OFFICIAL!!!!
a remark of norman woodstock spalding!!! dedication not obediamce never obay never obay do you picture what i am reminding of???? citizen your living experiance!!!!!!!!
i enjoy rock and roll music and sound sound sound never quiet usually sound vert seuthing!!! i like seuth!!! any way hello my name is norman woodstock spalding and lets rock whatcha say?????????? when ya play music contact me @gmail.com!!!! lets ROCK!!!!
I am trying to find information on a former Station KLIQ radio personality from the 1960s – Mark Lee. If you have any information on Mark Lee, please contact me at jgechter@gmail.com
I was told by his stepson years ago that “Mark Lee” (a radio name) was the music critic for the Oregon Journal. I heard his show many times, but never met the man himself, and don’t know this for a fact.
hey folks look at this no ellection. no candidate again willing to look untraditional enough to talk the sand box talk, of none of the above on the ballot and now jfk must run also none of the above and jfk both from now on when they win then no candidate not winning may enter a polling cotest again ever in the unitedstates of america ha ha ha ha get out you conflict of interest legeslateing dork so now for this election with out mrs clinton none of the above write in call to start the ball for the childrens interest now now now now.norman woodstock spalding calls out please here the call of your logics remarks played back. calling all thinking humans calling for a polling mark that confesses the prayer life out of the bible and with the lord now now now calling on all praying humans come to symotainious come top and sit in sack cloth and ashes in your thoughts and come to symotainious ofer me norman woodstock spalding the king of the jews move i comand you and i hope you don’t beleive me please pray over this call now now pray about what you are about not me about you citizen pray about your citizenship now now now pray now over me and your citizenship now pray i comand you pray about your citizenship and what it means now now i comand you,norman woodstock spalding the self proclaimed king of the jews, now and they lived happily ever after humanity did i’m the same as old john rotten.and you,ll miss me when im gone gone gone ya
well now what is getting discussed heredon’t matter and what ain’t getting descussed is age old issue and what is the problem and the only problem is the fact this is and is a creeeation and the idiot that did it gave humans a brain to whittness and then to observe a pattern and from that that and from the pattern of that or mutual mutual sphere sphere and is find an inclusive non massonic shedual of fun and inclusive in definition and vocabulary and with out subversive skeppticle enuendoing to exclusive deseption of misconseptioned the children of this planet are a targeted attack of the absents of generosity and honesty in reasoning from a generational set in the masonic lodge and before any group and or organization is a feeding off the problem more than the problem as in the masonic scum they are feeders of the issue a fanner of the misconseption and the misconseeved as in the religious comunity the press is so stupid and stupidly trained they are hardly more than a pupit at this point the reporter is so uncandid vocabulated in the thinking process i guess from culture i am a jew the main enemy of jew is trechery from the jew not the nazie the selling of the warer of the coat of many clors our genetics made for us because jew is a crossbreed of every one not ever a pure breed at all the greatest day of jew is going into egypt not comeing out lost by direction to the day by spokesman the jewish spokesman the enemy of jew and always has been. eye norman woodstock spalding am jew by blood line and the king of the jews and proclaim the purpose of human and jew is citizenship anywhere and everywhere you find your self.fun at work fun at living the only project in a military culture the only p.r. here is left up the reputation of the student not the instructer the test is for the ability of the explanation not the confused from piss poor explanation for thousands of generations. close down the class room now hire the military to go house to house and teach cldren schoolastics at home the content of history comes from documentary not literature again ever the literature is most all out dated and by terminoligy alone misleading the student. shame on the masonic lodge the church and the holy spirit thank you george bush and the central intelegence agencey of the unitedstates of america.thank you lord for the ability to face you and witness our selves and witness the effect of the lord.thank you you god damn creeator thank you lord we are appreciate of creation.and fun pondering the lords mesege in a bottle honesty and generosity.
the issue of the day is the conseptional content of humans putting thier heads together is not in desscussion everywhere.the nonews paper won’t they say that is not nonpositional reporting to enuendoe mutual is taking a side yet to enuendoe exclusiveness of bloodline or ownership or educational recognitions of wisdomes the masses are not capable to or of understanding or even to schedual to. and that is bunk and all the package of the day for 3 and one half million years has benn to day bunk and humans are longer lived and mutualated to comraddery than gettting referred to today the violance is untollararable the conversations about oil are out dated and who gives a shit about the out dated products of any thing comeing out of the ground. i have an idea the laws says from now on that if you pay more than a certain price for gas you get arrested and go to jail out law the price and sight any one who who who pays that above the law price stop the bribery or what you call loop holes my as ass asss asssss asssss come on that is bribery of the squandering of the ability to steal from the employees check or wages before the employee gets it thanks to congress.
now then the LAW is needed to curb this no fuel crises if the was any fuel there is no crisis and yet over the fact there is no fuel the crisis is. so a law that has huge teeth too that says 5.00 gallon limit must have fuel receipt when any any any one pays more than 5.00 for fuel and aids and abeds the theft of interstate commerce they are fined in court and those fines fix the streets. the bridges and all the interstructure lets drive and fix the and when price reaches say 7.50 call the aerigance feloney cause it is feloney now for these scummy living humans now to pay this and suport the grafic bribery that causes the absents of hydrygin fuel god damn correct spelling every time ya spell don’t ya agree?
hello humanity the project of the living humans of this day is to insert none of the above on the polling ballot. The polling marks for humans yhat understand that the ballot of this ellection like all alll alll alll alllla lll these rinky deenky elections of the EAR(ths) history have been yes you stupid to yhe day humans that call this or any election worth a anything comparable too or value these stupid ellections have no solverncey any more than the currenceys they are writen off too. for longer than count the EAR(ths) electorial history is crap do you understand the ballot has no polling mark for the know better none of the the north american contenent must reindustrialize the interstate commerce must die the states must self sustain thier own markets by the timeing of the currenceys currenceyszzzzzz very plural state of affairs in every nation on the earth and in a hurry humans move eye norman woodstock spalding the king of the jews demand a responce to these wisdomes past on to you.AND A LOVELY RESPONCE ALSO!!!!!!a responce of honesty and generosity to a plan of and for all humanity to comply with in the each of the situation remewmbering the seqwence of events of human history i am wondering to nite sorry yet come on humanity all do remember the fact of nice nice nice hast to come useing and experianceing nice got it nice nice nicce nice nice nice nice nice nice nice nicethe god of joseph not MOSSES NOT MOSSES and all GODS are human conseption humans are conseptional things not spiritual things things things at all humans are living not alive the two are not the same at all living is and is a state of condition responce in demention PREbuilt in to a state of responce BUILT WAY BEFORE THE REACTIONSZZZ pre pre pre buit nomatter what responce taken!!!!!! help
Despite information to the contrary and while having worked at KKEY, Norman Spalding is not “Stormin’ Norman”, who came much later. He IS Rick Miller’s “Norman Maileresque(sp)caller” who later evolved to simply, Norman and used the Sue Thompson hit for his theme song, which I chose.
I was wondering if anyone could help me. My father was a host on KKEY over the years, Frank Marshall. He passed away 5 years ago. I am trying to find out if there are any recordings of him on the radio. Since there is no more KKEY, I am having trouble finding a contact. Thank you for your help!
Well humanity what are you about????? The function human is curiosity!!!! CUIOSITY at the DEGREE of HONESTY is and shall always experisnce above and beyound report!!! Especially with class room teachers in conflict of interest positions from a grant pay check of benifit slotherings!!!!! So it is with all methods of human vocabulary and proceeduressssszzzzz!!!!!! The delema humans face planet wide is a proceedue delema as well as any other description used to identify it with the it the main issue to approach first the core of all the trechery in human wich of course is CREEEEEAAAATTTTOOOORRRRR!!!!!!! AND THE BASTERD WILL GRIN AT YOU WHEN YA SEE IT THE THINGS POSITION FOR THE FIRST AND EVERY TIME TOO!!!!! Your maker is a XUCKER admitt it and help!!!! And that not aloud to use word does not even begin to describe slimmy of the CREEEEAAATTTOOORRR!!!!