GOOOOOOOOOD Morning Payson! KMOG

As I mentioned earlier I replaced Suzanne Michaels on Morning Drive on KMOG AM in Payson, in October of 2004. I am not sure of the reasons leading Suzanne to quit, BUT, knowing her M.O. it probably was a power play on her part for more money or other things. Regardless of that, I became KMOG's "Mild Mannered Morning Man," and the "Grand Exalted Leader of the Royal Order Of The Grungy Coffee Mug." I am not really sure IF Payson was ready for the East Coast former top 40 jock, I can be a shock to the system! As people who have listened to me over the years know I can be every so slightly irreverent! Country music was not new to me as I had done that format at WLYC, WILQ, WCKR, and WIQT, the only thing that worried me was the newer artists. Fortunately Music Director Mazatazal Mike (Shulte) had the approved cuts in the library marked and I had the Country oldies book so between the two I faked it till I got more familiar with the music.

I would like to say that people welcomed me on the air with open arms, well not so. I received more than one phone call complaining about my on air style etc. I later found out that some of them may have very well been staged by my predecessor in Morning Drive, not something that I would put passed her! But as time went along I became a part of Payson and was more accepted by the listeners.

Before I go a bit further let me tell you a bit about KMOG. This station was pretty much a throw back to the days when I first started on the air. Lost dog announcements, Community Bulletin Board, Rim Country Forum, the local talk show, Trades and Sales, Paul Harvey News, local sports broadcasts, remotes etc. KMOG broadcast on 1420 AM, with a daytime power of 2,500 watts and 500 watts directional at night. the equipment was generally pretty good with a new console, three CD decks, and a Smartcaster computer. One thing I liked was the set up allowing in studio interviews. Two mics and space for 4 people on the other side of the console. This was the first station I had worked that did not use broadcast carts. I guess that means I came full circle on those from seeing carts arrive to seeing them depart. The station was live 6 AM to 6 PM Monday Through Friday and live Saturday and Sunday Mornings. The rest of the time it was satelite programmed from The Jones Network. The on air quality was good courtesy of an Orban Processor and the fact it was a studio transmitter location. The news room had a small mixer for the use of the newsperson and production had a slightly bigger Mackie mixer and a production computer a couple of CD players and a turn table, just in case! All in all not a bad setup, but sometimes lacking in preventative maintenance as is the case with a lot of smaller stations.

The staff was older, with me being one of the youngest! The General Manager was Blaine Kimball, he didn't have an extensive background in radio, but was a good salesman, and willing to listen to idea's. I got along with Blaine pretty well and we had many discussions about radio. Dan Happala was the News Director, when I started he was on leave as he was running for Country Supervisor. Dan and I got along well and had many fun times on the air. It is always tough to come to a new station, bad enough when it is in a market where you are known, but here I was the "new kid" in a new town. One person who I always felt went out of his way to befriend me was Don Holcombe. Don was the host of the talk show that aired right after my shift so it was not un-common for him to "help" me along with morning drive usually any time after about 7:30 AM. Don had been an artist until diabeates caused him to become legally blind, but he had a very sharp mind and loved to carry on. Don and I became friends and continued to be until his untimely death in 2006 a day short of his 60th birthday. Don was the founder of a Barbershop Group called "The Beeliners." Most people don't realize that I am a fan of vocal harmony, and Don's group was one of the best I had heard! We had many running jokes, especially who could be first to call a key change in a song, or if I played The Eagles, Don would call, no matter what hour and say "I hate the friggin' Eagles". He was a great guy and with Dan mornings really sounded first rate in Payson. Mid days was "Rockin" Ron Gibson, he had his own country/rock brand and was the drummer, Ron was a fixture at the station and very popular on the air. Afternoons was Ken (Seaman) Brooks the oldest guy on the air in his early 70's. Ken had done some network radio appearing on radio dramas in the 1950's.

Part timers included Mike Schulte, who I mentioned before, J.R. "Doc" Holiday. Doc was raised in Southwestern Pa, and had worked at KAAF in Flagstaff, before coming to KMOG. I had an instant friendship with Doc, as when I started he was subbing for Dan on local news. Doc had a laid back "cowboy" delivery and I really liked that! Another part timer who became a good friend was "Cowboy" Carl Hall. Carl was the senior man in radio experience and we loved to sit and chat about the old days in radio. Carl like me, had done just about every job in the business. In addition to fill in duties Carl did a 3 hour show on Sunday morning called "Country Gold." That show featured the classic country of the 1940's-50's and 60's, Carl's style with his "stage" and stories about the artists, many of them he knew well, was and still is a delight to listen to.

Support staff, included Linda, Blaine's wife, and Joanne, who took turns as the receptionist, in the sales deparment was Lynne Geyer, a very talented sales person who hailed from Michigan, and Jackie Cramer, a lot of fun, I really enjoyed heckling her. In production was Jan O'Neil, I really hit it off with her and she loved to use me for creative commercials. What Jan lacked in experience she more than made up for in creativity.