KPRC News 45 Times A Day

[TheShadow]

I found an interesting documentary on YouTube: "45 Times a Day", which details how a newscast is assembled at KPRC-TV (and radio) from around 1965. The late Ray Miller hosts and narrates the short film.

Some notes and questions:

-A young Steve Smith, then anchor of the 10 pm news and the station's assistant news director, is seen briefly.

-A billboard for KPRC AM reads "95-0". Why the dash?

-The 6 pm news is apparently sponsored by "JAX". What was JAX?

-Perhaps FilioScotia or someone else well-versed in news (or radio) can answer this: we hear Steve Smith say what sounds like "This is KLB666 in Houston. Go ahead, Unit 2" when a reporter calls in on his mobile unit. Ray Miller says it as well when signing off with a reporter in the field. What is KLB666?

[Alpha]

-The 6 pm news is apparently sponsored by "JAX". What was JAX?

Jax was beer. They used to have some really funny animated commercials. I tried to find them on youtube, but no luck.

[tmariar]

Jax was beer.

Yep, hence the Jax Brewery in N.O., now a shopping mall.

KLB666 sounds like a call sign, and my guess on 95-0 is that it has something to do with the way that AM radio dials appeared at the time.

[editor]

-Perhaps FilioScotia or someone else well-versed in news (or radio) can answer this: we hear Steve Smith say what sounds like "This is KLB666 in Houston. Go ahead, Unit 2" when a reporter calls in on his mobile unit. Ray Miller says it as well when signing off with a reporter in the field. What is KLB666?

It's probably the callsign of the radio link from the studio to the remote unit. These days it would be accomplished via cell phone through a device called an IFB. Back then it was just a radio transmitter at the station. All licensed radio transmitters in the United States have to identify themselves. In the old days, especially on infrequent broadcasts, this was done verbally, typically at the end of the transmission, but sometimes at the beginning as well.

These days it's not necessary for people to do it. There is automation built into the remote units that do the call signs in morse code. Depending on the type of unit it can be once an hour or when it thinks (xx seconds of silence) the person is done transmitting. If you've ever had a radio scanner and been listening to the mall cops or whatever and you hear some occasional beeping in the background, this is what you're hearing.

I believe these days advanced systems ID themselves without any noise at all through FSK. But I'm not an engineer, so that might not be true.

[editor]

Here's a list of some of KPRC-TV's auxillary licenses

KNS76 is the transmitter that pushes the signal from the studios on the Southwest Freeway to the tower in Missouri City.

KNW91 is the audio link.

WPVW317 looks like the weather radar.

[FilioScotia]

I found an interesting documentary on YouTube: "45 Times a Day", which details how a newscast is assembled at KPRC-TV (and radio) from around 1965. The late Ray Miller hosts and narrates the short film. Some notes and questions: A young Steve Smith, then anchor of the 10 pm news and the station's assistant news director, is seen briefly.

A billboard for KPRC AM reads "95-0". Why the dash? The 6 pm news is apparently sponsored by "JAX". What was JAX?

-Perhaps FilioScotia or someone else well-versed in news (or radio) can answer this: we hear Steve Smith say what sounds like "This is KLB666 in Houston. Go ahead, Unit 2" when a reporter calls in on his mobile unit. Ray Miller says it as well when signing off with a reporter in the field. What is KLB666?

At your service. In those days, 2-way radio systems operated as a base station with as many outside units as were needed. These were not CB radios by the way. CB's operate in a different part of the frequency spectrum.

Base stations were assigned call letters, and KPRC's were KLB666. The FCC treated these base stations as low power radio stations. The first person into the newsroom in the morning had the job of signing it on the air with "This is base station KLB666 at KPRC Radio and Television in Houston Texas, signing on at (whatever time it was). And throughout the day, we were required to re-identify the station at the top of every hour. Any time Miller or anyone wanted to talk to a reporter in a news car, he would say "This is KLB666 calling unit number" (pick one). And when a reporter radioed in we had to answer with the call letters and "go ahead unit whatever". We also had to keep a log of all communication throughout the day.

Late at night, after the 10 oclock news, the last person out of the newsroom would sign off KLB666. With the transmitting and receiving antennas on the roof, those old 2-way systems had enough power to be heard in a 50 mile radius of the radio station. Development of car phones and pocket size cell phones gradually made those old 2-way radios obsolete.

I worked in the KPRC newsroom from the late 60s till the mid 70s and that film 45 Times a Day really brings back memories. That was when KPRC was on South Post Oak, between Richmond and Alabama. In fact, it was where that man made lake is now just south of the Water Wall. Ray Miller produced the film to show how TV news works, or worked at that time, and he showed it all over town to civic groups and anybody who wanted to see it. One year he had me take it around town and show it to high school journalism classes.

It's worth pointing out -- as shown in that film -- Ray Miller's TV reporters were also required to file stories for the radio news. By the same token, radio newscasters and reporters were also required to know how to shoot and edit film. Any time Miller had no TV reporter or cameraman available to cover a breaking story, one of the radio guys would grab a camera and go cover it. When he got back he would edit the film and write the story for the TV newscaster. I did that on a number of occasions while I was there. Once I jumped on a plane at the old Andrau Air Park and flew to Louisiana to get aerial film of a gas well blowout. On another occasion I flew a hundred miles out into the Gulf for film of two ships that had collided. We knew how to do everything in that newsroom.

Next question: "Jax" was Jax Beer, a long time sponsor of the 6pm news. Its name came from the fact that it was brewed for many years across the street from Jackson Square in New Orleans. You may recall Jax was the beer that tried to change its name to Fabacher, with commercials that featured a character named Andrew Fabacher, who looked just like Andrew Jackson. It never caught on and Fabacher beer disappeared into history.

And -- oh yes -- KPRC Radio promoted itself as KPRC 95-0 -- "ninety-five-oh" -- for the longest time in the 50s, 60s and 70s.

Edited December 28, 2008 by FilioScotia

[rreini]

I've just watched the first part of the documentary -- very interesting! And based on a news story mentioned in it, I can date it to April 1966. There was mention of the dedication of a statue of Abraham Lincoln on or near the 101st anniversary of his assassination (the statue wasn't in Houston but somewhere in Latin America, IIRC).

[John Daigle]

As a UH journalism student back in the 1964-66 era, I was a weekend reporter for Ray Miller (aka- "The Needler" because he was a demanding, yet well-respected editor). The YouTube clip is an amazing time capsule and brings back great memories.

Here's an answer to another piece of the puzzle. In the clip, you may have noticed that as a car radio is playing the "murder" report, the car passes a billboard poster for KPRC that has a blinking light. The billboard reads, "When the light blinks, there's news on KPRC." This was a promotion that ran for quite a while.

How did the light start blinking? When you see the announcer push a red button in the sound booth, he was sending a signal to all the billboards throughout Houston. The light was actually an aircraft light and reportedly was viewed as distracting to some drivers .

Those were the years of NASA's heyday (Ed White walks in space!) and it was a great time to be a reporter. As was mentioned, this was also before the FCC rules forcing separate operation of media. So, a reporter for TV was a reporter for Radio and vice versa.

I got a crude lesson in how to shoot film from Ray as I sped to a Houston Ship Channel fire. Since it was Saturday, I was the only one in the shop so I had to cover it by myself. Ray talked me through the whole thing via two-way radio. I could barely operate the radio mic, let alone the Bell and Howell windup 16mm camera.

Ray said, "When you get there, shoot a wide shot; get closer and shoot a medium and when you get on the dock, shoot a closeup of the firefighters." That was the extent of my lesson. A couple of hours later, the film and my "actuality" as they called it, was on the TV newscast (in glorious black and white).

This is a great thread. I look forward to seeing other reports from folks who were there.

[FilioScotia]

As a UH journalism student back in the 1964-66 era, I was a weekend reporter for Ray Miller (aka- "The Needler" because he was a demanding, yet well-respected editor). The YouTube clip is an amazing time capsule and brings back great memories. Here's an answer to another piece of the puzzle. In the clip, you may have noticed that as a car radio is playing the "murder" report, the car passes a billboard poster for KPRC that has a blinking light. The billboard reads, "When the light blinks, there's news on KPRC." This was a promotion that ran for quite a while. Those were the years of NASA's heyday (Ed White walks in space!) and it was a great time to be a reporter. As was mentioned, this was also before the FCC rules forcing separate operation of media. So, a reporter for TV was a reporter for Radio and vice versa.

I'm pretty sure there have never been any rules requiring TV and radio news ops to be separate. It's just that in those days, it was common for TV station owners to also own radio stations and have their operations in the same building, up to and including having one big news department serving TV and radio news.

KPRC TV/Radio were the only combined news operation in Houston, and that ended in 1971, when Ray Miller just got tired of running both sides of the newsroom. He brought in a News Director for Radio (the late lamented John "JD" Davenport) so he could concentrate all his time and energy on the TV side. We continued sharing that same small newsroom on South Post Oak until 1972 when we moved into the new building at 8181 SW Freeway. That facility had completely separate physical space for TV and radio news, and the days of the combined/shared operation were history.

As I said, combined TV/Radio news ops were common then. Some that come to mind were KTBC TV/Radio in Austin, KHFI TV/Radio, also in Austin, WFAA TV/Radio in Dallas, KENS TV/Radio in San Antonio, just to name several. They all had TV reporters doublng as radio reporters and vice versa.

Over time they separated because of the explosive growth of radio and TV news in the 1970s, or, because the TV owner would sell off the radio station. That's what finally happened with KPRC Radio. Also, the skills required for the two very different media started changing and became much more specialized, and requiring TV reporters to also be radio reporters -- and vice versa -- just got to be too much to ask. It also violated union rules in some states. I've never heard or read of any FCC regulation requiring them to separate TV and radio news. But I could be wrong.

As for that blinking light billboard that signaled news on KPRC, that had disappeared by the time I went to work there in late 1968. I'm almost 100 percent certain those things had a timer that turned them on at the top of every hour, when KPRC would be carrying NBC Radio News, followed by a short local newscast. They could also be activated for any major stories that might break between the hourly casts. And to interrupt programming, they had to be really MAJOR stories. Not the kind of story we see a radio newscaster breaking in with in that old film.

I'm here to tell you that there was no way he would break in on a DJ show with a story about a shooting death, unless there was something highly unusual about the shooting, like somebody opening fire at City Hall and killing the Mayor. I'm sure that fatal shooting at Westheimer and Weslayan was a major event for the family of the unfortunate victim, but major maket radio stations did not then, nor do they now, break into programming to report what amounts to a routine shooting. Ray Miller put that incident into the film to show how quickly a story could get on the air, but I've always felt that he picked a poor example to illustrate his point.

In real life, reporter Don Lamkin would shoot enough film for a 15 or 20 second TV story, gather information from police and eyewitnesses, write a quick 30 second story for radio and file it by phone or 2-way. The news caster would record the report in the newsroom just as Will Sinclair was shown recording it, and put the story in his next hourly newscast.

I can share a funny story about TV reporters filing stories from the field for the radio side. Let's just say that not all of them could do their story in one take. Some took longer than others. That's why we used a reel-to-reel recorder. Most could do their story in one or two takes, but TV reporter Kay Bailey wasn't one of them.

Kay covered the courthouse and her stories were always full of details about trials and other courthouse stuff. She would call the radio news desk to file a story, and we learned very quickly to start her with a full reel of tape. I swear to you, I could roll the tape and tell Kay "we're rolling," leave the newsroom, go to the restroom, stop at the coffee room on the way back, stop and chat with somebody, and when I got back to the newsroom 10 minutes later, Kay would still be trying to file her report with no mistakes. That was something Kay never did quite master.

Kay Bailey was one of the nicest and most downright sweet-natured people I ever met in this business. I've heard that she went on to bigger and better things. I wonder whatever became of her.

Speaking of Don Lamkin, does anybody know where he is now? I have a reason for wanting to contact him. He produced a very imaginative and creative TV documentary for Channel 8 about the Astrodome when it was brand new in 1965, and I'm wondering if a copy of it still exists. Channel 8 tells me they don't have it, and I'm hoping Don Lamkin does.

Edited December 29, 2008 by FilioScotia

[John Daigle]

On the ownership thing. It may have been fleeting, but I did find this on hearusnow's website:

1970

Cross-ownership of Radio and TV banned. Broadcaster could not own a radio station and a television station in the same market.

http://www.hearusnow.org/mediaownership/25/

I just remember that when I returned to the 8181 SW Freeway studio back in the 80's to do some voiceovers for a commercial, I asked why the studios and staffs were redundant even though they were in the same building. I was told it was an FCC thing. I think it was further complicated by the old Houston Post (Hobby) connection as well. Who knows for sure? Just a thing I heard.

I definitely agree with you on the improbability of the murder report interrupting the broadcast. Ray was obviously stretching on that one .

As for Don Lampkin (I think spelled with a "p") he graduated a year or two ahead of me at UH. He was always a solid reporter. Googling doesn't turn up much on Don.

Kay Bailey of course went on to become Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson.

[FilioScotia]

On the ownership thing. It may have been fleeting, but I did find this on hearusnow's website:

1970

Cross-ownership of Radio and TV banned. Broadcaster could not own a radio station and a television station in the same market. Kay Bailey of course went on to become Senator Kay Bailey Hutchinson.

I certainly stand corrected on the question of radio/tv cross ownership. Your link says clearly that in 1970, the FCC prohibited TV stations from owning a radio station in the same market. My only question is why did it take the Hobby family so long to sell off KPRC Radio? That didn't happen till many years after 1970.

And of course I know what Kay Bailey Hutchison is doing now. I was just trying for some feeble humor and it appears I succeeded. It WAS feeble.

Edited December 30, 2008 by FilioScotia

[Retama]

You may recall Jax was the beer that tried to change its name to Fabacher, with commercials that featured a character named Andrew Fabacher, who looked just like Andrew Jackson. It never caught on and Fabacher beer disappeared into history.

For some reason, I remember those commercials well, particularly one in which the Andrew Fabacher and another character shout, "JAX!" "Fabacher!" back and forth at each other.

This is my puny contribution to the thread.

[yuan1274]

For some reason, I remember those commercials well, particularly one in which the Andrew Fabacher and another character shout, "JAX!" "Fabacher!" back and forth at each other.

This is my puny contribution to the thread.

I remember the commercial where they reached a compromise with Fabacher. A new can was taken out of a box which read: "JAX: The Fabacher Family Brew." Fabacher said: "I like it." Everyone cheered.

Wasn't/isn't KPRC on Channel 2 and Houston's NBC affiliate?

[John Daigle]

You mean The 9-5-0 Radio Mojo? What a crock; and the ruination of a fine heritage.

Regarding network affiliation. KPRC Radio and TV were both long-standing NBC affiliates. I now live in Colorado, I'm pretty sure TV is still an NBC affiliate, but sadly Radio has been desecrated by Clear Channel ownership and there is no network affiliation per se. They appear to be fed from the same news "pipe" as KTRH, yet another Clear Channel station.

KPRC (*P*ort, *R*ailroad, ship *C*hannel) and KTRH (Keep Tuned Right Here) "had" proud pasts, now ruined by Clear Channel. They are no more. They are mere syndicated automatons run by the same bloodless machine.

Wasn't/isn't KPRC on Channel 2 and Houston's NBC affiliate?

[FilioScotia]

KPRC Radio and TV were both long-standing NBC affiliates. I'm pretty sure TV is still an NBC affiliate, but sadly Radio has

been desecrated by Clear Channel ownership and there is no network affiliation per se. They appear to be fed from the same

news "pipe" as KTRH, yet another Clear Channel station.

KPRC (*P*ort, *R*ailroad, ship *C*hannel) and KTRH (Keep Tuned Right Here) "had" proud pasts, now ruined by

Clear Channel. They are no more. They are mere syndicated automatons run by the same bloodless machine.

Yes KPRC TV is still an NBC affiliate. KPRC Radio has no network affiliation.

As for what the call letters stand for, KPRC stands for "K-Port-Rail-Cotton". The "C" didn't stand for "Channel," although it

could have, I concede.

KTRH's original home was the Rice Hotel, where it lived until the early 70s, when it moved to that godawful building at 510

Lovett in Montrose. KTRH stands for "Kome To the Rice Hotel." In the 90s, when the Jones family sold it to a big

company that later became Clear Channel, those in the newsroom, me included, started calling it "Keep The Resume Handy."

And we all did. Handy and updated.

Edited January 8, 2009 by FilioScotia

[brucesw]

Yes KPRC TV is still an NBC affiliate. KPRC Radio has no network affiliation.

As for what the call letters stand for, KPRC stands for "K-Port-Rail-Cotton". The "C" didn't stand for "Channel," although it

could have, I concede.

KTRH's original home was the Rice Hotel, where it lived until the early 70s, when it moved to that godawful building at 510

Lovett in Montrose. KTRH stands for "Kome To the Rice Hotel." In the 90s, when the Jones family sold it to a big

company that later became Clear Channel, those in the newsroom, me included, started calling it "Keep The Resume Handy."

And we all did. Handy and updated.

KPRC announced on the air on it's very first evening that the calls had been chosen to stand for Kotton Port, Rail Center and that phrase led off the Post-Dispatch's story on the paper's new station the next day. The phrase was used on the air to identify the station and in promotional pieces for years.

The Chronicle announced in December, 1929, that Jesse Jones had purchased KUT, Austin, and would be moving it to Houston and taking the call letters KTRH which were to stand for K-The Rice Hotel. The hotel was actually the licensee. KTRH commenced broadcasting in Houston in March, 1930. All other meanings associated with the calls came later.

KPRC

KTRH

[FilioScotia]

KPRC announced on the air on it's very first evening that the calls had been chosen to stand for Kotton Port, Rail Center and that phrase led off the Post-Dispatch's story on the paper's new station the next day. The phrase was used on the air to identify the station and in promotional pieces for years.

The Chronicle announced in December, 1929, that Jesse Jones had purchased KUT, Austin, and would be moving it to Houston and taking the call letters KTRH which were to stand for K-The Rice Hotel. The hotel was actually the licensee. KTRH commenced broadcasting in Houston in March, 1930. All other meanings associated with the calls came later.

You're absolutely right and thanks for setting my old fading memory straight. Kotton Port Rail Center is what those letters stand for.

They say memory is the second thing to go when you go past 60. I've forgotten what the first thing was.

[John Daigle]

Yes! Thanks for straightening us out.

I have fond memories of the Rice Hotel. The Press Club of Houston used to be there in what was called the "annex" I believe. That's where I got my Press Club scholarship for UH Journalism School (now called School of Communications, of course.) Class of '66.

At the age of 12 I would help my dad schlep his drum traps to the Rice Roof and the old Empire Room where many broadcasts were made. I remember being in the KTRH sound booth watching my dad play drums with the Spike Jones orchestra as well. What a wacky trip that was.

Another memory just popped up. My uncle and Godfather, Ted Nabors also broadcast from KTRH and the Rice Hotel during the early days before he went to KTHT and later to KTRK-TV. He celebrated 50 years of broadcasting before passing away. He was the orchestra MC for the broadcast at the Empire Room the night my dad proposed to my mom in 1941.

Wow, this thread has become quite a trip down memory lane (though it can be a fuzzy one ).

You're absolutely right and thanks for setting my old fading memory straight. Kotton Port Rail Center is what those letters stand for.

They say memory is the second thing to go when you go past 60. I've forgotten what the first thing was.

[FilioScotia]

Yes! Thanks for straightening us out.

I have fond memories of the Rice Hotel. The Press Club of Houston used to be there in what was called the "annex" I believe. That's where I got my Press Club scholarship for UH Journalism School (now called School of Communications, of course.) Class of '66. At the age of 12 I would help my dad schlep his drum traps to the Rice Roof and the old Empire Room where many broadcasts were made. I remember being in the KTRH sound booth watching my dad play drums with the Spike Jones orchestra as well. What a wacky trip that was. Another memory just popped up. My uncle and Godfather, Ted Nabors also broadcast from KTRH and the Rice Hotel during the early days before he went to KTHT and later to KTRK-TV. He celebrated 50 years of broadcasting before passing away. He was the orchestra MC for the broadcast at the Empire Room the night my dad proposed to my mom in 1941.

Wow, this thread has become quite a trip down memory lane (though it can be a fuzzy one ).

Originally, KTRH was in the main building of the Rice Hotel, in one of the rooms I believe. At some point in the 40s or 50s, the hotel built a parking garage on the Travis side of the hotel. The top floor was reserved for office space, so KTRH moved into it and turned it into a radio station. That's where it operated for decades, there on the 5th floor of the hotel annex.

I can't believe I have finally met someone else who remembers Ted Nabors. He was one of my favorite deejays back in the 50s. I watched him every morning on channel 13's "Soundtrack" morning show.

For the benefit of those who don't remember Soundtrack, it was unique in morning TV. It was Ted Nabors doing his morning DJ show on TV. They built a small radio control room there in the middle of the studio, and Ted sat there doing his thing on camera, reading announcements and playing the popular songs of the day.

During the songs, we saw a long shot of the control booth in silhouette with the lights down, and across the bottom of the screen they showed the electronic sine wave soundtrack of the music that was playing. That's where's the show's name came from.

So Ted was your uncle? Maybe you can confirm something I heard about him a long time ago. Somebody told me that when KTRK cancelled Soundtrack, Ted got out of radio and ran a gas station somewhere on the west side of town. Is that true?

[BellaireGuy]

Jax was beer. They used to have some really funny animated commercials. I tried to find them on youtube, but no luck.

This is a little off-topic now, but here are examples of two of the Jax beer commercials that used to run on Channel 2 News every night in the early '60s, featuring the voices of Mike Nichols and Elaine May:

Another one I remember (and can't find on YouTube) had a woman on the roof of her house after a flood. A man came rowing by, yelling "Red Cross! Red Cross," and the woman yelled back, "My husband gave already at the office!" At least I think it was for Jax. How they tied joke that back to beer, I don't know.

[Alpha]

This is a little off-topic now, but here are examples of two of the Jax beer commercials that used to run on Channel 2 News every night in the early '60s, featuring the voices of Mike Nichols and Elaine May:

Another one I remember (and can't find on YouTube) had a woman on the roof of her house after a flood. A man came rowing by, yelling "Red Cross! Red Cross," and the woman yelled back, "My husband gave already at the office!" At least I think it was for Jax. How they tied joke that back to beer, I don't know.

OK, I wasn't going to write this one down, because it's not as funny on paper, but here goes. The Jax commercial that I remember is this one:

An old lady goes into a bar to ask for Jax beer. She has a high, nasally voice - very irritating. The bartender answers her back in the same high voice. After a short conversation, she asks the bartender if he is making fun of her. He says no, that he always talks like that. Just then an attractive young woman walks up to the bar and asks for a beer. The bartender answers in a voice that sounds like a young man - sort of a smooth talker. When he finishes his conversation, he goes back to the old lady and addresses her again in the high squeaky voice. The old lady accuses him of making fun of her again. He replies that he wasn't making fun of her (the old lady), but that he was making fun of HER (indicating the young woman.)

I remember that it took me awhile to catch the joke. I think my mother finally explained it to me.

[yuan1274]

You mean The 9-5-0 Radio Mojo? What a crock; and the ruination of a fine heritage.

Regarding network affiliation. KPRC Radio and TV were both long-standing NBC affiliates. I now live in Colorado, I'm pretty sure TV is still an NBC affiliate, but sadly Radio has been desecrated by Clear Channel ownership and there is no network affiliation per se. They appear to be fed from the same news "pipe" as KTRH, yet another Clear Channel station.

KPRC (*P*ort, *R*ailroad, ship *C*hannel) and KTRH (Keep Tuned Right Here) "had" proud pasts, now ruined by Clear Channel. They are no more. They are mere syndicated automatons run by the same bloodless machine.

Years ago someone told me about a comedy radio show in Houston called "Dr. Demento." Does anyone know anything about it?

[FilioScotia]

Years ago someone told me about a comedy radio show in Houston called "Dr. Demento." Does anyone know anything about it?

Dr. Demento is the air name of Barrett Hansen, a Los Angeles radio disc jockey specializing in novelty songs and pop music

parodies. He created the Dr. Demento persona in 1970 while working at Los Angeles station KPPC-FM. After Hansen played

"Transfusion" by Nervous Norvus on the radio, DJ Steven Clean said Hansen had to be "demented" to play that and the name

stuck. His weekly show went into syndication in 1974 and from 1978 to 1992 it was syndicated by the Westwood One Radio

Network.

I have no idea which Houston radio station or stations have carried this show. It was still on the air as of last year. Here's a

link to his bio on the Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Demento

[cowboybud]

Dr. Demento is the air name of Barrett Hansen, a Los Angeles radio disc jockey specializing in novelty songs and pop music

parodies. He created the Dr. Demento persona in 1970 while working at Los Angeles station KPPC-FM. After Hansen played

"Transfusion" by Nervous Norvus on the radio, DJ Steven Clean said Hansen had to be "demented" to play that and the name

stuck. His weekly show went into syndication in 1974 and from 1978 to 1992 it was syndicated by the Westwood One Radio

Network.

I have no idea which Houston radio station or stations have carried this show. It was still on the air as of last year. Here's a

link to his bio on the Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Demento

It aired Sunday nights on the old Z107 in the mid-late 80s.

[lokithebubba]

Jax was beer. They used to have some really funny animated commercials. I tried to find them on youtube, but no luck.

[rreini]

Dr. Demento is the air name of Barrett Hansen, a Los Angeles radio disc jockey specializing in novelty songs and pop music

parodies. He created the Dr. Demento persona in 1970 while working at Los Angeles station KPPC-FM. After Hansen played

"Transfusion" by Nervous Norvus on the radio, DJ Steven Clean said Hansen had to be "demented" to play that and the name

stuck. His weekly show went into syndication in 1974 and from 1978 to 1992 it was syndicated by the Westwood One Radio

Network.

I have no idea which Houston radio station or stations have carried this show. It was still on the air as of last year. Here's a

link to his bio on the Wikipedia. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Demento

I'm not positive about this, but in the '79-'80 period, I think I remember it being on KLOL, Sunday nights, 9 PM. Very sure of the Sunday night, pretty sure about 9 PM, not sure about KLOL at all.

Definitely was not KPRC (trying to tie the original topic in)

[HoustonianInNY]

KTRH's original home was the Rice Hotel, where it lived until the early 70s, when it moved to that godawful building at 510

Lovett in Montrose.

*lol* My father was an engineer at KTRH (and at KPRC too, at some point *I think*) in the 70s and I remember really disliking the downstairs space at the Lovett bldg - especially the space my father worked in. I don't know why, exactly, but it just seemed creepy.

[TikiOwl]

This is a little off-topic now, but here are examples of two of the Jax beer commercials that used to run on Channel 2 News every night in the early '60s, featuring the voices of Mike Nichols and Elaine May:

Another one I remember (and can't find on YouTube) had a woman on the roof of her house after a flood. A man came rowing by, yelling "Red Cross! Red Cross," and the woman yelled back, "My husband gave already at the office!" At least I think it was for Jax. How they tied joke that back to beer, I don't know.

There was also one with guy in a bar with his dog.

Guy with his dog at a bar and he asks the bartender for a beer for him and his dog. The bartender says they don't serve dogs and the guy answers "even talking ones?"

The bartender says prove it and the guy asks the dog "what is on top of a house?" The dog says "roof"...the bartender frowns and says "ask him another". The guy says "when I play golf where do my drives go?" The dog says "rough". The bartender frowns again and says "OK let me ask him one".

The guy looks at the dog and the dog shakes OK with his head...then the bartender asks "who was the 35th President of the US?" The dog pauses, looks at his owner who shakes his head, then the dog looks up and says "Coolidge?"