[Description by Uncle Ricky]
Young Mike Larsen
Mike Larsen’s 1996 introduction opens this exhibit, and we learn that Liz and Lynn Anderson sing background on Mike’s jingle introducing the 1961 KROY airstaff.
Of those included, Buffalo Birch, Tony Bigg and Hap Hopkins worked later in New York City. Mark Ford was Chief Engineer and Production Guru at Drake-Chenault for many years after his time at little 250-watt KROY, but we’re not sure what happened to Sam Davis.
In the 1930’s and through WWII, KROY had been the CBS Radio affiliate for little Sacramento, California’s Capital City. In the early ’60’s, the metro area was still sufficiently small enough to allow a 1000/250 watt radio station to score significant ratings. Of course, that new thing called “Rock ‘n’ Roll” was helpful, too.
When KROY was sold in 1963, the new manager notified Mike that he was “too country” for a rock ‘n’ roll station, and that marked the end of Mike’s employment with KROY.