Here’s Los Angeles radio veteran Paul Freeman on KNAK (1280 Khz) in Salt Lake City, Utah during the Solid Gold Summer of 1970.
KNAK had some ballsy ID drops, TM “Beat Goes On” jingles and a
“Salt Lake City Weather” acapella which caps the “Salt Lake City Today”
report (at 47:33) by Lloyd Lindsay Young. (Lloyd Lindsay was later at KFRC. Mr. Young was a TV weatherguy and commercial spokesman in Sacramento, CA. for several years.)
This is an enjoyable escape to a time when hit records were all “about” 3
minutes. Top 40 stations in smaller markets could pay the bills with reasonable commercial loads and the format comfortably blended rock, R&B and Pop. This was not “diversity”. It was plain old “variety”. Smaller market stations that got this good at their craft were still making exciting radio – and payroll.
Even more appropriate for the date of the online debut, within the last 60 seconds of this salty treasure you’ll hear a spot for Beneath the Planet of the Apes.
It’s 31 years, one month and a couple of days after June 27, 1970  and some things never change!
