The Bob Souza Collection

Bob Souza Then...

and Bob Souza Now.

I was fascinated with radio as a child growing up in Fresno California. I was fortunate to hear the battle between Ron Jacobs at KMAK and Bill Drake at KYNO during the early 1960's, even though I didn't know history was being made at the time.

My first exposure to radio people came during my junior year in high school when I built a "pirate" FM radio station and was tracked down by KYNO PD Dave Jeffries, KYNO Chief Engineer Dave Evans, and two of their friends. Jeffries threatened to turn me in to the FCC if I didn't shut down my station and he would also have my 3rd phone (with broadcast endorsement) revoked. I was petrified! However when Dave Evans was about to leave, he asked me to call him upon graduation from High School (which I did) and he gave me a job babysitting the KYNO-FM automation system which was running Hitparade '71. That was my first radio job.

After many stints in radio in California and several periods out of broadcasting, I moved to New Mexico where the air is clear and the cost of living is low. I am on mornings with KCKN 1020 in Roswell. And no, I haven't seen any ET's since I've moved here.

The Internet contains a lot of information on Bill Drake, the RKO stations and Boss Radio but there is very little on KYNO, the "flagship" station where it all began, thus, the reason for my contribution. Enjoy!

The Repository thanks Bob Souza for sharing!

Wolfman Jack, KSLY San Luis Obispo, 1974 (0:06:19)

… I love the way you dance, baby …

Can you imagine inviting Wolfman Jack to stop by and fill in for an hour? That’s what happened in the Fall of 1974 when the Wolfman howled into San Luis Obispo to host an Oldies concert at California Polytechnical University. Guy Paul, KSLY’s PD (Guy Hackman) invited him to stop by 14/KSLY during his air shift for a brief interview. Maybe, just maybe, Wolfman Jack would show up. Boy, did he! This aircheck features Wolfman just like you remember. Only the location and call letters are different, otherwise it could have been a show booming up the California coast from XERB. This recording came to me as a surprise from Rich Cartter (Hulston). The audio feed came from the KSLY air monitor into the air check cassette machine. The exact date of the aircheck is unknown, but we know it was the fall of 1974.

Jerry Mann, KYNO Fresno, May 1968 (0:04:14)

… KYNO Mr. Whisper time …

Jerry Mann Jerry Mann was another DJ from San Bernardino, California, this time, KFXM. His real name was Gary Marshall, but he was assigned the air name “Jerry Mann” because his first name “Gary” was already taken by Gary Mitchell (Al Vanik). Jerry left KYNO for KRLA in Pasadena, CA just after a year. As of November 2004, Jerry (Gary) was production director at KRTH 101 in Los Angeles. What a surprise it was to hear Jerry 3 years later in 1971 doing middays at KEZY in Anaheim, CA. (using his real name). I was attending the William B. Ogden Radio Operational Engineering School in Huntington Beach and immediately recognized his style and delivery.

Mike Novak, KYNO Fresno, March 1973 (0:21:52)

… on the last hour with Mike Novak, guess who walks in? Les Garland. What an obscene gesture that is, get your hand off my leg …

I was told (but never confirmed) that Mike Novak originally came to KYNO from K-JOY in Stockton, California. I wrote “originally” because Mike worked at KYNO three different times. Mike had always been a favorite DJ with the Fresno listeners and KYNO GM Wayne Decker was always eager to bring Mike back when circumstances allowed it to happen.

This air check came from a reel to reel tape (7.5 ips) that former KYNO Chief Engineer Andy Pavao found sitting on a shelf in a KYNO closet. Someone had the brains to record Mike’s (first) last day at KYNO before heading off to KFRC in San Francisco. The exact date is unknown.

We believe the audio tape was fed off the KYNO air monitor. There was a very serious boost in high frequencies to compensate for the roll-off inherent in car radios. Must have driven the DJ’s crazy hearing the screeching highs in their headphones.

[Technical note from Uncle Ricky: I don’t think this recording accurately represents the on-air sound of KYNO at the time. The sometimes unpleasant “hollow” sound, particularly evident on live mike, is more likely related to an alignment-related dubbing problem.]

After many years in San Diego, Mike can now be heard on the K-LOVE contemporary Christian network of stations.

Dirk Robinson, KYNO Fresno, May 1974 (0:11:31)

… thousands of people worship him in India …

Dirk Robinson Dirk Robinson (Dirk Raaphorst) came to KYNO from KTOM in Salinas, California. Dirk was a native of the Netherlands and listened to Radio Veronica as a child. Dirk left KYNO after 2+ years for KLOK in San Jose, and later worked at K-101 in San Francisco. I haven’t had contact with Dirk for over a decade but he was out of the radio business at the time, living in Santa Cruz area and selling floor covering. Another aircheck from a 7.5 ips reel to reel tape, it was recorded shortly after KYNO installed the Dorrough DAP 310 audio processor. On earlier airchecks in my Collection, KYNO was using a CBS Audimax and Volumax. The exact date of this one is unknown, but I believe it was May, 1974. Dirk had the pleasure of interviewing Colin Kerr, owner of Rajah, a Canadian Mynah bird that would bring good luck to anyone who touched it. Also, you’ll hear KYNO newsman John Wallace who recently retired after a long career on Fresno TV stations KFSN and KJEO.

Bob Souza, KYNO Fresno, August 30, 1981 (0:03:32)

… KYNO Sounds Great! …

As the Assistant Engineer, anytime technical adjustments were to be made in the wee hours of the morning resulting in shutting down the transmitter, PD John Lee Walker or Assistant PD Ted Brown utilized my previous air experience to fill the “graveyard” shift. I was going to be there anyway (an economy move, no doubt). Chief Engineer Andy Pavao and I were going to install a new AM Optimod to replace the Gregg Labs processor and clean out the Harris MW-5 transmitter. The work was scheduled for 1:00 a.m. on August 30, 1981. I was blessed with 12 midnight till shut down. I hadn’t pulled a board shift since the summer of 1978 and you can hear the “rust” at the beginning. Unbeknownst to me, my wife rolled the cassette machine at home using our wide band McKay Dymek AM receiver. I was unaware that this tape existed until 2003 when she gave it to me.

Gary Mitchell, KYNO Fresno, October 1967 (0:11:23)

… Ladies and Gentlemen, you’re listening to a Million Dollar Weekend …

Gary Mitchell Gary Mitchell was one of many DJs who came to KYNO from KMEN in San Bernardino, California. Gary left KYNO for WOHO in Toledo, Ohio just after a year. Currently, Gary (aka: Allen Vanik) does freelance voice and video work from his own company in Hawaii. (vaniksvoiceworks.com) This air check came from a reel to reel tape (7.5 ips) submitted to me by Gary for the KYNO 40th Anniversary Party in October 1987, which I helped organize. This aircheck was recorded on Gary’s first day at KYNO. The exact date is unknown but we all agree in was from October, 1967. Former KYNO Chief Engineer Dave Evans (now deceased) grabbed a reel to reel tape from the KYNO production room and recorded Gary’s first day on the air directly from the KYNO air monitor. The tape was full of splices but somehow survived all these years.