Herman Schmerdley KBMI 1966-1968

[HermanSchmerdley]

I also was hired at KLAV, my second time with the station, by Harvey Allen about 1978. I stayed with the station for about two years before I moved to Los Angeles in April of 1980. My name there was Tommy Wilson. Johnny Magness was there. He invited me to one of his movie shoots on a film called Electric Horseman. He was a SAG member and he did a part in that show. I eventually worked as an extra in that movie and I became a working movie extra which caused me to move to Los Angeles. That all worked out very well and it started with Las Vegas radio. Also at KLAV (which then was in a building near Maryland Parkway and Sahara if I remember correctly) at that time was Sig Sacowitz. He was a real person often mentioned in Jackie Vernon's routine. I ran the board for Sig and he invited me to his TV show a few times. Tom Cross once invited me to Ralph Pearl's TV show when Ralph was interviewing Robert Goulet. Robert was so very funny and Ralph was trying to be so serious. May they both rest in peace. U stayed with KLAV when it became Disco123. I learned to mix the beats of Disco music and I actually enjoyed a lot of the Disco music. There was a deejay there named Dave Jennings. Christopher Haze was there. You are right about casinos and hotels wanting a radio station on their property. KVEG was in the Landmark Hotel and KLAV for awhile was at The Castaways, KDWN was downtown at Union Plaza, KLAS/KLAV was at the El Rancho Vegas and KRAM was at The Tropicana. There also was some deejay in the 1960s who tried to set a world record of spending time on an elevator and I think he even broadcast from inside the elevator of The Mint Hotel downtown.

[talk chick]

Do any of you guys remember the guy who called himself "Bill, the Wild Man", at KENO in the late 70's? I used to be one of (probably many) teenage callers who chatted with him at night. I even went to a couple or remotes with him. He was always a complete gentleman, by the way. I just wonder what happened to him? He'd probably laugh at what I'm doing now. Who knew...?

Heidi Harris
KDWN

[HermanSchmerdley]

I do not remember "Bill, the wild man." I remember a guy at KENO in the mid or early 1960s who called himself "Peter, the meter reader." I remember Bill Hess from KENO in the 1960s. Maybe if I heard his last name I would remember him. One thing about the radio announcers in Las Vegas in that era, everybody knew everybody. I would guess that might still be true but on a lesser scale since the market is larger now.

[Pinegroves]

I think thet "Wild Bill" was Bill Alexander.

[talk chick]

There's a guy out of Pittsburgh with that name, but I don't think it's him. Thanks anyway. Have you guys seen this site??http://sites.google.com/site/yesterdial/Home/arounjd-the-dial

Heidi Harris
KDWN

[talk chick]

Just asked another source. Bill Wescoe? Anyone know where he landed?

HH

[Jay F]

I also was hired at KLAV, my second time with the station, by Harvey Allen about 1978. I stayed with the station for about two years before I moved to Los Angeles in April of 1980. My name there was Tommy Wilson. Johnny Magness was there. He invited me to one of his movie shoots on a film called Electric Horseman. He was a SAG member and he did a part in that show. I eventually worked as an extra in that movie and I became a working movie extra which caused me to move to Los Angeles. That all worked out very well and it started with Las Vegas radio. Also at KLAV (which then was in a building near Maryland Parkway and Sahara if I remember correctly) at that time was Sig Sacowitz. He was a real person often mentioned in Jackie Vernon's routine. I ran the board for Sig and he invited me to his TV show a few times. Tom Cross once invited me to Ralph Pearl's TV show when Ralph was interviewing Robert Goulet. Robert was so very funny and Ralph was trying to be so serious. May they both rest in peace. U stayed with KLAV when it became Disco123. I learned to mix the beats of Disco music and I actually enjoyed a lot of the Disco music. There was a deejay there named Dave Jennings. Christopher Haze was there. You are right about casinos and hotels wanting a radio station on their property. KVEG was in the Landmark Hotel and KLAV for awhile was at The Castaways, KDWN was downtown at Union Plaza, KLAS/KLAV was at the El Rancho Vegas and KRAM was at The Tropicana. There also was some deejay in the 1960s who tried to set a world record of spending time on an elevator and I think he even broadcast from inside the elevator of The Mint Hotel downtown.

Yes KLAV was in a building near Maryland Pkwy. and Sahara. It was just South of Sahara on the East side of Maryland...near Sunrise Hospital. It was on the top floor and the control room had a great view of Las Vegas at night.

I worked there a couple of years after the Disco 1-2-3 era, The station was known as the "Super Hit Station". Christopher Haze was still there. In fact he's the one who hired me. But by that time he had a new name because GM Morgan Skinner felt that "Haze" sounded too drug oriented and he wanted KLAV to be a family station.

That building is still there. It seems to have a lot of empty office space. Every now and then I pass it and it brings back such nice memories. I have been tempted to park and take the elevator up to the top for old times sake.

[HermanSchmerdley]

The view from that window of Vegas at night was something that makes me wish I had a camcorder back then in the late '70s and early '80s. I liked Chris Haze and his brother Jeff Colson. I have not found either of them on the internet. Jeff used a horn for his Hullabalooer character. The horn came from Madness Michaels (Jay Michaels) at KRAM. During the Disco123 days, the program director, whose name escapes me did something that was very successful as far as audience response. He made a cart mix recording of Cheech and Chong's Earache My Eye combined with Pink Floyd's Another Brick in the Wall. We would get a call every minute to play it again. Disco was very popular with listeners, but unpopular with sponsors who worried about their image. At KLAV over the years I have played Elvis and Chuck Berry style Rock, Easy Listening, Jazz, Adult Contemporary, Disco and Hot 100. If I remember correctly Lee Pete was at KLAV then. I hope Vegas radio is still as much fun for the jocks as it used to be.

[radioguy39nj]

Here's KENO radio from 1968/69:   

http://gapfel.com/radio1/boss.mp3

And an old version of the Vegas Radio History website, last updated November 2010: 

http://gapfel.com/radio1

I listened to the KENO aircheck from April 29, 1969.  It sounds like a Drake station!  Or was KENO one of the "Fake Drake" top 40 stations that popped up in the late 60s?