Days 333...334...

Day 333...

Happy Thursday!  A short post tonight as we are slammed here at work.  It's Oregon's spring break and everyone has decided to descend upon us.  On the way into work, I had the iPhone playing just a random mix of music and one of my favorite songs from a couple years popped up.  Darius Rucker's foray into country music started with this smash hit single...




Day 334...

Today is bittersweet for me.  Tomorrow, a part of my life to this point will cease to exist.  KUIK Radio, based the Hillsboro Airport, has been sold and will flip formats.

KUIK for me was not only just a small AM radio station, but a station that scripted my life without me even knowing it.  In the late 80's and early 90's, my parents and grandparents owned a restaurant called Dad B's.  Dad B's was located at the corner of 185th and Baseline road, in Aloha.  At the time, 185th was really the edge of the growth westward until you got to Hillsboro proper.  My grandparents lived just up the street from the restaurant and we'd spend hours upon hours at the restaurant and my grandparents place.  My dad, coming from a business background and spending time as a college disc jockey, understood the importance of advertising the business.  We spent that first summer placing fliers on the doors and in the mailboxes of the surrounding neighborhoods, all trying to build local support for the restaurant.  In addition to the fliers and an occasional ad in the paper, my dad bought advertising on a small radio station based at the Hillsboro Airport.  KUIK at the time was the home of the Seattle Mariners in Portland.  The restaurant bought ad time to air during Mariners games.  I can recall vividly listening to the games to hear the commercial for Dad B's.  Sure enough in the 3rd and 6th innings, the spot would play.

Growing up, one of the highlights of the Rose Festival was the air show. (US West Rose Festival Air Show)  Every year, either US Navy Blue Angels, the US Air Force Thunderbirds, or the Canadian Royal Air Force Snowbirds that would headline the show.  As a kid, going to air show was a big deal.  My dad had made the move back to managing the Pavilion Restaurant at the Greenwood Inn, located just off 217 and Allen in Beaverton. The US Navy Blue Angels were staying the week at the hotel and the pilots would have breakfast at the Pavilion.  Friday Morning, the pilot of Blue Angel 1 (lead pilot and squadron commander) struck up a conversation with my dad as he was paying for the meal.  He asked if my dad was planning on attending the air show and my dad said he didn't.  The pilot opened his suitcase and gave my dad passes for the Saturday show.  When I found out we were going to be in the Blue Angel's suite, I was excited to say the least.  I had sat outside the gates and watched from the Washington County fairgrounds a couple times before, but to go inside and see the show up close, yes I was ready.  One of the best parts of air show week was listening to KUIK.  They were based at the airport, and they were live during the whole show.  You could listen to the show and follow along as the acts were flying their shows.  The narrators would explain each maneuver and I was locked in to figuring out everything going on.  It was the second best part of the Rose Festival every year for me.

As I got older, I would still listen to the air show on the radio.  It was something that I really enjoyed and it was as much as a part of the show as the airplanes for me.  I was in jr. high and high school and each summer I tune in and listen.  I started to recognize the broadcasters and they became an important part as well.  Jon Warren and Lisa DuPre lead the broadcast and I'd get traffic updates from James Derby, Marty Hough, and the other people at KUIK.  One year for a jr high communications class we had to do a lip-sync.  I had taped the Blue Angel's narrator off the radio one year when my family was a BBQ just down the street from the air show.  I can still picture that memorex tape with light green and pink accent colors on the side.  "There on the runway now, established in the finger tip formation just as you will see them perform today....back to the left, he'll call smoke on now, off brakes now, burners ready now, and Blue Angel diamond is rolling.  You will notice the smoke is not visible while the aircraft is in afterburner." I had heard that tape a thousand times and just quoting it there made some emotions come back. During my high school years, KUIK would broadcast football and basketball games from Beaverton.  You knew it was a big deal with they showed up.  

Years later I ended up working at KXL.  The first time I met James Derby was a Friday evening and I told him I knew who he was because I would listen to the air show.  I'm not sure that was what he expected, but it was really cool that my boss at KXL was that same guy who I would hear doing air show features and traffic.  I have a similar story to meeting Jon Warren.  I was in the KXL control room and this guy walks in and introduces himself.  I was sort of star struck.  Both James and Jon taught me a lot about the radio business.  Jon has become a good friend someone I see multiple times a year covering sports at Oregon State.  James has become a pioneer in the digital side of radio.

After KXL and before starting at KUPL, I was producing Sports Business Radio for Brian Berger, and The Bitsy Kelly Show.  Bitsy is just as her name suggests.  She's probably five foot even, but one of the toughest ladies I have ever met.  She can out shoot, out hunt, and out fish any guy I know.  Her weekly show was airing on KUIK and I was lucky enough to tape her show with her at the KUIK studios.  While I wasn't an employee of the station, I really enjoyed my time there.  Dave Bourne, Program Director, was another friend of mine I met while working at KXL.  It was great to reconnect with him and just spending time around him, Bitsy, and the other staff was such a fun time for me.  I'd occasionally chat with Jayne Carroll, the afternoon host, and Denmark Whitaker, yet another KXL guy I worked with.

In 2016, the Blue Angels came back to the air show.  I was super excited to see them again.  My nephew Will had been to the air show a couple times, and I knew he especially loved seeing the blues up close.  We headed out to see the team's arrival and see the jets up close.  I reached out to Dave to see if he had the arrival time and he was able to give me a ball park estimate.  Right on time, the team arrived with fanfare and it was such an awesome sight.  We came back the next three days, and while some of the names on the radio had changed, it was still so awesome to listen to air show coverage on the radio.

I got to know some of the newer names over the course of the last couple years, and some I knew from KXL and other places I worked.  I got to reconnect with Jeremy Scott, and Jim Ferretti, and I got to know Matt Richert, working Hillsboro Hops games.  Of course I know Travis Demers as I competed against him and then worked together.

KUIK will always be that small AM station to me located at the Hillsboro Airport and will always be "Westside Radio AM 1360 KUIK"


I've had the pleasure of working with some amazing people in my radio career and its funny how a lot of them were at KUIK at one time or another.  I'm sure I will leave some people out and I'm sorry if I do, but I wanted to give a shoutout to those talented broadcasters past and present who will not be heard after tomorrow on the station.

Jon Warren
Lisa DuPre
James Derby
Don McCoun
Jeremy Scott
Jim Ferretti
Denmark Whitaker
Jayne Carroll
Travis Demers
Marty Hough
Scott Hermo
Bitsy Kelly
Travis Demers
Matt Richert
Spencer Ruben