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The History of Idaho Broadcasting Foundation held its September 30, 2009 Meeting from 11:30 A.M. to 1:30 P.M. at Smoky Mountain Pizza and Pasta at Parkcenter in Boise.

Foundation officers in attendance included President Art Gregory, Vice President Frank Aden Jr., and Webmaster Rockwell Smith. Special thanks to member Al Hale for helping us set up the meeting.

Foundation Members attending included three employees from Corporate Member Citadel Broadcasting. Representing KBOI, KTIK, and KQFC-FM was Citadel Market Manager Don

Morin, Sales Manager Tom Newman, and Account Executive Katlin Cauffman. Also attending were members Del Chapman, Marty Holtman, Vee and Don Cederstrom, Jon Adamson, Rick Hogue, Shawn Kimmell, Bob Ahmann, Al Hale, Garry Dean Moser and Melva  Mattson, Kitty Fleischman and R.W. Egeslton, former KGEM Engineer in the late 1940s and early 1950s.

Guests attending the meeting included a special guest of honor, Dale Peterson, the former owner of KCID, the former owner of Tel-Car one of the valley's pioneer mobile telephone companies.  Also attending was Byron Defenbach, former KGEM and KJOY announcer in the late 1970s and early 80s.

Joining the Foundation at the meeting was John H. Runkle Jr., and his wife Betty Jean, who were also our special honored guests. John worked at KGEM-AM as a Disc Jockey from the

spring of 1962 until 1963. The present KQXR 100.3 FM, licensed to Payette, signed on as KWBJ and was named after John's wife Betty Jean. They called the station "WBJ" with the "B-J" standing for Betty Jean, and for a time webmaster Rockwell Smith was Station Manager of both KWBJ and its AM sister station KYET, also licensed to Payette.

Available for viewing at the meeting was the original Gates Board used at KGEM's Downtown Nampa studios, now owned by Art Gregory. It will be donated to the Foundation and will hopefully be part of a future broadcasting museum. There were also many old pictures, newspaper articles, station brochures, and other memorabilia on hand from both KGEM and KCID. Rockwell Smith brought some great old pictures and maps showing the KGEM transmitter site,  and Dale Peterson brought a scrapbook of old KCID photos and articles. All of these were passed around the table and available for public viewing. R.W. Egelston even showed off his KGEM and KIDO "microphone" pins that he donated to the Foundation!

The meeting got underway about Noon with a brief introduction of all those in attendance. After introductions Art introduced each of the four audio segments you will see below.

Cut 1 :

Opening Remarks and member introductions and stories.

Art introduces and plays KIDO, KGEM, and KCID audio in the following order:

            Track One: KIDO-AM from late 1961 featuring Del Chapman - two short song intros.

            Track Two: KGEM-AM from Jan 1, 1962 featuring Larry Lujack - four short song intros.

            Track Three: KGEM "Fun Central" IDs recorded in the Spring on 1962. Included is:

      (a) Relax & take your shoes off and listen to KGEM Fun Central! Please put your shoes back on!

      (b) The Little People's Orchestra for KGEM (nothing funny about that)!

      (c) K-KGEM...K-G-E-M   One-One-Four-O! For that Swinging...K-GEM Sound!

      (d) Oh Delilah! Hey whose that? Elliott Ness! They are having a lot of fun

      (e) Hey where ya going? I'm going to listen to KGEM!

      (f)    I'll connect you with KGEM - that's a man's kind of sound!

      (g) The poor guy's really sick - started to listening to something other than KGEM.  No wonder why he's sick.

      (h) You'll hear it first on K-GEM!

      (i)    Where you are in Australia with your Kangaroo listen to KGEM!

      (j)    Squeeze in the booth...now here's World's Tallest Disc Jockey John Runkle!  Comrade Badbreath jumps the Berlin Wall to be able to listen to K-G-E-M!

      (k)  John Runkle Legal ID to "Balboa Blue" by the Markets. Idaho's most powerful radio station with studios in Boise and Nampa, Idaho!

Track Four:             KGEM-AM April 1967 "Powder puff Express" featuring the "Miss K-Gem" Bernice Hays playing Stonewall Jackson "Let's Stomp out Loneliness."

Track Five     KGEM Sign-On from February 1972

Track Six       KGEM Legal ID from February 1972  ("The Country Giant")

Art then introduces the KCID-AM segments with the following tracks:

                                    KCID legal ID from February 1972 (Sam Bass)

                                    KCID Sign-On from February 1972 ( "Mornin' Neighbor!" by Sam Bass)

                                    KCID Sign-Off from Feb 1972 ("Goodbye - So Long - Goodbye" by Sam Bass)

The sign-off featured "And so it's Over" by the Four Freshmen. 

Art then introduced Rockwell Smith who briefly commented on the transfer to Salt and Light, which took place very quickly after the FCC approved the sale.

Dale Peterson then took the microphone and briefly told us about his broadcasting career and the history of KCID. Please listen to this. You'll love Dale's humor and insight, as well as his humility.

Member R.W. Egelston tells the story of KGEM's tower falling down into a new home across from the Cassia Street studios when they were building the 10,000 watt site. He also speaks of the photos he took of the site from an old World War II airplane!

Cut 4:  Art then wraps up the meeting by asking those in attendance to share their memories. Among the members making comments were:

(a) Rockwell Smith on KGEM getting into people's computer speakers etc.

(b) Gerry Dean Moser commented on working with Marty Martin, K-10 Radio, and what it was like to be a country announcer in the early 1960s in Boise.

(c) Jon Adamson worked at KGEM from 1976-1981 and comments about getting trade-out gifts like meadow Gold Ice Cream as his "Christmas Bonus."

(d) John Runkle comments on his career starting in 1961 at KBGN-AM. KGEM, and KBOI-TV and thanks Jimmy Johntz for being his mentor and hero. He also speaks of living in the former home of Ed Hurt  of KFXD in Nampa.

(e) Arden Casper spoke about his background in broadcasting and knowing the Wolfe family of KCID. He also worked for KBGN-AM  and getting it on the air with the help of Gil Rose Sr.

(f)    Rockwell Smith tells the story of how he got hired at KBRJ-AM and KBBK-FM as a result of applying for a job at KGEM  one of the many times Tom Hill quit as their Chief Engineer!

(g) Art Gregory comments about the many changes in radio and how KGEM and KCID's demise is just part of what some call "progress" in broadcasting history.

(h)  Frank Aden Jr. spoke of KGEM interfering with his ability to pick up KSL in Salt Lake City, and how after being "blown-off" by KGEM, he wrote to KSL and got some action!

(i)    Art Gregory comments on Tom Hill and wraps up the meeting with applause from the group, thanking everyone for a great meeting!