WAKY-FM

[Mike Griffin]

Bob Craft, who does production at WAMZ, put together a reunion for the former staff of WKRX-FM (it was great). Among others, Bob, Young Daniel King, and myself were all former staffers. The reunion was held on Sunday 8/21/2005. I had no idea that WKRX had any relation to WAKY but Keith Reising, who started and owned the station, and Jane Vance (Van Vance's Ex, Keith's former secretary, former sales manager at WAMZ) had a very interesting and very funny story to tell.

WKRX 106.9, which later became WVEZ, went on the air in 1966. Keith and Jane told the story of how Keith got the license for WKRX. Keith had been owner of WXVW a small AM station in Jeffersonville, IN. He decided that FM was the way he wanted to go so he sold out, took his secretary, Jane, and worked full time on getting the last full power FM license in the Louisville area. In 1966 after some shake-out three groups were in the running for the license, Keith, WLKY-TV, and WAKY.

One day Keith invited Jane to lunch at Blue Boar, a popular local chain of cafeteria style restaurants. You entered, picked up your silverware(which was nicely wrapped up in a napkin), and proceeded through the line. Each day some lucky people would get one of several free lunch tickets that were wrapped with the silverware. When they arrived Keith asked Jane if she wanted a free lunch and the two of them began unrolling one set of silverware after another. Soon the manager came and asked what was going on. Keith explained to her that he wanted a free lunch. The manager told him he couldn't do that, unroll all the silverware to get the free lunch, and that he had to stop. Keith asked, "if I just go on through the line will you let me eat for free?" The answer was no. Keith said, "so what you have here is a lottery."

Blue Boar was a big advertiser on WLKY. Keith had his lawyers pass this lottery information on to WLKY's lawyers since WLKY was advertising Blue Boar and the lottery on the station. Lottery advertising or promotion was forbidden by the FCC in 1966 and interestingly WLKY withdrew it's application to avoid problems with the TV station license.

Now Keith and WAKY were in the running for the license. Keith recorded the morning man on WAKY for many weeks (sorry I don't have a name). Every time they guy said "hell" or "d**n" or told an off-color story Keith added it to a composite reel he was making. Keith sent the reel to the FCC, "look at what these guys have on the air." Do you want them to put that trash on another station too.

Then it was just Keith. He put his application papers together in a brown paper bag. Jane asked, "Keith, wouldn't it be better to put those papers in a brief case?" "No this will be just fine." He dressed in some old clothes as he headed off to the FCC offices in Washington to see about the license. "Keith, shouldn't you wear a suit." "No, these old clothes are just right," he replied. So Keith went off looking like a small town boy with his paper sack containing the filing papers for the license.

Later that week Keith came home with the license. Soon after WKeithReisingX went on the air. The little guy had snookered the local group of millionaires who owned WLKY and the mighty Lin Broadcasting who owned WAKY. And now we know why WAKY didn't get their FM back when they could.

[Kevin]

So who was the morning WAKY guy using all the bad words? I don't remember Baily using those words.

Maybe I was too young to remember everything.

[John Quincy]

In 1966 I think the morning guy would have been Bill Crisp.

However, it's hard to believe that any morning guy in Louisville could get away with saying "those words" in the mid 60s and any sort of off-color stories.

[bruiser]

Bailey would have been on WKLO at that time.

[Mike Griffin]

When you read the story you need to keep several thing in mind. Keith recorded a lot of shows to get stuff that he could add to the composite reel. I promise you that a hell or d**n would occasionally slip out.

When you stack up isolated bits, words, things not quite in context it can sound pretty bad. That it was gathered over a long period of time wouldn't matter.

The threshold of what was considered off-color then and now is different. Remember that "Louie Louie" had been banned from air play in a number of cities only a year or so before. I listen to "Louie Louie" now and have a hard time imagining why.

The point is not that WAKY was doing Howard Stern type stuff, obviously they weren't. They were probably doing a good job of serving the community. But if you think the religous right is prudish now....many more people were prudish then. It was more the norm that people were stiff. Lenny Bruce was trying to loosen the country up and getting tormented for it. Viet Nam was still a good war and people trusted in things.

So consider the time context of the story.