Fun Stuff from my 62 KGW Days

My job at Portland's 62 KGW was the second shortest job of my 40+ radio career, I worked there as a part-time disc jockey in 1979 for nine months, only because I was offered, and took, my first full-time on-air job at KWJJ, Portland. My shortest radio job was at Portland's, KXL FM News 101, where I only stayed as a news reporter for six months after the wonderful Rebecca Marshal hired me. I left KXL to work with Bruce Murdock and John Erickson on K103's Morning Show.

I told you in an earlier blog post that I was hired as the first female disc jockey at KGW, and even though I was there for a very short time, it was the boost I needed to launch my career because it was the long-time #1 radio station in Portland. Mike Philips was the program director who hired me and told me if I physically smiled on the air, I would always sound happy, something I've held onto to this day. KGW was in its heyday with Craig Walker and John Erickson doing mornings, John Williams, Glynn Shannon, Loveable Dave Hood, Jim Donovan, Bryan O'Neal, Scott Tom, and me filling in the rest of the day and weekends (sorry if I forgot anyone).I remember coming in one afternoon following Jim Donovan and he said, "there's pizza if you want some", the pizza was on the turntable, you could actually spin it for your piece.

KGW was a big deal and we were treated like big deals, driving around in limos, being chased by the public in the Super 62 van as we looked for KGW stickers on people's car windows so we could pull them over and give them cash...it was crazy! It was also a lot of pressure for me, the first woman behind the glass window in a "super" control room.