KBIX-AM in Muskogee, Oklahoma
April 30, 1936 - January 10, 2003

  


Listen to the last minutes of Jerry Pippin's broadcasting on KBIX, January 10th, 2003. Scott Simon who now works at KOMA introduces this segment.
CLICK HERE to play. 
Here is Jerry's show intro. CLICK HERE to play.  Remember this KBIX bumper? CLICK HERE to play.

Jerry is currently recuperating from cancer at the Eastgate medical facility in Muskogee, Oklahoma, his hometown. Here is a photo taken late August 2013 with Jerry posing with 91-year-old Charlie Godfrey, who has a KBIX connection. In the early 70s, DJ Leon Seifried worked mornings and created a regular skit using a real rooster, named Rowhoe. The rooster was owned by Charlie.  The rooster was recorded by Leon and used every morning. Charlie put his rooster in a cage covered the cage with a towel, and when he took the towel off the cage, Rowhoe would crow, "Good Morning" right on cue.

Former KBIX peronality turned movie star Clu Gulager Returns Home(April 8-14, 2013) From his first national TV acting job with Richard Boone in, "Have Gun will Travel" Clu Gulager became one of the busiest actors in Hollywood with starring roles in two TV western series in the 60s and going on to a huge career as one of the better character actors in Hollywood TV and Movies. This week Clu came back to Muskogee where he attended school and just before going Hollywood was a regular on KBIX with a disc jockey show every day in the middle 50s. His style was unique to say the least using lots of sound effects including the sound of chickens frequently in the background to his humorous commentary. Despite his TV western career, his KBIX career consisted of middle-of-the-road pop music. He was featured at the Barebones Film Festival this week and was Grand Marshal of the Azalea Parade.  

Read the story of Clu's coming home, from the Muskogee Phoenix here:

KBIX:  proving grounds for the Big Time Jocks - Four Amigos- "We love radio, baby!"
For decades we have stayed in touch and shared our love for radio- I worked with all of these personalities at KBIX which was a wonderful breeding ground for talent. There are others who made major market names but for now-Here's Stevie, Scooter B, Coyote and yours truly on the air and still loving it after all these years. - Jerry

Steve Goddard has been a fixture on the air for decades in Phoenix. In this montage of his air work, we feature his afternoon drive shows on CHR KZZP-FM, Country  KNIX-FM and oldies but goodies KOOL-FM. Note on the last part of file, Steve mentions his first day in radio at KBIX, June 6, 1968 at 4 in the afternoon.  First song played: U.S. Male - Elvis Presley.
Listen to his first recording of his work done a few days later and then compare it to his present day work- 
KBIX tape:MP3 Running time: 03 minutes, 51 seconds
Windows Media Version

Montage of Phoenix Radio Shows:
MP3 Running time: 06 minutes, 02 seconds
Window Media Version

Scooter Seagraves owned the air waves in Tulsa with a larger listening audience than all the other stations combined at one time when he was working afternoon at KAKC. He had a successful career in California playing rock n roll and later back in the South playing country music. He did some air work at KBIX early in his career while attending Tulsa University.  He currently is retired and living in his home state of Arkansas. KAKC program tape:
MP3 Running time: 03 minutes, 04 seconds  -  Windows Media Version

Scooter Seagraves is still working, Jerry is still working, well actually neither of us  really considered it work- This is Scooter -  now, Scott Seagraves - since he has been playing country for the last decade or so, at work at KHOZ-FM Fayetteville, Arkansas on Saturday, September 8, 2012.
Coyote Calhoun started on May 15th 1969 at KBIX working evenings. On the air for  42 years  almost 37 years of that have been in Louisville.  5 and a half years at WAKY, and 31 and a half years  at WAMZ. He has been doing afternoon drive and Program Director at the same station for 3 decades.  Here is a sample of his air work when he was a rock n roller at WAKY before morphing into a "country star."  Recorded in March of 1979.
MP3 Running time: 9 minutes, 24 seconds
Windows Media Version

Jerry came back to KBIX in 1970 to work a year before heading out to Las Vegas and California.  This air check of his work was done on a hot afternoon just before Memorial Day, May 28, 1970.
MP3 Running time: 06 minutes, 17 seconds
Windows Media Version

 
Forgotten Oldies Program Series- Program Number 9 in this series. This program, recorded June 17, 2002,  features a great collection of oldies, some of them novelty and one-hit wonders, all presented by record collector Glen Pitts. Jerry and Glen give little-known facts about some of the records and mostly talk about the upcoming KBIX reunion scheduled that summer. On this KBIX page we have links to that reunion with a photo gallery and other information about this radio station which was the starting place for many DJs who became successful including Steve Goddard well known Oldies DJ out of Phoenix who has a syndicated radio show, Coyote Calhoun from Louisville who has  won numerous CMA awards, Don Wallace who was a major name in Oklahoma City radio and many others. 
(NOTE: This program has been remastered but some fluctuation in quality is due to the fact this show was recorded off the internet using warpradio technology in 2002.)  
MP3 Running time: 1 hour, 15 minutes, 44 seconds
Windows Media Version Part 1, Windows Media Version Part 2, Windows Media Version Part 3

Want to hear the other 8 shows?

CLICK HERE

♫ Glen Pitts ♫
has had a life-long love affair with radio .. check out his new radio station web site: 
www.kjq.us.com

Song List for Program 9
The Four Preps - Down By The Station (Capitol-BMI)
Nancy Sinatra - These Boots Are Made For Walking (Reprise-BMI)
Bobby Vee - Take Good Care Of My Baby (Liberty-BMI)
Sue Thompson - James Hold The Ladder Steady (Smash-BMI)
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Proud Mary (Fantasy-BMI)
Larry Vincent - The Freckle Song (Pearl-BMI)
Maxine Nightengale - Right Back Where We Started From (United Artist-ASCAP)Elvis Presley - Shake Rattle & Roll (RCA)
The Turtles - She'd Rather Be With Me (White Whale-ASCAP)
Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams Are Made Of These (RCA-ASCAP)
Connie Francis - Stupid Cupid (MGM-BMI)
Melissa Manchester - You Should Hear How She Talks About You (Arista-ASCAP)
Herman's Hermits - I Can Take Or Leave Your Loving (MGM-BMI)
Eddie Hodges - I'm Gonna Knock On Your Door (Cadence-BMI)
Little Eva - Let's Turkey Trot (Dimension-BMI)
Association - Time For Living (Warner Bros-ASCAP)

horizontal rule

Paul Anka still appears in Las Vegas on a regular basis. Since my early rock n roll DJ days, he has been a mainstay with me. Good music and popular, so I have played a lot of Paul Anka. He recorded some things for me in Las Vegas several years ago, tracks about his life and career.  I used to do a feature on Paul Anka every once in a while. This is Paul talking about his song Diana and and the real life woman, Diana. 

His part was recorded in Las Vegas, my part was an air check of a KBIX radio show, and we played two songs that night:

"Diana" - BMI  and "Put Your Head On My Shoulders"- BMI.. Click Here to listen.

 

Over the Five Decades that I worked off and on at KBIX we met a lot of talented people- Here are some notes from a few of them. Others who worked at KBIX are invited to contact us and bring us up to date on their lives, write me at jerry@jerrypippin.com

Glen Pitts writes:

Jerry,
 
It's always a mystery to me how and why things happen.  I discovered you and KBIX on my weekly travels to Lake Tahoe.  Although mobile internet services were not among technology at that time, I recorded KBIX from the internet and played the tapes in my truck. 
 
There was an immediate fascination.  One, hearing a radio station from my favorite state and 2, you were mesmerizing.  KBIX programming was secondary.  It was your voice that kept me listening. 
 
When I contacted you, asking if you had a particular song, I was hoping you didn't.  That's what opened the door to the Forgotten Oldies.  Bryant Ellis probably thought we were both crazy, trying to pull off what we did, but allowed it to happen anyway.  Picking up a mere 250,000 listeners per week is a success story; something a station owner should relish.  Unless I'm biased, I truly feel the Forgotten Oldies program drew the internet masses to KBIX.
 
I know it just wasn't in the cards for me to own KBIX, but I sure would have jumped at the opportunity.  Maybe the Tulsa firm will get tired of it and put it up for sale again.  With today's economy, it surely didn't appreciate.  If I bought it, you would have to go back on the air. 
 
In short, your efforts have made a mark on the world and we're all glad you did it.  Thankfully we have lots of recordings to keep some of the memories fresh in mind.
 
Glen
 

Peter McNamara from Brisbane, Australia writes:

Hiya Jerry,

...Is it really six years since KBIX closed??  That is incredible indeed.  We are diminished by the loss of this style of broadcasting and our life is less complete. This email is to appraise you of the value of your work and to describe how the impact of your life has crossed generational boundaries and oceans and reached continents where people are embraced by your words, the music and the moment.  The endeavors of your team produce great and remarkable results.  From my small part in this great scheme of life I thank you – please keep going on and on.  We need you.  

Warmest regards as always my friend and again happy new year.

Peter

 
bulletJacqueline Scott writes:

Dear Jerry,

I just found your website & wanted to thank you for including Sue Harris's Tribute to Dick Embody.

It was Mr. E's mentoring that guided me throughout my 30 years in broadcasting & journalism.

Mr. E. first hired me in April 1976, when I was still a neophyte who had been a Mass Comm major at Florida State. Within a few months, he & Larry Arnel had me on the air doing the afternoon drive show, then "doing news", then reporting & anchoring.

I left KBIX the first time in May 1977, heading to KELI in Tulsa, then to KTUL (aka Total 8 Tulsa) in January 1978. By April 1979, I had had enough of T-V news & returned to Mr. E & my roots, while I earned my teaching certificate at NSU. I taught for two years, returning to Mr. E. for my third KBIX tenure in May 1982. I was there until moving to Oklahoma City in 1984 to join the news staff of the venerable WKY Radio, then, in 1987 to United Press International (UPI).

The last conversation I had with Mr. E. was on the telephone in 1992, as I was just starting law school. I told him that I was in law school in large part because of him -- it was Dick Embody who had pushed & prodded and molded me into a reporter. Had he not done that, I would not have covered crime & courts. It was the lessons I learned under Mr. E's mentoring that birthed a fascination with and love of the law.

My career has been an amazing adventure -- a journey that would not have been possible without the guiding light that was Dick Embody. I miss him.

Sincerely, Jacqueline Scott Shannon

Note- Jacqueline is now an attorney and is the Communications Director for the Teachers' Retirement System of Oklahoma.
 

bullet Ed Richards writes: Jerry, Just happened to find out through your site, Dick Embody passed away last year. The last I knew, he was not in the best of health. I have thought of him often since working as "Mr. Ed" in the mornings at KBIX, first at the studios on Shawnee and then the new digs downtown, along with Mick Reed, Sue Harris, Lou Kelly, Ron Alexander and Greg Mashburn. What a time it was!! Wonderful memories. He was without a doubt the finest man for whom I have ever worked. Dick was always there with encouragement, help and friendship. Although I had been in radio before KBIX, Dick was the first to let me spread my wings and develop. He touched many, many lives with his. I am now in charge of broadcast operations and lead broadcaster for the Quinstar Radio Networks. - Ed Richards, Quinstar Radio Networks, www.quinstarradio.net
bullet
The news was a shocker, not because it was unexpected. Dick Embody was getting on in years and his death was to be expected sometime. The shocker was that with all of the impact that Embody had on Muskogee when he owned KBIX and all of the lives he shaped to be successful in broadcasting, none of us were notified.

Dick first came into my life while I was getting ready to graduate from Central High School in Muskogee, Oklahoma. I knew I wanted a career in broadcasting and my parents were of modest means, so I knew I would have to work my way through college by working in radio, if I could find a job.

He was program director of 10,000 watt KGGF in Coffeyville, Ks and the signal reached over most of Kansas and Eastern Oklahoma. I wrote him a letter, and he replied that he might consider hiring me. I decided to stay at KBIX as a full time job was going to be opening up and I could commute to nearby Tahlequah to attend Northeastern College.

About ten years later or so, I went to work for DIck at KBIX. I worked for him twice, both times about a year each. In fact, the last time I worked there, we had a great radio station with very talented on air people, Steve Goddard, d. Leon Seifried, Sue Harris, and Cayote Cahoun who at the time was going by his read name, kinda, Gregg Phillips. His real name was Greg Embody, son of Dick Embody.

Dick was one of those guys that let you experiment and do what you did best on the air, while still asking you to stick to some sort of semblance of a format which was top 50 songs, with lots of extra cuts and local news, sports and weather.

Everyone on that staff went to major stations. This was a tribute to Dick Embody. We were close, all of us at KBIX. Dick stepped up and rescued me several times from personal problems and I will never forget him for that alone. However, the bigger picture was the fact that before and after me, his air staff was always top notch and he kept them that way with little or no pressure.

Local radio needs more people like Dick Embody today; but I don't see them anywhere or very few. Radio is not what it was back in those days when a stack of wax, wit and guts from the on air personality and a mission of keeping the audience informed overrode everything.

I hope Dick is at peace in radio heaven tonight.

Jerry Pippin

11:30 p.m. Saturday, July 17, 2004

 
bullet
Mick ReedMick Reed writes: "I was at KBIX with Dick Embody and Ron Alexander along with Sue Harris, Our Chamber President...Brother Jim Kizzia and Larry Arnel were also there at that time on Shawnee before we moved downtown to the Commercial Bank Building." Mick Reed works mornings at KEOK-FM in Tahlequah, Oklahoma.

 

bullet Steve Goddard writes to us: "Am in the process of transferring my reel to reel "air-checks" to the digital medium - who'd a thunk it sitting high atop the 9th floor of the Barnes Building or at the "new" digs on Shawnee Bypass that we'd be talking digital to preserve what we did during those great times at KBIX.  I know I can never capture the excitement and newness of starting what is now a 35 year career (this past June 6) in radio.  June 6, 1968, 4 o'clock in the afternoon at KBIX and the first record I played was "U.S. Male" by Elvis. CLICK HERE to listen. I still have occasional dreams about the old Barnes Building, and they're always happy ones. I'm a thousand miles away and I miss it." Steve Goddard has a syndicated oldies radio show called "Goddard's Gold," and is the host of the top rated afternoon drive show on KNIX-FM in Phoenix. CLICK HERE to go to Steve's web site. And here are three digitized "air-checks" that Steve sent us of Jerry Pippin on the air on May 28, 1970. You'll get a real taste of history and have some fun while listening to these short segments. CLICK HERE to listen to Part 1. CLICK HERE to listen to Part 2. And, CLICK HERE to listen to Part 3. By the way, the Jerry Pippin jingle on this 1970 broadcast was sung by Steve Goddard.
bullet
One October night at KBIX in the year 2000, Jim Kizzia who worked for years as a country disc jockey doing an early morning show on KBIX called Jerry about his encounter with Elvis. Two disc jockey's from KBIX had met Elvis. They were Chuck Bunting, who worked there in the early 70s, and Jim Kizzia, who started at KBIX in the early 60s. CLICK HERE to listen to this segment. Music featured: Elvis Presley, Hound Dog ( RCA Victor - BMI), Viva Las Vegas ( RCA Victor - Ascap).

 

bullet

Jerry reads an email from a Las Vegas listener who married a disc jockey when they both lived in Muskogee. The email remembers KBIX air personalities Clay Breedlove, TV Dickson and her hubby who worked at KMUS, Jolly Joe. Jerry also remembers a high school speech program on KBIX and KMUS hosted by John Lathrop, Marshall Beard, Jerry Wilhite and himself among others. CLICK HERE to listen.

bullet
bulletIn August of 2000 on a very hot night in Oklahoma, word came to us that Gary Clark has passed away in Califonia. Jim Kizzia who was our country morning show host was very good friends with Gary as well, and here is a segment recorded off the air at KBIX when th subject of Gary Clark and his passing was presented to the audience. I first worked with Gary in 1965 at KBIX. We had a long friendship that lasted several years after he and I both had left KBIX. Gary told me many times I was the reason for him going to California because I spoke of how much I loved it. He orignally worked in Santa Barbara for several years before moving to Thousand Oaks just north of Los Angeles. Gary did news coverage for that part of the LA area for CBS radio's KNX and later did TV sports for KABC-TV, Channel 7. He originally came to KBIX because he married the owner's step daughter but loved the area and pioneered the race track at the Muskogee Fair Grounds with Vernon Laster. For several years there, Thunderbird Speedway was the place to be on Friday nights with five thousand plus fans. Gary gave all us old KBIXers who wanted a job a job out there. I had one of the best I drove the Trophy Queen each Friday night in the pace car. I was able to return the favor when Gary got a divorce and fell out of favor with the ownership at KBIX, naturally. I hired him at KMMM-FM where I was the manager and part owner. He always wanted me to come to Santa Barbara to live, but I could never stay out of Vegas that long back in those days.
bullet
When KBIX moved out to its own building on Shawnee, we had a great staff. Dick Embody the manager encouraged us to be fun to hear. I did a daily soap opera bit for a couple of years called " Return to Pippin Place." This was a take off on the TV prime time soap opera, Payton Place and the popular daytime serial, "As the World Turns."
CLICK HERE to listen to a sample.

If you have any recordings of KBIX programs or on-air personalities, feel free to submit copies of them for posting on this page. Send tapes to Jerry Pippin at the address listed on the bottom of the home page of this site.
 

bulletCLICK HERE for Jerry's personal memories.
bulletCLICK HERE to go to Jerry's Last Patti Page Interview at KBIX.
bulletCLICK HERE to go to Listener Messages.
bulletCLICK HERE to go to Photo Memories.

 JERRY REMEMBERS KBIX

Technically, the radio station is still licensed to Muskogee; but the studios have been moved to Tulsa. To me this means it no longer is a Muskogee station. Even though I had anticipated the move for several weeks, when it actually happened, it was not easy for me. My broadcast life had been centered around KBIX. Even though my radio career had taken me to many different places, including Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Oklahoma City and Tulsa, my heart and mind were always here in my home town of Muskogee.

Here is how that last night on the air went.

The close for the old time radio feature was almost finished. The clock was pushing the midnight hour. My mind knew it was just about over, but my heart did not want to accept it. I had decided on this last night on the air to finish with three hours of old time radio shows for several reasons.

The program I had been doing for the past three years was designed to be unique; reflecting the history of the 20th Century while combining modern radio techniques and talk units that were current. Each night we broadcast an hour of old time radio dramas and comedy series as part of this eclectic menu which was broadcast around the world on the world wide web for most of the time that I had been doing this show. So it seemed fitting that I should close out this chapter of my radio history in this way.

I slowly and deliberately explained to the audience one last time that this was the end of the road for our show and for KBIX as a Muskogee station; then I played an old tune called "So Long For Awhile" by Eddie Howard. As the cart machine played this tune I thought about how fitting it was to close out with a non computer generated song, but one done the old fashioned way, a broadcast cart.

Through the haze that was now normal for my failed vision, I stared ahead at the console that controlled the broadcast, barely seeing the VU meters kissing the red, not wanting to look at the others in the studio. This was a moment that I must have to myself.

The Tune was over. I counted to three and then hit the computer. KBIX was on its last day of playing the hits of the 50s, 60s and 70s. By a little after five this afternoon, the switch to all sports programming would happen.

Sue Hanson, my studio producer and right hand person for these many broadcast was picking up all of the loose scripts and tapes, packing them away in our brief case silently. David Reynolds, a frequent contributor to our programming, had come over from Oklahoma City for the final broadcast was much like us, Zombies, He, Sue and myself, as if on some sort of automation program ourselves, said very little. We walked out of the studio and into the hallway of the 9th floor of the Bank of Oklahoma Building. We turned out the lights and shut the door. KBIX was now part of our own personal history.

Quietly, we walked to the elevator door. Inside my head, the memories were spinning. As the ching, chinging noise the elevator made as it came to pick us up, barking out with a ring every floor, I was fascinated by the 9th floor symbolism of it all.

While in Junior High school I used to hang out on the 9th floor of another building long gone, passed into only a memory. KBIX was on the 9th floor of the Barnes Building back in the mid- 50s when I (in front in photo) was given a job as an announcer at KBIX while still in high school. Hanging out over the months had paid off, they decided to give the kid a job working on Sunday afternoons, mostly riding network shows but getting a chance to do a couple of half hour disc jockey shows as well.

KBIX had been good to me. It paid my way to college at nearby Northeastern and whenever I needed a job after chasing dreams of acting, doing stand up comedy and working in major market radio and TV, KBIX was almost always there for me when I needed a job.

We walked into the elevator and Sue pressed the first floor button and the door slammed shut. Closing out my radio career at KBIX, I started here and I ended up here. As we started our journey to the street, my mind thought about this great little radio station.

Major stars such as Patti Page and Robert Reed had worked here, scores of radio talent that went on to major markets had started here. The ghosts of those who had once lived and worked at KBIX, now seemed all around me as we continued down in the elevator.

As we walked out of the lobby of the magnificent old building that had been the Severs Hotel for years; I thought about that warm summer afternoon before I was born when KBIX came to life.

April 30th. 1936 - a far different time than now. Deep in the heart of the financial depression when the average annual income was $1300 per person, Muskogee seemed to be a city of hope. The dust bowl of Oklahoma had forced countless "OKIES" to put everything they owned into their cars and head west on US 66, the mother road. Muskogee and Eastern Oklahoma seemed to escape the worst of it.

KBIX was a beacon for all to see with its 185 foot tower on top of the ten story Barnes Building next to its owner, the Muskogee Phoenix and Times-Democrat on Wall Street.

Like the cold wind that touched my face as we walked to the car, reality was here. This grand old lady of Broadcasting would never be the same again and neither would I.

KBIX was a part of my soul, the fabric of my professional coat of arms. Listening to this station as a child, shaped my ideas of showmanship and broadcast expertise. It seemed like I should be able to do more than just leave her in the dark on this cold night in January; but as my tears rolled down my cheek; I knew there was nothing I could do.

It's Biblical, isn't it? All things must come to and end. My radio shows are not over, I am still on the Internet, broadcasting programming around the world at www.jerrypippin.com. Somehow, I know, regardless of how much continued success I have in the future, we Muskogeeans have lost something this night. We are all a little less complete with the loss of the grand old lady of radio stations. KBIX, we will miss you.

Jerry Pippin

BACK

Our last Interview with Patti Page at KBIX
Jerry talks to Patti Page about her early days in radio at KBIX in Muskogee. They discuss her first major hit, Tennessee Waltz, and her new version of that song.


 

BACK

Messages to Jerry from Our Listeners

Send your own message to jerry@jerrypippin.com.

From Peter McNamara, Melbourne, Australia:

To all who treasure memories of good things.

My time with KBIX in Australia has been real short to say the least. In that two years that I have known KBIX and Jerry Pippin, Sue and Larry the world has been a brighter place. Through the shadows of Sept 11 and the Bali bombing plus the hundreds of other items that have occupied my time while I studied or worked Jerry and KBIX have stood for all that is good in life.

In Australia we do not talk much of our mates in the term we love them - but Jerry and KBIX were easy to love, as a man he is a man amongst men, as a radio station my life was reflected in the songs and stories that were transmitted over the web. Australia is not that much different to the USA, just slower and more laid back. Everything will happen here in time, for Australia is Gods Country and he did rest on the seventh day here.

We are all much sadder for the passing of KBIX from Muskogee but we are much richer people for having shared in the times when things were simpler, friendships mattered and love and honour were classmates.

I look forward to new horizons of web radio with Jerry at the helm with new adventures in Internet Broadcasting - and I know that the standards will still be there and I will slip into the radio like I would pull on an old comfortable coat and bask in the warmth. My glow will be for all to see.

Best wishes friend - lets do it again.

From Glen Pitts, Stockton CA:

Hi Jerry,
Nice journalism. I was just sitting here listening to, what is now, old KBIX shows. Fortunately, I recorded several hours of them, in addition to the shows we did. They have become a treasure to me. I can't help but be a little resentful toward the new owners. They took the finest little station around and trashed it. Heartless, thoughtless and insensitive. I feel like KBIX has been pimped out to sweaty, beer drinking ball buddies. For now, I have memories to listen to and enjoy the days of good.
Glen

From Dorothy Farmer (the Pawslady), Muskogee, OK:

Hi Jerry,
I am wiping tears from my eyes this is how I feel too. This should be put on the opinion page of the Muskogee Daily Phoenix it says it like it is and will touch many people's heart. See if they won't print it I believe they would---e-mail it to them as a letter to the editor. My heart goes out to you Thursday was so sad to me I've listened to KBIX all my life it seems. I wanted to cry and did shed some tears when I heard your voice for the last time on KBIX. Stay in touch I'll be listening.
Pawslady

From T. Suzanne Eller, Muskogee, OK:

Jerry, I am praying that as this door closes, a new door will open for you. With all that you have faced this past two years, I am touched to see that you have used it in a way that will impact teens through Megan's Story. Thank you for that. You are awesome!
Suzie Eller

From Sue Hanson, Muskogee, OK:

Hi everyone I would just like to thank all of you for the best year I have had that I can remember .The people I have met this year have turned out to be true friends the kind you don't meet just anywhere.

Further more when I started I didn't know anything about what radio is all about but I think I got the best crash course there is around from the best Jerry Pippin. I guess he was surprised that I did not want to go on the air but you can't beat the best around!

I never thought that I ever did enough ,there was always more I thought I could or should of done but Jerry never said a thing to me. The long hours in the production room till two or three in the morning all by myself putting things together for the show or the web site and being in the studio was great. Getting interviews for the show was fun and surprising when they would agreed to do it.

Stay Tuned For Further Adventures Of The Jerry Pippin Show !!!
Thank You
Sue Hanson

From Jo Hadley, Denver, CO: 

Was this sent to the Muskogee daily newspaper? I think it is worthy in content to be shared with the community. I was darn near tears at the end of this personally written, poignant farewell letter. Thank you for sending it to me.
Jo

From Tony New, Manchester, England:

Jerry's piece on his sentiments when it came to closing down were eloquent and moving and I know the feeling so very well. As a newspaperman in a similar situation when company changes forced the closure of both my paper and its associated one, which I had helped launch with a set of keen and talented young people full of pioneering spirit, I fully understand the heavy-heartedness of closing up the shop for the last time.

Walking off into whatever future awaits up the road, you recall the great times; the struggles; the panics; the occasional spats and wrangles; the many laughs; the companionship of colleagues; the loyalty of your public and the occasions when you could take some modest pride in having done something of value for individuals or for the wider constituency you served.

In spite of the sadness, you realize that you were honored because your calling allowed you to work among and for so many people who were simply the salt of the earth and your life is the richer for having encountered them. The family feeling is inescapable.

Take heart. Whatever is just ahead will be interesting and just as enriching and rewarding as what has gone before. You carry with you a loyal following and that very same family feeling which stretches to odd quarters of the globe.
Let the curtain go up on the next act because the gang's all here!
Every success - Tony.

BACK

Photo Memories of KBIX


Bryant Ellis, Jerry Pippin, Brenda Lee and Scott Simon.
Bryant Ellis and George Chambers actually got into Muskogee Radio in 1989 when they put FM 100.3 on the air. They did not buy KBIX until just before the turn of the Century and put it across the hall from their FM station, KHJM-FM Interestingly enough I was the first voice on their FM station too. I was home after finishing my series of interview shows from Laughlin, Nevada on KROL which had dual transmitters, one in Laughlin and the other ran North Las Vegas. I had made a deal with John Lego at KVEG, a 50,000 watt new station using old call letters in Las Vegas. There were some technical hold ups for a few months, so I cam back home to Muskogee and worked a few months as morning man at the KHJ LA rip off sounding station. It was a great sound, but probably to much for Oklahoma listeners. Bryant and George eventually turned KHJM-FM into a Southern Gospel format. I am sure that was hard to swallow for Bryant who worshipped the KHJ Boss Jock concept. Bryant worked in San Francisco at KGO-TV producing ( production staff member of the Tennessee Ernie Ford and Gypsy Rose Lee Shows. I had a favorite California station too, it was the old KSFO with such greats as Jack Carney, Al ( Jazzbo ) Collins and one of my heroes in the business, Jim Lange.

Brenda Lee only worked at KBIX a few months as an on the air personality and sales person. She had an interesting personality that seemed to capture the hearts and minds of listeners. She left KBIX when it was clear Bryant was going to sell the stations and returned to her home town of Ada, Oklahoma where I understand she works at the classic rock station.

Scott Simon aka David Reynolds has been a contributor to our shows and web site for some time. He knows everything and a little more about the Beatles. He was in studio with us on our last night on the air at KBIX. He worked as afternoon man for a few months in the summer and fall of 2002 at KBIX.

 


Oscar Ray, Jerry Pippin, and Shiron Ray. Oscar and Shiron own Darkwood Motion Pictures in Muskogee.

 

 

 

 

 

 


Jerry, Deb Miller, and Rick McFarland with the KBIX-mobile.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glen Pitts and Jerry Pippin. No one was a bigger KBIX booster than Glen Pitts. He found the station on the internet and listened for six months before he contacted me about his record collection. When KBIX changed formats and moved to studios to Tulsa in Janury 2003, no one took it harder than Glen. He and his wife, Sheila flew in for the KBIX Reunion on Labor Day weekend 2002. He lives in Stockton and still does segments for our web site.

 

 

 

Ed, Margaret Proctor, Jerry Pippin and Sue Harris. Ed Richards worked at KBIX when it was country. He went by "Mr. Ed" and had quite a laugh. He is now doing Farm Reports for the Quinstar Radio Network out of Enid, Oklahoma. Margret Procter was on KBIX in the 70s. She did a talk show from 9:00 to 9:30 which was part Ann Landers, part local gossip and completely fun to listen every day. She and her husband, Charles, owned all of the theaters in Muskogee including The RITZ which was first class in everyway. In her 80s, she was after us to give her a radio show again as late as the reunion. Sue Harris worked at KBIX as a receptionist and soon into the 70s, she was running the place. She left for channel 8 in Tulsa, but returned for another stint at KBIX in the 80s. She is a "go-getter" in the finest sense of the term and now is President of the Muskogee Chamber of Commerce. 

 

Diane & Leon Siefried. D. Leon Seifried first came into my life when I was manager and part owner of KMMM-FM in Muskogee in 1968. He has been a friend all of these years. His claim to fame was doing the morning show for seven or eight years into the 70s for KBIX. He proclaimed himself "Morning Mayor" without an election. CLICK HERE to listen to an "air- check" on KBIX in 1970 of Leon. We worked together as partners in an advertising agency for a while and he used to do stand up comedy bits with me in the 80s and early 90s.

 

 

 

Lou, Jerry and Leon. Lew Kelly came to KBIX in the 80s. He has adopted Muskogee as his home town and is still a big booster of everything Muskogee. In fact, when it was definite that KBIX studios were moving to Tulsa; Lew quit the station and took his wares down the street to KTFX-FM, the only local station left. Lew is a hell of a sportscaster, especially when it comes to basketball and is a principal in the new "Outlaw Speedway" race track south of town. KBIX in the 60s had another disc jockey who was active in ownership of a race track. Gary Clarke who passed away in 2001 in California. Gary was doing sports for KABC-TV, channel 7, in LA. I am the one who advised him to go to California after his divorce in the late 60s from the step daughter of Tams Bixby III, owner of KBIX at the time. Gary has thanked me for that advice many times over the years even though he never forgave me for staying in Las Vegas and not moving back to California.

 
Sue Hanson and Jerry Pippin. When I started to lose my eye sight, Sue came by the station to volunteer to help me with the show. She has developed into a full time producer and right hand " man" for me. I could not do my radio shows without her. She has been my eyes for sometime now. She has turned into a very good "radio person" and I know that I have shown her a new way of life. God Bless you Sue.

 

 

 


Bob & Toni Sheets. The real heros of radio are the account executives. Toni was one of the best. She made KBIX financially sound when she was on duty in the 70s and 80s. Quite a little woman and I am sure her husband, Bob, would agree.

 

 

 

 

 


Jerry Pippin & Judy Coburn aka "Melody Moore." Like all of us; or at least, most of us, we had a country streak in us. KBIX was country for several years in the late 70s and early 80s. Melody Moore was our "Dolly Parton." Great girl, great DJ.

 

 

 

 

 

Lou Kelly and Larry Arnell. The first time I met Larry he used to visit me at the radio station and hang out at the Pioneer Room at the old Severs Hotel where I did a nightly radio show. Larry became a legend in Muskogee radio in the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s. He did one of those marthon stay awake broadcast for an ungodly amount of hours and was active in Muskogee Sports. Lou and Larry became very tight (er-well, probably occasionally) good friends and still are to this day.

 

 

Nick Hampton. Nick is another sports guy who is very talented and has been part of the KBIX sports broadcast team for a couple of decades.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jim Smith. The first time I met Jim was at the late great Don Cummins' recording studio in Tulsa. He had a gun, I think he was kidding, but he was a wild child. Jim did "Dialing for Dollars" on channel 8 and like the rest of us Muskogee boys, he did a lot of things in radio and TV, but always came home. He was a talk show host in the KBIX talk radio days of the 90s and is still active in Muskogee social circles.

 

 

 

Jerry at work in his KBIX Studio


BACK

J. Pippin Show KBIX Pacifica Radio Archives Johnny Carson Barney Kessel Johnny Cash Bobby Hatfield Jack Paar Art Carney Bob Hope Dragnet The Shadow JFK Remembered Andy Griffith Bodacious the Bull Looney Tunes