History KDTH

1 history

1.1 beginning
1.2 kdth barn dance
1.3 bob gribben - gator record rater

history

on sunday, may 4, 1941 kdth began broadcasting. station housed @ 8th , bluff streets in dubuque - has remained day. station broadcast 1000 watts. transmitter located in east dubuque, illinois, , featured 3 tower array.

the station became established important news , information source in dubuque area. people bob gribben, betty thomas, gerald “red” mcaleece, , gordon kilgore became familiar names large part of population.

the beginning

it sunny sunday morning, may 4, 1941 when 1370 kdth signed on air first time. call letters kdth representative of ownership, dubuque telegraph herald. newspaper ownership spared no expense in providing state-of-the-art facility staff of 15 men , women employed bring new level of excellence dubuque broadcasting. new 2 story brick building constructed @ 8th & bluff designed local engineering firm of cullen , bartels isolate outside sound. walls on main floor 20 inches thick. original flooring rubber tile prevent sound of scraping shoes interfering broadcast.

a lobby reception area equipped modern leather , polished chrome chairs led 3 tiered observation room 15 persons watch programs broadcast in studio & b control room. large windows constructed using 3 sound sealed plates of glass.

announcers , entertainers accessed studio through “sound lock” 2 inch thick doors weighing 375 pounds each. no outside sound entered air conditioned studios. largest studio included 7-foot (2.1 m) grand piano, hammond organ chimes, , ample room orchestra. sound effects table including wind machine, , other devices mounted on heavy rubber wheels.

the 1 story brick transmitter building located south of east dubuque included 22 ft (6.7 m) 25 ft (7.6 m) transmitter room, workshop, storage , furnace room , rest room. 375-foot (114 m) tower , 2 200-foot (61 m) towers constructed in adjacent flood plain, house , base of each built 5 feet above highest high-water mark ever registered. fcc required licensed engineer on duty whenever station on air.

a staff of 16 full-time , 2 part-time persons worked months prepare first day of broadcasting. general manager, ken gordon, had come dubuque chicago station , program director paul skinner had 10 years of experience before joining kdth staff. sherman bowen headed news , sports departments.

george freund, student @ loras college, record librarian – keeping track of collection of more 5,000 selections in brand new kdth music library. of these on 16” transcriptions, playable on special radio station equipment. george went on armed forces , returned after war become news director, position held until joining staff of loras college in 1960. freund highly respected, not in city of dubuque, throughout state of iowa. served president of iowa broadcast news association several years. several generations remember growing listening paul harvey @ 12noon, followed kdth noontime news george freund. newscast opened sound of steamboat whistle , announcer saying: steamboat potosi rounds band cargo of potosi , holiday beer - bringing kdth noontime news edition george freund.

at 2pm may 4, 1941 special dedication program, “only yesterday”, written staff member arnie stierman, broadcast. original historic drama described founding of dubuque. musical score provided staff organist sylvia johnson , women’s chorus westminster presbyterian church added professional production. (this recording has been preserved , being restored future release radio dubuque.)

locally produced programs on kdth besides local news , sports included dramas, comedy, children’s adventure, plus live swing, country , western, polka, folk , classical music. 1 popular show, “the mail bag,” hosted announcer sherman bowen, reading of mail listeners. more creative programs included “dinner smiths” – slanted entertain large farm audience agricultural news , live country music performed dubuque musicians “whitey woelk”, “texas red” , clarence zahina.

network programming came kdth via mutual radio network popular programs “the lone ranger” , “the shadow.” 1 locally produced kdth program became popular broadcast entire nation. “the junior musicale” featured musical performances young dubuque musicians , singers including kay wareham, charles serena, heine , butch rastatter, jack rhomberg, jimmy hayes , bob gribben. when program went off air gribben stayed on office boy, musical director, staff organist, , program director. read more him in later update.

live “remote” broadcasts common, in days of kdth. may 24, 1941 station broadcast platteville diamond jubilee celebration of wisconsin state teachers college, uw-platteville.

in june station broadcast live concert original dubuque symphony orchestra loras college rock bowl stadium. broadcasts originating nightly organist jerry chandler popular circle supper club in east dubuque , bill beck orchestra hilltop casino – inspiration “hernando’s hideaway” in broadway show “pajama game.” live broadcasts beautiful melody mill ballroom heard several times each week

the kdth barn dance

in 1943 husband , wife team of mack , sandy ford joined kdth staff. professional actors , musicians had traveled country took liking dubuque. 11:30 weekday “family circle” program of music , conversation became popular. 1 day mack decided create “barn dance” show similar in format “grand ole opry.”

the first show scheduled 9pm on saturday night in march 1944 studio a. 6:45pm limited space of studio full , observation room overflowing. 8:30 standing room crowd in lobby , reception area overflowed 8th street , around corner down bluff. show started late engineers scrambled set speakers outside accommodate crowd.

within few weeks arrangements made move show beautiful melody mill ballroom north of dubuque on highway 52. iowa’s largest ballroom , filled capacity more 2,000 fans paid 60 cents each attend. on first night two-mile (3 km) long string of cars jammed highway. kdth barn dance included cast of 16 including announcer karl anthony, comedian “skinny” strader, kay kody, texas red, sunshine sisters, uncle fiddlin charlie, mack , sandy , barn stormers band led clarence zahina. unique, colorful program likes of dubuque radio hasn’t experienced since.

bob gribben - gator record rater

bob gribben began career boy vocalist , organist “junior musicale” program on kdth. when show left air stayed on working office boy, became music director , staff organist , program director of kdth. bob’s musical talents displayed monday through friday @ 11:45 on “rainbow of musical moods” program featured keyboard skills on studio hammond organ, grand piano , electronic chimes. @ christmas time program originated mezzanine @ roshek’s department store (dubuque building) dozens of fans assemble enjoy program of live music.

the music format of station consisted of more conservative pop favorites frank sinatra, patti page, ray anthony , similar acts. bob had observed growing popularity among young people of new “rock ‘n roll” music , in 1954 convinced station management allow him 1 hour day new “fad.” “the 5:05 show” opened became familiar theme song thousands of kdth listeners – “the buck dance” david carroll’s orchestra, , transitioned 55 minutes of bill haley, little richard, elvis , other top favorites of day. became popular program on air , music format of station adapted include more “rock” in deejay programs. kdth top 25 survey published each week based on actual record sales @ stampfers, roshek’s, reniers , several other stores selling both 78 , new 45rpm singles. bob checked juke box plays @ popular teen gather places “the goats” , “the q.”

bob gribben dubuque dick clark philadelphia. sunday morning “top 25 countdown” got teens church services wouldn’t miss 9:30-12n show culminated in #1 song of week. during each show he’d play new releases came in during week. and, since bob rate them on how believed they’d on charts, became “gator, record rater” in teen slang of era.

teen dances of 50s held @ school gyms , featured swing combos or big bands favored teachers , parents. live bands playing teen music few in number until later in decade bob started promoting teen dances records on weekend evenings throughout tri-state area. “the bob gribben kdth teen hops” attracted hundreds of fans whether held in dubuque, dyersville, galena, platteville, mineral point, or community kdth heard. “gator” took along portable recording equipment , interviewed teens @ dances. these interview became sunday afternoon re-broadcasts recreated fun , excitement of dance in attendance , wished were.

in winter months he’d broadcast live on saturday afternoon allison-henderson iced rink. on summer afternoons he’d @ municipal pool, or promoting event dubuque water ski club. bob master of promotion , community relations.

after deciding leave radio in 1970s hired john deere dubuque works media producer. moved headquarters in moline continued working more 20 years. retired florida in 1992, , died there on september 19, 1999. buried in mt. cavalry cemetery in dubuque, iowa.

bob gribben , fellow kdth radio personality gerald red mcaleece cousins.