Does anybody remember when KWYO was the king of Sheridan media? I wistfully recall waking up to Eddy Arnold's Cattle Call and realizing that I had less than an hour to get going, including choking down my oatmeal with sugar, no milk, and tending to my brylcremed hairdo, admittedly teased into place with the help of two mirrors. But I was not alone in my vanity. I saw many of my fellow cool hair fanatics with various shapes held in place by wax, creme, or just plain generic oil based hair stuff. The flattopped weirdos drew my scorn. How could they leave the hair on the sides long, combed back, and the top absolutely flat like a plate? I had to have my waves and curls and D.A. Forget brushing the teeth. Wasn't time. Had to get the hair in place. Never mind that I had to wear corduroy pants 'cause my tapered pants were in the wash. Corduroy. Ohmigod, was there ever a fabric worse than that for a teenager in search of cool?

KWYO was on top of things. They fought off the tide of television, but even the best of their network shows went down the tubes. It was the only station one could get on the car radio in Sheridan during the day. They tried a teenage show in the late 50s but it was lame.

Mornings was a ritual of Eddy Arnold, Jim Carroll with the news, the Three Suns playing their melodies, then Gordon Williams with Boyd's Party Line, Phone Fun with plenty of prizes for the in-town ladies with the right questions and the out-of-town ladies with the right answers.

The highlight of that show was when my voice teacher Gordon laughed like a mule in heat. It was a laugh unlike any other ever heard on the radio, a raucous braying followed by a giant sucking sound as if a car vacuum was choking on an orange. Then later in the day Bill Thompson had a show called P.M. where he read poetry between string ensembles. His voice sounded like dry gunnysacks rubbing in the closet, but his diction was flawless.The broadcast day ended with Bob Wilson's Concert Hour, actually a college class in music appreciation disguised as one hour of symphonies and stuff. I knew he loved the music because I sang for a long time in his choirs. Would it surprise you to know that I actually remember hearing the World Series on KWYO in the eighth grade in Burke White's shop class? Or General Douglas MacArthur's farewell speech to Congress, the "Old Soldiers Never Die" speech? Or Bob and Ray, Baukhage Talking from Washington, Fulton Lewis, Jr., and Paul Harvey? Rocky Marciano defending his title? I also remember Buster Brown, "Plunk your magic twanger, Froggie," Bobbie Benson and the B-Bar-B Riders, and Sky King.

Radio was as much a part of my growing up years as my own family. Today I listened to Bob James on my Apple G4 and fiddled with digital video on a flat 22-inch LCD monitor and talked on my Verizon cell phone and this missal is being typed on my Compaq on AOL: yet they can't compare with the impact radio had on my life in the 1950s. It must have been like the Indians first recognizing in the puffs of tumbleweed smoke above the mesa the message,

"Ugh, Change is in the wind." Bob Wakefield, Class of '57

Bob,

I enjoyed your reminiscences. I remember all the excitement in Sheridan when the new KWYO radio station first broadcast. I always thought 10,000 people was a pretty big city, but having our own radio station proved it. I remember my mother's disgust when she had a number of women in for a social afternoon, and several of them broke off conversation mid-sentence to tune in Ma Somethingorother (I think that was the one). I offered to go to the basement and unscrew a fuse, but she thought not.

There were other popular soaps: Vic and Sade, As the World Turns, Myrt and Marge, Seth Parker and I guess my halfs-heimers just kicked in. Can't think of others.

Sundays was Harry Emerson Fosdick, The Shadow, Amos and Andy, and Gang Busters. When I was a young child mornings I always enjoyed Billy Jones and Ernie Hare. I think their show was only 15 minutes of banter and lively songs.

Kids had Little Orphan Annie and all those secret code rings etc. "Who's that little chatterbox? The one with pretty auburn locks? Whom do you see? It's Little Orphan Annie."

I was an adult before I realized the satire implicit in her foster father. And don't forget JACK ARMSTRONG -- the Aaaalll American Boy!

Eddy Arnold was about my age, so we missed him, but I enjoy him today. In high school I did not wake to radio, but I usually beat the alarm by from 15 seconds to a minute. Had to put it across the room to make sure I was awake. I often had to arise around 4 or 430 for my jobs.

Several have mentioned boys' hair. I slapped some kind of stuff on mine, and combed it just to get it out of my eyes. Never was fussy, although my father when young reached his front hair. Was he handsome! And talking of time spent on hair, how long do you suppose it took the young Absarokee warriors to do those fancy roaches on their hair? And their Brylcreme was probably Bearcreme(fat).

I liked cords. They looked good for fairly dressup wear, lasted like iron, and were not as expensive as dress slacks. My problem was that I never was much concerned about fashion or fad.

I am sure I have bored you to distraction -- "Why doesn't that fossil shut up??"

Have fun.

Milt Cunningham, 1941

For me, radio never died...maybe went into remission. I remember those evening shows--Fibber McGee, Jack Benny, Hit Parade especially, that huge family "The Barbors," complete with grandparents, parents, kids...a mild soap opera. Bob and Ray and a strange show starring Jack, Doc and Reggie and "Uncle Eugene." He wore sneakers, was a vague character who went on trips to the Himalayas, etc. How about "Mr. Keen, Tracer of Lost Persons?"

Fun also were the stations from Mexico...Clint, Texas...(See-el-ah- en-tee...the announcers spelled it. No kidding I heard them once advertise autographed pictures of Jesus. i liked listening to the sound of Spanish though I didn't understand it. Also listened to Grand Old Opry in grade school. In college first heard Elvis on the radio with his first record "Blue Moon of Kentucy." I'll have to get out my Elvis column... Radio lives, there's music in the world...

Mary Alice Gunderson, '57

My memories of the radio were when we were "cruising" Main street in the evenings and listening to KOMA in Oklahoma City in the evenings.

Sara Beck Wise "63"

Right on, Mary Alice! Do you remember the Bob and Ray spoof on Mr. Trace, Keener than Most Persons?

Jon brooder '58

I think "I Love a Mystery" was the one with the peregrinations all over the globe -- the Amazon, I think, figured heavily, with temples and endless caverns, complete with flapping bats.

Also, don't forget "Mary Backstage, Noble Wife", in the parody division.

Bob Hylton '51

You're bringing back memories. One of the most hilarious radio shows was the Jack Kirkwood show. We would never miss it.

el Viejo Milt Cunningham, 1941

I remember waking every week day morning to Eddie Arnold singing "Cattle Call". Well almost every morning. There was one morning, like every other morning Lois Tibbets would go to the kitchen to begin breakfast & turning the radio on was the first step. This was before the station opened or began broadcasting. Someone from the night before had evidently left everything in the studio on & when who ever it was that opened in the morning noticed this he started swearing. We all got out of bed quickly to see who was in the kitchen. Lois was standing there laughing.

Richard R. Heselius

The Ma somebody mentioned was Ma Perkins and Jack Doc & Reggie was I Love A Mystery. It was on the Mutual Network when I worked nights at the transmitter.

The serials and soap operas were not on KWYO but on KGHL. KWYO did not have network until much later when they went on Mutual. KGHL was about the only network station we could get in the daytime.

WYO was only 250 watts at first, then went to 500 watts and then 1000 watts daytime with a reduction after sundown.

Another commentator was Gabrial Heater, remember?

That Clint Texas station was one of the stations with transmitter in Mexico. Stations in the US were limited to 50,000 watts, but the station in Mexico could go 100,000 watts.

Another of those high power station I remember was XELO in Mexico. Sold all kinds of patent medicines to cure all your ills!

When KWYO started broadcasting the World Series games, they were a delayed broadcast from KGHL. We got permission to rebroadcast from the network and station, but didn't have tape recorder with long enough recording time. So our chief engineer put outriggers on our Bell recorder to take 18 inches of tape. Spliced tape from the 6 inch reels together to make up the length. The reels lay flat and had no top, so had to be careful that the tape fed smoothly. If not, you ended up with a pile of tape on the floor.

What a mess!

Don Huffaker '45