January 20, 2005
Thursday

About 3 years ago, June Allen wrote a wonderful SITNEWS story about my friend, former Ketchikan Chronicle publisher and KTKN newsman Bill Baker. In her story June describes Bill's nightly newscasts and his down-home, folksy style, rarely seen on radio or TV newscasts in our era.

The other day I was going through a box of old tapes from my KTKN days, and found what I believe is the only remaining air-check of one of Bill's nightly "Totemland Topics" programs.

The program was recorded on June 19, 1973. Unfortunately, the last minute of the program is missing (the tape apparently ran out), but the program is pretty representative of all of Bill's programs over the years, and includes Bill's folksy commercials for several Ketchikan businesses no longer in existence.

To share perhaps the only existing recording of Bill Baker's program, I've posted it on the KFMJ website. You'll need RealAudio to hear it.

Click on this link: The Only known Air Check of Bill Baker - June 19, 1973 and enjoy one of Ketchikan's legendary personalities.

Bob Kern
E-mail: kfmj@alaska.fm
Ketchikan, AK - USA
Oldies Radio KFMJ

Related Story:

A Fond Profile: BILL BAKER by June Allen
April 23, 2002

 

 

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