TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) — A century ago, on his death bed, University of Arizona star quarterback John "Button" Salmon uttered the now famous words "tell the team to bear down."
Salmon died the next day. Many Tucsonans likely learned that devastating news listening to the only radio station at the time.
KGAR, Tucson's first radio station, signed on the air 100 years ago.
"I played the first Beatles record in Tucson, January of 1964," Ray Lindstrom exclaimed.
Lindstrom is a veteran of radio and television in Tucson. From a disc jockey at KTKT radio, to an announced right here on KGUN 9, Lindstrom has done it all.
Now, he's become an expert as we celebrate a century of radio in the Old Pueblo.
"This is the 100th anniversary of radio in Tucson," said Linstrom. "It all started in 1926 with one little old radio station. We were a little bit late for some reason. Tucson. you know, we have a habit of being a little bit late with things."
KDKA radio signed on in Pittsburgh in November of 1920. A couple of years later, Phoenix had two radio stations.
Tucson finally has its first radio station on July 10, 1926.
"It was a little radio station," said Lindstrom. "It was KGAR. I never could figure out what those call letters meant. Maybe Great Arizona Radio or something like that."
For the centennial celebration of radio in Tucson, Lindstrom has put together a presentation he shares with groups in Southern Arizona.
He points out that KGAR was started up 100 years ago by the Tucson Citizen newspaper.
"If you subscribe to the Citizen you knew all about this radio station," explained Lindstrom. "If you subscribed to the Star, which was the other newspaper in town, you didn't know anything about it."
The Tucson Citizen would promote it's daily lineup in that day's edition. In 1926, the broadcasting day was limited according to Lindstrom.
"Everything that went out over airways had to go into the microphone. You couldn't play records in those days."
So, the broadcast day was only a few hours long and everything was live.
"Somebody talks or they sing or they play a musical instrument," Lindstrom said. "That's it."
In 1926, not many people had a radio to listen to KGAR. The Tucson Citizen run advertisements for stores that sold radios.
"And hey would cost anywhere from 65 to $100," said Lindstrom. "In 1926, that was a lot of money."
Eighty-five dollars in 1926 is the equivalent of $1,600 dollars today.
Lindstrom says a year and a half in, the Tucson Citizen realized they couldn't make any money off of KGAR. So they sold it.
"And who did they sell it to?" asked Lindstrom. "They sold it to a local gas station and they sold it for 10 bucks, sold for 10 dollars to a local gas station if you can believe that."
By 1941, KGAR's call letters were changed to KTUC, which still operates today as a conservative talk station in Tucson.
Lindstrom points out that radio has changed dramatically in Tucson over the last 100 years.
The advent of TV in the early 1950s dealt a blow to radio. But top 40 stations like KTKT in Tucson thrived.
"The radio stations that were the big, big ratings getters, they were the ones that played the hits," Lindstrom said. "I was affiliated with the greatest radio station ever in Tucson, which was KTKT 990 on the dial."
After that, FM radio came along and dominated because of it's better quality for music.
Today, there's satellite radio, the internet, and podcasts.
"All the media has changed so dramatically," said Lindstrom. "Not just radio, but newspapers, magazines, television. Dramatic changes as you know."
But in Tucson, electronic media can trace its roots back to the first radio station 100 years ago, KGAR, and its Absolutely Arizona legacy.
——-
Pat Parris is an anchor and reporter for KGUN 9. He is a graduate of Sabino High School where he was the 1982 high school state track champion in the 800 meters. While in high school and college, he worked part-time in the KGUN 9 newsroom. Share your story ideas and important issues with Pat by emailing pat.parris@kgun9.com or by connecting on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
