DesMoinesBroadcasting.com

18 Year Old Bob Briggs
KRNT Afternoon Drive 1969

Bob Briggs, age 18 at the time, in 1969 was given the assignment of PM drive on KRNT-1350. He was, for sure the youngest afternoon drive personality in the Des Moines market at that time and may have the record for all time. Bob had started at KFMG at the age of 14, worked at KSO and later joined KRNT, learning and doing a host of duties in the TV and radio station.  Bob's interest in radio started in his early teens andhad his own professional transcription cutter at his home for cutting acetate discs, used extensively in radio in earlier years.

 

 

 

 


Bob doing his show in studio A


KRNT had a sizable music library at that time


During some shifts, Bob worked in the KRNT master control, usually manned by union engineers

 

Details on master control provided by Bob

a. 16-inch Gates turntable, with a up/down push-button on/off switch that was a wing-span 'reach' as I'm doing in the picture. Not normal Gates tone arm.

b. 12-inch RCA two-speed turntable with a 12-inch arm and a 'pop-up' 45rpm adaptor built in to the speed control. RCA tone arm.

c. Ampex 351 10.5 inch reel-to-reel far left aft rack, running at 7.5 or 15 IPS.

d. Series of 2x Magnecorders one in aft rack, another to the console's left.

e. Right side of the racks (behind) lived an Ampex 601 recorder.

f. In the aft rack between Magnecorder PT-6 and Ampex 601, lived the controls for the lighting of the infamous WEATHER BEACON atop the downtown KRNT TV tower, along with the thermometer that displayed the temperature, that we would display with those 2 large plastic 'numbered cards' and would read in reverse as a reflection in the glass between studios.

g. Below the Magnecorder on the console left, lived 3x Collins cartridge tape machines.

h. ElectroVoice EV-664 microphone. ONE of which lived in studio A, Master Control, and in Studio B as well. Studio B also had 2x Western Electric model #629A black ribbon microphones as well.

i. Ever faithful ever-present old 1940s RCA mixing board.


KRNT published program listing guide - 1968

Courtesy of Bob Briggs

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