Nothing against Tulsa's fair, because I think it's great, but you can pretty much see everything in a day.

With the OKC fair, you could probably see everything in 2 days if you went there early in the morning and left late at night.

I haven't been in probably 7 years, but I too have heard that there has been a decline in it recently. Too bad.

Probably the only time of year that, for me, all common sense regarding what I should or should not consume goes out the window.

Can't wait for the fried Twinkies and fried cheese on a stick.

I still miss going to the OKC State Fair. You're talking 7 large buildings full of display booths. There's the International Building (featuring an inflatable dome roof), the Kitchens of America Bulding (all of your cooking shows are here), and the Made In Oklahoma Building (self explanatory).

If you attend the annual Texas-Oklahoma football game at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, I believe your ticket includes admission to the Texas State Fair, as the Cotton Bowl is located in Fair Park. The Texas State Fair is always considered the largest fair. Sounds fun!

I just heard that OKC is charging so much to vendors that the fair is a shadow of what it once was. Is this true? (Later: no, it's not according to the 9/25/2003 Tulsa World.)

I just received a gift from a childhood friend of mine that I have not seen in over thirty years. It is the complete DVD set of Fireball XL5. Come on over and watch them with me. I'll have my special blend of popcorn and M&M's waiting.

When I watched this show in the early 60s, I thought that launching ramp was a little hokey, since actual rockets of the time launched straight up, but it is actually feasible to do it that way. The same method was used in the sci-fi movie, "When Worlds Collide".

"Fireball XL5" showed a lot of attention to scientific detail, which you might not have expected from a "Supermarionation" production.

The Tulsa State Fair starts tomorrow and we have a new TSF page here.

The expansive site in Pasadena, CA of the former church was sold recently, and at last report was to be developed into pricey homes and condos. Not sure what will happen to the highly-rated Ambassador Auditorium.

That's probably the Retro Tulsa Internet Museum from the Links page. The TTM Briefcase on Channel Changer 2 also has motel/restaurant pictures.

Anybody remember the short-lived rock format round-about 1970 on, I believe KRAV - "We Do Your Thing"? It was much more progressive than the Top 40 from KELI or KAKC, but didn't last, there just weren't that many FM radios among the target audience (teens-20's) back then. I still remember their sign-off "KRAV(?)- We DID Your Thing".

Had a friend in Bartlesville, Jim Frey, who did sound for a lot of different people in the area, including some work for Mazeppa, AKA Gailard Sartain. Still have the 45 of the Mazeppa Show theme song that Jim got for me. Ah, the good old days!

We never heard again of Garner Ted. But at 6am on weekday mornings (his shows were bicycled in on the bus from other stations) before the John Chick Show - he was topical, radical and sometimes (!) on the beam on the world. One of the more interestin' teevee 'vangelists of the '70's...

On November 1st, 2003, Leon Russell will be back in his hometown performing at the Cain's Ballroom. For more information, check out: www.cainsballroom.com.

Here's a fun online toy from AT&T Labs: Text-to-Speech Demo. Don't you go typing rude words into it! (at least not at the office)

A friend just sent this to me. It justifies my "writing style":

Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit pclae. The rset can be a total mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm.

Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.

amzanig huh?

It really is. Coney Islander still puts up completely scrambled famous quotations on a chalkboard for the amusement of customers. Even so, you can often sort it out pretty quickly. Alas, computers aren't yet as flexible as humans, so I'll continue to attempt letter-perfect coding behind the scenes of this site.

More on the one piece at a time Caddy with pictures.

Hey, thanks for the update, Cathie. Here's what we have on this site about Sasha.

Armstrong hit his stride in the 1960s and 1970s with "The World Tomorrow," which he did for his father's Worldwide Church of God (of Pasadena, California). However, he was forced out of that church in a power struggle in the mid-1970s. His father, Herbert W, Armstrong, declared Garner Ted to be "ex-communicated." Garner Ted lost no time in founding the Church of God International in Tyler, along with the Garner Ted Armstrong Evangelistic Association, in 1978.

I had no personal contact with the man; perhaps our older broadcasting "vets" did.

Many people do care, and that is very good news!

Cash did a novelty song called "One Piece at a Time," the story of a Dee-troit auto worker (one of Cash's first jobs, before the Air Force and music) who decided that GM wouldn't miss it if he slipped a part of one of those fine Cadillacs out of the factory every day so as to build himself one at home.

The joke was that it had a transmission from a '49, fins from '58, one headlight on the left, two on the right, and so forth, as a collection of parts from models over a 30 year career building Caddies.

A junkyard owner up in Miami, OK, who I think was named Bill Patch, actually cobbled one together, and invited Cash to come pick it up. It was a late Friday night story, but I thought it might be fun, so we steered Northeast up the pike, a trusty photog (maybe Jim Duggan?) and I. Dang, I wisht I 'membered better.

Anyhow, it was not much of a story, but Cash loved the car, and his smile lit up the junkyard, even as it approached midnight on a Friday night. I think he accepted the gift and it was on display for several years at the House of Cash near Nashville.

By that time, John R. Cash had exorcised--or at least gotten a rein on--many of the demons that had driven him to the edge of destruction so many times in the 50s and 60s, and looked--at least on one Friday night in Miami, Oklahoma--like a man very comfortable in his own skin.

Several years ago, I had a meeting with John Rollins, whose many businesses included the Orkin Pest Control empire, a huge truck leasing firm, and the Dover Downs racetrack, which was a big advertiser with my station. Rollins was in his mid-80s, but sharper than a tack. He was close to Johnny Cash, and had gotten him the plantation retreat in Jamaica that Cash spent many of his later years on. Rollins said that, of the many people he had met through his wealth and businesses, that John was a favorite because he treated everyone with respect and dignity from the bum in the street to the billionaire. Like Cash, Rollins had gone from poverty to great wealth, and like him, never forgot where he came from.

We were watching Peter Jennings' excellent homage to Johnny Cash on World News Tonight when we heard PJ say, "...Cash and his partners' 'boom-chicka-boom' sound started..." - 3 times. Bad edits at ABC in his narration track that made it to air.

John Ritter is being seen too much today with "Three's Company" clips - but others of us remember him from "Hooperman", also the 2 year run of a show that he did with Markie Post set here in DC ("Hearts Afire" with Billy Bob Thornton) and I forgot about his role in "Clifford the Big Red Dog". He did a lot MORE than playing "Jack Tripper".

Tonight I fed out an interview for Entertainment Tonight with Priscilla Barnes on John Ritter, she replaced Susanne Summers on "Three's Company". It was shot in DC. I was talking to the producer and she had no idea that Tex Ritter was related to John Ritter. TTM readers should see Lee Woodward's previous postings on the Ritters.

I just learned of the deaths of Johnny Cash and John Ritter. One was almost expected, the other was shocking.

It's kind of ironic that these are two individuals who have seen success, then a down period, and were having success again.

This has been quite a year for loss in the entertainment industry.

I just learned that in the new issue of Rue Morgue Magazine (focusing on horror in culture and entertainment), David's CD "Jethro Stull"was given a "5 skull" rating. Congrats, David.

One commercial I think not remarked on was the Oklahoma's Pride Meats that was a billboard sponsor on the Channel 6 10-O'clock news every Thursday Night. It started out "Whether you say Boloney or Bologna.." to which Ken Ragsdale would always interject "it's still lips and ears."

Thursday night was always billboard night when I produced at 6...besides Oklahoma's Pride, there was Mid-America Savings, Coors, and somebody else--maybe Evans Furniture Revolution? Mike Grant, who did the voice at 6 in the mid-late 70's and later wound up as a GM in the Belo chain, had to get breathless to get all those billboards into 20 seconds.

On a sadder note, the Sept. 11 anniversary passed up here. I won't repeat my story, since I recounted it a day or two after the fact, and it's available in the guestbook archives for those who care. Compared to some of our neighbors, it's both mild and tame. For a lot of folks, including yours truly, a whole lot of water has gone under the bridge in 730 days, but remembering those whose loss is permanent means our own situations get into perspective and, more important, that we haven't forgotten.

Not bad for a guy who didn't see most of those commercials.

Growing up in OKC, I do remember the OTASCO commercials, but I managed to get one of those wrong.

Here is a recent photo sent by Carl ("Uncle Zeb") Bartholomew (on the right). Bob Hower (left and below) sure likes to fly those yellow planes! That looks like a lot of fun...makes me want to go buy a "Sleek Streek" balsa wood plane and wind that long rubber band into double knots.

Bob in one of Carl's "8's The Place" spots in the 1970s.

But returning to on-air antics at KTUL Radio during its waning days: One memorable break-up attempt came while I was reading a serious story about a civil rights demonstration in the South. A voice attempting a heavy ethnic dialect, barked over the intercom: "You're doing a great job, man.” I looked up and was astounded to see a figure in a white robe, complete with a cone on his head, waving a burning torch.

Reporters with bad information occasionally are “burned” on a story. But the expression took on new meaning when, inspired by the clansman’s burning torch gag, another fiery prank nearly backfired. While running the control room board, I decided to make the newscaster believe he was about to be consumed by fire. I placed some wadded AP copy into several ashtrays, scattered throughout the control room. The paper was then soaked in lighter fluid, and ignited. I turned out the lights and sounded like a siren over the intercom. The newscaster nearly jumped out of his skin. When he looked up, the prank victim thought he had become an eyewitness to what KAKC News would have described as a control room conflagration. Unfortunately, the prank worked a little too well. Flames leaped higher than anticipated lapping at the ceiling before the stunt was brought control. No doubt, if the Turley Fire Department had responded, we would have made embarrassing news.

Some pranks were a little more "high tech." Les Parsons hosted a show aptly named "More Music and Les Parsons." Les liked to tinker with equipment, running tapes of newsmakers backwards at high speeds and then editing the tape into amusing sounds bites. Using this technique, he once made Dwight Eisenhower say the “F” word. (I know, most of you have only read about Ike in history books.)

However in his crowning achievement, Parsons looped a single tape through two recorders. One machine recorded off-the-air and the other played back with a short delay before repeating the process. When Les began recording off-air and playing back, the results were startling. When I said, "Good evening, this is Mike Miller reporting," one second later the "Good evening” was repeated on-the-air in two voices. “What’s going on?” I asked on-the-air. A second later it was four Mike Millers reporting and two voices saying, “What’s going on?” Soon it was a room full of my voice, repeating everything I said and multiplying at the same time. No doubt, it sounded strange to listeners. But by that time, bizarre had become normal at KTUL Radio, soon to become KELi.

The loss of Warren Zevon to lung cancer should be a sobering reminder of what can be accomplished by long-term smoking. It's sad to see such a talented person die of such ridiculous circumstances. He'll be missed.

Also, today is election day in Tulsa county. The much-debated Vision 2025 proposal is on the ballot. If you are a Tulsa county resident, please get out and vote, no matter where you stand on the issue. Let your voice be heard. If you don't vote, and the results don't go the way you want, you have no right to complain!

I grew up in the Tulsa area, and used to listen to Johnny Martin every time he was on. No one had a voice like his - I can STILL hear him passing the station on to Bob Lafitte...

Seems like I remember him being on the air when the tornado cut through Tulsa in the early 1970's - my parents had built a home south of 101st & Memorial (waaaaaay out there in those days!), and I had climbed up on the roof and was watching the storm until my mom came out, found me, and ordered me down. :( ...I went in and listened to the KRMG, and I really seem to remember hearing Johnny Martin - can anyone verify this?

Oh - I also remember when 71st & Memorial was a two-lane highway in the country. The only thing out there that I can remember there was a two-story diner/gas station on the west side of the road just north of the intersection - it was green, as I recall.

Remember listening to the great Johnny Martin, Tulsa's Midnight King, as he used to hand it off at 1AM to Bob Lafitte for Laffitte's Inn.

Check out the Johnny Martin page on this site.

When did the move to the transmitter site occur?

Gary pointed out that early on, Jack Morris did occasional newscasts on KTUL Radio via a telephone line from Lookout Mountain, so I wonder if there had been plans to consolidate both operations there. And the sales office never really moved from Boulder on the Park, but was housed on Utica Avenue near St. John’s Hospital.

Another point Gary mentioned: KTUL Radio (1430) went directional at night and had to have an engineer on duty, perhaps additional evidence of a cost-cutting move.

Nice Biography on cable about Tulsan Jennifer Jones this week. We have so many famous folks from the area. Yesterday, I drove by to see Mickey Mantle's old house in Commerce, which is right next to Steve Owen's hometown, Miami. I noticed they are building a Mickey Mantle museum.

I found out from my father-in-law that his brother Grady worked for KAKC way back when at the transmitter site. Grady is gone now but I was wondering if any of the old KAKC crew knew and/or remembered Grady.

I can't tell you about anything in Fort Smith; that's another world away from here in Fayetteville. If Mike M. lands in Fort Smith, take the 45-minute drive up I-540 and you'll also find an AQ Chicken House in Fayetteville. You don't need to go to Springdale.

Also in Fayetteville, check places such as Jose's and Ozark Brewing Co. on Dickson Street and Uncle Gaylord's near the square. Fayetteville's newest sensation is Ella's restaurant inside the Inn at Carnall Hall, a century-old building on the U. of Ark. campus that was once a women's dorm, which was just remodeled into an upscale hotel. In Tontitown, Mary Maestri's has great Italian if you want a formal white tablecloth atmosphere. A half mile away is the Venetian Inn for old-style red-checked tablecloths and nothing formal.

Dick Gephardt was here doing a closed circuit to Las Vegas and a meeting that he had to skip - due to a vote on the Hill. Was talking to his staffer - a kid from Little Rock - and asked him where was the Secret Service entourage? He chuckled and said - "hey - it ain't even the real campaign yet!"...

Gephardt had been up continuously since 4am today our feed was 9pm-9:40pm. He had to go back to his Hill office after his broadcast.

Marlyn Johnson, a charter Romper Room teacher in the Winston-Salem area, contributed material that became a new Romper Room in Tulsa page. Brewster's Toys were remembered, and there was some OKC TV talk.

Mazeppa dropped in to say that he liked Lowell's new CD (see the Bulletin Board).

It's all in Guestbook 145.