"Tom and Robin" (Tom Bock and Robin Morales) of KMXB (alias "The Mix," 107.5, FM) did some mixing in Hollywood last month at Universal Studios in Hollywood during the grand opening of the new $60 million "Back to the Future" ride.
KMXB was one of about 30 U.S. radio stations broadcasting from the event, and Tom and Robin even took a microphone along as they went on the 41/2-minute ride based on the movie trilogy.While doing the Hollywood broadcasts, the KMXB morning team also had NBC's Jay Leno live on the air, as well as other celebrities and celebrity look-alikes.
- SUNSTONE ON THE RADIO - KCPW (FM-88.3) will be broadcasting the Sunstone Symposium live, Aug. 12-14. The broadcasts, from the Salt Lake Hilton, will begin at 8:45 a.m. each day - with 15-minute breaks between speakers - and will continue until 6:15 p.m. each day.
In explaining KCPW's decision to broadcast the conference, Blair Feulner, general manager, said he believes it's good programming.
"KCPW is an educational radio station, and we believe the topics covered by the scholars at the conference have a wide appeal to both LDS and non-LDS listeners," he said.
This public radio station, a Salt Lake version of Park City's KPCW, has been on the air with an all-news, National Public Radio format for the past seven months.
- RADIO LEGEND DIES - Rex Wallgren, 74, of Bountiful, died July 30 from heart failure. He was a Utah State University journalism graduate and had a long radio career that started in the 1940s and included on-air positions at many prominent Utah radio stations. He was even a correspondent for the Deseret News for a time.
He was at KLO from 1949 to 1959, at KDYL/KCPX from 1959 to 1969, at KLUB from 1969 to 1971 and on KSL's "Nitecap" show from 1971 until 1976.
When KCPX-AM switched to rock music, he was the first deejay to play a rock record there. He also interviewed many celebrities during his career, including the Monkees, Jack Palance, Robert Redford and Phyllis Diller.
When he retired from commercial radio, he kept working harder than ever, doing readings for the blind through the Utah State Library Commission from 1976 to 1988.
Even when he retired from the Library Commission, he continued to be an occasional substitute for Bob Wall, his successor there. Wallgren also made recordings for the blind for the LDS Church of the standard works and of Spencer W. Kimball's books.
Wallgren's wife, Marion, said he really loved doing readings for the blind, though Parkinson's disease hindered him in later years. He made such recordings up until his death.
Wall described Wallgren as a classy guy whose broadcasting success never went to his head and who put his family first. He said Wallgren's work with the National Radio Reading Service put Utah on the map with that group.
Wall also said he plans to continue to play recordings of Wallgren's "Taking Time Out," inspirational readings for the blind, indefinitely.
- KSOP (FM-104/AM-1370) - Tim Hughes is back! No, not at KSL, but at Utah's traditional country music station - his old stomping grounds.
Hughes has been hired at KSOP to do programming and promotions and some on-air work. He worked at KSOP from 1979 to 1988 and said he's been welcomed back there with open arms.
Lest anyone think it's a demotion for Hughes to go from being the former morning co-host at KSL to KSOP, consider the following: KSOP is on a big upswing and is now the No. 3 rated station in Utah, behind KKAT and KSFI.
Hughes agrees KSOP is one of the most stable stations in the market.
"My hope is to be able to present ideas and implement promotions and programs to take KSOP to the next level of success," he said.
Hughes said he's purposely been low profile since being let off at KSL in March, but that his five years there was a great learning experience.
He also said that while he'll miss the friends he made there, he won't miss the "stressful, constant atmosphere of change and indecision that seems to be a continuing pattern for KSL Radio."
- KBZN (alias "The Breeze," FM-97.9) has hired Corey Lane as a new midday announcer (10 a.m.-3 p.m.), replacing Victoria Ames who left the station. Lane spent the past eight years at Logan radio stations.
In other KBZN news, the station is the sponsoring radio station at the Park City Arts Festival, Aug. 7-8. "The Breeze" will broadcast live from the bottom of Main Street from noon until 4 p.m. both days.
- The Sunday, Aug. 8, "Musical Starstreams" (8-10 a.m.) will feature Jason Joseph, while "Jazz Trax" (7 p.m.-midnight) will have guest Everette Harp. "Fourplay" (1991) will be on the show's "Archive Album" segment.
- Here's a schedule for the station's "7 O'Clock CD Show" next week:
Monday, Aug. 9: "Banba," by Clannad.
Tuesday, Aug. 10: "Soleil," by Ralf Illenberger.
Wednesday, Aug. 11: "Northern Lights," by Dan Siegel.
Thursday, Aug. 12: "Beyond Words," by Exchanges.
Friday, Aug. 12: "Goin' Uptown," by Images.
- MORNING RADIO HAPPENINGS - They may be the two most risque morning radio teams in town, but you can't knock the good deeds "Ron and Allen" of KBER and "Jon and Dan" of KLZX did Tuesday. "Ron and Allen" encouraged listeners to find a missing 4-year-old boy's wheelchair, and it worked. The chair was returned to the boy, and KBER listeners also donated $300 to the cause. Meanwhile, Jon and Dan raised $2,774 from listeners to replace the wheelchair in case it wasn't ever found. That money was given to the boy's family to repair the damaged chair and upgrade it . . .
"Fisher and Todd" on KISN-FM used five coins to predict fortunes of listeners Monday . . . In a Monday drawing, "McCormick and Scotty" of KUTQ gave away tickets, backstage passes to see Silk and have dinner . . .
The latest theme song for "Cano and Simmons" on KKAT used the music of the Mousketeers Club . . . Elizabeth from Provo got a rare three out of three questions correct in the "Flash or Trash" segment on the "Tom and Robin" show Monday on KMXB. Robin also does the news on sister station KUMT . .
"Gary and Mick" at KVRI did their last live evening broadcast in their series of Jiffy Lube promotions Thursday. But KVRI's A'me Kelly stole the spotlight Thursday morning when she pushed a Honda lawnmower south from 400 South State Street to see how far it could go on a tank of gas. It went to 4620 S. State or about 42 blocks. This was billed in Olympic style as the world-record Honda mower attempt. KRVI is also presenting a free "Hot August Nights" concert series every Friday this month, from 6-8:30 p.m. at the west side of Trolley Square. The Aug. 6 band is Idle Wild. . . .
"Mark and Danny" of KDYL will be on stage with Tom Jones at Snowbird Aug. 6. Each Monday these deejays give away a "Portrait of Your Love" to a lucky listener, and every day at 7:40 a.m. they have "The Anniversary Club."