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The State of Broadcasting
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Bob Vallat introduces speaker Bill Yeend.
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Bob Vallat introduced Bill Yeend, a familiar radio voice and TV personality on KIRO for 30 years. Bill was born and raised in Eastern Washington and graduated from EWU at Cheney. He moved to Seattle in 1970 and began work as morning host on KIRO radio until his “retirement” in 2000. An ardent golfer, Bill always used to say that he could finish his radio shift at 9:00 a.m. and be on the course at 9:15.
“I left KIRO on my 54th birthday, with the intent of backing off from the daily grind. All I had to cover was my mortgage and green fees! But, after a year-and-a-half off, I found out that I really wanted to be working again. When the news was announced earlier that the Mariner broadcast rights had been purchased by KOMO, my ears perked up. I wanted to find out more.”
Bill also hosted a golf show that aired on several northwest TV stations for eight years. He gave a pitch for a sponsor from within the audience. The show features profiles of northwest golf courses. “All you need is $150,000 to cover production costs for 13 weeks of shows!” Peter Powell thought that Kim Shrader could sponsor – the “Armstrong Golf Show.”
Yeend (pronounced “Yend”) worked the room to begin his presentation. He personally greeted the two Students of the Month and the Rotary Exchange Student, praising them for their accomplishments. On to his topic, Bill said that broadcasting has changed a lot in the last dozen years. “When I determined that I was ready to return to the air, I knew I wanted to connect with a company that was serious about presenting the news. I found that KOMO is serious about its investment in the information produce, especially since acquiring the rights to broadcast the Mariners starting next season.”
Yeend mentioned the changes that have occurred recently as KOMO has sought to change its format from a series of syndicated talk programs to a “24/7 News format.” No longer is Pat Cashman doing the morning show, and Dr. Joy Brown and Laura Schlesinger have been cast aside.
“Having spent my entire broadcast career doing news, I wanted to know that KOMO was serious about their intentions. I was impressed that they mean business. KOMO has been a player in the area since beginning programming way back in 1926. Today, Fisher Broadcasting has 26 radio stations and 11 TV stations, all in the northwest. Baseball attracts a broad spectrum of the audience. Demographics also show that people will always gravitate to the market’s news station when they need information. That’s the goal of KOMO today.”
Bill’s shift begins at 2:00 p.m. each day and continues until 7:00 p.m. He has the shift that will immediately precede the Mariner’s broadcasts. KOMO’s bid to broadcast the Mariner’s games will play out over a 6-year contract.
When asked what it takes to be a broadcaster, Bill answered that a “curiosity about all elements of life is a good place to start. I’d recommend courses in political science and a good liberal arts degree as elements of a well-rounded broadcaster.”
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L-R: Dick Brown, Bob Vallat, Bill Yeend
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Discussing area golf courses, Bill was complimentary of Glendale, “especially with all the renovation going on here. My three favorite courses would be Loomis Trail, Indian Summer, and the Walla Walla Country Club.”
He closed by given a graphic description about two of the characters he worked with during his years at KIRO. “Paul Brendle and Wayne Cody were two of the best I ever worked with. Both passed away in the last year. The ‘Brendle effect’ was particularly interesting. When Paul would report a problem on the 520 bridge and recommend going to I-90, he had so many people listening that 520 would clear out. Knowledgeable drivers knew that 520 would be the best choice – we called it the ‘Brendle Effect.’ Paul also provided exciting radio when he crashed the KIRO Copter three times.“
In recognition of his presentation, Bill Yeend earned a certificate noting that the BBRC will donated 240 Doses of polio vaccine in his name in Rotary’s fight to eradicate polio from the earth.
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