Old Walla Walla Radio Remembered

This shot of former Walla Walla Rock DJ, Dave "Rockin" Cochran of KTEL appeared in a recent addition of the city's paper, the Walla Walla Union-Bulletin. It was from a column by Sara Van Donge about radio from the past, my cousin Burl Barer was also mentioned. The Gallery was a department store in what was then (July 8, 1973), Walla Walla's brand spanking new Eastgate Mall.

 

 

Seatac Media Blog Covers Area TV And Radio

To those viewers and listeners who want to get the story behind the story, the Seatacmedia blog is a great place to visit.  If you heard it on radio or watched it on TV in the Seattle-Tacoma market, you will no doubt find it there.  It may be a little out of the Seatac area, but the blog picked up my story on the late Walla Walla DJ Dave "Rockin" Cochran.  Thank you blog editor Jason Remington and company for the recognition!

Walla Walla Teen Memories--The Hi-Fi Show

Contests and rock radio go hand in hand, KTEL had a daily contest that was somewhat unusual.  The Hi-Fi Show, I remember from 1970 on.  Hosted usually by Dave "Rockin" Cochran, it started with the Coca Cola jingle (it's the real thing).  Then Cochran would introduce the show and instruct everyone that a Hi-Fi card was needed to play.  For those too young to get a driver's license or a credit card, the Hi-Fi card was a must have for the wallet.  Each card had a number, many cardholders still incredibly remember their number.  My first was 1572-B.  Cochran would tell the listeners how to get the card.  The KTEL offices "high atop the Book Nook Building". Back then, KTEL had a downtown office and studio, while the transmitter and tower were on 2nd and Tietan, the night broadcasts were at the transmitter site.  The contest was usually to name the song and the artist of a song that he played.  When someone would get a correct answer, Cochran would cut in on the record and say "No more calls please, we do have a winner"  The winner would get a six pack of Coca-Cola, but I think some people just enjoyed getting their name on the radio.

Union-Bulletin Does Feature On Late Walla Walla DJ

Annie Chernley Eveland wrote a full page piece on Dave "Rockin" Cochran in the Walla Walla Union Bulletin, bringing back memories to Walla Wallans coming of age when he dominated the town's evening airwaves, some excerpts...
"WALLA WALLA — The sound of a prop plane roaring in for a landing at the Walla Walla Airport opened the 1970s Night Flight radio show hosted by local rock ’n’ roll DJ Dave Herbert Cochran, recalled Richard “Rich” Greenwood, who as a teenager caught his broadcasts. Cochran died Nov. 27.

Burial was Friday at Pine Grove Cemetery in Hood River, Ore.

Variously known on air as “Rockin’ Cochran,” “Dynamic Dave” and “Sebastian,” among others, the Hawaiian shirt-clad Cochran was part of area radio activity from the late 1960s into the 1970s. He died at age 62, shortly after Thanksgiving, and was found at his Walla Walla home at 11 E. Chestnut St., said Greenwood, the Walla Walla County coroner.

Despite being a bit of a loner, Cochran reached thousands over the airwaves. Some of his first audience was captive.

It started in his early teens when he built a transmitter. He lived near the Washington State Penitentiary and had a pirate radio station in his basement with a six-block range. “His broadcasts hit the pen and inmates listened to him,” Greenwood said"

The article continues to speak of his KTEL days as well as after radio life in the town he loved.  There were rememberences from family and friends as well as excerpts that I provided from this blog. 

Walla Walla Radio Legend Cochran Dies

Word has been received that former Walla Walla Rock DJ Dave "Rockin" Cochran has died.  Cochran worked for KTEL in the late 60s and early 70s when the station played Rock and Roll at night.  At the time, employees at KTEL were basically "day laborers", the full timers would put in an 8 hour regular shift while taping programs off the network feeds, cutting commercials, etc for a seemingly laughable wage, all in hopes of getting the big break.  For Rockin' Cochran, being on KTEL seemed to be all that mattered. To the listeners, he was bigger than life, to the management,  from what I've pretty much heard, he was a major headache.  His talent and rebellious spirit came really came across on the air.  Much of the music that I've come to love over the decades was introduced to me by listening to Rockin' Cochran. 
Cochran was let go from KTEL towards the mid 70s, he did voice over  commercials on the local cable TV channel and even a Yakima/Tri Cities station before reappearing again in the summer of 1976 as a rock DJ on KUJ, which had recently been purchased by out of town interests, it was a short lived engagement as management there grew weary of Cochran's free form ways. 
Dave Cochran may be gone, but former Walla Walla teens who wanted to be part of the scene, decades ago will never forget him.