by John Dowd
Recently, the valley lost one of the greats in radio, often dubbed “The Voice of the Bitterroot.” Steve Fullerton, former popular voice on the local radio station KLYQ, has retired. As he steps out, a new studio owner is taking the reins, as KLYQ was purchased by Anderson Broadcasting last year. So, where does that leave the station and what does the former voice plan on doing now?
Many locals who have been long term listeners to the station may be glad to hear that neither will be going away completely, and both plan on exciting future projects in the valley.
Fullerton started his career with a high school internship at KLYQ in 1969. To him, that was really the ticket that got him started. “Being able to work while I was in high school was really an amazing thing,” said Fullerton. Since then, he pursued a degree in journalism at the University of Montana, and even did a short stint as editor of the Ravalli Republic newspaper. However, radio kept calling his name and so he always found himself bound as a broadcaster. Throughout his radio career he has won several broadcasting awards and has presented everything from college radio to news, sports, music and more. He has been a station programmer, has done interviews and live news releases and has even recorded a live radio drama.
Fullerton now also holds the title for the longest employee of the KLYQ station, having worked there for 50 years. The previous longest was George Solander, who stayed there for 40 years and was considered the previous “Voice of the Bitterroot.” Solander was an important figure for Fullerton, and a man Fullerton looked up to and attempted to use as a broadcasting role model.
Fullerton said that throughout his career he has had the privilege to meet so many interesting people, and that is a big part of why he stayed with the job. “People who are drawn to radio seem to be fun, easy to work with, people,” he said. He also talked about his love for the community. “Local community connection is what I am going to miss most.”
Fullerton believes that connection is the key to radio’s future. “We need to keep radio involved!” he said. Fullerton expressed that the power in radio comes from being involved in the community, being there in person and involving the community in the broadcasts. In fact, one of the things that has kept the station involved in the community most has been sports. “Sports coverage has probably kept KLYQ alive,” added Fullerton.
KLYQ is the only station in the valley with its broadcasting studio located there. Other stations may cover the Bitterroot with their broadcasting range. However, their operations are based in other areas around the state and the country. Having one’s station within the area in which they broadcast used to be a requirement by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). This is no longer the case, and since then, many studio conglomerates have formed, buying up stations all over the country. KLYQ was one of these that was purchased. After changing hands several times, it ended up in the hands of Anderson Broadcasting, out of Polson.
According to Fullerton, the owners of Anderson Broadcasting share his vision for radio’s success. Anderson Broadcasting owns 11 other stations, mostly throughout western Montana. The stations they own include numerous genres in their broadcasts, and much of what they try to feature is local content.
When the company bought the station, they planned on keeping Fullerton. However, nearly a year later, Fullerton decided it was time to retire. “We were very sad to see him go,” said Dennis Anderson, owner of Anderson Broadcasting. Fortunately, said Anderson, Fullerton has offered to keep himself available to the company for advice and guidance.
According to Anderson, he and his wife, Nyla, started the broadcasting company, and have tried to keep their stations as local as possible. Dennis explained that locality is deeply important to them.
In this endeavor for KLYQ, there are some new projects on the horizon to get more involved with the community. The company is partnering with Northern News Network, out of Billings, which covers strictly Montana news. Soon, they will broadcast two to three minute newscasts up to six times a day. According to Dennis, though he loves national news, they want to bring more things that locals will be interested in. The broadcasting company has also become part of the Bitterroot Chamber of Commerce, and they are constantly working to further their engagement with the community. Anderson Broadcasting is also looking to hire more people from the valley to keep KLYQ even more local.
“I have always been the kind of person that believes in community service,” said Dennis, “which is what Steve did really well – having that community connection.”
When asked if there will be a new “Voice of the Bitterroot,” Dennis’s response was interesting. As of this week, there is no one available to take on the mantle. However, the plan for the station is to look to “refill that void.”
As for Fullerton, he is optimistic about the future of radio in the valley, and in general. He believes there are several avenues radio may take to stay alive. When asked about the internet, Fullerton said, “Hand in hand, they can live together,” considering radio and the internet. Fullerton spoke about radio and video snippets posted online on various radio news stations, and how that is already positively affecting generated interest from the public. “Guys that thought they were going to be radio broadcasters using their voices are realizing they need a little bit of journalism skill, and that’s something they are going to have to adapt to,” added Fullerton.
He was also optimistic about podcasts, explaining that listeners have “the option to either listen live, or after the fact, when you have time to do it.” However, added Fullerton, “Radio is free, and that’s one of the keys to its popularity.” He believes subscription services are a mistake, and that “local advertising is the key.”
As to where it is all going, Fullerton said, “That answer is being developed as you and I are talking.” Fullerton explained how technology is always changing and new technology “seems to hide what came before.” However, he believes radio will be around for a while yet.
As to Fullerton’s future, he is extremely active in the community, and plans to continue this involvement. He is also excited to announce his interest in working with the Ravalli County Museum. He is interested in going through old recorded reels the station has from the early days of valley radio. Members of the museum have shown an interest in helping display the recordings for the public to access. In that way, maybe one day soon, residents of the valley will be able to again hear Floyd Cramer’s “Last Date,” which was one of the original sign-off tunes of the station. According to Fullerton, many long-time locals remember returning to the valley at night to the tune and thinking, “I’m home.”
More information about the radio station can be found at www.KLYQ.com and comments on broadcasts and station subjects directed towards Anderson Broadcasting can be sent to the email, info@andersonbroadcasting.com.