Salmon broadcaster honored with lifetime award, now back where it began 64 years ago

SALMON — While most people eventually move on from their first job for good, Rockwell Smith did something few people do — he came back sixty-four years later.

After first stepping into Salmon’s only radio station, KSRA AM, as a high school student, Smith went on to build a long and accomplished radio career, doing everything from talk radio and spinning records to working behind the scenes as an engineer.

Now 80 years old, Smith is once again working full-time at the Salmon station, where it all began, and says he plans to stay as long as they’ll have him.

Recently, the Boise-based History of Idaho Broadcasting Foundation honored Smith with its annual Marty Holtman Lifetime Achievement Award, which recognizes individuals who have made significant, long-term contributions to Idaho broadcasting. The award represents a lifetime of dedication, leadership and impact on the state’s radio and television industry.

Smith said the honor came as a surprise and has prompted him to reflect on a fulfilling career that has come full circle, even as the world of radio has changed dramatically since his early days behind the microphone.

A Salmon boy discovers radio

A Salmon native, Smith said he has been fascinated with radio since he was 4 years old. When KSRA first went on the air in 1959, he began spending as much time at the station as he could.

By 1962, the 15-year-old Salmon High School student had landed his first on-air role as moderator and voice of “Radio Pow-Wow,” a student-produced school news program that aired every Friday afternoon for 15 minutes on KSRA.

“We were the Salmon Savages. That’s why it was called Radio Pow-Wow,” Smith said. “We talked about high school events, sports, clubs and what was happening at the school.”

The following year, Smith was hired part-time at KSRA, the first step in what would become a decades-long broadcasting career. At the time, the station operated as a “daytimer,” meaning it could broadcast only from sunrise to sunset to avoid signal interference. He hosted a show called “Platter Playtime” where he counted down the current Top Ten records.

“I worked from 4 p.m. to sign off on weekdays and every other Sunday from 6 a.m. to noon,” Smith said. “Everything was live. We had three turntables, two reel-to-reel tape players and a couple of microphones. That was it.”

A move to Montana

In 1964, Smith moved to Billings, Montana, when his father, the Rev. Donald Smith, was transferred there. Still bitten by the radio bug, he wasted no time applying to KMBY AM, a 1000-watt Top 40 station serving the greater Billings area.

“When I walked in to apply, I saw something in the hallway with lights, buttons and tape decks. I’d never seen anything like it,” Smith said. “The program director told me it was the station’s automation system. I was a bit intimidated.”

His persistence and eagerness to learn paid off. Smith was hired as a DJ, where he received a crash course in the station’s automation system and began learning the engineering side of broadcasting from station engineer Ted Hildebrand, who became his mentor.

Smith said his nearly four years at KMBY helped lay a solid foundation for his radio career. He has many fond memories of working there, including meeting country singer Lynn Anderson at the station’s fair booth and driving her around to show her the sights.

While working summer jobs for the U.S. Forest Service, Smith also worked for KASY, an easy listening station in Auburn, Washington. In 1967, while attending the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, he helped build KUPS, the school’s campus radio station, which went on the air in 1969. Initially limited to campus broadcasts, the station was later upgraded to a noncommercial FM signal and remains on the air in Tacoma to this day.

Back to the Gem State

Smith’s career eventually brought him back to Idaho, where in 1969 he worked as a DJ and chief engineer at KLIX radio in Twin Falls.

In October 1973, Smith landed a job in Boise at popular country station KBRJ-AM and its Top 40 affiliate, KBBK-FM. He later served as general manager of the stations for several years.

He also emceed local fairs and had opportunities to meet and interview rock and country musicians.

“My most enjoyable interview was with the country singer and comedian Mel Tillis,” he said. “The guy had a stutter, and he didn’t mind making fun of himself. I liked that. We laughed a lot, and he was one of the nicest people I’ve ever met.”

Over the next decade, Smith lent his expertise to other station owners across southwest Idaho, filing FCC applications and helping construct new facilities, including KYET-AM/KWBJ-FM in Payette. He returned to Boise’s KFXD AM/FM in 1995.

“I learned my job security was in engineering. That was my most valuable experience,” Smith said. “I had to go on top of the mountains and fix transmitters in the middle of blizzards. I had some close calls.”

In 2000, Smith joined the engineering staff of a six-station Boise group that included popular stations KTHI (“K-Hits”), album-oriented rock station KJOT (“J-105”), and alternative station KRVB (“The River”).

A full-circle return to KSRA

Smith retired from radio at the end of 2013 — or at least he thought he did. He and his wife moved back to Salmon in February 2015, and that October, he was hired back at KSRA.

“It was always my hope to maybe someday return home and be part of the local radio station once more,” Smith said. “When I came back to town, the station’s quality had declined. They needed my expertise, and I was excited to be part of the team again.”

Smith coordinated and supervised a complete overhaul of the station, rebuilding the studio, installing a new automation system and physically relocating the operation to a site about a mile away.

Smith said he misses the immediacy of live local radio but has learned to adapt to today’s digital, automated era, with pre-recorded segments, computer-scheduled playlists and voice-tracked shows.

While the broadcasting industry has changed dramatically over the years with technology and cultural changes, a few things at KSRA have remained constant.

“The call letters are the same, and our commitment to the community hasn’t changed,” he said. “We’re still closely involved with local events and our advertisers. Something that’s often lost with larger stations.”

Smith now serves as program director, music director, news director and chief engineer for KSRA-AM (960 AM), which features oldies and country classics from the 1950s through the 1990s. He is also chief engineer for KSRA-FM (92.7 FM in Salmon and 94.3 FM in Challis), which plays contemporary music from 2000 to the present.

Smith takes particular pride in keeping the station local and community-focused, delivering the best sound possible. He is also proud of the radio newcomers he has mentored through the years who got their start in radio under his guidance, many of whom have gone on to do great things in the industry.

“I always did my best, and the key to my success was this: Half of being smart is knowing what you’re not good at,” he said. “No one knows it all. If you don’t know something, find someone who will help. That’s how we learn.”