Ron Moore
The Coke Show

by Michael R Dougherty
(California)

Remember Ron Moore and the Coke Show?

The following is from an interview with Anchorage DJ Ron Moore.

Anchorage Memories – Mike and Mary:

Ron, how did you get the idea for a call-in request and dedication show?


Ron:

I felt it would be fun to give the kids at home a chance to be heard on the air by making requests and dedications.

This resulted in many of them having nicknames. Later, when one of the few audience surveys that were taken back then was released, it gave yours truly the highest rating of my 37-year career. 72% of the people listening to the radio were tuning in to “The Coke Show” and more than 40 percent were above 18, which really shocked some folks back at the radio station that thought the only listeners were Teeny Boppers.

But it turned out many parents and others were tuning in to find out what their kids or siblings were doing by listening to them on the air and discovering there was a new boyfriend or girlfriend.

So, it really paid off and the advertisers like Coca-Cola, Sears, and Alaska Sales and Service were happy.

I have often felt that the Coke Show was successful largely because of all the various ingredients it had going on at one time or the other.

Occasionally, it felt like there were too many things happening at once.

Being live from the roof of a Drive In Restaurant, having dozens of cars in the parking lot honking their horns and being identified by names such as GTO Joe and T-Bird Tommy.

Having a live mic way out over the intersection, so I could pick up the sound of dual exhausts and tires peeling out.

Having local bands as a guest in the “Chicken Coop” to answer phones. Putting popular bands on either side of the roof on weekends and my spot ended up on the top of the chicken coop, playing all oldies on Sunday afternoon.


Anchorage Memories – Mike and Mary:

Ron, the small radio studio above the Bun Drive-in where the Coke Show was broadcast, was always referred to as the “Chicken Coop”, where did that name come from?


Ron:

To my best recollection, “The Chicken Coop” was how Ruby Westin referred to the broadcast booth a couple of times, and it stuck.

Ruby and Roy Westin built the original Bun Drive in on the SW corner of Northern Lights at Fairbanks Street, facing Northern Lights (Where the Office Lounge was located later)…

It was small with little parking. The broadcast booth was small too.

And it didn't take long for it to outgrow the location. So, a new and much larger Bun was constructed at the NE corner facing Gambell Street but open to Northern Lights looking across to the Sears Mall where parking spilled over from the Bun every so often.

The Westins sold to Ken and Bobby Haines and the broadcast booth was new and larger with room for a couple of guests.

The booth was also referred to as The Royal Roost (of course).


Anchorage Memories – Mike and Mary

A big thank you to the Royal Coachman himself, Ron Moore. Ron took the time to revisit his memories of The Coke Show. Remembering the Bun Drive-in and that special time when Anchorage tuned in to listen as Ron Moore played all the hits of the day, took our requests and read our dedications on the radio.

Listen to the Coke Show Again

Click on the following link:






Your memories of that special time, will live on right here on Anchorage Memories and these pages of Coke Show Memories.

Yours Free

Memories, Pioneers, and Alaska History

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