Seattle Radio: Pat O’Day To Host Race Special

O'Day (Seattle Times photo)

UPDATE 4:45PM MONDAY 6/24/13:  The voice of Seafair Sunday won't be silenced after all. Just one day after word surfaced Channel 7 decided to drop him from television coverage of the annual hydroplane races, Seattle broadcast legend Pat O'Day has agreed to host a one-hour hydro race special during Seafair weekend on KIRO Radio 97.3 FM.

O'Day has broadcast hydro races in Seattle on radio or TV for 45 years. He has also served as an ambassador for the sport since the early days of the singularly Seattle institution.

He'd been part of a team featuring anchor Steve Raible and former hydro racer Chip Hanauer on KIRO TV (no affiliation with KIRO Radio) since 2005. Once word got out KIRO TV chose to drop him from the broadcast, KIRO Radio's Ron and Don Show got in touch with the legend and convinced him he must be heard on Seafair weekend.

"Pat is a Seattle broadcasting legend, and we're really excited to share his longtime experience being the voice of Seafair on our airwaves," said KIRO Radio personality Don O'Neill. "Pat talking about the hydros has been a part of our community for many years and we're not ready for that to end."

Earlier Posting...

Seattle radio legend Pat O'Day says he's been dropped from broadcasting the annual Seafair hydroplane races for the first time in 45 years, and his fans have taken to social media with anger and disbelief, according to The Seattle Times. 

On the phone Friday, Pat O’Day sounds good, says he feels great and is eager and ready to broadcast what would be his 46th year of Seafair hydro races either on radio or TV.

But that run is over for the Seattle radio legend, now 78. Back in the day, O’Day commanded 40-shares in drive on KJR-AM.

Sorry, he has been told, you’re not going to be part of this summer’s KIRO-TV hydro broadcast team.

As to why O’Day is gone, well, somewhere there should be a Google Translate app for management speak.

Says KIRO Managing Editor Jake Milstein, “We’ll have all the hydro coverage like we do every year. We’re planning a lot of new things for this year. I think people are going to be very excited.”

He also says, “Pat is a great guy. We’re revamping the broadcast to make it better.”

In the modern world of broadcasting, in which TV stations are owned by out-of-town corporations, the value of a Pat O’Day is not particularly recognized, says Dave Williams, executive director of the Hydroplane & Raceboat Museum in Kent.

KIRO-TV is part of the Cox Media Group, based in Atlanta, whose holdings include 14 broadcast TV stations, a local cable channel, 57 radio stations and eight daily newspapers.

Says Williams about O’Day and hydros: “Seafair without Pat O’Day would be like Kentucky Fried Chicken without the Colonel.”

Although KIRO-TV has the television rights to the Seafair race that culminates on Aug. 4, a Sunday, the radio rights are with Sandusky Radio Seattle.  The race will be broadcast on one of its AM stations, 1150 KKNW.

But, says Marc Kaye, general manager for the stations, its plans for broadcasting the race have already been made.

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