Does not seem like it was almost 50 years ago. At KMTH Armed Forces Radio and TV Midway Atoll, there were three or four Navy Journalists who manned the TV and radio stations. Midway is some 1,200+ miles to Honolulu. I am sure our low power AM station did not reach the Hawaiian Islands.
In those days, our only connection to the outside world was spotty short wave radio and the AP or UPI news bulletins. Twice a week a flight from Hickam Air Force base would bring supplies, mail, and our boxes of TV shows (months, some years old from the states: M*A*S*H, All in the Family, etc.)
We would get fairly current news and sports programming on the forerunner of VHS tape. Major sporting events like the Super Bowl or Major League Baseball's All Star game we usually broadcast about a week after the actual event.
One of our DJs had earned the nickname Gramps. He was a few years older than me, but had one of those faces that made him look much older than we were. Gramps was a wonderful DJ who loved to play country music. I actually learned to appreciate Buck Owens, Conway Twitty, Tammy Wynette and other such country singers because it was fun to listen to Gramps spin the discs. He was good and obviously took great pleasure in his skills and love of music.
Before I went on the air the first time on what was then an afternoon DJ on KMTH-AM, Gramps gave me the nickname from this song since he knew I was going to follow his morning or midday show with rock'n'roll. In fact, he introduced me to the islanders with the song:
"He rocks in the tree tops all day long
Hopping and a-bopping and singing his song
All the little birdies on Jaybird Street
Love to hear the robin go tweet tweet tweet..."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6yGhe2gQxw
Although, it was likely the Jackson Five version.
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