4 April 2011 -- LATEST UPDATES
1) Ebay has Nitecap Record for sale. Auction ends April 10th. See:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=370498695219&ssPageName=ADME:B:SS:US:1123
"Gold Leaf Records # J-104 - The ballad Of Herb / Mr. Jepko & Nitecap Lullaby b/w The Nitecap Song by Don Ray - original pressing - fan club-type record honoring DJ & Radio Personality Herb Jepko (pioneered the syndicated late-night talk radio format) & his 1960's Nitecaps program.
Vinyl visually grades VG to VG+ w/ some very light scuffs & scratches. Labels show very light spindle wear. Cover shows light storage wear."
2) I'll be attending the NAB convention April 9 to 14 in Las Vegas. If you'll be there and would like to created a Nitecaps Meetup, email me at: drbuchman@gmail.com
3) Lots more to be announced later this month/early May -- including downloadable mp3s of all known Nitecap recordings, updates to this site, pdfs of issues of The Wick, updates to the Last Nitestand Page, and other incentives designed to encourage donations to the Herb Jepko Scholarship Fund.
31 March 2011
March 20, 1931 - March 31, 1995
There's Tinkerbell. . . . Rest in Peace Herb
20 March 2011
Today would have been Herb's 80th birthday. Thanks to everyone who has sent Birthday greetings, both here (nightynitecaps@gmail.com), and on Facebook.
Please support the scholarhip fund at the University of Utah (information below), and keep Herb, his family and Nitecaps everywhere in your thoughts and prayers.
And THANKS again to Rollye James and the terrific Nitecap Tribute Shows!
Joe
drbuchman @ gmail . com
Anwo
4 March 2011 -- Look for a complete site redesign/update later this month!
THANKS to ROLLYE JAMES for the terrific Nitecaps Tribute Show last night -- www.rollye.net
(If you missed the show, the mp3 of all three hours is available for downloading (3/3/11), along with the tribute show from 2/17/10, (plus other gems of the best of Rollye James!)) at
http://www.mystreamingserver.com/index.html
THANKS to Popular Communications Magazine (March 2011 edition) for the wonderful article on the Nitecap Show --
http://www.popular-communicati ons.com/pc_highlights/2011_pc/ 0311_pc/0311_pc_toc.jpg s(see page 76)
Join us on Facebook! Just send a friend request to Herb --
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000611370507
3 March 2011 Patsy, a spry 85 now, sends her "warm wishes and love to all Nitecaps everywhere."
She asked me to tell you:
"Those years were the best years of my life. Herb loved you all so much.
I am so tickled, and know Herb would be so very pleased, that those of you who were teenagers back then, still remember the show.
Please keep me, and please keep each other, in your prayers."
om
3 March 2011 == SCHOLARSHIP UPDATE ==
First University of Utah Herb Jepko Memorial Scholarship to be awarded to a student interested in Talk Radio in April 2012!!
The current value of the Scholarship fund in $8,995.00. Cindy and I have made a commitment to donate another $1,500.00 by May of next year. Under the University of Utah development center policies, a named scholarship must have at least $10,000.00 in principal. (Most have over $25,000.00). If you enjoy this website and were in some way positively impacted by Herb Jepko and the Nitecap show, then PLEASE, if you would, Donate to this scholarship fund:
Donations can be made via checks
made payable to "The University of Utah Scholarship Fund for Herb
Jepko" mailed to:
The University of Utah
Development Office
201 President's Circle, Room 304
Salt Lake City, UT 84112
or by credit card:
800 716-0377 (801 581-6825 in the SLC area)
or via the University of Utah's secure website:
https://umarket.utah.edu/development/form.tpl
(Type "Herb Jepko Scholarship Fund" under the option
for, "If none of the above, specify.")
7 January 2010
Patsy celebrated her 84th birthday yesterday. Among her presents were the cards many Nitecaps sent (it's not too late to send a belated birthday card -- Patsy Jepko C/O Joe Buchman, 175 Paradise Road, Park City, UT 84098), some of "The Crusher's" famous no-flour peanut butter cookies which my 12-year old daughter Anna baked to perfection (you can find the recepie in the Last Nightstand pages), flowers . . . and most importantly a spiral bound printout of all the emails and messages which have been sent over the past few years (double spaced and in a 14 point type so she could read it without her glasses -- 114 pages in all!).
Patsy was joined by her daughter Kitty, and Kitty's new husband Walter. The four of us told stories, shared memories and had a wonderful time. We all shared how much we wished Herb could have joined us. He would be turning 79 years old this coming March 20th . . .
Patsy called today to thank all of us for the wonderful gifts and to let you know that she could only make it through half of the printed messages from you all before she was overcome with tears of joy to know how much Herb meant to so many of us, and that we still remember.
She is surprised, delighted, and a bit curious to imagine there are still so many Nitecaps left "out there."
She said: "You all must have been a bunch of young boys listening to the show all those years ago."
I'd not realized most of our emails on The Last Nite Stand are indeed from guys. Some of us in college at the time -- 30 years ago; and all of us more likely to find this place on the Internet, I suppose, than any younger women who may have been listening at the time. . . . She's going to try reading through the rest of the emails later this week and weekend, but she told me it was the best birthday she has had in some time, and wishes all of us good health and the Spirit of Brotherhood that the show was designed to create.
Patsy said, "You know Herb was not a fake. He truly loved, really loved each one of his listeners. That's how he could remember their names and so much about them. He truly cared, and I miss him so much."
Thanks to everyone here for helping to keep both his memory, and the Spirit of Brotherhood he wanted for all of us alive, and for helping Patsy to have one of the best birthdays ever . . .
Joe
6 January 2010
Lynn Arave of the Deseret News has published an article about the Herb Jepko Scholarship Fund we are trying to establish at the University of Utah.
"Some 15 years after his death, Herb Jepko, a legendary Utah radio host, is still having an impact on broadcasting. Although Jepko passed away in 1995, a new University of Utah scholarship program is being established in his honor. There's also a new Web site and a Facebook page to preserve the memories of this radio pioneer. Jepko used to host and produce the "Nitecaps" syndicated program, the nation's first nighttime network talk show."Nitecaps" has been referred to as . . . "
Read the rest of the article HERE.
On behalf of Nitecaps everywhere, THANKS Lynn!
1 January 2010
Herb Jepko is on FACEBOOK!
If you are on FACEBOOK and would like to make Herb a friend of yours, just send us a request. His Facebook page has only been up for 24 hours, and already a couple of his high school classmates, and a former co-worker have found us. If you're not on Facebook, it's easy, fun and a great way to re-connect with old friends, or current ones who are on there. www.facebook.com
Also, Herb is on WIKIPEDIA. You can read (and, if you like, edit) the article about him by clicking HERE.
More updates coming soon, as well as information about our 46th Anniversary Nitecap show (February 11th 2010) and celebration of what would have been Herb's 79th birthday (March 21st 2010).
2010
31 December 2009 -- Happy NEW Year!
Hard to believe over a year and a half has passed since I last updated this site.
My apologies to everyone who has written over those months, nightynitecaps@gmail.com is a valid email address which I promise to check regularly from now on. I thought I had it set up to forward to my personal account. The forwarding was not working, and I mistakenly assumed that no one had written in over a year. On average the site generates about one email from a nitecap every other month (as well as a bit of spam). I now have it set up to forward to my personal email, which I'll also share with you when you write to nightynitecaps@gmail.com.
Earlier today I spoke with Patsy Jepko Brown. She is doing as well as can be expected for age 84, but is mostly homebound and would welcome letters, cards and notes from Nitecaps. If you would like her landmail address, email nightynitecaps@gmail.com and we will be pleased to send it to you.
Be sure to check out the Last
NiteStand Page for the most recent emails from Nitecaps around the world.
And all the best wishes for 2010. Rollye James and I are planning a tribute show for Herb on February 11th -- what would have been the 46th anniversary of the show.
Stay tuned for more information on that . . .
Also
Media scholar Donna Halper has authored two wonderful articles about Herb and the Nitecaps. The first ran in Radio World in July 2008, see: http://www.rwonline.com/article/64910 and the most recent was published by the Daily Courier in Prescott Arizona this past October, see: http://prescottdailycourier.com/main.asp?SectionID=1&subsectionID=1&articleID=73083.
On behalf of Nitecaps everywhere, Thanks Donna!!
Donna also sent the following:
Deseret News (Salt Lake City), October 29, 1996, p.5
DEATH: DELLA DAME EDMUNDS
Della Dame Edmunds, age 92, passed away October 27, 1996 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
She was born December 5, 1903 in Fillmore, Utah, to Mary Alice Broadhead Payne and LeRoy Dame.
She married Glen Edmunds on March 6, 1944 in Los Angeles, California.
She was an artist and a professional singer and composed 80 songs and 200 poems during her life. She sang in the Tabernacle Choir. She wrote the song for Herb Jepko's Nite Cap show in 1966 which aired for 15 years on KSL Radio. She also had published several other songs including The Nifty Fifty, I Won't Let My Ancestors Down, and recently, A Baby Dressed in White. Her songs were performed often in many parts of the world.
She was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and dedicated much of her life to genealogy. She had a noble spirit and shared all she created with family and friends.
Survived by one sister, Bonnie D. Nelson of St. George, Utah; many nieces and nephews, and grandnieces and nephews who cherished Aunt Della. She was preceded in death by her husband, Glen and four brothers, Fred, Robert, John and Merrill (Bud) and one sister, Geniel D. Norrie.
Funeral services will be held Wednesday at 11 a.m., October 30, 1996 at Larkin Mortuary, 260 East South Temple, where friends may call on Tuesday, October 29, 1996 from 6 to 8 p.m. and Wednesday one hour prior to services. Interment, Fillmore City Cemetery, 4 p.m.
28 March 2008
Monday will mark the 13th year since Herb's passing. A couple of weeks ago I visited his gravesite here in Salt Lake City, Utah. It's a quiet peaceful place. Herb died too young, too soon.
Patsy remains in good spirits and in good health.
I've produced a Partial Index to the Wick which I hope you'll enjoy and find valuable.
Please contribute to the Scholarship Fund at the University of Utah as you are able. I hope to create some cafepress Nitecap items in the near future, to use for fundraising. Stay tuned.
Joe
2 January 2008
It's been a challenging couple of years (more details on that later) and part of the impact of that was my failure to renew www.nitecaps.org. Now some web reseller wants $1,750 for it! Guess they think there's a big market for online "night cap" sales. So I've moved things here, to nitecaps.net. Sorry for having things disappear for over two years.
The scholarship fund at the University of Utah continues to grow (please donate! See details below). All but about $100.00 has come from my wife Cindy and I. It's now a bit over $5,000.00 but $10,000.00 is needed before it will become a permanent, named scholarship. We've been donating $100.00 a month and covering the (minimal) expenses for this site since it was first established.
Patsy Jepko Brown is in good health. Sadly her husband, and dear friend of ours,Woody Brown passed away in April 2006.
Look for more updates over the coming months, and drop me a note to let me know you've found the new site.
Joe
nightynitecaps@gmail.com
15 February 2007
Lynn Arave published a article in today's Deseret News:
Who was the most influential Utah radio host in the past century of the medium's history?
The answer may vary with whom you ask, but I'm firmly sticking with Herb Jepko, who used to host and produce the "Nitecaps" syndicated program, the nation's first nighttime network talk show. . .
Read the rest of the article HERE
28
March 2005
Thursday March 31st will
mark the 10th anniversary of Herb's passing.
Craig Wirth, Tim Larson
and I will be gathering to remember Herb and his contributions at the
University Park Mariott Lounge from 7:00pm to 8:30pm or so. We'd like
to invite all interested Nitecaps to join us then. We'll share our memories,
stories and gratitude for the difference Herb made to radio and in the
lives of millions of listeners, including us, and doubtless raise a
glass or two to Herb's memory. We hope you can join us.
11 February
2005
Forty-one
years ago, on February 11th 1964, Herb Jepko opened a microphone into
a crisp Rocky Mountain night blanketed by the 50,000 watt signal of
KSL radio to begin what would become a 30 year adventure and ultimately
create the first ever network talk show.
From Larry King to Art
Bell and Donahue to Ellen, Herb was the pioneer who opened the way for
countless others to create their success in this medium.
In celebration, I've updated
the Last
NiteStand Page (latest update: January 2010) with all the best
wishes from Nitecaps who have found this site over the past three years.
(Thanks to Rollye James (www.rollye.net),
Don Barrett (www.LAradio.com)
and the National Radio Club (www.nrcdxas.org)
for their links to this site.)
If you’ve not sent us a
message yet, please drop us a line. There are dozens of Nitecaps who
would love to hear from you!
Joe
nightynitecaps@gmail.com
February
11th 2004 marked the 40th anniversary of the first "Nitecap"
broadcast on KSL radio.
Rollye James dedicated an hour of her show that night to memories of
Herb.
The February 10th 2004
Rollye James Show
broadcast of
a TRIBUTE TO HERB JEPKO
was a HUGE SUCCESS!
LISTEN
to the February 10th, 2004 ROLLYE JAMES SHOW tribute to Herb Jepko broadcast
here
The Utah Association
of Broadcaster's inducted Herb Jepko into their
Hall of Fame on Tuesday June 3rd 2003
The ceremony was attended by Herb's
widow, Patsy Jepko Brown; their daughter Kitty Brown; former editor
of The Wick, Marie Springer, other Nitecaps and fans of the show. One
of the highlights was a five minute video documentary produced by students
in the communications program at the University of Utah. Copies of that
documentary are available in return for donations to the Herb Jepko
Memorial Scholarship at the University of Utah.
PHOTOS and additional information about
Herb's Hall of Fame induction can be found by clicking HERE.
Also now available on the website is
the audio portion of a ten minute documentary on the Nitecap show which
aired on KUTV's news magazine program titled "EXTRA." It appears
to have been produced in early 1979. Craig Wirth writes, "The host
introducing the piece is Lucky Severson - who went on to be NBC bureau
chief in Japan and now does work for NPR and a show on PBS called Religion
and Ethics. He lives in Virginia. . . . The producer of that piece is
Judy Hallet, who now lives in Washington, D.C. It was one of her few
on air appearances."
To hear the audio portion of this documentary,
go to our Nitecap Audio Clips page below.
---------------------------------------
My first job in radio was running the
board for The Nitecap Radio Network from midnight to 6:00 a.m. on 250-watt
WXVW AM 1450 in Jeffersonville, Indiana. I remember those long, lonely
nights well; listening to Nitecaps from around the country interact
with Herb, discuss the activities of their Nitestands, the latest article
in The Wick, their grandchildren, recipes (often with Herb's pal "The
Crusher"), and opening a window to what was, truly, a radio
family.
Long before the Internet, "real-time chat," and the "world-wide
web" there was the old-technology, radio-net, cyber-family of the
Nitecaps.
This website is dedicated to that spirit
of broadcasting -- bringing people together, creating a true "brotherhood
of man." -- Joseph G. Buchman,
Ph.D.
---------------------------------------
Please Donate to the Herb Jepko Memorial Scholarship Fund
established at the University of Utah in
December 2002.
Donations can be made via checks
made payable to "The University of Utah Scholarship Fund for Herb
Jepko" mailed to:
The University of Utah
Development Office
201 President's Circle, Room 304
Salt Lake City, UT 84112
or by credit card:
800 716-0377 (581-6825 in the SLC area)
or via the University of Utah's secure website:
https://umarket.utah.edu/development/form.tpl
(Type "Herb Jepko Scholarship Fund" under the option
for, "If none of the above, specify.")
______________________
UPDATE: As of 28 March
2005, $2,905.00 has
been raised for the Herb Jepko Scholarship Fund at The University
of Utah.
My wife Cindy and I have donated $2,800.00
of that amount in addition to funding the (relatively minimal) costs
of hosting this site.
To date $105.00 has
been contributed by three other donors.
I believe all of us would enjoy knowing that Herb and the Nitecaps
will be remembered by students of radio for years to come.
For that to begin, for the first annual scholarship to be given,
the scholarship fund must reach a minimum of $10,000.00.
Cindy and I would very much like to see that amount raised before
the end of this year. Therefore we are pledging an additional $1,000.00
toward that goal. Will you assist us in seeing that a deserving
student receives the first annual award in May 2008, for the 2008/2009
school year?
We invite you to donate an amount that reflects in some way the
value of your experience as a Nitecap.
Please contribute your Herb
Jepko Scholarship donation today.
______________________
After making a donation, drop an email or landmail to me and I'll be
pleased to send you the complimentary Nitecaps Highlights CD or cassette
tape.
Vote for Herb to join
the Museum of Broadcast Communication's
Radio Hall of Fame
Herb,
after appearing on the ballot in 2000, has not been included again. So we are starting our campaign to seek Herb's
nomination for the 2010 ballot. We especially need industry leaders
who remember Herb to write to the Radio Hall of Fame urging them to
place Herb on next year's ballot.
Send your letters to:
The Radio Hall of Fame
The Museum of Broadcast Communications
Chicago Cultural Center
Michigan Avenue at Washington Street
Chicago, Illinois 60602 - 4801
