If you enjoy this website, then
please send a donation to
The Herb Jepko Scholarship Fund at the University of Utah.
800 716-0377
(801 581-6825 in the SLC area)
or
CLICK HERE!   

nightynitecaps@gmail.com

29 December 2005, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Hi there,

I just found the nitecaps web site after searching the web for information on the Nitecaps. I was a teenage listener in the late 60's and continued listening into the 70's. I have fond memories of getting into bed at night and listening to Herb and the show well into the early morning. I truly enjoyed the show and listening to all the callers. I also have my membership card tucked away somewhere. Hello to all fellow Nitecaps!!

Fred fred999@shaw.ca

P.S. You may use my name and e-mail address if you post this message on the site.

27 December 2005

I was very pleased to discover your website. I have many happy memories listening to Herb Jepko and his callers late at night in San Diego. KSL seemed very exotic to my 14 year-old ears at the time! I loved the informality and the folksiness of it, the gentle spirit, the warmth.  I wish there was something remotely like it today -- as far as I can tell,there isn't.

Is there any way at all that I could obtain a CD of airchecks/recordings of any Nitecap broadcasts? Just to have an hour or so to listen to would bring back a flood of happy memories. I'm sure you get requests like this all the time. Tell me, is this in any way possible?

Best,

Barry

25 February 2005 Keller, Texas

I’ve watched this website for a year or so now and finally decided to write a note. My father, Bill Curtis, worked for Mr. Jepko until his death in January 1971. He hosted the show on certain days to fill in for Herb.

One of the things I remember most in those trying days after he died was the hundreds of cards and letters that were sent to our family. I have a February 1971 Wick with the picture of my father on the cover. If I remember correctly, my mother also wrote a thank you note to all the Nitecaps in a subsequent issue.

The only recordings I have of my Dad are albums he cut in the 40s. I wished I had some of his radio career. I was looking for recordings of the show when I found your site last year.

I’m glad to see that the memory of the show stays strong and thank you for this website.

Kerry Curtis
kerry1c@charter.net

(Dear Kerry,

Your mother’s letter is on page 31 of the March 1971 issue of The Wick. She wrote:

“A Thank You”

“TO MY DEAREST FRIENDS,

“This “thank you” is to every person involved in the Nitecap program. I sincerely hope you will all feel this is just to you. Your prayers, your letters, your pictures, your cards, your contributions, your books, your experiences, your tapes, and most of all, your love has been a great comfort to me.

“It was my privilege to share my Bill with you. I loved him with every breath I took and each of you felt the love he had for mankind. There are not enough words to express how my heart swells with humble appreciation for all you have done.

“I cannot fail with so many wonderful, loving people behind me.

“God Bless each of you,

“Dottie Curtis”

Her letter was published next to a photo of her reading a letter – doubtless from one of the Nitecaps.

Several Nitecaps have asked me to create brief bios of each of the guest hosts of the show. Your letter has inspired me to do just that. Look for something before the end of March.

Hopefully someone who finds this will have saved a recording of your dad hosting the show. -- Joe)

 

14 February 2005 Memphis, Tennessee

Wow! After reading all the entries on "The Last Nitestand", I have come to realize I wasn't the only teenager who was a card carrying NITECAP! I recently found my 1973 membership card (#35779) which entitled me to all "NITESTAND" privileges.

Oh . . . I can remember the many nights I used to listen to Herb Jepko and how his voice and that of our fellow NITECAPS would be the last I'd hear for the day.  I still listen to radio at night and will always remember Herb as the true pioneer of this huge industry.

It was truly exciting to find the website last year and that "The Last Nitestand" remains active. Thanks Joe for being the "candle-holder."

I'll continue to check in often.

'73

Barry
KE4KAG

(Welcome to the club Barry. Yep, that membership card is still valid for "all of the rights, privileges, and responsibilities" appertaining to being a true Nitecap here at the Last NiteStand!  You "signed up for life!" :)

Updating this site is a "labor of love."  I do hope and pray however, that together we will be able to reach out to other Nitecaps and those in the radio industry and elsewhere to create a permanent expression of gratitude to Herb and all the other Nitecaps by fully funding the Herb Jepko scholarship at the University of Utah this year!

I'll be sending out an email or two on that to everyone who has posted here, and to others who have written to me privately, within the next few weeks.

Before I do, I want to ask, just as Herb would have done as he challenged those early Nitecaps to create the show . . .

"Who has a really good idea on how we could raise a ton of money -- enough to really make a difference in a student's life (say $100,000.00 or more?) for the annual scholarship in his memory?"

Cindy and I have put in over $2,500.00 and will donate another $500.00 by this May.

Are there another 30 Nitecaps out there who could donate a similar amount?

Does anyone have a close relationship with Larry King or other broadcasters who might not have had the careers they have now if not for the pioneering work of Herb and the Nitecaps?

Any millionaire Nitecaps who would like to remember Herb in their wills?

Anyone have any other better ideas?

I am confident, just as Herb was, that together we can accomplish this, or any other goal, if we each work together inspired by a worthy cause. -- Joe)

 

14 February 2005, Spokane, Washington

I would like to send my belated greetings to all Nitecaps everywhere. Even though the show hasn't been on for many years I feel:

"Once a Nitecap always a Nitecap."

Carl Sperr
PO Box 10674
Spokane, WA 99209
carlsperr@yahoo.com

(Carl,

It's always great to hear from you. Patsy remembers you as one of the most frequent callers to the show and asked me yesterday to relay all of her very best wishes to you especially and to each one of the other Nitecaps who visits here. She is, I believe, quite amazed and tickled by all of this. -- Joe)

 

12 February 2005, Monterey, California

Boy, I can still remember the nights trying to stay awake to hear Herb's show or if we called in, to stay awake and wait our turn to talk on the air! Wish I still had tapes of those. . . .  Did you find any other airchecks of the Nitecap show from anyone out there? I rarely heard the entire Nitecap show from beginning to end, in the old days.

Jim Hilliker

(Jim,

Sadly as far as I know only about 20 hours of the show remain.  In 1999, Woodie Brown, Patsy's first husband, who she remarried after Herb passed away, found a one hour reel from March 1964! -- about 3 weeks after the show began and when it was known as "The Other Side of the Day." I saved one hour from 1977, a few weeks before Mutual dropped the show. We have some of the highlights reels, designed to recruit either affiliates or advertisers, but otherwise virtually nothing from the 1960s and 1970s. Randy Jepko saved several reels of the show from the two or three come-back attempts in the 1980s and 1990s, and I have a couple of reels of other hosts filling in for Herb. I have copied everything I have, burned it all to CDs, and given copies to Patsy, Randy, Tina and Kitty. As far as I know, that's all that is left.

If anyone has any recordings of any Nitecap Broadcasts, please contact me!

And to anyone who can donate, or arrange to have donated, $1,000.00 or more to the Herb Jepko Scholarship fund at the University of Utah, I'm willing to send copies on CDs or cassette tapes of EVERYTHING I have.

Joseph G. Buchman, PhD
175 Paradise Road
Park City, UT 84098
nightynitecaps@gmail.com

11 February 2005, no location indicated

I doubt if Herb fully realized how many lives he touched with his program, and how his legacy lives on.

Best wishes to Patsy and keep up the good work.

(Patsy, her husband Woodie Brown, and I had dinner together earlier tonight to celebrate the Nitecap Show Anniversary. I gave her printout of all of the messages from Nitecaps here and personally conveyed each of your best wishes. Patsy remains in excellent health and spirits and will celebrate her 80th birthday later this year.
-- Joe)

11 February 2005, Toronto, Ontario

I listened to the Nitecap show quite a bit back in 1976-77, on WHAS-840, WBAL-1090 and a Buffalo FM station (think it was WDCX-99.5). Very tame by today's standards of talk radio - no verbal abuse of callers like Jim Rome, and of course Herb Jepko didn't allow any political or religious rants. I called in a few times, and talked about broadcast band DXing. I used to get the "Wick" magazine, and even had a number of Nitecap pen pals after I listed my name in the "Herbie's Pen Pals" section of the Wick. I am still corresponding with one of them, though it's moved from snail mail to e-mail.

I wish I had saved my old copies of the Wick. I still have a "Herbie" metal lapel pin in my collection, and perhaps a Nitecaps membership card as well.

My "We're the Nitecaps" photo would most likely have appeared in late 1976 or early '77, along with the "Herbie's Pen Pals" listing.

I had heard that Herb passed away a number of years ago. Thanks for keeping the memories alive on the www.nitecaps.net site!

73
Mike Brooker
http://webhome.idirect.com/~aum108/dx.html

(Sadly Herb passed away on March 31st 1995 at the age of 64. Scott Wilson has created a detailed obituary at:

http://www.cemeteryrecords.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=6953556&pt=Herbert%20Jepko

Your "We're The Nitcaps" photo is on page 14 of the November-December 1975 issue of The Wick. -- Joe)

11 February 2005, Monterey, California

I discovered the Nitecaps Show with Herb Jepko when I was a high school student in Anaheim, California, around 1971 or '72. I was tuning around near our local station KEZY-1190 and picked up KSL-1160, and found a most unusual, but interesting talk show. I was hooked at age 16 and got my best friend Scott Phillips to listen too . . .

It was so much fun, but sometimes hard to hear KSL, especially in the summer with all the static and fading, plus interference from nearby stations around Los Angeles, such as KIIS-1150 and KEZY-1190 in Anaheim . . . but, we were able to listen to Herb and the gang a lot on Friday nights, during school vacations, and in the summer. . . . Scott and I joined the Nitecaps and he subscribed to the Wick magazine for a long time. We also got to meet Herb at a Nitecap Rally on the Queen Mary in Long Beach, CA and in 1976, we traveled to Salt Lake City for the summer Nitecap Convention to meet Herb, Rex and many others from the show . . . Great memories . . . We miss Herb and the program very much.

Thanks so much for keeping the show and his memory alive via your Web site.

Sincerely,

Jim Hilliker

11 February 2005, Stamford, Connecticut

I saw a post about the Nitecap Anniversery on a DX list for the National Radio Club (www.nrcdxas.org). Every year, we have a convention on Labor Day weekend in a different part of the country. On that weekend, we go see different stations transmitters and studios and we have a club auction on Saturday night along with a guest speaker. Above all, we party. It's a great group of broadcasters, hams, dedicated dxers, and people who follow what's going on in radio.

I have great memories of staying up late at night as a kid and dialing around to see if I could hear KSL and of course later WHAS which was easier to catch. I did hear KSL occasionally from my home in CT.

I will be having a special toast to Herb at around Midnight tonight.

Thanks for a website to a show that deserves to be remembered.

Sincerely,
Larry Stoler
A man who believes in good radio.
lstoler99@optonline.net

11 February 2005, Rocky Mount, North Carolina

Thank you Sir . . . for the memories . . . and the kindness to the 'spirit' of the positive tone, mood and friendliness that Herb created.

I will join in prayer with you.

Ray Livesay
WNCR-TV

2 February 2005, Albuquerque, New Mexico

When I tell my students today about the Nitecap show, they cannot believe that people would stay up all night and sometimes wait hours to talk to Herb and then the topic was their summer vacation. I also seem to recall that one of the Crusher's areas of expertise was fishing.

Art

25 April 2004, Colorado Springs, Colorado

Upon visiting your website after several months, I discovered and downloaded the Rollye James program about Herb Jepko. It was a nice tribute to Herb and a nice surprise. My compliments!

Since my last email to you in regard to Nitecaps.net, I've become a licensed, active amateur radio operator. Having been on the air since December 31, I've discovered some of the same elements of the Nitecap program while working the amateur frequencies. I've had several occasions to chat with other hams, sometimes elderly/retired gentlemen who have one thing in common; they are widowers. Sadly enough, they no longer have their "life companions,"so they spend time making contacts on the amateur frequencies.

Something I've found in common with them is the desire for a genuine conversation, not just a quick aircheck, like many hams are prone to do. Yesterday, after signing off from a long chat with a retired widower here in Colorado, I realized how similar our QSO was to something one could hear any night on Herb's show. Now whenever I get into a long QSO, I tend to think of Herb and the Nitecaps.

Hope you're doing well, and glad to see the website updated on occasion. As always, if any recordings of the Nitecap program become available, I'd love to have a copy to bring back old memories. One of the tasks I perform on a regular basis at my job is transferring old reel-to-reel recordings to CD. Our company can be found at AlexanderFilm.com. I'd be happy to preserve someone's Nitecap programs for them, if I may keep a copy for myself.

Take care!

Regards,
Keith Simon
KC0NNB

21 April 2004, Burlington, Iowa

I often wondered what happened to the Herb Jepko Nitecap Show and now I found out. What a great program. I worked nights when I first heard the program I believe on WHO in Des Moines and later on a Louisville, Kentucky station. I worked on the late shift as a deputy sheriff in Iowa, and the program was good company. I still am employed with the Sheriff's Office 29 years later.

One night I turned it on to listen and no Herb Jepko anymore and I always wondered what happened. I still have two Nitecap cards from that time of joining in 1977.

I still sing part of the Nitecap song in my head. I remembered the tune and some of the lyrics. Thank you so much for the wonderful memories. I didn't realize why Mutual dropped the program and of what happened to Herb Jepko.

I used to be a faithful listener to Trivia Spectacular on Sunday Nights on KMOX in St. Louis. This was a another great program hosted by Dave Strause Mr. Trivia and the late Art Fleming (original host of Jeopardy). This program is no longer aired, but one of the questions asked was if anyone ever remembered the Herb Jepko Nitecap Show) No responses were made other than some of the listeners did remember the program.

I never called the Nitecaps but really enjoyed listening to the program.

Once again many thanks.

Sincerely,
Steven Parker

6 July 2004, Bakersfield, California

My wife and I were regular callers on Herb's last show. We were also the last callers on his last show here. If had been on the next night we were going to discuss crop circles with all the guests. We were very sad when his show went off the air. We wrote and called the station (KPMC now KNZR) to no avail. They carry Coast to Coast Art Bell show now. When Herb went off the air there were three talk shows in his slot they all caught heck from Herb's old fans.

We are old time DXers and love short-wave and AM radio. We love your effort to tell all good people what happened Herb.

Thank you,

Frank and Martha.

22 February 2004

Thank you for the wonderful online site about Herb and the Movement. I loved the show as a young man, raised in North Carolina, starting college. It was more than a 'commercial' show as found today. It was truly about the 'listeners.'   Their lives, their hopes and fears. The striving to 'belong.' You've captured this spirit for everyone to share a glimpse of today.

Take care for now . . .

Cordially yours,
Ray

11 February 2004

Excellent show with Rollye James, I even thought about calling in, but she was wrong about callers having to be members to speak on the air. Herb had many first time callers, and as I remember it he offered the free membership cards only to use as an audience gauge to show potential sponsors where the audience was coming from in documented form. Herb was so smart that he didn't even have to pay for the postage. If you wanted a free Nitecap membership card, you had to send a self-addressed stamped envelope to PO Box 60 in SLC. For the unbelievable price of about a penny each (which is what the cards cost to print back then), Herb was ingenious enough to create a database of hundreds of thousands of names and addresses which he could not only use to distribute his offerings, but he also rented the list to many different companies. He did this all without the benefit of computers.

Pretty darn amazing, when you think about it, huh?

It would be good to list the show's many other hosts who used to talk to us on the air and give Herb a night off every once in awhile. People like Rex Walgren.

Sincerely,
Gary

12 August 2003, Rachel, Nevada

When I was a teen I Hitchhiked across America a few times and did so with a Transistor (7) radio. Herb kept me company.

He also gave me the dedicated phone line idea.

I heard MANY hours and thought at the time this will be a really big format in America some day.

At the time it may not have been my cup of tea (talking to older folks), but it sure was fun listening.

Art Bell

(Thanks Art.

Art Bell was one of the few broadcasters, perhaps the only broadcaster, to pay tribute to Herb on air the night after Herb passed away. -- Joe)

12 July 2003, New York

I first found the show at 10 years old in 1968 when my dad bought me my first short-wave radio. From the Catskill Mountains in New York State, I was able to pick up and listen to a very staticy KSL, live from Salt Lake City, Utah. I soon started listening to the show as much as possible between fadeouts, and became a regular caller. I loved talking to Herb and Rex and in 1973, I joined and became Treasurer of the Empire State Friends Nitestand -- The First and ONLY Nitestand ever in New York State. The Nitecap Show helped me to gain good values while growing up. While most talk radio was about politics but Herb's show always remained down to earth. He preached and taught family values, and would always keep an open ear of interest in what every single caller had to say, but when they would start to ramble, "Tinkerbell" would gently cut them off. Unfortunately, I don't have any copies of The Wick magazine, but believe it or not I do have a solid Silver Official Herb Jepko Nitecap Show 10th Anniversary Commemorative Coin. (See pictures below.)

The coins were originally available back in late 1973 to commemorate the Nitecap show's 10th anniversary. There were commercials broadcast on the air, plus there were ads for them in The Wick Magazine. I believe (if I remember correctly) that the price for the coin was $19.95.

I also just looked through my old stuff in the attic and would you believe that I found my actual original Nitecap membership cards from 1973 and 1974. Here are photos of them. Boy, it seems like only yesterday .

Sincerely,
Gary Schein

15 June 2003, Arizona

I was surfing the web today, and decided to search out Herb Jepko on the Internet. I was shocked to hear he passed away in 1995.

Herb lived across the street from me when we were boys (Richland Street in Phoenix). We both went to North Phoenix High and graduated in 1949. I went into the Air Force in 1951 and lost track of Herb for the next 20 years, when I heard he worked for KSL in Salt Lake. I sent the radio station a letter trying to make contact with Herb, but never got a reply. It sure would have been nice for us to rehash our lives at that time.

Sincerely,

Jack A Powers
Col,USAF, Ret

30 May 2003, Datona Beach, Florida

Thank you so very much for bringing back some great memories for me for a difficult time in my life.

My mom had passed away when I was very young and I found Herb on KSL when I lived just outside Nashville, Tennessee. At times it seemed like Herb was the only friend I had. I'll never forget calling in, being scared to death, and then feeling like I was talking to an old friend.

I must admit I sat here earlier today with a tear in my eye as I once again heard the Nitecap song and Herb's friendly voice.

My best friend and I were recently talking about the talk radio explosion and he commented that I was listening before anyone really knew what talk radio was.

Sadly, there will never be another Herb Jepko, but oh how I wish there was.

Jerry Bouldin
heyyobeaux@yahoo.com

25 May 2003, British Columbia

I used to listen to this show when I was kiid. I used 12 transistor radio, which, in the 69 era was quite an asset. Of course nowadays we use computers and IC chip. Because of listening to Herb at night, I got into radio,both shortwave and amateur. Unfortunately, a couple of years ago, because of illness, I lost my eyesight to an infection, and the hopes of reit are not too high. However, my ears are still excellent, despite the advanced age of 40s . . . hahaha. I am now using a screenreader called Jaws to do this, so please forgive any minor errors.
73s.

Dana Jensen
Danaj@shaw.ca

4 May 2003, Oregon

I'm pleased to find your site and see your interest in preserving the memories of Herb Jepko and his type of show which unfortunately is far removed from the style of radical and wacko talk shows of today. Like yourself, I grew up listening and participating in the Nitecap show . . . calling in from time to time.

The past 2 years I've been converting my reel to reel tapes to digital format, storing the bulk of it on minidisk. This has included not only my own personal projects, but hundreds of air checks I've accumulated through the 60's, 70's and 80's. I grew up in a suburb of Portland, Vancouver Washington, where I did most of my recording. In the early 70's especially on the nights I anticipated calling the Nitecap show I'd would record some of it. I think I have about 3 hours of useable air checks of the show off KSL, from 72 and 73 predating the Mutual affiliation. Only one hour of it has been transferred to MD so far, while I anticipate the rest of my dubbing to be complete this year. A good friend of mine has a copy of a Nitecap rally back in 1969 which was sponsored by the Portland Oregon Nitestand. I'm hoping to get a copy of that too. I also know a fellow who lived in Tulsa and had recorded the show off KVOO when it ran the show. I'd like to know if he still has them. As you probably know the quality of those broadcasts weren't great carried by phone line. Although I can't confirm this yet, I believe I still have a cassette of the show recorded off KIRO and Mutual in Seattle in 1975, while I was up there.

I appreciate what you have posted already and especially finding the other 2 songs from that out of print 33. Do any of your recordings include cards and letters read by Frank "The Crusher?" If I remember correctly, he was quite a cook and also featured many of his recipes. The air check I'm hoping to find in all my dusty tapes is the Thanksgiving recording I believe was 1970 or 71.

Keep up the good work and let me know what we could trade or whatever.

Kevin Malcolm
KLCK/KYYT
kbmalcolm@earthlink.net

13 February 2003 Green Mountain Falls, Colorado

Just wanted to let you know I made a contribution to the Jepko Scholarship Fund. Thanks again for that CD and I'm glad to see so many other people have warm memories of the Nitecap show.

Regards,
Keith Simon

21 January 2003, California

I found your website by doing a search on Google.

I remember listening to Herb, Frank, "The Crusher" Nolan and others on flagship station, KSL 1160 while living here in Southern California. I was a member of the "Nitestand" in San Marcos, California. It's a pity that there's not a program on the air today with a family friendly format such as Herb and Patsy's show. Keep up the good work.

Here's Tinkerbell,

Chuck Kopsho
Chuck392@webtv.net

12 January 2003, Vancouver, British Columbia

Well now . . . Imagine that . . . I listened to Herb from Edmonton, Alberta as a student and beyond during the early 1970s. Often nothing else was on, but certainly that was not the only reason. At that time I was in my boy in my teens, confused, and perhaps the voices helped on long nights.

Now, over forty years later, I am now a woman and miss having a friendly voice in the night. Certainly politics is nice and interesting, but there exists a need for something that is comforting and non-confrontational. That has gone, and the world is a sadder place . . .

Hugs,

Willow Arune
twofruitbats@shaw.ca
"Angels Fly Because They Take Themselves Lightly"

9 January 2003, Seattle, Washington

Just a note to tell you that there was a group of Fraternity men at the University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho, 1967-68 who listened almost every night. Herb was truly the forerunner in talk radio. I was speaking about A.M. radio today with some friends in Vancouver, BC and I thought of those cold north Idaho nights when we could bring in KSL usually about 11:00 or midnight. I was happy to find so much info on the web. No one ever knew what Herb looked like so the picture was good to see. Reception in those days was "iffy" at best, but when "the skip" was right it was like Herb was in the same room. Thanks again and know that he touched many of our lives.

7 January 2003, Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Thanks for your effort in putting together a tribute to a great radio pioneer.

I have many (now foggy) memories of listening to Herb's show over many years in many venues, including Washington, Ohio, Colorado and California. Listening to his theme song on your site brought back an incredible rush and a warm smile.

Why did I come here? I was thinking about peanut butter cookies the other day, and I seem to recall that Herb had a very simple recipe for them that he frequently mentioned. I regret never having made them, and I was hoping that I could find the recipe again. I hoped I might find it on the site. Any ideas about where I might locate it?

I never was much of a "joiner" so I don't have any "Wicks," and any tapes I might have ever had are ancient history. If I had any I would surely send them.

Thanks again for your efforts; whether or not I get the cookie recipe I appreciate the bit of nostalgia I have enjoyed for the past half hour or so.

Don

30 November 2002, Spokane, Washington

I started listening to Nitecaps in June of 1968 in Malden, Washington, a small town south of Spokane. Both my mother and I called Nitecaps a lot and my mother used to play the piano. She passed away in 1984 but my father still lives in Malden and will turn 90 December 21st 2002. This certainly brings back a lot of memories!

I was very good friends with Glenn and Betty Shadduck of Lynnwood, WA. They used to spend the summers running the Owen Pioneer Museum at Chattaroy, WA which was started by Betty's parents. In the '70s the Lilac City Nitestand in Spokane used to visit the museum every summer.

I still have a lot of tapes of the show and the record that has the theme songs and quite a few of The Wick magazines.

I first met Herb and Pat at a rally held at the Davenport Hotel in Spokane in November of 1968 and then I attended the 1972 convention at the Salt Palace. I really enjoyed meeting all the nice people from all over the country.

I would love to hear from anyone from the good old Nitecap days!

Carl Sperr
PO Box 10674
Spokane, WA 99209

carlsperr@yahoo.com

10 November 2002, Harrisonburg, Virginia.

This is GREAT! I have always wondered what ever happened to Herb and his pleasantly addictive "Nitecaps" show. I listened on WBAL in Baltimore in the seventies. I would listen to the Orioles baseball game, then the "Harley Show" (a jazz broadcast) followed by Herb and Company. I was in High School at the time and would spend the day listening to Top 40 on the radio and Hard Rock on my record player. There is something a bit incongruous about blasting Led Zeppelin all day and then listening to Herb at night but that was what Nitecaps was all about.

The "suits" had it wrong. There WAS a market for young urban listeners. Some of the letters here on "The Last Nitestand" come from folks in my generation - and I'm 45. I admit I started listening to Herb because I was too lazy to get up and change the radio station, but it didn't take long before I was hooked. After spending the typical teenage day (school, extracurriculars, part-time job) I was quite "wired." WBAL had the timing right - Baseball to Jazz to Jepko. What a great way to relax! I seldom failed to be lulled to sleep by the comforting voices of Herb and his callers, and even if I couldn't drift off, there was an on-air family to listen to. As a "rocker" I laughed at the "cheesy" title tune, but you can bet I loved listening to it again on your website. Now I can't stop whistling it!!

What a great memory!

4 November 2002, Green Mountain Falls, Colorado.

A slightly belated but very sincere "thank you" for that Jepko CD. Listening to it gave me that same warm, fuzzy feeling I got listening to Herb and the Nitecaps so many years ago. It reminded me of why, as a child, I struggled to stay up past midnight to catch an hour or so of Herb; every listener and caller was part of the family, relating to Herb and each other their own life experiences. Everyone had a chance to tell their story.

It's sad that we lack an overnight radio show like Herb's. Too many huge corporations wanting too much money, I guess. Perhaps it's also the habit of advertisers to cater to younger, more affluent people.

Thanks again, and kudos on The Last Nitestand. Looks like many folks out there in computer-land have the same warm memories of Herb as I.

28 October, 2002, Birmingham, Alabama.

My parents often worked two jobs to put food on the table, and as a young boy growing up in Tennessee, I often found myself the last one in the house awake. I would lay in my bed listening to late-night AM radio. One by one, the local stations would sign off, leaving only a handful of stations in large cities.

One of my favorites was KSL. The callers sounded like my parent's friends, or my neighbors, and after a few weeks of listening to the show, I could even recognize some of their voices. Even though most of the callers were elderly, and often spoke of the routine things, Herb had a way of making each one of them feel important.

I'd only be able to stay awake for a couple of hours of the show, but I always drifted off with the radio on. The world didn't seem such a dark and scary place with people like Herb Jepko in it.

When Herb was replaced by Larry King, while I was still a teenager, I continued to listen to late night radio . . . but not as much. Sometimes King would tell one of his stories about baseball, and I'd be entertained for awhile, but his callers seemed to always be upset about something.

These days, I wonder what kind of place the world seems with late night radio populated mainly with talk of aliens, demons, and ghosts. What will become of the boys and girls out there who are too lonely or too scared to sleep?

Perhaps that's just the way of the world, but I suspect not. As a member of the media, I'm not quick to blame them for society's ills, the media act as a kind of mirror for us reflecting both good and bad.

Herb Jepko always reflected not only the good, but the very best in us, hiding the flaws for the harsh light of morning. I fear we'll never see another like him. Nighty night, Herb, wherever you are.

". . . and now a call on our Florida, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi line. Hello?"

Les Rayburn
High Noon Film
100 Centerview Drive, Suite 111
Birmingham, AL 35216
205 824-8930

http://www.highnoonfilm.com

les@highnoonfilm.com

20 October 2002, Weslaco, Texas.

Thank you for providing a link to yesteryear for me -- the Nitecap Network was truly a blessing for me during a time I was hospitalized in 1965. KSL was one of the few stations I could receive while inside my hospital room and the marvelous voice of Herb Jepko and so many Nitecaps helped me while away some mighty dreary hours. I always hated to see the sunrise because that meant I could longer receive long distance stations (I was in Dallas Texas ).

I appreciate your kind reply, I suppose its a trait of all those who were the Nitecaps to be so warm and outgoing. Isn't it a shame that the network folded? It seems to me what we all could use is the daily interaction of decent and caring folks. I am not sure at what stage you began to listen or even your age. Corresponding with you is almost like finding lost family even though we have never met.

I am an old grandpa of six now and have long since left the hospital where I was confined all those months when I was but a lad of seventeen. How I would like to close my eyes once again and hear Herb's voice boom in on good old KSL. I remembered the show and Herb just recently due to a burglary at my home. I had one of those marvelous Ben Hibben knives that Herb used to sell on the show. Too bad the bad guys made off with it but it did prompt me to think of the good old days and I started a web-search which, of course, is how I found your site. Off and on I had wondered what became of all the folks but like most of us, I was always too busy to do anything but try the KSL AM station but never had any luck.

As far as a donation to the scholarship fund -- it is very much my intention to donate to that but I will do so at the end of the year. I am semi-retired due to poor health and need to watch each and every shekel. I am funding my own life w/o government assistance so I am sure you will understand. I have an aged mother who is currently residing in a nursing home ( is in a coma, so not much I can do) and I almost always have cash flow problems during the course of the year.

I would like to rekindle the Nitecaps but I really don't know how it could be done without a central figure such as Herb and his show. I try to think of names of those folks from so long ago but am afraid they are lost somewhere in an old guys burned-out memory banks. There used to be postal messages exchanged among Nitecaps, but I guess that is a thing of the past. We might give it a try and see what happens. I would welcome interaction with you or folks like you who are genuine and sincere in such endeavors.

Anyway, kind sir, I am in your debt for initiating your website which has, at least, given me insight into what became of a wonderful and decent group of folks.

(Ben Hibben knives were made by Gill Hibben. Click on the photo for a link to his website. If you would like your email or landmail address or your phone number or photo included with your message, let me know and I'll add it. Are other folks here are looking for pen pals? -- Joe.)

.

16 October 2002, Trempealeau, Wisconsin.

Hi,

Was I ever delighted to come across your website! During our college years from 1963-67 my roommate and I would be up, and often listen to Herb on the Nitecap Show! I have looked on search engines before, but did not find you until now! So great you are doing this!

I recall once my roommate went in the bedroom and called the Show . . . I stayed by the radio in the study room, and it wasn't long before the roommate was 'on the air.' We thought that was pretty 'cool.'

Will you be making available, on the website (on line), any voice clips of Herb? It would be so fun!

Well, I will keep checking the site now and then for updates and reading more. Thanks again for doing this. (As you can guess, we are now in our mid to late 50's, agewise, and appreciate this nostalgia! The roommate now lives near Washington DC, and I am still in the midwest. He too will be delighted with your site!)

I will work to carry through on your requests . . . to vote for Herb, spread the word, oh . . . and at this time I should be able to make a modest donation to the scholarship fund, yes.

.

14 October 2002, Odessa, Texas.

FINALLY a web site devoted to the true father of real interactive radio. Many a snowy night I fed cows late while the Nightcaps were on the air. I loved the organ music, the poetry, the non assumptive aspect of the host, the grandpas bragging about their grand kids, I just related to the realness and sincerity of the whole experience. My two favorite programs in radio . . . The Old Timers Hour on CFCN and The Nightcaps, on KSL.

I was honored to hear Herb one last time on the air, I believe in the summer of 1989, when I was driving south to begin my Ph.D. I heard him while driving through Klamath Falls and I believe he was on a Utah Station at that time. About 1985 I picked up a few copies of The Wick at a Salvation Army Store in Wenatchee, Washington. I have no idea what happen to those copies but I keep looking for them when I can. When the cd comes out I will be sure to get a copy. Oh I am so happy to find this site! Thank you.

14 October 2002, no city indicated.

thank you so much for this site.

i went to american university in washington, dc in the later 70's and i guess it was on an am station/mutual broadcasting station, i used to hear herb jepko. i loved listening. my friends thought i was crazy of course. i loved to play them the theme song. i just left the theme song on my friend in nyc's answering machine. it was the funniest thing. once again, many thanks for this site. i love it. herb looks like a nice man in the pic. how do i get the cd with the old spots, preferably when i was listening in 76 and 77. thanks again.

11 September 2002, Baltimore, Maryland.

Sometime in 1970, I joined the Nitecaps, in Denver, Colorado. I was 21 years old at that time. Now I live in Baltimore, Maryland. The last meeting I went to was in 1975.

I remember those days very well. Herb Jepko was on Radio Station KSL in Salt Lake City, Utah. We can keep his memory alive. I remember The Wick Magazine. I had it recorded on reel-to-reel tape, because I am totally blind. I corresponded with people who had tape recorders.

I enjoyed those days.

I would love to hear from other Nitecaps!

My address is:

Kenneth Chrane
6839 Parsons Avenue
Baltimore, Maryland 21207-6423

(410) 486-1569

Hope to hear from you soon.

Sincerely,

Kenneth Chrane
kenneth.chrane@verizon.net

10 July 2002, Fruitland, Idaho.

When I was a teen in the 70's I used to love listening to distant AM stations and stumbled onto the Nitecap show and Herb Jepko. I loved that show and he was such a friendly man that seemed to make everyone so happy. Keep up the good work, I'm sure there are lots of folks out there who like me have fond memories of this show.

2 July 2002, no city indicated.

Thanks so much for creating this website.

I remember the Nitecap Show very well. It was, in a sense, a substitute family for me and it went off when I was going through a most difficult time in my life.

Some of the best memories were the Thanksgiving and Christmas morning shows. My first wife and I were up along with the gang at Herb and Patsy's home, and it felt as close to having a real family as I have ever experienced.

I was saddened to hear of Herb's passing, as I had always hoped against hope that the show would come back to us on the East Coast. I mourned the loss of the show almost as much as Herb. We spoke several times and he was very patient with me. I appreciate that more than he could ever know.

Thanks again for the site. I hope you're able to expand it as time passes. It's great hearing the Nitecap theme once more, something I thought was lost forever.

(There were three Nitecap theme songs! "The Ballad of Herb," "The Nitecap Lullaby," and the one used most often on the show, "The Nitecap Song." You can listen to all of them on our Audio Library page. Just click on the record cover (after reading the rest of The Last Nitestand!) -- Joe.)

.

1 July 2002, Saint Louis, Missouri.

Every few months for the last couple of years, I would do an Internet search for "Herb Jepko" and usually came up with a lot of nothing. I can't tell you how happy I am I've found a site specifically dedicated to the Nitecaps! I was about 15 years old when I discovered the show, in 1975, on WHAS Louisville.

From my bedroom in St. Louis, I could sometimes pick up the show in its first hours on WBAL Baltimore, then follow it to WHAS, and then to KSL. Like a lot of kids, I went to bed listening to the radio.

I worked in radio for 21 years, including about a half dozen at KMOX St. Louis, and I count the Jepko show as one of the reasons I got into broadcasting.

Man, did clicking on the Nitecap Theme Song ever bring back memories!!!

I'm going to go search the site now. Congrats! I'm really happy someone built a Web shrine to the Nitecap Show.

I predict this site will be ICY HOT! :)

(ICY HOT "The dual action topical pain reliever that is ICY to dull the pain and HOT to relax it away" (TM) was one of the most often heard sponsors on the Nitecap network. Click on the photo for a link to the ICY HOT corporate site -- Joe.)

24 June 2002, no city indicated.

I went to Yahoo, and sure enough, information on the Nitecaps!

I used to listen to the show when I was a kid! I was, and still am a night owl. After all those years, I'm 41 now, I still miss the program. Nothing like it on radio today. Is Mr. Jepko still alive and kickin? I could kick myself for not keeping those Wicks! My picture is in one of them!

Thanks for bringing back those memories on your website!

.

23 June 2002, Green Mountain Falls, Colorado.

Not having put Herb Jepko's name into a search engine for over a year, I was very pleasantly surprised when it discovered your website. Back in the late '70s, I listened to the Nitecap show on KTRH-740 in Houston, and enjoyed the laid-back, familial feel of the show. I even called the show once or twice but, being about 12 at the time, had an extreme case of on-air jitters. In spite of that, the Nitecap show became one of the catalysts for my continuing love of radio. I've also been searching for the jingles and other incidentals from his show.

If you ever get a CD of material from the Nitecap show, I'd love to have a copy.

My sincerest compliments on your website and recognition of a radio legend.

.

11 June 2002, Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Thank you for your web page. As a young boy I was always taken with radio, old radio shows and especially talk radio. My radio was my friend that entertained me (I was an only child) in the evenings. Of course, music was important to me but my nights were filled with The CBS Radio Mystery Theatre and Herb Jepko and the Nightcaps.

I'll never forget riding in my dad's 1966 Impala WB on I-44 in Tulsa and Herb said, "Hello, who is this?" And a lady said, "Grace McGuire from Baxter Springs, Kansas."

I have no clue why I remember that.

I remember thinking, man what a great job. You get to stay up all night and just talk to people on the phone and you're on the radio! Needless to say, my career started at 16 at NewsTalk 740 KRMG in Tulsa, a 50,000 watt station. I worked there in programming and sales for 17 years.

22 May 2002, Baltimore, Maryland.

I'm glad to see somebody has put up a site paying tribute to Herb Jepko's Nitecap show. Boy did I ever enjoy the old show even though I never called in nor was a member. My wife was also a very big fan of Nitecap. She started listening in 1978 through WBAL. On the other hand, I lived out in California most of my life and used to tune it in on KSL at night, and when it was simulcast on KVOO/Tulsa, I could bounce back and forth just for the heck of it from 1160 to 1170 to hear the difference in audio. As I recall, Herb even did some of his shows from Tulsa.

I started listening back in 1968 but wish I had known about the show earlier. It was so innovative a show, especially for the time, and there were many nights I just could not stop listening to it. I wish I had called in but I was a bit too shy back then and didn't think I had anything to say, so I just listened to others.

What is so sad to me is how Mutual mucked the show up and tried to turn it into something else, something more "modern" but taking out the human element.

I wish there were a comparable show to what HJ did, because all of talk radio now is controversy, sensationalism, or bashing, nothing good-natured about it. I had my chance to get into talk radio as well. My talk shows were themed around LOCAL things of interest (some controversial) but I always tried to keep it as light as I could and to have a good time with the callers. Herb sure did it well and he did it right.

Herb Jepko should be in the Hall of Fame. With all he did for talk radio and overnight radio in general, I'm surprised he hasn't been inducted already.

Take care, and thanks for writing back. A pleasure to hear from you!

(There are several Halls of Fame for radio personalities. The National Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame is the biggest, but only inducts living honorees. Herb was inducted into the Utah Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame in 2003. However the best Radio Hall of Fame (in my opinion) is the one created by the Museum of Broadcast Communications in Chicago. Please click on the photo, join for $15.00, and vote for Herb next time his name shows up on one of their ballots, hopefully in 2010. -- Joe.)

1 May 2000, Salt Lake City, Utah (two years before I put the first nitecaps.org website (now www.nitecaps.net) up).

Herb was a pioneer in his field and I doubt that Larry King would be around today if it weren't for Herb and his efforts.

I hope there are still folks around who remember him. Since he has been off-the-air for nearly 21 years, there are few people left who were solid listeners. Most of the people I talk to have never heard of him.

Herb was the on-air personality, but it was really Patsy who kept the operation going.

15 April 2002, somewhere in Texas.

I was a Nitecap back in the late 60's, even appeared in one of The Wicks. I thought of the show and Herb a while back and searched the Internet without success. I ran across the copy of The Wick when I was going through my ham radio memorabilia not long ago. I ran across your hand-out at the ham radio get-together at NAB 2002 in Las Vegas and found your site. I've always loved radio and late nights. Thanks for your efforts.

NOTE: The following emails were collected from
various Internet Newsgroups prior to the launch of this website.

18 January 2001

You mean the show where EVERYTHING they sold came from post office Box 60 Salt lake City?

I can still hear the sounds of people calling in, particularly the one that played the piano and squeezed her cat on the phone.  .  .  .  .  . 

Eddie

26 February 1997

I have many memories of car trips between Sacto and SLC where Dad drove all night and  listened to Herb. 

I remember one show where a woman called up and sang.  Her voice was so high and awful it traumatized our dog, who was sleeping in the back with the luggage. 

K. 

28 June 1995

Another person that spoke at the First World UFO Congress is a lady that I know personally by the name of Tarna Halsey. 

She lived on Venus  in a previous life. 

She used to call into the Herb Jepko radion talk show and was married to a former wrestler called The Crusher who died a few years back. 

Tarna before that time was married to Dr.  Wallace Halsey the nephew to the famous Navy Admiral Bull Halsey of World War II fame. 

Wallace Halsey was an investigator of UFOs and was seen by Tarna at The Giant Rock Airport in the presence of a person from space. 

Tarna wanted to get a picture of the two of them together and the person from spaace informed her that she wouldn’t be able to get a picture of  him (the spaace man) because he and Wallace had been talking about. 

5 May 1995

I’ve commented to several current/former broadcasters re: the universally-kind words that have been posted about Herb Jepko.  It’s a pity that we didn’t have a chance to say them to him while he was still alive. 

Is it safe to say Herb is the only “national” broadcaster from the 80’s forward about whom there’ll be no dissension after his obituary, and whom everyone who posts will remember fondly? 

Seems to me that’s quite a legacy. 

I hope someone will share this observation with his family.  And, to kinda paraphrase William Faulkner, wouldn’t that be a great legacy for some of us to aspire to!

26 April 1995

I never saw Herb using a card file.  He would just pick up the call and go for it.  Granted, he had a lot of repeat callers, but in this day of “can’t live without the computer or notes,” his memory for his callers was truly amazing. 

24 April 1995

>>His memory for his callers was just amazing.  .  .  he could hear the >words “Hello, Herb?” and would automatically know who was >calling.  .  .  .  without the benefit of call  screening!  <<

OK, so clear up a mystery for me.  .  .  Did Herb keep file cards on the callers so that when they called in again he could knowingly refer to their kids by name or ask other detailed & personal things?   I always thought that’s how he was able to be so intimate with them. 

I remember hearing his show when I was a little kid, dx-ing the AM dial overnight.  .  .  KSL, WWL, others.  . 

24 April 1995

>I was sorry to hear HJ has died.  The show was unique<<

Herb cut a deal in the late 70’s/early 80’s to be distributed by a network that my law firm represented.  I listened to Herb for a few nights, and couldn’t believe the “family” that he had assembled, indeed, most of them in their 80’s.  As an example of what the show was like for those who are a bit too young to remember.  .  .  Herb spent at least half his on-air time listening to tales of woe .  .  .  someone died, someone had surgery, someone’s kids didn’t come to visit.  .  .  and, my special favorite, when someone would call from the hinterlands to play the piano or violin for Herb, on the air, of course. 

Seems most of them had the severe misfortune to “hit that one key note, and if you hit it, the phone automatically hangs up.  Hate when that happens.  ”  The network VP finally told me the truth,  “Herb gets tired of their playing, and that’s his nice way of hanging up on them.  ”

Just so the younger readers can put this in perspective, and realize how much radio has changed, Herb was on Mutual Radio overnight during this period, and, as I recall, was replaced by a guy from Miami named Larry King. 

23 April 1995

Your comment on “Florida.  .  .  .  Georgia.  .  .  .  Alabama.  .  .  .  hello hello etc.  ” was right on.  I could actually hear him saying that when I read it.  Not only was his show a pioneering effort, he used (by today’s standards) primitive equipment.  .  .  just selected lines from a multi-line set into a homebrew hybrid built by the KSL engineers.  When Mutual picked up the show, my husband Ron (an engineer at KSL) built a box to decode the little “be-doop” tones they used to go to commercial breaks.  The box used 30 or 40 TTL logic integrated circuits.  .  .  of course, this was pre-microprocessors.  .  .  .  I did an overnight news shift and would shoot the bull with Herb from time to time.  His memory for his callers was just amazing.  .  .  he could hear the words “Hello, Herb?” and would automatically know who was calling.  .  .  .  without the benefit of call  screening! 

20 April 1995

I was sorry to hear HJ has died.  I used to listen to his show on WSGW 790, Saginaw, MI.  The show was unique, and was a forerunner of “modern” syndicated talk,

“Florida  .  .  .  .  Georgia.  .  .  .  Alabama.  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  hello.  .  .  .  .  hello.  .  .  .  hello.  .  .  .  well.  .  .  .  nooooobody there.  ” 

Herb Jepko, circa 1977. 

Join THE LAST NITESTAND today.

If you would like your name, address, email, photo, or phone number
added to your message above, just let me know.

Joseph G. Buchman, PhD
175 Paradise Road
Park City, UT 84098

nightynitecaps@gmail.com