Letters to the editor

KPTLanother sign of changing times here

It was with some sadness I noticed the end of an era over the weekend. KPTL radio was Nevada's oldest radio station to continuously broadcast on the same frequency (AM 1300 for nearly 50 years). On Thursday, KPTL's call letters were changed to KCMY and the format was changed to country music.

When I moved to Northern Nevada in 1979, KPTL was one of only a few radio stations which could be heard clearly in Carson City. Now, with the increase in power to many FM radio stations and with the advent of satellite radio, there are a myriad of radio stations that can be heard up and down the dial.

I wish Jerry Evans (the owner of what used to be KPTL) the best with his foray into FM talk and AM country. He and his staff are working hard to reinvent local radio. Still, the change in call letters gave me pause to reflect back on the KPTL radio personalties of 25 years ago. There were Fred Taft, Ken Leopold, Adrienne Abbott, Stacy Giomi, Greg Pellant and many others. It was a period in radio which was heavy on local personalities and light on automation.

In those days, KPTL was the dominate radio station in Carson City. The main casinos in town were the Carson Nugget and the Ormsby House. Penguin Burgers served the best hamburgers and malts in town. El Charo and the Airport Lounge were the local night time hot spots, and Mary's Donut Shop in the Frontier Plaza is where many of us would go for an early morning coffee and a danish.

Most people who live in Carson City now were not here 25 years ago. For those of us that were, we remember a charming little town with a local radio station called KPTL. With the demise of those call letters, it is yet another sign that the times have certainly changed. And it is yet another sign that I am getting old.

Scott Gahagen

Mound House

Scott Gahagen was KPTL's program director in the 1980s and 1990s.

Church could become needed youth center

Much has been and will be said of the future of the 1st Presbyterian Church. Why not retrofit and remodel it and turn it into a teen center complete with a cafe and game rooms etc. for our older teens say 13 to 19.

The location would be excellent and it could be an ideal alternative site for those teens that feel that the boys and girls clubs new location would be too out of the way for both them and their parents to pick them up/drop them off. So what does the public think?

Lee Smith

Carson City

Three problems for Carter's candidacy

Jack Carter has three problems to overcome before he can defeat John Ensign:

1. Endorsed by Harry Reid and the band of losers.

2. Living in Nevada only three years.

3. General discharge from the Navy for drug use.

Bill Edwards

U.S. Navy, Ret.

Dayton

Fairview needs to be safe for residents

I have a dear friend who lives at Quail Run on Fairview and also know other seniors living there and, because of them, I am concerned about the Fairview street widening project.

Widening Fairview to allow vehicle access to the freeway will make noise at Quail Run much worse than it is now. Even more of a problem is that a left turn lane into Quail Run is not part of the widening process. This is not only going to put a burden on the senior residents living there but will be a major safety factor for them.

It is inconceivable to me that the "powers that be" would put these residents in harm's way. The ones who make these decisions had better put more thought into a left turn lane and keep the very active seniors living at Quail Run out of a potentially dangerous situation.

We all know that drivers on their way to and from work or school or just running errands do not obey speed limits - it just doesn't happen. And we know that a majority of the population of senior drivers are very careful but it is a fact that their reflexes are not as they used to be. Accidents are bound to happen but this doesn't have to be the case nor should it be. I hope much more consideration will be put into this project to make it safer for everyone.

Kerry Partridge

Minden