Q&A with Bud Buschardt

How did you get your start in radio?

I started in college at the University of Houston campus radio station KUHF-FM which was then run entirely by students. I was inspired by local DJ's on music stations KLBS, KILT and KNUZ.

Whose idea was 57 Nostalgia Place and how did it get started?

It was my idea. I had proposed it to WFAA management years earlier, but it took then-new program director Ira Lipson to get it started. It was first called "Midnight Nostalgia" and went on the air on January 27, 1974. It moved to Sunday nights on April 16, 1974 and was re-named "57 Nostalgia Place" to match the old "77 Sunset Strip.

Who were your celebrity guests?

Lots of local folks and almost anyone who came through town on tour. I'll have to look them up. There were lots!

Which one did you enjoy the most?

One of the most colorful guests I had was a record producer named Major Bill Smith. No one had ever asked him about the making of his hits, so it was a first for him...and for me too. It was a different angle to the old philosophy of just interview the stars. There are people behind the scenes you can give very memorable experiences. Major Bill produced Hey Baby (Bruce Channel), Hey Paula (Paul and Paula) and Last Kiss (J. Frank Wilson and the Cavaliers). I also interviewed some of the stars of 'Happy Days' before the show became a hit.

Which celebrity guest would you most have liked to appear on your show? I know you have a fondness for Buddy Holly.

For sure. I did the closest thing by having Maria Elena on the show.

Who was your cohort, Paul?

Paul Hitt was a Radio-TV major at UT-Arlington. He answered phones and kept tabs on telephone surveys that we did.

How did you get involved with the "Mr. Peppermint" TV show?

When I was a cameraman at WFAA-TV, we would switch shifts. We'd work six months on the the night crew and six months on the morning crew. That's when I met "Pep". Later, I officed with him and directed the show for a few years. Nice guy.

What was the "DJ Jamboree"?

That was a segment of the program where I would run DJ airchecks from all over the country and from way back when. I would edit in the complete songs (since DJ airchecks rarely have the full song on them) and play them back as if a jock from the past was doing a 10-15 minute segment of the show.

How long did you work for WFAA?

A total of 17+ years.

Where have you worked after WFAA?

I worked at KVIL radio in Dallas and the Satellite Music Network which became ABC Radio.

How did you meet Ron Chapman?

Ron did lots of commericals at Channel 8 when he was "Irving Harrigan" on KLIF. He eventually did a show on WFAA-TV called "The Group and Harrigan...then Chapman" which featured local high school students lip-syncing the hits of the day.

Thanks for your time, Bud!

Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!! B.B.