WHB Kansas City, Mo.
1965-74

Sunday Town Hall

When Nitebeat was replaced with music in 1968, WHB offered Walt a weekly public-affairs program, from 9 p.m. to midnight.

When the host of the program running from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. left the station, "Sunday Town Hall" became a marathon five-hour talk show without the benefit of news to break it up. This led to unique technical difficulties.

"You drank your coffee very slowly on that show," Bodine said. "Invariably, you died in the last hour."

Sunday Town Hall ran every Sunday until 1975. Walt spent the rest of the week during those years in a number of different jobs, some on local radio and television stations. He also spent a year with a local advertising agency and served on the board of several charitable organizations.

See also: Odd Jobs

Listen: Sunday Town Hall samples
From Marr Sound Archives, UMKC

Hatchet burying and gold buttons (2:46)

A Vietnam vet calls (4:18)

Walt on Vietnam (4:02)