The Story of Husband and Wife Team,
Donn and Nancy Moyer and KNLDJ
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by Jacquie Charbonneau
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In 1948 Rev. Thomas Moyer and his son moved from Michigan to Palmer, Alaska and in 1949 Donn J. Moyer became sort of a street kid. He worked washing dishes for his food and at the Valley Theater for a chance to sleep in the basement and eventually went to work as a telephone operator for the Valley Telephone Co. owned by Maynard and Dorothy Sands. It was the night shift, not many calls and it was a lonely place. So Donn with help of a radio repairman Roy Lundine created a small power AM radio station. Donn moved it from the Sands home to the telephone office and played from a limited supply of records. Palmer had no radio station at that time so Donn had half the town listening. He also had the FCC listening and it wasn't too long before he was directed to destroy the transmitter and cease and desist.
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When he was 17 he enlisted in the USAF at Elmendorf AFB near Anchorage, Alaska and eventually was assigned as staff announcer and disc jockey with the Armed Forces Radio Service station. AFRS is the world's largest radio network and now with television is known as AFRTS which continues to holds the honor. Donn had an offer of a job during his "off time" at a commercial radio station KBYR in Anchorage just a few miles from Elmendorf AFB. Donn also got a head start in early television and worked in the media for many years.
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Donn met the former Nancy Hargan when she was 16 and they eventually eloped and were married in October of 1955 just two days after her 17th birthday.
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Over the years the Moyers have worked in and owned two carnivals, a circus, a wildlife compound in California and in many other phases of show business. They have worked together about 50 years of their 56 years of marriage, with time off for Nancy to be "mom" to their four children.
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Together they operated a commercial cable television studio for almost 8 years, programming 24/7. In 1985 they retired from television and shortly thereafter sold their Carnival, "Carousel Midway Shows" which played the Puget Sound area of Washington State at fairs, celebrations and occasionally shopping centers.
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When Donn was 55 he told Nancy he "had a great idea for a show". As the Moyers have raised and trained all types of exotic animals including an African lion, various primates, a cougar, badger, raccoons, deer, jaguarondi, bobcats etc., plus numerous reptiles, Nancy didn't quite take to the idea of any more traveling shows so she said, "If it eats and poops, I don't want to hear it".
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Despite her initial response they built the "Reptile Safari" and the couple toured the fair circuit for the next 15 years in the six western states "retiring" from this show in 2004. The last show was a Sunday evening in Othello, WA and they "opened" with a western living history show on the following Wednesday at the Puyallup Fair.
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In the meantime, Donn has written three books, "Cowboy Cliffhangers", "CowPokes 'n' CowBelles" and "The Last Little Beaver" all edited by Nancy who also marketed them. Thus far they have sold in nine countries and the first and third books are in the 4th printing. They can be seen at http://users.telisphere.com/djmoyer55/cowboy.htm Donn is now working on their life's story and has over 300,000 words toward that endeavor.
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On 31 May 2007 Donn was suddenly stricken with a dissected Aorta (which has a 2% survival rate). Within 11 month he had 8 more heart related surgeries. That pretty much made the couple's traveling a thing of the past.
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So, not wanting to sit and vegetate, Donn told Nancy he wanted to have an Internet Radio station. That, with some money and a good friend who is a computer expert, Dave Clute, dedication from Nancy and help from a family friend Chris St. Pierre (who is very knowledgeable regarding computers), the station KNLDJ is streaming the world wide web. The Moyers already had a lot of equipment that they used in the building of the station which is in a room of their home.
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KNLDJ's "call letters" start with a K which in commercial radio indicates stations mainly west of the Mississippi. The other letters are Nancy and Donn's first and middle initials. No call letters are required with Internet radio as it is not regulated.
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The Moyers are intent on bringing the best of old time radio and music of the era (late 1920's to the mid 1950's) to listeners around the world from a collection of programs that actually contains over 53,000 shows.
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You can e-mail the station at KNLDJ@hotmail.com
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MOYER radio,
Memories Of Yesterdays Early Radio
