Born on a mountaintop in Tennessee … wait, that was that other Davy. This one was born on a cattle and wheat farm on the Great Plains of North Dakota. Farm-fresh common sense, work ethic and imagination forged in the fields of great grains. Like spaghetti? Thank my dad. After an Honor Society high school career in Lakota, N.D., I attended junior college on a basketball scholarship where I repeatedly demonstrated that white men indeed can’t jump. But I did manage an associate’s degree in wildlife management. From there, a semester at the University of North Dakota, where I started to pursue a background in broadcasting and a minor in goofing off, so… To further educational opportunities and real-world experience, I enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1974 and eventually became part of the first all-volunteer army. I served three years as a radio/TV information specialist with extra training in newsprint and leadership. The bulk of my tour was at Fort Lewis, Wash., and I made a note to return to the great state of Washington one day. Honorably discharged in 1977 I returned to North Dakota and Minot State University, where I received degrees in communications and psychology. While attending school I worked as a radio DJ and a TV news reporter at a local combo operation. It was there that I discovered that what was taught in classroom didn’t always square with what was going on in the real world. Good to know. From there I moved to Blacksburg, Va., and a radio/TV producer job for Virginia Tech University -- Go, Gobblers! Go, Hokies! Two years on the East Coast was enough and I headed west to the hippie enclave of Eureka, Calif., for my first TV news director/anchorman gig. Yes, I had a mustache and comparisons to Ron Burgundy would one day be appropriate … just keep them “classy.” At a news guy conference in Las Vegas I met legendary newsman T.J. Close, who was from Washington state! Here was my callback to the Evergreen State, but I wound up on the never-green side of the Cascades. T.J hired me to come to Yakima and KIMA-TV in the winter of 1982. I worked a couple of years there, then spent 10 years across town as news director/anchor at KAPP-TV. I tried my hand at TV sales and radio sales and ultimately got a morning talk show radio gig for about two years on KCHT. (K-chat. Get it? Me, neither) By then KNDO-TV, the only TV station in town I hadn’t worked for, was looking for a news director/anchorman and they came calling based on my track record of past success and the fact that I work cheap. That was a successful five-year run, but the station was sold and the new owners wanted their own people in place, so early in 2001 I was about to be out of a job when KIT’s manager called and asked me to breakfast. Best meal ever! LOTS of bacon. Sixteen years later the Morning News with Dave and Lance rolls on as Yakima’s most popular morning radio show, presenting a variety of news , sports, weather, talk and fun -- Information and good conversation wrapped in our tell-it-like-it-is kinda style. We champion our advertisers, we pull for the underdogs, we love kids, veterans, seniors, animals, America and everything else that’s good and true that list doesn’t cover. We are A.M Proud with conservative values and a love for the people of the Yakima Valley. And it sure beats working on the farm.
Dave Ettl
Help For Teachers to Beef Up Student Critical Reading Skills
For those who have decided to teach children at the elementary school level, the impact they make on students in this vital area can resonate throughout the rest of their lives.
Another Round Of “Battle Of The Sexes” Ends In A Draw
EurekAlert reports on tests using eye-tracking technology show that males and females used different gaze strategies during the tests in order to arrive at the correct answer.
Levy Lid Vote – What It Means If Passed
The reason for the ask to voters is that the city says costs are going up 2.5% a year but the property tax, at 1% per year, is failing to keep up with maintaining existing city services.
Commercial Air Travel Is Safer Than Ever
Study leaders say improvements continue even though safer and further gains become harder to achieve with it being suggested that, "The risk is so low that being afraid to fly is a little like being afraid to go into the supermarket because the ceiling might collapse,"
Caffe 11th Avenue Shares the Valentine’s Day Love
Given all this love, we are going to team up with each other for a drawing giving you the chance to win some great Valentine's Day prizes.
Popular Song Lyrics – Why Do Get Them Wrong So Often?
One of the funniest morning radio show segments we've done was a few years back when we were recalling all the pop song lyrics we had gotten wrong over the years.
Zillah Named One of the Best Small Towns In America
Car Rentals online has posted a blog about the 25 best small towns in the country -- and Central Washington was represented by Zillah!
How To Make The Perfect Cup Of Coffee
Over the course of a year, the shop has reported saving thousands of dollars due to the ability to use fewer coffee beans
Strong Mayor Conversations Scheduled For February
At Tuesday’s City Council meeting, council members added a discussion of the Strong Mayor form of government to its February 4th meeting agenda.
With Astria’s Closure, Memorial Works Its Plan to Expand Care
Outgoing Virginia Mason Memorial CEO Russ Myers says VMM has already interviewed and hired nearly 50 former Astria employees.