Alan Lambert, a legend on radio and television in the Tulsa area since he began working as a disc jockey at the age of 16, will retire from his position as station manager of RSU Radio at the end of this semester.
“The university has been fortunate to have someone of Alan’s considerable talent and expertise to lead the growth of our radio station and provide our students with first-hand experience in broadcasting,” said RSU President Dr. Joe Wiley. “We will miss him, and we wish him well, but we will enjoy listening to him on the radio.”
Lambert is the host of the popular radio program “Big Band Saturday Night,” which can be heard on Public Radio 89.5, KWGS in Tulsa.
A reception will be held in his honor from 1-4 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 8, in the studios of RSU Radio, located in Markham Hall on the RSU campus in Claremore.
Lambert joined the staff of RSU Radio (KRSC-FM 91.3) as station manager in 1993. During his leadership at the radio station, he also taught courses in broadcasting at the university. Under his leadership, RSU Radio became one of the first radio stations in the nation to stream its programming over the Internet in 1997. He also has overseen the growth in popularity of RSU Radio in the Tulsa, Claremore and northeast Oklahoma areas.
“I am pleased that a large number of former RSU broadcast students are now working in Tulsa, Oklahoma City, and other cities in the radio and television business,” Lambert said. “It’s always a thrill to see or hear a former student on the air, developing their career after working at RSU Radio. It was a special opportunity for me to play a part in preparing them for careers in broadcasting,” he said.
RSU Radio has been a member of the Public Radio Satellite System, a division of National Public Radio (NPR) since Lambert came on board in 1993. The station also has been part of the Oklahoma News Network since 1995. Today RSU Radio features a wide variety of music programming, produced and presented by RSU students and faculty, as well as coverage of athletic events at RSU and other sports teams in northeast Oklahoma.
“I am especially proud of the growth of RSU Radio and RSU Public Television and the expansion of the university’s communication programs in the last several years,” Lambert said.
Lambert began his radio career at the age of 16, while he was a junior at Rogers High School in Tulsa. He worked at several radio stations in the Tulsa area, including the legendary KGTO, KAKC and KMOD. While pursuing a business degree at the University of Tulsa, he went to work for what was then KWPR in Claremore, serving as the station’s program director at the age of 19.
He then worked for KVOO-FM and KJRH Channel 2 in Tulsa, where he was involved in production and hosted a children’s television program titled “Alan’s Cartoon Alley”. In the program, he portrayed an astronaut known as Captain Alan, along with his robot sidekick named “Oom-A-Gog”. (Clips may be viewed at: www.tulsatvmemories.com.)
In addition, he presented weather forecasts and served as assistant news director at Channel 2. In 1971, he was appointed news director at KVOO-AM and FM in Tulsa, where he led the growth of the station’s news department for more than 20 years. He also worked with Travis Meyer in the weather department at KTUL Channel 8.
In 1991, Lambert served as president of the Tulsa Press Club. He also is past president of the AP and UPI broadcasting organizations.
While at RSU, he has produced and hosted the popular radio program “Big Band Saturday Night.” The program aired on KBEZ-FM in Tulsa since 1995 and was moved to Public Radio 89.5, KWGS in 2005. The program is streamed on the web at www.kwgs.org.