Local Radio
the “Harder” Way
HOT DOGS AND HOT HITS
BY JANIS V. BERS
The mere mention of a hot dog, and you conjure up visions of a
tasty American staple served up at sporting events and barbe-
cue cookouts. Here in the Inland Northwest, you might also be
reminded of one of our region’s most well-known and well-loved
radio personalities, the man who quite literally became Spo-
kane’s very own “human hot dog”!
That moniker rightfully belongs to this issue’s featured perform-
ing arts guest interviewee, Rob (Hot Dog) Harder.
It’s no accident that so many of us are very familiar with Rob’s
rich personality-filled voice. We have been inviting him into our
homes for decades!
Even from his early childhood he single-mindedly set out to
make radio his life’s sole mission. It all began when Rob built his
own mock-up radio station out of Lego bricks in his bedroom and
began emulating his then-heroes on the radio stations to which
he avidly listened.
Those Lego bricks eventually turned into Rob’s real building
blocks, initiating his chosen career in professional broadcasting.
He enrolled in the broadcasting program at Spokane Commu-
nity College where he excelled at every level. So much so, that
the department head helped Rob get his first full time position
at semi-automated Spokane station KEZE. He was to work over-
nights from 12 midnight to 6am making sure the pre-recorded
programs were being broadcast, and then every hour on the hour
Rob was to read the day’s news headlines live on air.
Not a bad start, but Rob was constantly setting his sights higher to
realize his main ambition of becoming a bona-fide live radio DJ.
After 18 months of cutting his teeth at KEZE, a timely new oppor-
tunity arose at South Hill’s top 40 music station—97 KREM gave
Rob exactly the opening he was aiming for, and it was then and
there that Rob’s warm friendly voice quickly began to get noticed
by a welcoming radio listenership, as Spokane’s newest live radio
DJ personality.
This was a very fortuitous time for many of Rob’s expectations
and aspirations to come to fruition, because it wasn’t very long
until Spokane was thrust under the global spotlight and became
host for the prestigious 1974 World’s Expo. Now Rob’s audience
rose from thousands, to literally millions, as people from every
corner of the globe flocked to the Lilac City to be part of this
momentous event.
44 ART CHOWDER MAGAZINE
Rob”HotDog” Harder
Rob Harder soon realized that he and his
fellow radio colleagues had amazingly ac-
quired the recognition and elevated status,
which up to this point was reserved for Hol-
lywood movie stars and TV personalities.
They had indeed become celebrities in
their own right and were very much revered
and regarded as such by their ever-growing
legion of listeners and fans.
Radio itself was also expanding its horizons
by taking live shows out of the studio and
going directly to the public. DJs were no
longer anonymous “voices on a stick”, but