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
No Can Do – Washington Snuffs Out Homegrown Weed
Marijuana Laws in America: A Patchwork of Contradictions
Oregon High Court Rules – No Reelection For Some Senators
The Oregon State Supreme Court rules against Republican Senators who staged a legislative walkout.
What Superstar Kicks Off First Ever Yakima Hop Country Music Fest
Multi-Platinum superstar Cole Swindell is bringing his brand of down-home, young country sound to Yakima.
That “Deer In The Headlights” Causes A Billion In Damages Each Year!
Researchers found that deer-vehicle accidents are eight times more frequent per hour of dusk than they are during daylight hours
For $10-Thousand Dollars, What IS Washington’s Favorite Game Show?
What do our fellow Washingtonians think was TV's best game show? Ask Bob Ewbanks !
What Music Dries Tears And Heals Heartache When Good Men Die For America?
To honor the sacrifice of American Servicemen and women, here's the music that captures some of the sense of loss, frustration, anger, and futility experienced by the families of the fallen.
Tickets, Not Warnings For Safe Boating Violations The Weekend
The fourth of July weekend is THIS weekend! Summer fun! America's birthday party! Fireworks, Bar-B-Q, beer and boating! WAIT! Not so fast my red, white and blue boating enthusiast. The rules of the road are the rules of the rivers and lakes when it comes to drinking and driving.
Boating safety is the foc...
New Poll Says Majority Supports Gun Rights
73 percent agree the Second Amendment is one of our most important and cherished rights protected by the U.S. Constitution
Washington’s Gas Prices Expected To Soar
Estimates indicate that the measures would add about 20 cents to the cost of a gallon of gas in 2023, increasing to between 41 and 50 cents per gallon by 2028
Drinking Wine Reduces Chances of Cataract Surgery
People who drank wine five or more times per week were 23 percent less likely than non-drinkers to eventually need cataract surgery.
Central Washington University Pilot Program Ready To Fly – Are You?
"As its graduates can attest, the CWU Aviation program boasts a nearly 90% job placement rate in the industry."
The Central Washington State Fair Is A Go…For Now!
So what happens next? What about 2021? Will we back at the State Fair in person this fall?