The ethereal, dream-like opening chords of the Beatles classic “I Am the Walrus” floated from the radio, and Spencer Abersold stepped out of a tiny room that has served as his home for the past week to meet a cheering crowd.
Abersold, the station manager for KGHP, the community radio station based at Peninsula High School, had just secured a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for the longest on-air marathon.
Dressed in a hooded sweatshirt and wearing dark sunglasses, he stood rooted to the spot for a moment, then drifted through the crowd to offer high-fives and hugs to his friends and fans.
The exhausted DJ ambled out of the station and tried to sneak off to his car with parting thank-yous and “I’m going home to sleep,” but the crowd would have none of that. Abersold was whisked back onto the sidewalk to pose for pictures with all the people who made his dream possible.
Abersold thanked supporters and offered hope that breaking the record would serve its real purpose, to keep KGHP running and save it from budget cuts.
“By this time next year, I’m going to climb Mount Rainier,” he said. “The fun doesn’t stop here. Hopefully we’ll keep the station on the air.”
Abersold, whose on-air name is “The Walrus,” got by with a little help from his friends. All week, the station served as a recording studio and campground as volunteers, musicians and speakers kept the airwaves going 24/7 to break the on-air record of 183 hours.
The record officially was broken on Saturday, but Abersold’s goal of 200 hours was reached shortly after 12:30 p.m. on Sunday.
“If the record was more hours, he could have done it,” volunteer Jet Moore said. “He’s been incredible.”
Moore was involved with KGHP, doing play-by-play broadcasting for sports for six years, but he left Gig Harbor a week ago to start college at Washington State University in Pullman.
“I drove 350 miles to get here,” he said. “I wasn’t going to miss this.”
Abersold trained all summer to get through the grueling 200 hours. To abide by Guinness’ strict rules, he had to have witnesses watch him constantly.
Volunteer Cathy Haines said Abersold was allowed five minutes of sleep time each hour, during which he could take cat naps or accrue for longer periods. Even his restroom time was restricted; Haines recalled following him to the bathroom and waiting outside the door with a stopwatch.
Local musician Jason Lillie was on hand to see his friend’s crowning achievement. Lillie was the first student to complete the four-year course at KGHP.
“He used to live next door,” Lillie said of Abersold. “Spencer told me about this, so I thought I might as well come down.”
Chance Gaffin, a Gig Harbor High School student and a volunteer DJ at KGHP, ended up coordinating the event.
“We’ve been talking about this for a year,” Gaffin said. “I coordinated the witnesses and the bands. We had about 18 to 20 bands play live here. This whole room was decked out with mics and equipment.”
One of the musicians was PHS graduate Taylor Rushing, who played live during the marathon.
“I came in last Sunday and played banjo for the station and ended up staying here,” he said. “All of my friends are here, and there was lots of different music and bands all night. What a wonderful way to end the summer.”
Rushing expressed admiration for Abersold, who spent the last hours of his confinement locked inside the studio while onlookers took turns peering at him through a tiny window in the door.
He ended up retreating to a corner of the room out of sight, like an animal in a zoo exhibit.
“He’s over there in the corner,” said volunteer Rosalie Westerberg, dangling the keys to let him out when he reached his goal. “I think he’s getting tired of everyone staring at him.”
“I’ve been exhausted through this,” Rushing said. “But that poor man has had the tenacity and willpower to overcome this obstacle.”
Abersold, the station manager for KGHP, the community radio station based at Peninsula High School, had just secured a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for the longest on-air marathon.
Dressed in a hooded sweatshirt and wearing dark sunglasses, he stood rooted to the spot for a moment, then drifted through the crowd to offer high-fives and hugs to his friends and fans.
The exhausted DJ ambled out of the station and tried to sneak off to his car with parting thank-yous and “I’m going home to sleep,” but the crowd would have none of that. Abersold was whisked back onto the sidewalk to pose for pictures with all the people who made his dream possible.
Abersold thanked supporters and offered hope that breaking the record would serve its real purpose, to keep KGHP running and save it from budget cuts.
“By this time next year, I’m going to climb Mount Rainier,” he said. “The fun doesn’t stop here. Hopefully we’ll keep the station on the air.”
Abersold, whose on-air name is “The Walrus,” got by with a little help from his friends. All week, the station served as a recording studio and campground as volunteers, musicians and speakers kept the airwaves going 24/7 to break the on-air record of 183 hours.
The record officially was broken on Saturday, but Abersold’s goal of 200 hours was reached shortly after 12:30 p.m. on Sunday.
“If the record was more hours, he could have done it,” volunteer Jet Moore said. “He’s been incredible.”
Moore was involved with KGHP, doing play-by-play broadcasting for sports for six years, but he left Gig Harbor a week ago to start college at Washington State University in Pullman.
“I drove 350 miles to get here,” he said. “I wasn’t going to miss this.”
Abersold trained all summer to get through the grueling 200 hours. To abide by Guinness’ strict rules, he had to have witnesses watch him constantly.
Volunteer Cathy Haines said Abersold was allowed five minutes of sleep time each hour, during which he could take cat naps or accrue for longer periods. Even his restroom time was restricted; Haines recalled following him to the bathroom and waiting outside the door with a stopwatch.
Local musician Jason Lillie was on hand to see his friend’s crowning achievement. Lillie was the first student to complete the four-year course at KGHP.
“He used to live next door,” Lillie said of Abersold. “Spencer told me about this, so I thought I might as well come down.”
Chance Gaffin, a Gig Harbor High School student and a volunteer DJ at KGHP, ended up coordinating the event.
“We’ve been talking about this for a year,” Gaffin said. “I coordinated the witnesses and the bands. We had about 18 to 20 bands play live here. This whole room was decked out with mics and equipment.”
One of the musicians was PHS graduate Taylor Rushing, who played live during the marathon.
“I came in last Sunday and played banjo for the station and ended up staying here,” he said. “All of my friends are here, and there was lots of different music and bands all night. What a wonderful way to end the summer.”
Rushing expressed admiration for Abersold, who spent the last hours of his confinement locked inside the studio while onlookers took turns peering at him through a tiny window in the door.
He ended up retreating to a corner of the room out of sight, like an animal in a zoo exhibit.
“He’s over there in the corner,” said volunteer Rosalie Westerberg, dangling the keys to let him out when he reached his goal. “I think he’s getting tired of everyone staring at him.”
“I’ve been exhausted through this,” Rushing said. “But that poor man has had the tenacity and willpower to overcome this obstacle.”
