Lewiston native ‘Big Jack’ gets his due after long Idaho radio career

Lewiston native Dave “Big Jack” Armstrong, who made a name for himself in the Boise area as a radio disc jockey, will be honored today for his 48-year career by the Idaho State Broadcasters Association.

Armstrong, 69, will be the guest of honor at a gathering from 10:30 a.m. PDT to 12:30 p.m. PDT today at Smoky Mountain Pizzeria Grill, 415 East Parkcenter Blvd., Boise.

Armstrong grew up in Lewiston, graduated from Lewiston High School in 1972 and got his start in radio at KLER-AM in Orofino. But he spent the bulk of his career, 37 years, in the Boise area where he worked at a variety of stations and made an impression as a DJ who was willing to challenge convention.

“I did shock radio when no one else was doing shock radio. I may have taken it too far at times,” Armstrong said in a phone interview Thursday. “The other (radio) guys in town were saying you shouldn’t be doing this or that, but I had the most listeners. I was No. 1 for seven years.

“We pushed (the envelope),” Armstrong said, “and then we mailed it.”

After high school, Armstrong worked for a time at Stillings and Embry Florists in Lewiston, then attended broadcasting school in Spokane. He then started his career at Orofino before moving to KOZE-AM in Lewiston.

He relocated to Boise in 1982, where he spent most of the next four decades. He worked at Treasure Valley stations KBBK-FM, KF-95, KOOL-104 and KSRV-AM before retiring two years ago and moving to Lewiston to care for his mother. She died in June 2022, and Armstrong has remained in Lewiston and settled into a “simple life” — though he would consider getting back into radio “if the right offer comes along.”

Armstrong said he thoroughly enjoyed his radio career.

“I never worked a day in my life,” he said. “I was program director at KF-95 and KOOL-104, worked 8 to 10 hours a day, and never regretted a minute of it.”

Baney may be contacted at mbaney@lmtribune.com or (208) 848-2262. Follow him on Twitter @MattBaney_Trib.