Travis T. Hipp

Chandler Laughlin, better known as the iconoclastic radio commentator Travis T. Hipp has passed from this reality at his home in Silver City, Nevada. Travis could be heard every morning on KVMR, giving us his unique angle on the events of the day.

I first heard Travis on KZAP, delivering a report on the exploits of cartoonist and fellow rabble rouser Dan O’Neill at the Ogalala Sioux occupation of Wounded Knee in 1973. Little did I know at the time that my life would eventually be intertwined with O’Neill, and by that association, Travis. I met him at the 1984 Democratic convention in San Francisco and he and Dan visited me several times in Nevada City.

We may never hear his gravelly voice again on the morning commute, but his spirit will be with us always. Rest in peace, Chandler, you earned it.

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15 Responses to Travis T. Hipp

  1. Michael Anderson says:

    RIP, TTH. Man, I sure am going to miss his early morning news wrap. Thanks for letting us know, RL. Do you know how long he did the KVMR gig? Seems like at least a coupla decades?

    • RL Crabb says:

      Michael, I’m not sure of the exact date, but it was sometime in the last ten years. O’Neill & friends were doing the “End of the Trail Saloon” show on KVMR and I’m pretty sure he helped facilitate Chandler’s spot on our local station.

      • Michael Anderson says:

        I thought for sure that I’d heard Travis T. Hip at 7:30 am when I was taking kids to school back in the early 90s. Maybe he did a stint, took a break, then came back. How long did he do KZAP?

        I hope KVMR plays some TTH greatest hits next week.

  2. Travis T Hipp, Bob Dylan, and Frank Zappa all seem to pull back the covers on what’s really going on, so well, he will be missed.

  3. Ben Emery says:

    Travus was great but his passing didn’t catch me by surprise. Over the last month or so I really was noticing a slide in his morning reports. Not the content but in the delivery of all the news you never knew you needed to know. I always tried to remember during pledge drives to give the few extra cents for Travus. He will be missed.

  4. Joseph says:

    I used to listen to Travis in the late 80’s when lived in Reno. I am in Colorado now and hadn’t thought about him in more than 20 years. Suddenly, out of the blue, I decided to google him, only to discover that he had just passed. It’s kind of freaky.

  5. steve kasprzyk says:

    how can there ever be another Travis. i got hooked on him when KPIG came to Chico a few years ago and then they suddenly left a couple of years later. thankfully KZFR our community radio station picked Travis up. his passing is a great loss and the mold has been broken

  6. D. McGee says:

    I remember Travis when he was part of a band of radio pirates that changed the airways due to the influence of late Tom Donahue (sp?). They made KSAN into an icon of radio stations in the Bay Area. A merry band that kept me entertained during my years in San Francisco. Two decades later when I moved to Reno I started listening to him first on KOH and then the “X.” He also had a weekly column at the Daily Sparks Tribune where I’m a stringer and motor sports writer. Travis thanks for the many memories over the past decades I’m going to miss reading your views on the world. RIP Travis.

  7. John [JC] Cosgrave says:

    McGee is spot on. I heard Travis first on KSAN in ’65 or’66, then on the FAT [KFAT].
    I don’t know what I’ll do without his show; because as much as I try to stay up on what is really going on these less free days, I always could count on Travis to make me more upset by finding a few facts I was unaware of. Damn, another free thinking, liberal, freedom fighter bites the dust. We are now less informed; and that is not good!

  8. Harry Hunzie says:

    I used to listen although we didn’t see eye to eye on alot of things. I thought some of his ramblings he was already lit to the gils with some substance. He seemed to be lip locked with Obama which usually made me yell, “get a room”, while I was driving in from Salinas. He also seemed to support any free program that could milk the working class. Obviously the rich aren’t going to pay for them. I hope he found peace in his passing.

  9. Thomas Kruse says:

    This is quite a while since the passing of the great Travis T. But I wanted to add a funny story. I was a Rotarian in Gilroy. All except three of us Republican conservative types. Travis was invited to give the customary program. When he came in people were shocked and appalled by his outfit. Western clothes open chested shirt, pony tail and so on. Folks were whispering. “Who invited this guy?” I brought a guest, friend from College. As Travis was introduced he took charge of the big room. Then he subtly berated the Rotarians for not being as good of a Republican as they could have. The line which caused me to explode in laughter was, “You folks are the great pendulous ass of the body politic.” MY friend and I laughed till we cried. A few walked out. That was Travis T Hipp.

    • fish says:

      Wow….talk about jumping in “The Wayback Machine”.

      I hadn’t thought about Travis in years. He was my introduction to political talk radio on KPTL in Carson City and always a good way to pass the travel time between Carson City and Reno!

      • fish says:

        Alas…..not only has Mr. Hipp left the building but the radio station to which I used to listen is no more as well!

        Oh well…..time passes!

  10. Hipp was okay, but I preferred Wesley “Scoop” Nisker, the first newsman on the legendary KSAN, “Jive 95.” He’s probably best known for his sign off: “If you don’t like the news, go out and make some of your own.”

    As long we’re on the subject of odd ball news commentators, I suggest listing to Earl Pitts “Uhmerikan” for a taste of red neck humor. I heard him in Reno a couple of times but I doubt you’d find him on any California station. He’d be a big hit was crowd at the Alta Sierra Country Club last night.

  11. Erik D. says:

    We listened to TravIs all the time he was on KZAP in Sacramento in the late ’60’s, into the ’70’s.
    At first, we played a couple of innocent phone pranks on him (i was about 12 y.o.) and he’d call us “twidgets”, and to this day I don’t know what it meant, but we became to love him.
    We’d never miss his show which aired on Sunday evenings, and was bummed when his KZAP days had come to an end.
    R.I.P. TRAVIS – Love Always From Sac !

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