Kenneth Lee (Ken) Carpenter, 84, veteran television and radio announcer, died Oct. 16, 1984 at St. John's Hospital in Santa Monica, California, following a brief illness. Carpenter was born in Avon, Illinois in 1900, the son of a minister. Carpenter graduated from Lombard College in Galesburg in 1921. (The college closed in 1930.) Following graduation Carpenter sold insurance and advertising in Peoria, Illinois. In October of 1929 he packed up his family and moved to California to look for a job in advertising. Instead, Don Wilson, chief announcer at KFI radio, a 50,000 watt NBC affiliate in Los Angeles, hired Carpenter to be a staff announcer and sports reporter. Among his early duties was to emcee remote broadcasts from the Cocoanut Grove nightclub in the Ambassador Hotel, where the Rhythm Boys were performing. He announced USC and UCLA football games. When Wilson moved to New York to work for NBC in 1933, Carpenter took his place as the lead announcer at KFI. His national breakout moment came when he was assigned to call the play-by-play of the 1935 Rose Bowl football game for NBC.

When Bing Crosby took over as the sole host of the Kraft Music Hall radio program in 1936 he chose Carpenter to be his announcer and comedic foil. Carpenter continued as Bing's announcer throughout the remainder of Bing's radio career that lasted through 1962. Carpenter also appeared as an announcer in Bing's 1940 film, "Rhythm on the River," and announced Bing's early television specials. During World War 2 Carpenter announced the Command Performance series for the Armed Forces Radio Services. Carpenter also announced for Al Jolson's Kraft Music Hall, "The Great Gildersleeve," "The Life of Riley" and the "Chase and Sanborn Hour" featuring Edgar Bergen and Charlie McCarthy. He announced radio and television versions of "Lux Theatre" and "One Man's Family," and narrated numerous movie trailers and feature films including "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington." In 1946 Carpenter became the first announcer to be elected national president of the American Federation of Radio Artists. In 1960 for his work in radio he was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6706 Hollywood Blvd. He was survived by his wife, Betty, whom he met in college, and a son.

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