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A little more about KPAC Port Arthur

D

dualux

Guest
Sure have been enjoying reading the posts down the page from Stan, CW, rageradio, dahi and others about Golden Triangle radio in its glory days...

BTW, KPAC-FM (now KTJM) first signed on in 1963. When I worked at KPAC in 1966, we did dual ID's -- "KPAC and KPAC-FM, the Radio Voice of Port Arthur College in Port Arthur, Texas" -- was the official ID in '66-67 -- still have an old aircheck of it.

In the late 50's and early 60's, KPAC was THE dominant Top 40 station in town that also played lots of local bands. When I joined in '66, it had changed to an MOR-Easy Listening format, but was still a great place to learn radio.

Now, does anyone remember KPNG-1150 in Port Neches?
 
> Sure have been enjoying reading the posts down the page from
> Stan, CW, rageradio, dahi and others about Golden Triangle
> radio in its glory days...
>
> BTW, KPAC-FM (now KTJM) first signed on in 1963. When I
> worked at KPAC in 1966, we did dual ID's -- "KPAC and
> KPAC-FM, the Radio Voice of Port Arthur College in Port
> Arthur, Texas" -- was the official ID in '66-67 -- still
> have an old aircheck of it.
>
> In the late 50's and early 60's, KPAC was THE dominant Top
> 40 station in town that also played lots of local bands.
> When I joined in '66, it had changed to an MOR-Easy
> Listening format, but was still a great place to learn
> radio.
>
> Now, does anyone remember KPNG-1150 in Port Neches?
>
I worked the board nights & Sat Afts. at KPAC around 1968/69 while attending PA College. I remember turning the programming over to the transmitter at 10pm until sign off at midnight.
As far as KPNG, now KUHD, now Spanish, is silent since Hurricane Rita. After getting my (1st)phone ticket, worked the transmitter as a 2nd job away from KJAC TV. KPNG was 500W day/directional toward mid-Jefferson County from it's 2 towers off Jap Lane between IH-10 & Hwy 105 west of Orange & had a C&W format. As best as I can remember KPNG & KOGT in Orange were the only AM stations formatted C&W. KTRM-990, now KZZB, in Beaumont, may have been C&W also. KOGT is still C&W and KZZB is religious.
 
> > Now, does anyone remember KPNG-1150 in Port Neches?
> >
> I worked the board nights & Sat Afts. at KPAC around 1968/69
> while attending PA College. I remember turning the
> programming over to the transmitter at 10pm until sign off
> at midnight.
> As far as KPNG, now KUHD, now Spanish, is silent since
> Hurricane Rita. After getting my (1st)phone ticket, worked
> the transmitter as a 2nd job away from KJAC TV. KPNG was
> 500W day/directional toward mid-Jefferson County from it's 2
> towers off Jap Lane between IH-10 & Hwy 105 west of Orange &
> had a C&W format. As best as I can remember KPNG & KOGT in
> Orange were the only AM stations formatted C&W. KTRM-990,
> now KZZB, in Beaumont, may have been C&W also. KOGT is
> still C&W and KZZB is religious.

KPNG had its two towers off Merriman St and north of HWY 347...the move to the Jap Lane location came when it was KSUZ and owned by Les Ledet in the mid 70s (I was DJing at the station when the S Vidor site hit the air..we were using an Inverted L wire antenna at the studios after the towers had to come down across the street due to the land lease ending and the land owner sold the land to an apartment developer!)...KPNG may have been C&W but under KSUZ it was MOR....1150 finally got night power (a whopping 63 watts!) and is still dark (the owner is trying to sell the land for more than its worth..and was hoping to use that money to fix things at the xmtr site..NOW with it off the air, I doubt anything will get fixed..I understand no insurance on the site was in effect....990 KTRM in Beaumont was C&W...in fact, BAXTER had worked there and was on the air during the Big Bopper's funeral procession...KYKR AM (1510) was originally KCAW and was always C&W until Jimmy Joynt sold the station in the early 80s. It is religious now owned by Cumulus (as the LIGHT)
 
I think there was also a period of time where KUHD was a religious station, and Billy James Hargis Jr. was involved with it. I hadn't realized that there had been towers across Merriman where the apartment complexes now reside.

I remember when KTRM was on Dowlen Road in Beaumont, across from Parkdale Mall. It was around the time that the 95.1 FM changed to KZZB and they moved the transmitting towers / studios so that more shopping centers could be built.
 
Hey, Stan, while trying to recall KPAC....

> I think there was also a period of time where KUHD was a
> religious station, and Billy James Hargis Jr. was involved
> with it. I hadn't realized that there had been towers
> across Merriman where the apartment complexes now reside.
>
> I remember when KTRM was on Dowlen Road in Beaumont, across
> from Parkdale Mall. It was around the time that the 95.1 FM
> changed to KZZB and they moved the transmitting towers /
> studios so that more shopping centers could be built.
>
.......can you (or maybe CW) help me remember when was it that 96.1 out of LC (Beaumont rimshot) then KSNS, "Stereo 96" became KYKZ?....recalling that at first, when they went (supposedly KYKZ stands for "kick-ass") they alternated between mainstream country and top-40 before becoming all-country?....thinking that this was around the 1981-1982 period, too.....and also is T-Bruce still doing the cajun music show on KLVI (moved over from KTXC/KALO once the urban contemporary format really took root there)?????while trying to recall some more, KSNS had an AOR/AC/Top 40 blended format (they played certain songs in a certain order to where frequent listeners almost always knew what song was next on their automation.....

......asking to remember quite a bit.....looking forward to response......thanks again!!!!
 
Re: Hey, Stan, while trying to recall KPAC....

> .......can you (or maybe CW) help me remember when was it
> that 96.1 out of LC (Beaumont rimshot) then KSNS, "Stereo
> 96" became KYKZ?....recalling that at first, when they went
> (supposedly KYKZ stands for "kick-ass") they alternated
> between mainstream country and top-40 before becoming
> all-country?....thinking that this was around the 1981-1982
> period, too.....and also is T-Bruce still doing the cajun
> music show on KLVI (moved over from KTXC/KALO once the urban
> contemporary format really took root there)?????while trying
> to recall some more, KSNS had an AOR/AC/Top 40 blended
> format (they played certain songs in a certain order to
> where frequent listeners almost always knew what song was
> next on their automation.....

I remember when 96.1 was KSNS, and the morning guy was named "Steve Lake" or something like that. Its kind of like the traffic guy in Houston being named "Allen Parkway". I seem to remember the country music beginning on KYKZ in the 1990s, because KYKS and the old KHLA (formerly 99.5) used to compete for listeners with their pre-country formats.

Regarding T-Bruce, he still has his show on KLVI, as the information below describes.

Tee Bruce (Cajun Jamboree) Sunday 6 to 11 AM
Tee Bruce is a long time Port Arthur Native, and first became involved with Cajun music as an accordion maker. Tee’s “Cajun Jamboree” has been on the air continuousl for 41 years, with the past 15 on KLVI. Tee was inducted into the Cajun Music Hall of Fame in May of 1990. In 2003, Tee was inducted into the Cajun French Music Association’s Hall of Fame. Tee’s daughter and son-in-law, Barbara and Joe Clark, are now a part of his weekly show, as Tee brings his Cajun heritage to whole new generation of listeners.
<img src=http://www.klvi.com/timages/page/tBruce.jpg border=0>
 
Re: Hey, Stan, thanks!!!!!

> > .......can you (or maybe CW) help me remember when was it
> > that 96.1 out of LC (Beaumont rimshot) then KSNS, "Stereo
> > 96" became KYKZ?....recalling that at first, when they
> went
> > (supposedly KYKZ stands for "kick-ass") they alternated
> > between mainstream country and top-40 before becoming
> > all-country?....thinking that this was around the
> 1981-1982
> > period, too.....and also is T-Bruce still doing the cajun
> > music show on KLVI (moved over from KTXC/KALO once the
> urban
> > contemporary format really took root there)?????while
> trying
> > to recall some more, KSNS had an AOR/AC/Top 40 blended
> > format (they played certain songs in a certain order to
> > where frequent listeners almost always knew what song was
> > next on their automation.....
>
> I remember when 96.1 was KSNS, and the morning guy was named
> "Steve Lake" or something like that. Its kind of like the
> traffic guy in Houston being named "Allen Parkway". I seem
> to remember the country music beginning on KYKZ in the
> 1990s, because KYKS and the old KHLA (formerly 99.5) used to
> compete for listeners with their pre-country formats.
>
> Regarding T-Bruce, he still has his show on KLVI, as the
> information below describes.
>
> Tee Bruce (Cajun Jamboree) Sunday 6 to 11 AM
> Tee Bruce is a long time Port Arthur Native, and first
> became involved with Cajun music as an accordion maker.
> Tee’s “Cajun Jamboree” has been on the air continuousl for
> 41 years, with the past 15 on KLVI. Tee was inducted into
> the Cajun Music Hall of Fame in May of 1990. In 2003, Tee
> was inducted into the Cajun French Music Association’s Hall
> of Fame. Tee’s daughter and son-in-law, Barbara and Joe
> Clark, are now a part of his weekly show, as Tee brings his
> Cajun heritage to whole new generation of listeners.
>
.....happened to remember the days in BPT whenever listening to KTXC/KALO while working a part-time job on Saturdays......would listen for the R&B in the morning, then at (11 am, I recall), Tee would come on and I wouldn't change the station.......went right along with it.....those really were the days!
 
> > > Now, does anyone remember KPNG-1150 in Port Neches?
> > >
> > I worked the board nights & Sat Afts. at KPAC around
> 1968/69
> > while attending PA College. I remember turning the
> > programming over to the transmitter at 10pm until sign off
>
> > at midnight.
> > As far as KPNG, now KUHD, now Spanish, is silent since
> > Hurricane Rita. After getting my (1st)phone ticket, worked
>
> > the transmitter as a 2nd job away from KJAC TV. KPNG was
> > 500W day/directional toward mid-Jefferson County from it's
> 2
> > towers off Jap Lane between IH-10 & Hwy 105 west of Orange
> &
> > had a C&W format. As best as I can remember KPNG & KOGT
> in
> > Orange were the only AM stations formatted C&W. KTRM-990,
>
> > now KZZB, in Beaumont, may have been C&W also. KOGT is
> > still C&W and KZZB is religious.
>
> KPNG had its two towers off Merriman St and north of HWY
> 347...the move to the Jap Lane location came when it was
> KSUZ and owned by Les Ledet in the mid 70s (I was DJing at
> the station when the S Vidor site hit the air..we were using
> an Inverted L wire antenna at the studios after the towers
> had to come down across the street due to the land lease
> ending and the land owner sold the land to an apartment
> developer!)...KPNG may have been C&W but under KSUZ it was
> MOR....1150 finally got night power (a whopping 63 watts!)
> and is still dark (the owner is trying to sell the land for
> more than its worth..and was hoping to use that money to fix
> things at the xmtr site..NOW with it off the air, I doubt
> anything will get fixed..I understand no insurance on the
> site was in effect....990 KTRM in Beaumont was C&W...in
> fact, BAXTER had worked there and was on the air during the
> Big Bopper's funeral procession...KYKR AM (1510) was
> originally KCAW and was always C&W until Jimmy Joynt sold
> the station in the early 80s. It is religious now owned by
> Cumulus (as the LIGHT)
>
I WORKED AT KUHD IN THE MID 90S I WAS PD AT THE TIME BUT BILLY JAMES HARGIS SOLD THE STATION TO A GUY NAMED MARK PETERSON BE CAREFUL THEN THE STATION WAS IN DEEP FINANCAL PROBLEMS TO MUCH TO DISCUSS ON HERE. THEN I LEFT THERE AND WENT TO KOGT BEEN THERE OFF AND FOR 10 YRS BEST STATION I EVER WORKED FOR EVER I MEAN THAT ABOUT KOGT.
 
> I WORKED AT KUHD IN THE MID 90S I WAS PD AT THE TIME BUT
> BILLY JAMES HARGIS SOLD THE STATION TO A GUY NAMED MARK
> PETERSON BE CAREFUL THEN THE STATION WAS IN DEEP FINANCAL
> PROBLEMS TO MUCH TO DISCUSS ON HERE. THEN I LEFT THERE AND
> WENT TO KOGT BEEN THERE OFF AND FOR 10 YRS BEST STATION I
> EVER WORKED FOR EVER I MEAN THAT ABOUT KOGT.

1150 has always had financial problems...the latest owners are no different..
With its limited signal and coverage, it never made a LOT of money...except maybe for the religious guys (which is why they are called "a dollar a holler" for those types of preachers, etc :)
 
Few more words about 1150-AM

> 1150 has always had financial problems...the latest owners
> are no different..
> With its limited signal and coverage, it never made a LOT of
> money...except maybe for the religious guys (which is why
> they are called "a dollar a holler" for those types of
> preachers, etc :)
>

1150 actually did pretty well financially back in the KPNG days. It was owned by Beaumont advertising executive Joe Trum Sr. and he programmed MOR music from the time it signed on in 1959 until the format change to Country and Western (that's what they called it back then) around 1965. Most of the advertisers were businesses from Nederland, Port Neches and Groves, with some Beaumont and Port Arthur merchants thrown in. Even had some national ad agency business. I remember the log being pretty full most of the time.

Before the move to Merriman Street, KPNG's studio was in downtown Port Neches on Nall Street. I was in high school in '64-'65, but had a job as a weekender at 1150 under both formats. It was a fun place to learn radio in those "pre-FM" days.
 
Hello! Stumbled upon this board by accident, saw KUHD, and just had to reply. I worked at both KDLF/KUHD and yes, financial troubles were the order of the day, everyday. Due to....

1. limited signal range...500 watts during the day, down to 250 at night. You were out of luck at any time if you were listening during a thunderstorm, after sunset, or while driving under power lines or an underpass, nothing but static! Also, if you were to far away from a line extending from evadale, vidor, port neches to port arthur, you ran a good chance of losing the signal. Trouble at times if you tried to listen in Beaumont or Orange, the signal was oriented north-south from vidor, not east west. The station at one time was approved to go up to 1000 watts, but again, where would the money come from? Businesses are not going to buy advertising time on a station with a weak/staticy signal, or cannot pick up at all.

2.Ownership...owners of both KDLF and later KUHD were not particularly well liked by the community. So trying to sell the station in the area was a difficult because of this. The few sponsors they did have did so because they wanted to support gospel music, and made it clear they did not support the individual owners.

3. Bad financial decisions...decisions made about station physical location made during KDLF's early days wound up costing the station a great deal of money over the years, quickly zapping a large amount of what little money was coming in.As well as the ever present question of where money was going to in the first place. I guess what I am trying to say is that perhaps different priorities would have made a difference.

4. Management...inept management with little to no management experience during the entire time KDLF and KUHD were operating proved to be a hinderence. How can you run a radio station if you do not know what you are doing?

5. Announcers...Inexperienced...the majority of announcers left a lot to be desired.

6. Gossip...rumors and gossip were commonplace. A lot a rumors abounded about employees and others associated with the station. A christian station is supposed to be focused on the LORD, but that was the last thing done.

All these things combined proved to complete the demise of the southern/country gospel portion of am 1150. The LORD stepped in and put a stop to it and closed it down. I hope and pray the spanish community with have better success.

And yes, I was bored today and had time to write and remember all of this.
 
menaceofdennis said:
Hello! Stumbled upon this board by accident, saw KUHD, and just had to reply. I worked at both KDLF/KUHD and yes, financial troubles were the order of the day, everyday. Due to....

1. limited signal range...500 watts during the day, down to 250 at night. You were out of luck at any time if you were listening during a thunderstorm, after sunset, or while driving under power lines or an underpass, nothing but static! Also, if you were to far away from a line extending from evadale, vidor, port neches to port arthur, you ran a good chance of losing the signal. Trouble at times if you tried to listen in Beaumont or Orange, the signal was oriented north-south from vidor, not east west. The station at one time was approved to go up to 1000 watts, but again, where would the money come from? Businesses are not going to buy advertising time on a station with a weak/staticy signal, or cannot pick up at all.

2.Ownership...owners of both KDLF and later KUHD were not particularly well liked by the community. So trying to sell the station in the area was a difficult because of this. The few sponsors they did have did so because they wanted to support gospel music, and made it clear they did not support the individual owners.

3. Bad financial decisions...decisions made about station physical location made during KDLF's early days wound up costing the station a great deal of money over the years, quickly zapping a large amount of what little money was coming in.As well as the ever present question of where money was going to in the first place. I guess what I am trying to say is that perhaps different priorities would have made a difference.

4. Management...inept management with little to no management experience during the entire time KDLF and KUHD were operating proved to be a hinderence. How can you run a radio station if you do not know what you are doing?

5. Announcers...Inexperienced...the majority of announcers left a lot to be desired.

6. Gossip...rumors and gossip were commonplace. A lot a rumors abounded about employees and others associated with the station. A christian station is supposed to be focused on the LORD, but that was the last thing done.

All these things combined proved to complete the demise of the southern/country gospel portion of am 1150. The LORD stepped in and put a stop to it and closed it down. I hope and pray the spanish community with have better success.

And yes, I was bored today and had time to write and remember all of this.
Click to expand...

1. 1150 Port Neches has never had 250watts at night; this because the stations its protecting are WJBO, Baton Rouge and former WTAW (now KZsoemthing) in College Station!! In fact, 1150 never had NIGHT time signal until the last 10 years MAYBE and then only 63 watts!! The station before that was daytime only.....I had to sign it off on the weekends when I worked there in the 70s...(as KSUZ). There was NEVER a CP issued for a 1000watt signal...not on 1150!

2. As KSUZ, it was well liked....the MOR format we played was well received and Les Ledet was a respected business man in the community....cant say that of the religious owners after he sold.....

3. It was KPNG for MANY years before it was KDLF......the physical location was determined by the stations it had to protect (still the same) and the freq allocations done by the FCC....a change MAY be possible under the current rules to a different freq (I would not stay on 1150 with WJBO kicking butt in Beaumont at night)...but the current owners have lied to the FCC in their renewal app and never filed to go DARK after Rita...in fact, they filed to say there were back on the air...yeah, with horizontal wires 5ft off the ground as antennas...not legal and surely not directional!! and no way making any signal over the COL.....(I am a PNG graduate and the area is where I lived the 1st 25+ years of my life)..They are supposed to have new towers to go up...but NO CP has been issued (required under FCC rules) and the old system was not legal..I have seen pictures of it before Rita...no Monitor loops (with a directional, that IS required!), the STL feed on one tower was disconnected...no retuning or recal of the tower impedance was done, no tower lights, no FCC Tower registration (ever!), etc etc....I hope they get their license revoked or someone who LOVES radio takes the station over...it COULD make money but now with 1450 and 1510 in Beaumont spanish (EGADS!), 1150 needs to hang that up (oh wait a minute, I read somewhere they filed to be a FOX sports affil...yeah that'll bring in the ratings/ads)

4. no argument there...after Les Ledet owned it, it has gone through TERRIBLE management..

5. well this isnt market 100+..... but even when I worked there, we sounded pretty good ;)

6. That happens at most radio stations, religious or not.....(I heard similar of 92.5 when it was KTFA and just signed on.....oh well...)
 
The original KPAC-AM (later soul music KALO) is now KDEI airing Catholic programming as part of Radio Maria USA.

http://www.radiomaria.us


Stumbled upon these posts when I "googled" KPAC and came here.

Would like more info on both KPAC and KALO.
 
So, do any of you old Beaumont radio guys remember a jock by the name of Robert X. Last I saw him he was working at KAYD, middays.
 
"So, do any of you old Beaumont radio guys remember a jock by the name of Robert X. Last I saw him he was working at KAYD, middays. "

It is my understanding Robert X. Brown passed away several years. I remember Rex Russell, also deceased, informed me of Robert X. I only met Robert X a few times briefly but I had the pleasure of working with Rex at several stations. When Rex passed he was very happy working at KOGT in Orange.

As far as KPNG I remember driving under the antenna on Meriman Street when I lived in Port Neches. At that time in the mid 70z, the studio was at the same location, just over the railroad track off Twin City Highway.
 
Years ago, I seem to remember Rex Russell and Robert X both working at KWIC before that station abandoned us for the big city.
 
stan said:
Years ago, I seem to remember Rex Russell and Robert X both working at KWIC before that station abandoned us for the big city.
Click to expand...

I worked Beaumont radio in the mid 60's. Robert X Randall was his name.
 
Wasn't KPAC on 98.5, and used those calls before flipping to Album Rock in the 70s as KHYS? I know 98.5 have changed formats several times but I do not know all of them.

1977-? Album Rock KHYS (moniker unknown)
?-1989 KHYS Y-98.5 Urban Adult Contemporary
1989-1991 Kiss 98.5 KHYS Contemporary Dance Hits
1991-1994 KHYS Y-98.5 2nd run Urban Adult Contemporary
1995-1997 KHYS Smooth FM 98.5/103.3 Smooth Jazz
1997-1998 KHYS Kiss 98.5 Kiss again 103.3 Dance
1998-1999 KHYS Kiss 98.5 Kiss again 103.3 Top 40
1999-2001 KTJM 98.5 The Jam, Houston's Jammin Oldies, Houston's Jammin Hits Rhythmic Oldies
2001-Today KTJM La Raza 98.5/103.3 Regional Mexican

airchecks on youtube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5txr0ql4EIg&feature=related Y 98.5
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eS0YBKQDu50 Smooth FM 98.5/103.3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAZTxaIaCLk Kiss 98.5/103.3
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lrhrLaxHxvQ&feature=related 98.5 The Jam
 
KPAC-FM signed on in 1963 at 98.5. When I worked there during my high school years in the late 60's, the FM had an Easy Listening format (with FM studios at the Highway 87 transmitter building) that simulcast the Top 40 and later MOR-format KPAC-AM (from studios on Lakeshore Blvd.) at night.

Of course, all that changed when Port Arthur College sold them both.
 
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