Just random questions......

[hifidistortion]

just feeling trival, so just throwing out random questions:

92.1- 1: why did they ever abandon the KLEF call's when they changed to classical, at last I heard they were in Alaska? ???

92.9- 1: Why did they change from Easy Country to 93Q Country, were they ever considering going back to Top 40?

93.3- Were there ever any another thoughts on a format before going to a spanish language format, or was the upgrade just for Univision's earlier incarnation?

93.7- 1: Why is CC keeping this around? I would have imagined that they would go and make this a Urban AC or Rhythmic AC by now, real competition for Majic. Could resurrect some sounds of Disco 94.
2: I am only a 26 yr old radio junkie, so I am curious to know, what DID Y 94 sound like, playlist wise? Disco 94 also?
3: How was K-Lite a competitor to KODA? I remember KLTR, but not much, I was a kid, therefore did not listen.

94.5- 1: How much of the 50's did we hear on the original KLDE? I remember the "Doo-Wop Sunday Night" but that's it.
2:What was the original line up for Oldies 94.5, and did they try to get former KNUZ/KILT/KXYZ (when top 40) DJ's?

95.7- 1:What was KIKK's DJ lineup like in the 60's and 70's?
2: What did KHUL sound like, was there DJ's?
3: How long now before CBS trys Urban AC/Movin/Jack.....or something like Standards blending w/Smooth Jazz, they do that already somewhat.
4: How about resurrecting the sound like "the BIG 6-10" i.e. classic hits/oldies, i.e. like CBS-FM, NYC. CBS has the resources for bringing back "the sound of the big 6-10". I wouldn't use the KILT calls though, too country.

Taking a brain break, we can chew on these for now ;D

 

[bobbybooey]

93.7- 1: Why is CC keeping this around? I would have imagined that they would go and make this a Urban AC or Rhythmic AC by now, real competition for Majic. Could resurrect some sounds of Disco 94.

Just a hunch, but I've got a feeling they may be keeping it around because it's currently the #1 station in Houston P25-54, and seems to be consistently in the Top 2 week-to-week. But you're right, going after the disco niche would be a much better idea. :

 

[stan]

You didn't make it up to 97.9, back when it was oldies on KFMK and had Lee Jolly in the morning. Ah, the good old days before that frequency was corrupted.

 

[CW]

You didn't make it up to 97.9, back when it was oldies on KFMK and had Lee Jolly in the morning. Ah, the good old days before that frequency was corrupted.

AMEN!!!! (pun not intended)...I remember driving back from Houston in my 77 Olds Omega and finding 97.9 playing Top40 music instead of Christian music.......shocker!

I grew up listening to 610 KILT with H&H (the S&P combo)...when they left and went to KULF, KILT went off the preset rather quickly...

 

[Jimbo713]

From 1988 - 1992, K-Lite was dominate 25-54 (#3 at it's best). KODA, during this time, was a beautiful music station. When Mix 96.5 debuted in 1991, K-Lite abandonded their 35-54 P-1's and tried to compete with KHMX. KODA siezed the opportunity and switched to Soft A/C grabbing KLTR's audience. And the rest is history!

 

[kirby]

2: I am only a 26 yr old radio junkie, so I am curious to know, what DID Y 94 sound like, playlist wise?

From what I remember in 1978, they played Boston, Steely Dan, Bob Seger, Styx, Foreigner, etc. I don't remember which older bands were played. They used to play an album side (or maybe the whole album) every night around 10:00. I remember hearing "Just What I Needed" by The Cars and "Take Me To The River" by Talking Heads for the first time. I think they might have also played "Soul Man" by Blues Brothers. I don't remember hearing harder stuff like Van Halen, Kiss, Foghat or AC/DC, although I do remember FM 100 KILT playing those.

I was so mad at that station changing to Disco, I don't think I ever listened to Disco 94 even once!

 

[mrtexmex2007]

93.3 has the funiest spanish morning show in the country. It sure is way better than the show they have on 102.9 Estereo Latino with Raul Brindis and Pepito.

 

[Mediafrog+]

92.1- 1: why did they ever abandon the KLEF call's when they changed to classical, at last I heard they were in Alaska? ???

When 92.1 flipped from Easy Listening KYND to Classical, they quickly adopted the KLEF calls...that was in the Spring of 1986. However when Michael Stude bought the station in the Fall of 1987, he wanted fresh branding to supposedly eliminate what he saw as some negatives that were attached to KLEF, and thus the change to KRTS.

92.9- 1: Why did they change from Easy Country to 93Q Country?

A high level KKBQ manager once told me that the Easy Country format was forced on the station by (then owner) Gannett corporate management. Local managers wanted to directly take on KIKK-FM and KILT-FM, but lost the argument. When the Easy Country format promptly flopped, Gannett corporate gave in to the local programmers, and 93Q Country was born.

93.3- Were there ever any another thoughts on a format before going to a spanish language format, or was the upgrade just for Univision's earlier incarnation?

The 93.3 upgrade in 1990 was originally for KYKR, a B/PA based Country station. Lasted two years before the frequency was LMA'd out (and later sold) for the Estereo Latino launch in 1992 (KYKR's format moved to 95.1, replacing the old KZZB.)

93.7- 1: Why is CC keeping this around? I would have imagined that they would go and make this a Urban AC or Rhythmic AC by now, real competition for Majic. Could resurrect some sounds of Disco 94.

Probably because it does well with males 35-54 who don't care for Country or Talk. KIOL is a weak also-ran.

Going to some sort of Urban or Rhythmic puts you in a pretty tough field. This has been speculated upon endlessly on this board, with 93.7, 96.5, and 101.1 being possible candidates. But nothing has happened...yet.

94.5- 1: How much of the 50's did we hear on the original KLDE? I remember the "Doo-Wop Sunday Night" but that's it.

Not a huge amount. Elvis, Buddy Holly, a few of the other biggest 50's acts. But the emphasis was very definitely 60's.

How about resurrecting the sound like "the BIG 6-10" i.e. classic hits/oldies, i.e. like CBS-FM, NYC.

Would probably fizzle on AM. And the Top 40 incarnation of 610 has been gone for almost 30 years. Is there enough of an institutional memory of it here, considering how many people in its potential target demographic didn't live here then?


[/quote]

 

[purpledevil]

Mediafrog, I didn't know that about KYKR, now KQBU. I thought that the upgraded signal reaching into Houston was part of the agreement for Univision's purchase of the frequency. You learn something new everyday.

As far as a return of "The Big 610", I would venture to say that some of us old timers would love to see a re-incarnation of the station simply for nostalgic reasons, but that's just not going to happen. 2 of the 4 sports stations here in Houston are destined to fail. I couldn't imagine 610 being one of those. Now, that's not to say another AM station here in Houston couldn't do an oldies/Top 40 based format that would be successful. 790 has the right signal for it, and could stand a makeover. Someone would have to pry the KULF calls out of Roy Henderson's hands (I'm sure a few Benjamins would do the trick) and resurrect the old 79 KULF as a true oldies station.

 

[purpledevil]

I've said before that 101 as an urban station would eat 97.9's lunch anyday. Hell, I'll go one better. Flip it to Urban AC and blindside Majic. 102.1 has been on top for a long time, and it truthfully isn't one of the better sounding Urban AC's in the country. A little competition from a powerhouse signal like KLOL has, and either Majic would have to adapt and get better, or it would fall like a brick.

Going back to The Box, the same repetitous playlist that it has makes it suspect for someone to come in and knock it down a peg or two. If 104.9's signal wasn't as limited as it is, Party could really do some damage to The Box. Of course, that could be remedied pretty easily by my account. If I were running the show at Univision, I'd move KLTN over to 104.9 and KPTY to 102.9 and take Radio One on head to head. The playlist for KPTY is remarkable, to say the least. A complete mix of old school and new artists, which compliment each other well. I'm not an avid hip-hop listener, but I would definitely choose KPTY's playlist over KBXX's anyday.

I know, I know. Move Estereo Latino? Am I suicidal? Well, this is why I'm here and David E. is where he is.

 

[purpledevil]

I wouldn't use the KILT calls though, too country.

You do know that KILT was the call for 610 when it was a Top 40 station, right? Those calls have also been with FM 100 since its days as an AOR. They may be associated with country now, but anyone who knows the heritage of KILT wouldn't change the calls for the world.

 

[its time w (your name)]

I wouldn't use the KILT calls though, too country.

You do know that KILT was the call for 610 when it was a Top 40 station, right? Those calls have also been with FM 100 since its days as an AOR. They may be associated with country now, but anyone who knows the heritage of KILT wouldn't change the calls for the world.

Amen. I think that even though most people in Houston are from somewhere else, a revival of the classic BIG 610 would go over well with the money demo, because it would remind people raised elsewhere of whatever power-house top 40/rock station they grew up with. I even believe it could work on an AM signal. People my age & older are just not that obsessed with bass. I would listen to an AM with a big playlist and actual LIVE, LOCAL personalities. Especially if it didnt sound like it were run by consultants and other corporate idiots.

 

[Kevinc]

94.5- 1: How much of the 50's did we hear on the original KLDE? I remember the "Doo-Wop Sunday Night" but that's it.
2:What was the original line up for Oldies 94.5, and did they try to get former KNUZ/KILT/KXYZ (when top 40) DJ's?

I started with KLDE not too long after it flipped to Oldies. At the time we played much more of the doo wop sound, not all of it 50s, but that flavor from the 50s and early 60s. The night jock, Bill Campbell had a great collection of the older music and probably played more of the 50s that the rest of us because he did a request show. Over the years the station evolved to where it was mostly 60s with a few 50s mixed in.. then it was mostly post Beatles oldies... until it eventually morphed into the Greatest Hits of the 60s and 70s as it is today.

As for the original lineup... This may not be the originals, but at one point early on I believe Steve Lundy was on mornings, Tom Carter did middays, Harley David was on afternoons, Bill Campbell nights.

When I started in 1989, the lineup was RC Rogers and Sheree Bernardi in mornings, Sean O'neel did 9-12, I (Kevin Charles) did 12-3, Colonel St. James was on afternoons and the late great Bill Campbell did 7-midnight and I think Eddie Cruz did overnights. And yes, we were all fulltimers...with 3 hour air shifts. Wasn't life great back then.

As far as I know the station never really pursued the old KFMK jocks, but a few came over including Joe Ford who did middays for KLDE for many years. Lee Jolly worked there temporarily about the time the station moved from 94.5 to 107.5.

I do recall that the oldies battle got kind of heated when KFMK tried to bring back the old jocks and take back the oldies audience. They had people showing up at KLDE events, including the "Lovin' Feelings" show that year. It obviously did not work.

 

[hifidistortion]

[/quote]
You do know that KILT was the call for 610 when it was a Top 40 station, right? Those calls have also been with FM 100 since its days as an AOR. They may be associated with country now, but anyone who knows the heritage of KILT wouldn't change the calls for the world.
[/quote]

this site and all of you are a wealth of info, so I do happen to know that KILT was the Big 6-10 in the 60's and 70's but I say changing the calls would help if this idea came to FM, given the KILT association with country now....just from a 26-yr-old POV Contrary to popular belief, I believe if done right, this would be marketable b/c it just seems that Houston has a sizable older audience, but I would listen too.

Mediafrog, I didn't know that about KYKR, now KQBU. I thought that the upgraded signal reaching into Houston was part of the agreement for Univision's purchase of the frequency. You learn something new everyday.

This is exactly why I started this post, I wanted us to learn more about houston radio, again, you all are a wealth of information.

 

[CW]

Mediafrog, I didn't know that about KYKR, now KQBU. I thought that the upgraded signal reaching into Houston was part of the agreement for Univision's purchase of the frequency. You learn something new everyday.

As far as a return of "The Big 610", I would venture to say that some of us old timers would love to see a re-incarnation of the station simply for nostalgic reasons, but that's just not going to happen. 2 of the 4 sports stations here in Houston are destined to fail. I couldn't imagine 610 being one of those. Now, that's not to say another AM station here in Houston couldn't do an oldies/Top 40 based format that would be successful. 790 has the right signal for it, and could stand a makeover. Someone would have to pry the KULF calls out of Roy Henderson's hands (I'm sure a few Benjamins would do the trick) and resurrect the old 79 KULF as a true oldies station.

93.3 KYKR was the second signal off the CC Devers tower.....98.5 was the 1st....oddly enough, the panel antenna on the tower does a better job of putting 93.3 into west Houston than 98.5 which it was optimized for. 100.7 came along later.
107.9 was on its own 1850ft antenna.....and of course 99.9 is on its own lower (500ft) antenna. Steve Hicks (Gulf Star) owned it after he took control of the father's (John Hicks) empire...KLVI, WTAW, KLUF, and others across the state. Sold it to Tichner (which I think Steve may have had a part hand in) which became HBC and now Univision.

 

[sportzguy]

2: I am only a 26 yr old radio junkie, so I am curious to know, what DID Y 94 sound like, playlist wise?

From what I remember in 1978, they played Boston, Steely Dan, Bob Seger, Styx, Foreigner, etc. I don't remember which older bands were played. They used to play an album side (or maybe the whole album) every night around 10:00. I remember hearing "Just What I Needed" by The Cars and "Take Me To The River" by Talking Heads for the first time. I think they might have also played "Soul Man" by Blues Brothers. I don't remember hearing harder stuff like Van Halen, Kiss, Foghat or AC/DC, although I do remember FM 100 KILT playing those.

I was so mad at that station changing to Disco, I don't think I ever listened to Disco 94 even once!

Yes we did ...ah play (track) whole albums at night. Bill Todd was our PD with Doc Morgan, Jesse Summers,Michael Jones, Ed Beaucham, Mike Cavell, Barry Bennett and more at the controls. It was Y-94, Houston's Album Station!

Then that fatefull afternoon when Doc Morgan played The Beatles Golden Slumbers up to 3PM and came out the T.O.H. with The Bee Gees "Jive Talkin'". Disco 94 was born...with the "Worlds Greatest D.J." J. Thomas Smith!
This is when the station was at 2630 Fountainview an S.J.R. radio station.

 

[hifidistortion]

Well, now for the rest.....

96.5- 1:I did get the opportunity to listen to 97 Rock, when I was a kid, but I dont know how it met it's demise, what happened?
2: Did KXYZ-FM simulcast the AM back in the 50's or was it on another format?
3: What did Love 96 1/2 sound like?
4: What format was KAUM?
5: not a question, but I do have an old tape of "96.5 KKHT" TV promo from 1986(?), it was a sweepstakes promo of some sort, but now a question, What was KKHT then, besides a religious station now? (I know there is no relation).
6: and finally what are the odds of Mix becoming something other than nothing?

97.1- 1: What was on 97 Talk, beside Imus as a lineup?
2: Yeah Hot 97-1 was not a good choice for this frequency, but was Cox at any point looking to make this a dance station? Despite what others may say, they were really a hip hop sounding station.
3: Will Cox make Country Legends more than a jukebox? Or will this become The Point's "dumb country cousin?"

97.5- 1: I guess this might be a given but why did 97-5 change format so quickly from hip hop to R&B, with more of the East Side of Houston covered, given time, they could of found their niche, I would think.
2: I see that if Cumulus gets an AM, ESPN goes there, and either 103.7 or 97.5 goes country to kill the Country Legends with a staffed Classic Country Station, this would probably be what saves one of these frequencies, and at least Cumulus tries to get personalities.

97.9- 1: I once saw KFMK listed as a "oldies/AC" station, what did that sound like? My guess was a bland 60's/70's/80's station.....kind of like the "Classic Hits" stations of today
2: What was KFMK's last song before becoming the Box? What was 97-9's first song as the Box?
3: What was KFMK's format in the 60's?

98.5-1: I liked the hip hop Kiss on 98.5 in the early days of being in Houston, where are these DJ's now?
2: Why was Smooth Jazz even tried here?
3: The dance Kiss 98.5, was a fave of mine, but then they went to Top 40 before the Jammin oldies, why didn't CC use their "Kiss FM" brand on this station?
4: Why did 98.5 change their name from "The Jam" when jammin oldies signed on?
5: Not a question but just want to say that "I hate LBI and what they have done to some Houston stations, they are all junk, and hopefully they are an Enron Scandal away from going away".

99.1- 1: What was a typical KODA 99 playlist like?
2: Was 1010 KODA a B/EZ station also? If not what did they play?

100.3-1: What was the KILT FM rock incarnation DJ lineup and why did they go to country?

100.7-What the COL moving to Lumberton, is this station now a B/PA station?

101.1- 1: Shouldn't Mega be a Spanish Adult hits now? It would make sense to give KOVE a bit of competition.
2: not a question, but I miss you Rock 101........

101.5- Strickly a hypothetical, but would Cumulus ever consider giving 97.5 and cash to LBI in exchange for shutting of 101.7, so KSTB could upgrade? I would imagine that Cumulus would move the 101.7 format elsewhere and kill it in B/PA.....

102.1-1:I like what I heard from KMSC, but why is KLYX loathed here? What did it play?
2:Was Majic 102.1 a disco leaning station at sign on, since it WAS 1977?
3: What was Majic's original line up of DJ's?


102.9-sigh-I still hate them for killing the Planet......not willing to get over that......anyway......

1: Would be ideal for KOVE to move here, would think that they would be consistantly on top since they skew a little older.
2: Where did the Planet DJ's go?
3: I hate that I like Standards now but missed out on KQUE, how long does anyone think it would have lasted if the format never changed?

This is a lot of work, and I have a new son, so will add to this later.........

 

[CW]

Well, now for the rest.....

96.5- 1:I did get the opportunity to listen to 97 Rock, when I was a kid, but I dont know how it met it's demise, what happened?
2: Did KXYZ-FM simulcast the AM back in the 50's or was it on another format?
3: What did Love 96 1/2 sound like?
4: What format was KAUM?
5: not a question, but I do have an old tape of "96.5 KKHT" TV promo from 1986(?), it was a sweepstakes promo of some sort, but now a question, What was KKHT then, besides a religious station now? (I know there is no relation).
6: and finally what are the odds of Mix becoming something other than nothing?

97.1- 1: What was on 97 Talk, beside Imus as a lineup?
2: Yeah Hot 97-1 was not a good choice for this frequency, but was Cox at any point looking to make this a dance station? Despite what others may say, they were really a hip hop sounding station.
3: Will Cox make Country Legends more than a jukebox? Or will this become The Point's "dumb country cousin?"

97.5- 1: I guess this might be a given but why did 97-5 change format so quickly from hip hop to R&B, with more of the East Side of Houston covered, given time, they could of found their niche, I would think.
2: I see that if Cumulus gets an AM, ESPN goes there, and either 103.7 or 97.5 goes country to kill the Country Legends with a staffed Classic Country Station, this would probably be what saves one of these frequencies, and at least Cumulus tries to get personalities.

97.9- 1: I once saw KFMK listed as a "oldies/AC" station, what did that sound like? My guess was a bland 60's/70's/80's station.....kind of like the "Classic Hits" stations of today
2: What was KFMK's last song before becoming the Box? What was 97-9's first song as the Box?
3: What was KFMK's format in the 60's?

98.5-1: I liked the hip hop Kiss on 98.5 in the early days of being in Houston, where are these DJ's now?
2: Why was Smooth Jazz even tried here?
3: The dance Kiss 98.5, was a fave of mine, but then they went to Top 40 before the Jammin oldies, why didn't CC use their "Kiss FM" brand on this station?
4: Why did 98.5 change their name from "The Jam" when jammin oldies signed on?
5: Not a question but just want to say that "I hate LBI and what they have done to some Houston stations, they are all junk, and hopefully they are an Enron Scandal away from going away".

99.1- 1: What was a typical KODA 99 playlist like?
2: Was 1010 KODA a B/EZ station also? If not what did they play?

100.3-1: What was the KILT FM rock incarnation DJ lineup and why did they go to country?

100.7-What the COL moving to Lumberton, is this station now a B/PA station?

101.1- 1: Shouldn't Mega be a Spanish Adult hits now? It would make sense to give KOVE a bit of competition.
2: not a question, but I miss you Rock 101........

101.5- Strickly a hypothetical, but would Cumulus ever consider giving 97.5 and cash to LBI in exchange for shutting of 101.7, so KSTB could upgrade? I would imagine that Cumulus would move the 101.7 format elsewhere and kill it in B/PA.....

102.1-1:I like what I heard from KMSC, but why is KLYX loathed here? What did it play?
2:Was Majic 102.1 a disco leaning station at sign on, since it WAS 1977?
3: What was Majic's original line up of DJ's?


102.9-sigh-I still hate them for killing the Planet......not willing to get over that......anyway......

1: Would be ideal for KOVE to move here, would think that they would be consistantly on top since they skew a little older.
2: Where did the Planet DJ's go?
3: I hate that I like Standards now but missed out on KQUE, how long does anyone think it would have lasted if the format never changed?

This is a lot of work, and I have a new son, so will add to this later.........

I'll try to answer some.....other can jump in as they wish:
96.5 - 1) 97 ROCK went away when Energy 96.5 came along....not sure who owned it but KLOL was still beating the snot out of the former KAUM, then KSSR (or was it KSRR?)
2) cant say
3) didnt listen to it
4) KAUM was a Top40 in its day; the 70s/early 80s (Hot AC/CHR mix in today's terms)
5) I dont recall KKHT calls being on 96.5
6) as long as Clear Channel owns it, who knows......(Idiots took my $100+ stock down to $30+ and now has gone private?? What a rip!)

97.1 - 1) Other than Imus, I only remember Roger Grey (I think!).....
2) Cox making it a dance station?? no....I doubt it.....In fact, El Dorado had a LMA on 97.1 for a short while before they sold out to Liberman.....not sure what they had on then...
3) From what I have seen, forget COX ever doing anything with 97.1 (which I thought would have been a better freq for a JACK station..but then I dont own it)

97.5 - 1) Dont know....You would have to ask Cumulus....
2) Doubtful......or they could move 101.7's format over there (and the KAYD call could return to 97.5..one of the oldest FMs in Texas too...originally on 99.5)

97.9 - 1) KFMK back in the 80s was a mix of Top40 from the 60-70s and currents in the 80s; before it went the BOX
2) Cant say
3) It was Christian.....until its change to a top40 station in the late 70s...I remember finding them after the flip...I put them on a preset and listened to them for a LONG time after that...

98.5 - It was CC's 1st outside San Antonio buy (along with the 1250AM in Port Arthur)...they built the Devers tower to become a "Houston" station...didnt work (three antennas and one fired engineer later)...I will say I dont care for LBI either but they being a privately owned company, it will never be an Enron..one day, the bank in CA that floats their loans may call them in but as long as LBI pays the notes, the bank wont care...

99.1 - AHHH KOMA as they were called early in life....because of the elevator music they played before the Soft AC flip...
Cant tell ya about 1010....

100.3 - Dont recall the DJ lineup but the owner of KILT AM and FM thought making them both country would be a good thing....(This was after the Urban Cowboy craze etc)....the AM DJs like Hudson and Harrigan (from the Top40 days of 610) were moved to the FM...The AM has been dying ever since...

100.7 - The COL change being sought is merely Univision playing a game of chess and trying to get their 105.3 on the beach upgraded before it gets locked into never never land....Just because its COL would be Lumberton (which has no FM licensed to it at this time...and the 1st AM was the move from Silsbee) doesnt mean it will not program for B/PA. It will still be a rimshot for Houston.

101.1 - The LEGEND will always live on....but we miss it too

101.5 - MAN what ARE you drinking or smoking??? (I could use some of it Forget that ever happening...besides, Cumulus has 101.7 in Bmt...that and 101.7 in Huntsville has 101.5 locked in...(along with LBI's 101.7)

102.1 - I know it was R&B/disco back in the 70s...and damn good.....Then CC owned it....enough said...

102.9 - The Planet was killed by Gulfstar (Steve Hicks) merging into the later AMFM (his brother Tom Hicks).....it had to be spun off because of ownership caps...I doubt KQUE on 102.9 would have lasted.....and if that tower ever came down, 102.9 could be screwed...they cannot move from that location....It is locked by 103.3 Freeport, 102.9 LFT and 102.9 Dallas (and 102.5 Beaumont to a less extent)....

Whew, I need a beer =
Congrtas on the new son!!

 

[hrhwebmaster]

just feeling trival, so just throwing out random questions:


92.9- 1: Why did they change from Easy Country to 93Q Country, were they ever considering going back to Top 40?

95.7- 1:What was KIKK's DJ lineup like in the 60's and 70's?
2: What did KHUL sound like, was there DJ's?

Taking a brain break, we can chew on these for now ;D

I'll try to answer a few questions (I don't have much planned for the rest of the weekend, anyway).

92.9 - The expectation at KILT-FM was always that the Easy Country would not last and they'd morph into a more foreground sound. KILT-FM had done an easy listening country format and it didn't work in the ratings and there was no reason to think it would for KKBQ-FM.

95.7 - 1. I wasn't around much in the 60s and didn't listen to country in the 70s but its safe to say the jocks were very country, much more so than anyone on 100 or 93 now.

2. Basically all stations in the 60s had DJs; automation was very rare and there was no such thing as voice tracking. KHUL was referred to as 'KOOL' FM and the perception is that it was a jazz station but newspaper ads at the time indicated it mixed jazz like Stan Kenton, Kai Winding with big bands and pop sounds. One ad ca. 1964 that I've seen said 'the popular music you love all day and jazz at night.' One DJ was a young Jim Carola who submitted an audition tape to KILT 610 parodying their 20-20 news delivery and was hired and spent most of the rest of his career at KILT.

 

[hrhwebmaster]

Well, now for the rest.....

96.5- 2: Did KXYZ-FM simulcast the AM back in the 50's or was it on another format?
3: What did Love 96 1/2 sound like?
4: What format was KAUM?

3: What was KFMK's format in the 60's?

99.1- 1: What was a typical KODA 99 playlist like?
2: Was 1010 KODA a B/EZ station also? If not what did they play?

102.1-1:I like what I heard from KMSC, but why is KLYX loathed here? What did it play?

KXYZ-FM was on the air from early 1948 to mid 1953, mostly simulcasting the AM. At the time it went silent it was however a classical station, and apparently a very much loved one. All the FMs in the 50s played at least some classical. Ostensibly KXYZ-FM was taken off the air so the company could concentrate on their plans for KXYZ-TV on Channel 29, but that never materialized and it's likely a big factor in shutting the FM down was lack of revenues. When KRBE-FM signed on in 1959 the program director was the guy who had been running KXYZ-FM when it went silent (KRBE-FM was originally a full time classical station - The Key To Radio Broadcast Excellence). In the interim, he had done classical on KTRH-FM (101.1). When 96.5 returned to the air in 1961, it simulcast the AM up until Love FM was launched in early or mid-1970.

Incidentally this month is the anniversary of the return to the air of KXYZ-FM in 1961 and the launch of KHUL-FM in 1959:

http://houstonradiohistory.blogspot.com/2007/09/october-anniversaries.html

Love FM was produced by ABC-FM with major personalities including Tony Pigg of KSFX-FM San Francisco, Dave Hermann of WNEW-FM, NYC, and J. J. Jackson who had been famous on WBCN-FM, Boston, and moved to LA to work for KLOS-FM and become one of the first VJs on MTV. The tapes were run locally on the ABC-FM stations, including KXYZ-FM, Houston, by operators who had to fill each hour if there weren't enough commercials but were never on-mic. I have some LOVE-FM tapes I'm going to get around to sending to Grady McAlister one of these days. They were very knowledgeable jocks and very good; I believe they picked all their own music.

ABC had big expectations for their FMs. Allen Shaw and his partner, 2 college kids out of Chicago as I recall, had convinced ABC that FM was the coming thing and that when people switched over from AM to FM for the superior fidelity, they wouldn't want the screaming teeny-bopper jocks of Top 40 but would want the relaxed, laid back presentation of the typical FM jock of the day. They believed that eventually, album rock radio on FM would eliminate Top 40 radio and be the dominant form of rock music radio. That at least was the theory. Broadcasters were trying to figure out what to do with their FM properties and ABC went for the concept; they wanted to 'write the book' on album rock radio and dominate it like they liked to tell themselves they dominated and 'wrote the book' on Top 40 with WABC, WLS and KQV.

The Love FM tapes were dropped and all the ABC FMs went live with new calls in the fall of 1970; initially, it was free-form album rock, the jocks played anything they wanted to. This didn't work in the ratings, however, and within a year, the company started insisting on some numbers and the stations were required to install a format and severely limit the music library. The lawyers had also started listening to some of the music and were concerned about some of the lyrics. KAUM was actually the most successful of the formatted ABC-FMs at first, shooting from something like 25th in the market when there were only 29 stations to # 7 in one rating period. The company was so pleased with the results that they started insisting on even more controls, but what happened that derailed the grandiose vision was some other broadcasters started taking notice of FM also and simply launched Top 40 stations on FM and, lo and behold, it worked, people listened. In Houston it was KRLY. Eventually, ABC gave up on the album rock format in most markets; KSFX, SF, was the first to switch, flipped to the MusicRadio format from WABC, NY, in 1973. Eventually, KAUM, became more or less Top 40 as I recall and then seemed to subscribe the the Format of the Month Club for a while.

KFMK's music in the 60s probably was 'popular music.' I think it was probably the only FM on the air in the 50s and early 60s that never played classical. The first talk show as we know them today was launched on KXYZ-AM and was called Expressions. The callers and viewpoints expressed mostly were in line with the John Birch Society's views - very right wing. New owners took the program off the air and fired the host and program director and they eventually convinced KFMK to give them a slot and the program was on nightly for several hours I think. KFMK also did live broadcasts from popular clubs. By the late 60s, ca. 1968?, KFMK became Houston's first album rock station -- I'm sure it was free-form and from what I've been told was pretty wild, but I never heard it myself. At least one of the jocks on KFMK later worked for KAUM - Cy Statum.

I'm going to take a break now - mine eyes are glazing over.