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Anyone remember "nifty 95" in 1980 in Gilmer?
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Funny you should mentioned that. The former KNIF (now KFRO-FM) at one time or another used to be a soft AC. In fact I do remember that station moniker was known as Star 95. During my early years in radio, I listened to them every now and then (I was working at 96X at the time) and they sound pretty decent. They were also a 3,000 watt station years before the late J. R. Curtis bought it. Man those were the days. I was wondering about another station since we are speaking of Gilmer, TX; Didn't the former KHYM share the same building with 'NIF or were they stand alone? I know that 'HYM was a powerful 10,000 watt station (long before the MRS Vultures destroyed it mercifully) playing religious programming. But I wonder if they were in the same building. I remember back in 1988 when Mike Harris on our way back to Tyler visited that studio in Gilmer. He had an oldies show broadcasted on four different radio stations back then (KEYP, KPXI, KAEZ [which was the former KNIF] and KFRO).
Star 95 was owned by Jack Daniels (yes, really) and located east of US Hwy 271 and downtown Gilmer in a geodesic dome. As of 1986 KHYM was in studios just off the square in downtown Gilmer, and IIRC the two stations didn't ever share facilities (although my IIRC sometimes misfires).
Star 95 had a decent following but operations were rather poorly handled through uneven management, substandard equipment, a book keeper who thought she ran the station and constantly opened the studio door to issue programming directives to on-air people. All topped off by an owner with a First Phone who wouldn't leave the transmitter alone. It was often off the air for to or three hours at a time while he tinkered, following which times a contract engineer often had to be called in to remedy the effects of the inveterate tinkerer's piddle session.
Not a bad station a all, despite its internal challenges. In summer 1984 Daniels entered talks with J. R. Curtis (KFRO) to sell the Gilmer facility to Radio Longview, Inc.
Star 95 had a decent following but operations were rather poorly handled through uneven management, substandard equipment, a book keeper who thought she ran the station and constantly opened the studio door to issue programming directives to on-air people. All topped off by an owner with a First Phone who wouldn't leave the transmitter alone. It was often off the air for to or three hours at a time while he tinkered, following which times a contract engineer often had to be called in to remedy the effects of the inveterate tinkerer's piddle session.
Not a bad station a all, despite its internal challenges. In summer 1984 Daniels entered talks with J. R. Curtis (KFRO) to sell the Gilmer facility to Radio Longview, Inc.
After KNIF and before KFRO-FM, station calls on 95.3 included KAEZ and KLSQ. Seems like there was another very short term call letter change back in the mid 90's, but I can't recall.
Didn't KNIF change to KAEZ and picked up the beautiful music format after KNUE dumped it? This would have been about 1982. Then, I recall that KOOI went to beautiful music and KAEZ switched to lite rock.
Didn't KNIF change to KAEZ and picked up the beautiful music format after KNUE dumped it? This would have been about 1982. Then, I recall that KOOI went to beautiful music and KAEZ switched to lite rock.
The call letter merry-go-round began after Curtis acquired the station and moved the studios to Longview. J.R. went on a change binge, seemingly coming up with new call letters and formats every few months. The sign companies loved it--they did a good business adorning the studios every so often with the lighted call letters du jour. He went for the KLSQ call based on an idea he had that the station could do a lot of community news and information drops and call them "Q-tips." Cute idea but it never caught on with listeners. On another occasion he hired jocks away from a couple of Tyler-Longview stations then as that programming scheme was maturing dumped live and went to satellite after about six months and all the new hires were scrambling for jobs.
J. R. caught quite a bit of flack from the community, lambasting him for not being able to nail down just what his FM station was going to be in the market. People were saying the constant changes in formats and call letters were a bit much. Many onlookers thought each change in call letters/format signalled new owners and for quite a while a lot of listeners weren't even aware that the station still belonged to the Curtis family. J.R. had a lot of good points but during the four year period mid-to-late 80s stability in running the FM wasn't among them.
There was an extremely short term run of a third station call in the late 90s after Sunburst Media bought the station but it didn't last. After Waller bought it and KFRO-FM was reinstated it was given the handle The Frog, a play on the KFRO letters, add a "G" to KFRO and voila, FROG.
As a former staffer once said, "Working for J. R. was forever an adventure."
J. R. caught quite a bit of flack from the community, lambasting him for not being able to nail down just what his FM station was going to be in the market. People were saying the constant changes in formats and call letters were a bit much. Many onlookers thought each change in call letters/format signalled new owners and for quite a while a lot of listeners weren't even aware that the station still belonged to the Curtis family. J.R. had a lot of good points but during the four year period mid-to-late 80s stability in running the FM wasn't among them.
There was an extremely short term run of a third station call in the late 90s after Sunburst Media bought the station but it didn't last. After Waller bought it and KFRO-FM was reinstated it was given the handle The Frog, a play on the KFRO letters, add a "G" to KFRO and voila, FROG.
As a former staffer once said, "Working for J. R. was forever an adventure."
What you say may well have had a great deal to do with the call letters/format instability. J. R. indeed was a social animal and responded quickly to what his friends told him. So one month he may have heard, "Whar you need to do with the station is..........." then later would be heard, "No try this instead....." In trying to please his friends, none of whom obviously knew beans about radio, they themselves as a result may have been happy but a great many other people were totally confused and indeed put off by all the changes.
In fairness it should be noted that J.R. backed and participated in endless numbers of community-based efforts that primarily proved beneficial to Longview but occasionally and indirectly helped outlying areas, as well.
As with anyone in such a position, he had his share of supporters and detractors.
In fairness it should be noted that J.R. backed and participated in endless numbers of community-based efforts that primarily proved beneficial to Longview but occasionally and indirectly helped outlying areas, as well.
As with anyone in such a position, he had his share of supporters and detractors.
speaking of jack. he was a trip to work for, but he at least was willing to pay for your service. jack sold the station to rick reynolds, rick changed the calls to kaez making it a beautiful music station. jr bought it in 1986 wanting to keep the same format. charlie palmer and i talked him into a soft ac format. jr brought in jay mckay to do morming drive and then told me that i would have to be jay's partner. thus the allen and mckay morning show.
after the morning show i did middays. the morning show started off pretty well untill bob gambil was brought in to consult. big mistake. to be honest i worked for jr for 8 yrs. he was not a dj's friend. he looked down on us and did not concern himself with us or what was good for the station. in 1991 under jeff reynolds i brought in the art goode smooth jazz show on sunday's. jr hated it but the listner response was there. as md i started a smooth jazz program with tina smith hosting, and later with paula prince. between charlie bush and i. i think we drove jr into selling the station
after the morning show i did middays. the morning show started off pretty well untill bob gambil was brought in to consult. big mistake. to be honest i worked for jr for 8 yrs. he was not a dj's friend. he looked down on us and did not concern himself with us or what was good for the station. in 1991 under jeff reynolds i brought in the art goode smooth jazz show on sunday's. jr hated it but the listner response was there. as md i started a smooth jazz program with tina smith hosting, and later with paula prince. between charlie bush and i. i think we drove jr into selling the station
Your summary of owners and formats is a bit more accurate than mine--admittedly there were some holes in the timeline I laid out. Glad you filled in the blanks. They are important in relating the station's development.
Unfortunate that J.R. had the attitude he did toward the working folks. In my estimation that was his weakest point--no people skills. I maintain he did, though, have some good attributes, but they weren't readily evident.
Unfortunate that J.R. had the attitude he did toward the working folks. In my estimation that was his weakest point--no people skills. I maintain he did, though, have some good attributes, but they weren't readily evident.
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