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KOTN on AT40

M

MichaelHibblen

My ears always perk up while listening to old American Top 40 shows on XM's decades channel's when Casey Kasem says "American Top 40 is heard each week on great radio stations like..."

Today while listening to a show that I think was from 1976 or so, after playing "Convoy," Casey opened that segment by mentioning that it was heard on KOTN, Pine Bluff, Arkansas. I had heard so much about that station over the years, but it started me doing a search and reading so much fascinating stuff about it today. What an interesting station history, with Buddy Deane and so many others. And last I heard it was dark?

Anyway, always great hearing old call letters on old AT40 shows. I've twice heard KHIG in Paragould mentioned in shows from the 70s, which became KDXY, where I worked a couple of decades ago.

Michael Hibblen
 
Hi, Michael. Long time no see.

There you go stirring up my memories. I visited KOTN one time circa 1957. Up on maybe the second floor of a bank building back then. My reason for being in that area was to interview for a job that put me sitting in the same chair where Buddy Deane worked before he went to KOTN.

I was so poor I didn't yet own a TV so I had no idea who Buddy Deane was, but my new boss wanted me to appreciate the fact that I was sitting in a "star builder" chair.

The other station in town at that time (calls like KCLA or something like that) was owned by a couple of engineers. That day they were like two chipmunks who had just discovered the Mother of All Walnuts. They had stayed up all night experimenting. They found that by unbolting the power supply in the transmitter and putting a foam rubber pillow under it, they had reduced the noise level by 3 db or something. (So they went from may -47 db to -50? Whoop-tee-Doo!) But they were HAPPY CAMPERS!

It was a great era for Pine Bluff radio.
 
It does sound like a good time for Pine Bluff radio. Having like five stations is pretty amazing. It is a shame the way regional stations have lost their influence. Pine Bluff used to be headquarters for southeast Arkansas.
 
Michael,

I grew up in the shadow of Pine Bluff, including four years in the city during the glory days of KOTN. KOTN was one of the stations my parents listened to (along with Little Rock's KAAY, KLRA, and occasionally cross-town rival KCLA) during that time. KOTN was the first station that I recall hearing American Top 40 on, long before hearing it on KKYK 104 (103.7). KOTN as I recall simulcast Buddy Deane's show on its FM transmitter on 92.3 (which played elevator music in the 1970's after 10AM).

Pine Bluff has a huge lost radio heritage. KOTN's present problem is even if it to return to the airwaves is the nighttime coverage area. The small footprint at night covers areas of farmland east of town, while many of the station's potential listeners moved to the Watson Chapel, and White Hall areas---the later is out of range of KOTN's nighttime signal. The 920 Commerce Road studio/transmitter site is a white elephant.

Not only is KOTN off the air, but also sister stations KCLA 1400, KPBQ 101.3FM and KZYP 99.3FM (you can thank MRS Ventures for that FUBAR'd situation). KYDE 1590 is long gone, the 1590 frequency is now used by KBJT in Fordyce which moved from 1570. KPBA 1270 (KADL in the 1970's-early 80's) is gone, as well as its former transmitter site at the south bank of Bayou Bartholomew on US63 (ex AR15). The only PB AM'er remaining on the air is KCAT 1340, and it became a religious station in 2004.

One commercial, non-religious FM station continues to broadcast from Pine Bluff. KTRN 104.5 came on the air in the 1990's. There is the station operated by UAPB, KUAP 89.7 but its a hybrid of non-NPR public and "college" radio. Two religious translators at 88.7 and 93.1 round out present-day Pine Bluff local radio. The big sticks from Little Rock are well heard in Pine Bluff in the car (and points south).

On paper of course KIPR 92.3 (ex KOTN-FM) is licensed to PB but it broadcasts from Little Rock. The old 94.9 KADL-FM frequency is now KHKN 94.9 "Tom FM" which has a COL of Maumelle.
 
I started in radio doing Sunday afternoons on KCLA, back in '87, near the end of the time when small stations still hired teenagers to run board shifts. I started college at ASU in '89 and worked at KOTN during the summers after my freshman and sophomore year (stayed in J'boro after the junior year to take some classes). I remember that I was working at KCLA when Foxy 92 flipped to Power 92. A neighbor lady called my house and said, "What the crap happened?" As if a part-time teenager at the cross-town rival station had any insight or involvement in the flip. Guess I should have been flattered....
 
I caught that same thing on AT40 over the weekend. I am getting ready to get rid of XM in February, and Iwas wishing that Northwest Arkansas had an Oldies station. That is one thing this market is missing. They have everything for Drug Rock chain Saw Music to Teenie Bop Muisc and that's about it
 
My radio career started at KOTN in 1971. It was a fun time. Buddy Deane owned the station and did mornings, MIke Nail--that's right the Voice of the Razaorbacks--did news with Buddy and 10:00-til-Noon, Larry Hart (P.D.) from Noon-til-3:00, Ray Taylor (M.D.) 3:00-til-7:00, and John Wellington 7:00-til-Midnight. Early in his career, Buddy was one of the biggest jocks in the country--in fact he and Dick Clark were competitors when Dick was in Philly and Buddy was in Baltimore. I have a thousand stories I could tell.
 
Wow, I don't remember KLAZ being an AT40 affiliate. Do you recall, was this from the same episode from 1976? I know they did affiliate shout outs several times during each episode so I might have missed that one. Or could this have been one airing on the 80s channel? Very interesting.
 
MichaelHibblen said:
Wow, I don't remember KLAZ being an AT40 affiliate. Do you recall, was this from the same episode from 1976? I know they did affiliate shout outs several times during each episode so I might have missed that one.
Click to expand...

They do affiliate shout outs once an hour on shows after, I think, 1972. I've heard KLAZ mentioned on classic AT-40's, too, but I can't tell you which ones.

Or could this have been one airing on the 80s channel? Very interesting.
Click to expand...

No. The 80's on 8 dropped AT-40 in October.
 
I have to chime in here. The best six months of my radio career were spent at KOTN in 1972. In May of that year, I graduated from Stuttgart High School. I had worked for KWAK in Stuttgart part-time during my high school years, but they had let me go a few months earlier. Two weeks after I graduated, I walked in the door at KOTN and asked for a job. Apparently, it was good timing. I learned later that they were looking for a way to replace their overnight jock, and I presented a quick-and-easy opportunity. Buddy Deane said, "show up tonight at Midnight". I said, "you bet"!
I showed up at midnight, and met John Wellington (Wellenberger), the PD, who had the unenviable job of telling the overnight jock he was fired. I hung out with the 7-12pm jock, Lynn James, until the 'deed was done',and then I took over. In retrospect, I was awful, but I was cheap and followed the format. In addition to the air-shift, I also had to take the call from "Fairchild News Service", a new actuality service. I had to cart-up the news actualities (usually about 10 of them) and type up the lead-sheet for them. It was really primitive, but it was a way to get national news actualities on the air. About 430am, I fired up the FM transmitter and initiated the simulcast with KOTN-AM, which continued through Buddy's morning show up until 9am, when KOTN-FM split off and ran automated beautiful music throughout the rest of the day. I also loaded up the automation system with new tapes for the day's broadcasting.
Another one of my duties was make coffee about 430, as Buddy would come in about 445am for his 500am shift. Buddy would often be a little "testy" first thing in the morning, and really wanted some strong coffee. He needed some coffee and a couple of cigarettes before beginning his morning show.
Buddy had a lot of recorded bits and inserts (mostly recorded insults and stuff) that he used frequently. In addition to the four Spotmaster 500's that we used to play spots, there was another Spotmaster that was used during the day in the production room, and then moved back into the studio for Buddy to play his bits on. If his Spotmaster wasn't there, he would often faunch and cuss while moving it back.
Buddy would start his show at 5, and Duane Hamaan would wander in shortly thereafter, to get ready for the news.
I was never a part of Buddy's show. When my shift was over, it was over, and I went on to reading the automation, etc. He never invited me to participate in his show. Frankly, I never made much of an impression on him. If he referred to me, he would often call me "Art Roberts", instead of Art Morris.
At the time, to me, he was just a crusty old radio station owner. (He was about 48 at the time, but seemed much older). I was aware that he had been a radio star in Baltimore, but that seemed like ancient history. And, I had no idea about his TV career. He never talked about it. He was all about the success of KOTN, and especially KOTN-FM.
A side note: you NEVER referred to the stations as "KOTN AM & FM". Buddy insisted that you call them "KOTN and KOTN-FM".
I worked that midnight to 5am shift 7-nights a week from May until December of 1972, when I left Arkansas forever, to come to Missouri to seek fame and fortune. But, that six months was the most fun I ever had in radio. I still dream about it today. KOTN was the only Pine Bluff station that ran 24-hours. Virtually every radio that on was tuned into KOTN. There were few listening to KAAY's Beaker Street, and few listening to the new "Album rock" station, KLAZ 98.5. But everybody else was listening to 1490. Listeners would stop by with food & drink.
Many would call and became regulars. The phones were hot all the time.

I have a couple more stories, but I'll wait til later for them. I was also a budding engineer, and was fascinated with the Gates BC1G AM-transmitter, and the Standard Radio 5kw FM transmitter.

During that period, John Wellington left KOTN to work for a few months at WHBQ in Memphis (another legendary station). He taught me a lot about formatics. John later returned to KOTN, and stayed for a long time.

Long live the memories of "Radio Cotton"!
Art Morris
www.artmorris.com
http://missouriradio.mywowbb.com (The Missouri Radio Message Board)
 
Art, if you didn't fully appreciate how 'special' KOTN was when you were working there, you weren't alone. Having worked overnights at KOTN as my first full-time radio job, I was told early on that making coffee for Buddy was a big part of my responsibilities. Coupla problems--I didn't drink coffee and had never made it in my life--so the first night I filled the 30-cup urn with water and leveled the basket with coffee. Buddy may have liked his coffee strong, but that was a bit stronger than he preferred. He roared something about battery acid both to me and on-air.

Lynn James
1971-1977
 
If I had half a brain, I would have stayed longer. They were starting to give me some 7-12pm shifts before I left. I really improved on the air at KOTN. Especially after John John gave me some instruction, and I remember you being pretty smooth on the air as well. I was so young and SOOOO naive & green. But, I loved the music and loved being on the air.

Who was the guy who worked the Saturday night shift? I remember coming in and he's be sitting there doing the shift with the red light in the corner on, and all the other lights out.

Coffee. I made decent coffee, though I didn't drink much. I spent most of my $1.60 per hour on Coke. (Coca-Cola, that is). I went through 8 or 10 bottles a night. But, I'd make the coffee to Buddy's liking at 430am, and by the time the sales dept came in at 9, you could stand a fork up in it. I remember taking quite a bit of abuse from the daytime crew for that coffee.

Do you remember the night the Monument Records guys came in? They were promoting the Gatlin Brothers, and by the time I got there, the party was in full effect. By the time Buddy got in, the place looked like a hurricane had come through. Buddy was furious. I'm sure it took most of the day to put the building back together.

I also remember the night you were pulling my leg, calling me about the "KOTN motivational background Music" after FM signoff. I think a few "adult beverages" were probably in use. And, I was so young and stupid, I bought it.

I could write a book about the six months I worked there.
 
Fred Foster was the President and Founder of Monument Records and an old friend of Buddy's. I remember well the night they came in. I heard a tape of Kris Kristopherson's then 'new song' "Drop Kick Me Jesus Through The Goalposts of Life" and do you remember the artist who was with Fred? It was the legendary Ronnie Hawkins, one of the original Rockabilly performers. If memory serves, while it was still legal to do so, Buddy was a minor partner in Monument Records.

I can't remember the Saturday night guy, unless it was George Holman. George was also a salesman who, at one time or another, worked for almost every dealership in P.B.
 
I never got to meet any of the interesting people. They were all gone by midnight, leaving behind the sales department and other station employees who were drunk on their butts. I was trying to read the 12:20 news, while somebody was blowing a duck call in the background. Seems like there was a small fire in the production room, and several very large empty liquor bottles were scattered throughout the building. It was a memorable morning.

The Saturday night guy was a black fellow who, I swear, was the template for Venus Flytrap.

Of course, you were there much longer, so your experience is spread out over a period of years. Mine's more of a snapshot, since I was only there for a few months.
 
Hey folks...I am a Pine Bluff historian and would love to see any photos you have from your time at KOTN or any other Pine Bluff radio stations. And I especially would love to get some old airchecks from Pine Bluff radio stations, as well. I can pay your CD and mailing expenses.

If you did enjoyed your time in Pine Bluff, I've got almost 2,000 photos devoted to the city's history on my Facebook page. Just "Friend" me (Paul Perdue/Dallas, TX), go to my photos page and look for the 8 Pine Bluff Desktop Museum photo albums. I've got some old radio photos scattered throughout the 8 albums, too.

Paul Perdue
 
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