KTRH on 1120 AM??

[purpledevil]

Talking to an oldtimer yesterday, I was told something I never had heard before. According to him, KTRH originally signed on at 1120 kilocycles, as opposed to its current dial setting of 740. Now I knew that KPRC originated at 920 and changed to 950 in the great frequency change of '41, but this 1120 is news to me. Wouldn't that have caused trouble for WTAW 1120 in College Station,(Original setting for WTAW before '41) with its close proximity to the Houston signal? Is there somewhere that this info is readily available on the i-net or can someone confirm this?

 

[w9wi]

Talking to an oldtimer yesterday, I was told something I never had heard before. According to him, KTRH originally signed on at 1120 kilocycles, as opposed to its current dial setting of 740. Now I knew that KPRC originated at 920 and changed to 950 in the great frequency change of '41, but this 1120 is news to me. Wouldn't that have caused trouble for WTAW 1120 in College Station,(Original setting for WTAW before '41) with its close proximity to the Houston signal? Is there somewhere that this info is readily available on the i-net or can someone confirm this?

There wasn't supposed to be any interference since WTAW and KTRH weren't supposed to be on the air at the same time -- if one station was operating, the other was supposed to be off, and vice-versa. See http://members.aol.com/jeff99500/1934am.html which indicates the two stations shared time on the 1120KHz frequency.

Timesharing is pretty rare today -- offhand I can only think of one set of AM stations (and two sets of FMs) sharing time -- but it was quite common years ago. I can find six sets in Texas alone in the 1934 list. (one of the most interesting showing KRLD sharing time on 1040 with KTHS, the Hot Springs, Ark. station that is today KAAY-1090; and with a WESG in Elmira, New York...)

"...wasn't supposed to be any interference...", because from what I've read in http://www.wisc.edu/wisconsinpress/books/3835.htm Randall Davidson's fantastic history of the University of Wisconsin's WHA, commercial stations often felt free to ignore the terms of timesharing agreements with educational-institution stations. I don't know that KTRH would have violated its agreement with WTAW, but it's quite possible.

After World War II, quite a few stations moved from lower-power regional and local channels to high-power operation on Canadian (and Mexican) clear channels, using directional antennas. The 730 channel (which moved to 740 in the big 1941 shift) had no stations in the US in 1934 - the major US stations using it today moved from elsewhere:

• KCBS, San Francisco: from 1010 (where it was KQW)
• WQTM, Orlando: didn't exist until 1947
• KRMG, Tulsa: from 1949
• KTRH, Houston: from 1120

This of course allowed breaking up a bunch of timesharing situations.

 

[purpledevil]

Fantastic links and help! Thank you w9wi!

 

[w9wi]

Fantastic links and help! Thank you w9wi!

Quite welcome!

I've since been reminded by Scott Fybush (who *really* knows these things!) that I missed an AM sharetimer (there are two sets operating today) and also missed at least three sets of FMs!

(but that's still a lot less than six sets in Texas alone!)

 

[FilioScotia]

There wasn't supposed to be any interference since WTAW and KTRH weren't supposed to be on the air at the same time -- if one station was operating, the other was supposed to be off, and vice-versa.
There was a reason for that. I was told some years back by KTRH's FIRST engineer, Ed Bourdon, that KTRH went on the air with a transmitter it borrowed from WTAW. They changed the freq when they got their own transmitter.

 

[w9wi]

There wasn't supposed to be any interference since WTAW and KTRH weren't supposed to be on the air at the same time -- if one station was operating, the other was supposed to be off, and vice-versa.
There was a reason for that. I was told some years back by KTRH's FIRST engineer, Ed Bourdon, that KTRH went on the air with a transmitter it borrowed from WTAW. They changed the freq when they got their own transmitter.

http://houstonradiohistory.blogspot.com/2007/06/1930-ktrh-signs-on-ktue-becomes-kxyz.html

which indicates that KTRH moved from 1150 to 740 in early 1942. (their original 1120 assignment got moved to 1150 in the "big move" of early 1941, when most (if not all) 1120 stations moved to 1150)

I guess it's possible they kept the ex-WTAW transmitter that long, but I rather suspect the actual reason for moving was because the 740 frequency - on which they could run 50,000 watts - became available due to changes in the regulations. They couldn't have used more than 5,000 watts on 1120/1150. (indeed, in 1942 the limit may have still been 1,000 watts) That move would also of course have allowed them to stop having to go off the air to accomodate WTAW's hours.

Besides, it's never been particularly difficult to move a transmitter to a different frequency - maybe moreso in the 1930s when frequency changes seem to have been a way of life. The history of WHA I cited shows the station being moved through ten different frequencies (at times having to switch frequency *every day*) before landing on 970. While most stations didn't change frequency that often, most did change occasionally.

 

[hrhwebmaster]

Here's a collection of articles published on my blog about KTRH (most recent first) detailing the various frequency changes that I know about. I have a copy of data from an FCC microfiche of KTRH records which I'll dig out and look thru to see if there are more.

KTRH & KPRC both got identical 5000 w RCA transmitters in 1936 when they went up on the shared tower at Deep Water.

T. Frank Smith was the first Chief Engineer of KTRH in 1930; he was only 19 at the time. He had a staff of four including Edward Bordon (the way it was spelled in the Chronicle), J.L Sides, Paul Daniels, Raymond A. O'Neill. I believe Smith was Chief for decades.

KTRH moved from 1290 to 1320 as a result of NARBA in 1941, then moved to 740 in December, 1942.

http://houstonradiohistory.blogspot.com/search/label/KTRH

 

[hrhwebmaster]

Here is the information from the FCC microfiche shared with me by Barry Mishkind; there are at least 2 errors that I can spot when comparing this to what was reported in the local papers -- there may be others.

Facility History:

First Broadcast License: March 22, 1922 (License # 554)
First Broadcast:

Original: 1300 kHz at 500 W as WCM at Austin, TX.

/ / : Calls changed to KUT. -- as noted on my blog, the records actually indicate KUT was a new station, not a change of calls, but the FCC considers it to be the same station as WCM. WCM had ceased operations earlier in the year and had been licensed to the Texas Department of Markets and Warehouses since late 1924; KUT launched in October, 1925.

4/21/27: Moved to 1100 kHz.
6/1/27: Moved to 1290 kHz.
11/11/28: Moved to 1120 kHz, shared with WTAW.
11/27/29: Sold (from bankruptcy) to The Rice Hotel, Houston.
11/27/29: Calls changed to KTRH.
3/25/30: Facility moved to Houston, TX.
2/14/33: Granted 1 kW experimentally.
2/20/34: Moved to 630 kHz at 1/.5 kW.
5/18/34: Moved to 1330 kHz at 1 kW.
6/12/34: Power increased to 2.5/1 kW.
11/20/34: Moved to 1290 kHz.
3/26/35: Power increased to 5/1 kW.
4/16/35: Moved to 1330 kHz at 2.5/1 kW.
3/24/41: Moved to 1320 kHz. - KTRH was operating at 1290 prior to NARBA so something is missing here.
4/21/43: Moved to 740 kHz at 50 kW, DA-1. - KTRH moved to 740 in December, 1942, according to the local papers; I have not confirmed the date of the boost to 50kW.

Ownership History:

Original: University of Texas

2/19/29: Purchased by KUT Broadcasting Co.
11/27/29: Purchased by The Rice Hotel.
11/27/65: Purchased by Rusk Broadcasting Co.
: Purchased by Evergreen Media. (Later Chancellor Communications).

 

[purpledevil]

Absolutely amazing. I never knew KTRH had moved around so frequently during that early time period, nor the fact that it originated as an Austin AM. Thank you hrh, for the wealth of information! I knew you guys would have the knowledge about this that I was looking for. This is why I fell in love with the boards in the first place back in the day.

 

[ChuckTiller]

On the Texas Television board there was a discussion og heritage call letters in Houston concerning Channel 39. Thanks to HRH Webmaster, you will find not only a story on the original call letters, but also an outside picture of the studios.

http://www.radio-info.com/smf/index.php/topic,81093.0.html

It goes without saying he's done a fantastic job with Houston Broadcast history. I thought I knew a lot. He's done his homework.

 

[w9wi]

Here is the information from the FCC microfiche shared with me by Barry Mishkind; there are at least 2 errors that I can spot when comparing this to what was reported in the local papers -- there may be others.

Most interesting. I'd always thought KUT's lineage extended to the station now known as KFON - 1490 in Austin - but your post far better explains how a major station could appear in Houston as late as 1930, when most major stations had already been in existence for years.

/ / : Calls changed to KUT. -- as noted on my blog, the records actually indicate KUT was a new station, not a change of calls, but the FCC considers it to be the same station as WCM. WCM had ceased operations earlier in the year and had been licensed to the Texas Department of Markets and Warehouses since late 1924; KUT launched in October, 1925.

There's a similar incident on WHA's record- the station allowed its license to expire in July 1924 with the Commerce Department deciding to reinstate the license in October. (licenses only lasted 3 months at the time, and in WHA's case they got their old calls back) The Wisconsin Department of Markets had their own station, WPAH. (which would later become WLBL and still exists)

 

[captex]

i always thought kut was on 1490 (kfon) also, i didn't know they began on 1300 (Kvet). thanks for sharing.

 

[Mediafrog+]

Most interesting. I'd always thought KUT's lineage extended to the station now known as KFON - 1490 in Austin -

I've seen numerous histories of the old KUT in Austin, and they always had KNOW as its successor, with the call change happening in 1932. Something is not adding up here...but the lineage of many of the early stations is rather murky, since they had a tendency to frequently come and go, move around, merge, or morph into something else.

 

[Mediafrog+]

i always thought kut was on 1490 (kfon) also, i didn't know they began on 1300 (Kvet). thanks for sharing.

KVET went on shortly after the end of World War II, so not related to the old KUT.

KNOW in Austin (ex-KUT) was on 1500 before NARBA shifted it down to 1490.

 

[davideduardo]

i always thought kut was on 1490 (kfon) also, i didn't know they began on 1300 (Kvet). thanks for sharing.

KVET went on shortly after the end of World War II, so not related to the old KUT.

KNOW in Austin (ex-KUT) was on 1500 before NARBA shifted it down to 1490.

There are a selected set of Radex and White's Radio Logs at this URL:

http://www.davidgleason.com/Radex_Complete_Issues.htm

You can see many existing stations from the late 20's to the early 50's in them, and of particular interest are the pre and post NARBA issues from 1941 and 1942.

 

[hrhwebmaster]

Here is the information from the FCC microfiche shared with me by Barry Mishkind; there are at least 2 errors that I can spot when comparing this to what was reported in the local papers -- there may be others.

Most interesting. I'd always thought KUT's lineage extended to the station now known as KFON - 1490 in Austin - but your post far better explains how a major station could appear in Houston as late as 1930, when most major stations had already been in existence for years.

/ / : Calls changed to KUT. -- as noted on my blog, the records actually indicate KUT was a new station, not a change of calls, but the FCC considers it to be the same station as WCM. WCM had ceased operations earlier in the year and had been licensed to the Texas Department of Markets and Warehouses since late 1924; KUT launched in October, 1925.

There's a similar incident on WHA's record- the station allowed its license to expire in July 1924 with the Commerce Department deciding to reinstate the license in October. (licenses only lasted 3 months at the time, and in WHA's case they got their old calls back) The Wisconsin Department of Markets had their own station, WPAH. (which would later become WLBL and still exists)

I don't know if there was a chapter on WHA in Frost's Education's Own Stations. Thomas White (http://earlyradiohistory.us/index.html) explained to me in an email that lots of broadcasters were late filing renewals on those 3 month licenses but educational stations frequently were off the air for months during the summer anyway, due to lack of students and staff. There were several lapses in the license of WRAA, the Rice Institute station here in Houston. According to Frost, UT had decided to abandon KUT in 1924 when the Dept. of Markets and Warehouses stepped in because they wanted to continue broadcasting market and crop reports and paid for the renewal and new equipment.

 

[hrhwebmaster]

Most interesting. I'd always thought KUT's lineage extended to the station now known as KFON - 1490 in Austin -

I've seen numerous histories of the old KUT in Austin, and they always had KNOW as its successor, with the call change happening in 1932. Something is not adding up here...but the lineage of many of the early stations is rather murky, since they had a tendency to frequently come and go, move around, merge, or morph into something else.

The explanation is on the blog. Jesse Jones bought KUT, which had gone silent, and persuaded the FRC to let him move it to Houston and rename it KTRH. But the FRC required him to put another station on the air in Austin, which would not have had a station otherwise. Jones bought KGDR, San Antonio, moved it to Austin and dubbed it KUT. Thomas White (http://earlyradiohistory.us/index.html) explained to me in an email that if you go to the FCC and request the KTRH file, it will include the 1922 WCM and 1925 KUT licenses - the FCC follows the cointinuity of the license, not the COL or call letters. Presumably, though I didn't ask, if you go to the FCC and request the KFON file, you will find the KGDR license as the oldest record in it and it will follow the move to Austin and renaming as KUT, then KNOW.

But that's just the FCC way of tracking the matter and you could make an argument the other way. When I first came across this set of circumstances I was inclined to think the FCC was full of it but the longer I've thought about it the more their approach makes sense to me.

 

[hrhwebmaster]

i always thought kut was on 1490 (kfon) also, i didn't know they began on 1300 (Kvet). thanks for sharing.

KVET went on shortly after the end of World War II, so not related to the old KUT.

KNOW in Austin (ex-KUT) was on 1500 before NARBA shifted it down to 1490.

There are a selected set of Radex and White's Radio Logs at this URL:

http://www.davidgleason.com/Radex_Complete_Issues.htm

You can see many existing stations from the late 20's to the early 50's in them, and of particular interest are the pre and post NARBA issues from 1941 and 1942.

Thanks for posting that David. I'm going to have to go through those. Sheesh!, I'm on dial-up!

I have an article from the Chron, March, 1930, in the special section about the launch of KTRH, which I think I'll scan and upload. It's a picture of the transmitter setup at Deepwater with an article explaining, in layman's terms, how it all worked. Some of you may find it interesting.

 

[thathoustonradiogeek]

I have an article from the Chron, March, 1930, in the special section about the launch of KTRH, which I think I'll scan and upload. It's a picture of the transmitter setup at Deepwater with an article explaining, in layman's terms, how it all worked. Some of you may find it interesting.

Oh, you betcha! ;D


PS: We need a "nerd" smiley on this board

 

[hrhwebmaster]

Here is a link to the pic of the KTRH transmitter at Deepwater from the special section of the Chronicle in March, 1930. This is the equipment that was brought down from Austin. As with other pics from the microfilms of the papers, the quality is very poor, so poor that I decided not to use it on the blog.

http://tinypic.com/fullsize.php?pic=qss5ti&s=2

There was also a pic of the building; if you want to see what that looked like, find it on the blog in the Chronology section for the year 1930. Here's the text under the pic: "The transmitting equipment in the lower picture is a part of the KTRH apparatus housed in the modern hollow tile and concrete building at Deepwater, shown in the upper picture. From right to left the control panels govern first amplification and application of speech to the transmitter, crystal control for keeping the frequency at 1120 kilocycles, and the large water cooled tube for building power up to 1000 watts. From the power tube the signal is sent to the tuning house, antenna and ground, whence it takes the air route to your receiver. One side of the building houses the radio equipment while the other is ideally arranged for the home of technician T.F. Smith and his family."

Any comments are welcome. I don't know what equipment looked like back then but it seems to me the Chron is in error in saying 'right to left' -- it should have read 'left to right.' Isn't that the transmitter tube in the last unit on the right? Also note the Chron in the special section repeatedly said KTRH was signing on with 1000 watts while the FCC microfiche data posted above shows KTRH was not authorized for 1000w experimental until a couple of years later, another discrepancy between the FCC data and local newspaper stories that I can't account for.

Here is the text of the full article that accompanied the picture:

http://tinypic.com/fullsize.php?pic=nzw49&s=2