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KTUX Old Studio Gone

J

JayBradford

I was in Shreveport this week on business and was sad to not see the old Tux 99 studio. It was an interesting structure and always made me think back to some of the great stations in the mid-south of the 80's. Others that come to mind from that era are KQID Alexandria and KZOU Little Rock (maybe the best example of a ZOO outside of WHTZ).

Does anyone know how long it has been gone. How many years had it been since it had been used? The last time I did see it the building looked overgrown and worn down. Sad.
 
Yes VERY SAD.

I was there when we first built those studios, they were built to be radio station, so it was built right, for example the restrooms were right next to the control room and not in another Town as they are at most places.

A friend sent me these pictures of the building being torn down.

http://s84.photobucket.com/albums/k3/radioace/KTUX Building/

After Ken Stephens sold the radio station (KTUX) to Clear Channel he rented the building to some business (Not Radio) for a while, but then finally let to run down and then sold the land and the building was wrecked to make way for something else.

Glad that you thought that KTUX was a great radio station, as I was very proud of what we were able to do there. Too bad about what the station is now.

John Steel
 
Wow. Thanks for the update and the pics! Even the building looked very 80's! Sad.

Funny story. I was working in South Arkansas at the time at a 3000 watt FM that was then at 99.3. We used to get calls from people in North Louisiana (Ruston ect...) complaining because our signal was just strong enough in that area to make TUX-99 hard to listen to.

I still remember that ID too. Who voiced it? That was a powerful set of lungs for sure. "TUX 99 is KTUX Carthage, Shreveport, Bossier City"
 
John, thanks for the pictures! I remember that station so well, in fact Tux 99 was one of the reasons I got in the business. I remember Bobby Cook and Ken Shepard in the morning, Art Simon, John Steel, Terri Webber, Machine Gun Dave and Moondog. I remember going to get my Tux T at Rich Tee's and Tux Hops at Watertown. I remember the Mean Green Machine at our school proms. I remember Tux signing on with "Their Coming To Take Me Away". I remember getting to go in to the "prize closet". John, you and your crew made great radio. It was what I wish radio was like now. I remember listening on the moring Stevie Ray Vaughn died, great radio. So, here's to great radio and the whole original Tux Crew!
 
Tux 99 stunted with Napoleon 14's "They're Coming To Take Me Away" on the night that KAAY died. I was in southeast Arkansas listening to the last day of music on the Mighty 1090, and after Clyde Clifford finished up the last "Beaker Street" on KAAY, I switched over to FM and was scanning the dial for something to listen to, and here wasfound a new station stunting at 98.9. How fitting that the last song Clyde Clifford played was the Circle Song by Joni Mitchell. One legend fades away, and another one was born on the same night.
 
WOW

Thanks for the kind comments.

The first I.D's were done by me, but very shortly some great guys that were with a production studio in Shreveport (REEL Productions) I think it was, sent me more that they had put together, (FOR FREE) if you can beleive that. I have been trying to get in contact with these guys for a while now, so if anyone knows how to contact them, e mail me. they were former radio guys in the Shreveport market that had went into production.

Putting TUX-99 (KTUX) on the air was great fun as the owner told me "just do anything you want to do, But he just wanted the ratings." Not many people have ever been allowed to do anything like that, and It was really FUN.
Too bad the owners of radio stations today do not understand why sommeone would listen to a radio station.

John Steel

[email protected]
 
Hi Jay,

Ironically, after a stint as MD of KTUX, I went directly to South Ark to 99.3 KLBQ for my first PD/Morning job in late 1992.

During my time there at Tux-99, we used Mark Driscoll as station voice. VERY unique station. Wish there were more around like them today!

-Crash


Funny story. I was working in South Arkansas at the time at a 3000 watt FM that was then at 99.3. We used to get calls from people in North Louisiana (Ruston ect...) complaining because our signal was just strong enough in that area to make TUX-99 hard to listen to.

I still remember that ID too. Who voiced it? That was a powerful set of lungs for sure. "TUX 99 is KTUX Carthage, Shreveport, Bossier City"
[/quote]
 
Crash,

It's a small world in radio for sure. I was in Little Rock by the time you got to KLBQ. I left there in '88 about a year after Rosh bought the station (that could be another thread!). However I did have one more Q-99 connection…my wife worked with a girl that was at that time dating Kevin or “Brett” who you must have worked with at both TUX and Q. He is now married to her and working at FM-100 Memphis (where another Q alum Garner Miller worked) with a baby on the way. In case you were interested. :-\

As I said…it’s a very small world.
 
It was a shame to see what happened to "The Toolshed". I never worked there but I liked the fact that the air studios and sale department were on separate floors. The old "Fun Radio" Tux-99 was the only station I ever heard that played Stevie Ray Vaughn and New Kids on The Block back to back.

I have some pictures of the station and control I took in the early-mid 90's while hanging out with JB Fox during the overnights. If I can find them I will scan them and get them online.
 
I once had an obsession with KTUX. I thought it was a one of a kind facility back in it's day. And definately miss the programming in the 80's. Thanks for the countless 12 packs of music I won. ::) Now where is my Paula Abdul casette?
 
Yeah I remember seeing the old station with the huge lightning bolt design going acrossit. The good days where radio was owned by large companies. And what about overnight Jocks?????
 
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