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KZFM Corpus aircheck from 1975

S

Scholarm1111

This neat aircheck was just shared with me. Unfortunately, it is pretty short but we can hear a very different sounding KZFM back in 1975. The aircheck starts with an ad for a department store in downtown Corpus which I think closed more than 20 years ago. We also hear promotions for news programming on the station. No songs included however. I think KZFM was top 40 back then. Perhaps others were around CC at that time and can provide more info. Rather unbelievably the aircheck was taped on a DX night from Wisconsin.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvIXMiDhNhw

http://www.mostlyuppermidwestairchecks.com/southern-airchecks.html
 
In 1975, FM penetration in South Texas was still pretty low. IIRC-- KEYS 1440 was still Top 40 and KRYS 1360 was Personality AC. Overall, FM stations had an is-anybody-out-there sound to them. As for the news promo, this was before dereg. EVERYBODY did news. The promo on the aircheck sounds like it may have been for one of the ABC networks of the time. ABC Contemporary or ABC FM. I miss the days when everyone did news. I think it made for more intelligent and more creative programming.
 
fredcantu said:
In 1975, FM penetration in South Texas was still pretty low. IIRC-- KEYS 1440 was still Top 40 and KRYS 1360 was Personality AC.
Click to expand...

KZFM didn't debut in the ratings until the Spring '76 book - it tied for fifth with a 7.4 among 12+. KEYS was #1 with a 14.5 and KRYS was 3rd.
Prior to KZFM, KIOU 96.5 was the only FM to have shown up in the Arbitrons.
 
I recall hearing KZFM in my high school days (class of 1973.) They were already some form of contemporary or rock by then. Who ever wrote the wiki entry wasn't there at the beginning. According to the 1970 Broadcasting Yearbook, KZFM went on the air Dec 7, 1964.
 
I was in 5th Grade in '75. I didn't start listening to a lot of FM radio in South Texas until about '77. That's when my folks bought a new 1977 Buick Regal. Our first car with FM radio. We had a table-top radio that recieved FM, but reception wasn't great (we were about 30 miles from CC). The big stations at that time were KEYS, KRYS, KTSA from San Antonio (Top-40) and KIKN (Country), all AM stations. C-101 was born in '76, IIRC.
 
C-101 was the old KTOD-FM in Sinton. I drove past the old KTOD building last Summer on my way home from Port Aransas. The architecture brings back memories of 1960s radio.
 
fredcantu said:
C-101 was the old KTOD-FM in Sinton. I drove past the old KTOD building last Summer on my way home from Port Aransas. The architecture brings back memories of 1960s radio.
Click to expand...

I'm guessing that's the building on Hwy. 181 S. of Sinton. That was the old KIKN studios. KTOD-AM became KIKN around 1970.
 
fredcantu said:
C-101 was the old KTOD-FM in Sinton. I drove past the old KTOD building last Summer on my way home from Port Aransas. The architecture brings back memories of 1960s radio.
Click to expand...

C-101 was also KMEO. Aka Cameo.

Clouseau
 
Thanks for all the history! I only moved to Corpus in 2006. It sure would be great if someone had some old KEYS and Z-95 airchecks lying around from the 70s.
 
My knowledge of KZFM in the 70s is brief but firsthand. Jim Allen (Metzger) was hired away from KRYS to be PD in 1973. He hired me to do middays, as we had worked together at KRYS. They rebranded KZFM "The Rock of the Bay." It was kind of an early Jack, 'cause we played what we wanted, with even talk segments thrown in sometimes. No playlists, no clock. Occasionally the GM would stick his head into the studio, complain that we were too hard for the day-part, take us out of the zone and leave.
 
Smittian said:
I'm guessing that's the building on Hwy. 181 S. of Sinton. That was the old KIKN studios. KTOD-AM became KIKN around 1970.
Click to expand...

Ahhhh yes, "Easy Lovin' Country, 1590 KIKN." I was there in the latter part of 1974 and part of 1975. It was my 1st overnight shift in radio; where I forced myself to drink coffee to stay awake. Jimmy Louis did the 7PM-midnight show and the late Ed Sharpe, the program director was on morning drive. It was quite common to step outside at night and see raccoons and other wildlife coming up the gravel driveway.
 
Gotta love it. Personality radio even in the middle of the night. I remember "The Moose" on top 40 KNOW here in Austin. And I believe Jonny Ramirez-- now of KXTN fame in San Antonio-- pulled all-nighters at country KASE in Austin. But that was before dereg.
 
What was it about the all-night guys? I remember working with more than one who was, well, very "entertaining" to be around. I'd come in just after midnight and he'd be swaying in his chair, back and forth, his nose almost touching the board, then waaaaaaaaaaay back, so that he was staring up at the ceiling. He went by the air name of "Rockin' Ron Shaw" and I don't think "Rockin" had anything to do with the music! ;D
 
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