Payne in Hall of Fame

[tulsarick]

Oklahoma's Bill Payne will be inducted into the Country Radio Hall of Fame in Nashville March 1, 2011. Saw this on the Country Standard Time website.

 

[OKCRadioGuy]

Very cool.

 

[oldmanradio]

Does anyone remember KWHP's studios?

Regards,
Tony

 

[OKCRadioGuy]

Only driving by them up there on Kelley in Edmond. The tower was still there until a few years back (I think) it finally was removed.

I've heard some stories about the place though.... It wasn't exactly a very fancy place.

 

[stacker]

Congrats, Mr. Payne.

As to the KWHP studios, I heard that a long time ago they were in Bill's garage. That may be urban legend.

I can still remember Dwayne Allen doing "Food World" spots with the old "chicken kit" gag.

 

[Fred Hendrickson]

While working at WKY during most of the ‘70s, I had many enjoyable times hanging in the KWHP studio! There was a printing machine in the bathtub and junk everywhere but the studio itself was funky. I would have loved to have been on that station. Awesome music and great talent! When my late friend Bobby Mitchell, longtime evening jock at WKY and later mornings at KCBQ and afternoons at Transtar Network’s country channel, first went to there he hated the acoustics so badly that he called me to bring a blanket up to put on the studio wall, which actually helped a lot. Kevin Metheny, later programmer at WNBC, VH1, MTV, KFRC, etc., and presently WGN, was Kevin Michael Flowers there before joining WKY as Kevin Michaels. Jim Wood was an excellent long-time KWHP talent whom Danny Williams hired to do overnights at WKY, but at the last minute he decided to stay at KWHP. Pat Murphy from KOFM afternoons, who had worked at KLIF in Dallas, went there to do afternoons and was quite entertaining. John Hendrix, previously of KOCY-FM and presently of the John Hendrix Company ad agency, was a trip on the air there. Gary Dark, who had done middays on KTOK and later was Sam Kelly at KELi and Johnny Laine at KAKC, was on it briefly to pay off a debt to Bill Payne. John McGraw, who later did news on KTOK, jocked there when he was a freshman at John Marshall. Machine Gun Kelly, of later KHJ fame, worked there before being hired away by J. Robert Dark at KOMA. Rick Ayers, recently with KOMA and presently owner of Edmond Radio, was on KWHP before going to KJ-103. One way talented jock was there for years, Bryan somebody, I believe. Several times in the mid-‘60s, I was at the KWHP studio located in the garage of Mr. Payne's much smaller house on the east side of Edmond; the single-garage door had been bricked in with a tiny window, so one could walk up the driveway and watch the teenage jocks working for free! There were white rabbits in his backyard that would come up to the gate by the garage. Lol! Bill had previously done overnights on KOMA during its earliest Top 40 days in the '50s. Presumably it was right after that he started KWHP (AM) in Cushing. He came to our KOMA-WKY reunion for the first Koma Fan Jam six years ago and we had a nice chat in the Renda conference room. I loved the KWHP peace sign window stickers greatly miss listening to 97.7! ☮

 

[oldmanradio]

Great story Fred!

Write me sometime ...

I check the KOMA website to make sure you and Ronnie are still alive.

And I check the obits every morning, to be sure I am.

Best wishes,
Tony

 

[dmyers]

Hi Fred,

I guess I must have spent as much time as anyone at KWHP Studios in the years that I worked there. The bathroom was actually a place where we developed film for our offset press.

The kitchen was the printing area. The garage the studio. Traffic and secretarial was in the living room. Sales was in the southeast bedroom and the southwest bedroom was production.
Bill had an office in a small room that I think used to be a utility room.

We had a great station .... great talent ... and pretty good numbers for a 3000 Watt station.

Denny Myers
KWHP

While working at WKY during most of the ‘70s, I had many enjoyable times hanging in the KWHP studio! There was a printing machine in the bathtub and junk everywhere but the studio itself was funky. I would have loved to have been on that station. Awesome music and great talent! When my late friend Bobby Mitchell, longtime evening jock at WKY and later mornings at KCBQ and afternoons at Transtar Network’s country channel, first went to there he hated the acoustics so badly that he called me to bring a blanket up to put on the studio wall, which actually helped a lot. Kevin Metheny, later programmer at WNBC, VH1, MTV, KFRC, etc., and presently WGN, was Kevin Michael Flowers there before joining WKY as Kevin Michaels. Jim Wood was an excellent long-time KWHP talent whom Danny Williams hired to do overnights at WKY, but at the last minute he decided to stay at KWHP. Pat Murphy from KOFM afternoons, who had worked at KLIF in Dallas, went there to do afternoons and was quite entertaining. John Hendrix, previously of KOCY-FM and presently of the John Hendrix Company ad agency, was a trip on the air there. Gary Dark, who had done middays on KTOK and later was Sam Kelly at KELi and Johnny Laine at KAKC, was on it briefly to pay off a debt to Bill Payne. John McGraw, who later did news on KTOK, jocked there when he was a freshman at John Marshall. Machine Gun Kelly, of later KHJ fame, worked there before being hired away by J. Robert Dark at KOMA. Rick Ayers, recently with KOMA and presently owner of Edmond Radio, was on KWHP before going to KJ-103. One way talented jock was there for years, Bryan somebody, I believe. Several times in the mid-‘60s, I was at the KWHP studio located in the garage of Mr. Payne's much smaller house on the east side of Edmond; the single-garage door had been bricked in with a tiny window, so one could walk up the driveway and watch the teenage jocks working for free! There were white rabbits in his backyard that would come up to the gate by the garage. Lol! Bill had previously done overnights on KOMA during its earliest Top 40 days in the '50s. Presumably it was right after that he started KWHP (AM) in Cushing. He came to our KOMA-WKY reunion for the first Koma Fan Jam six years ago and we had a nice chat in the Renda conference room. I loved the KWHP peace sign window stickers greatly miss listening to 97.7! ☮

 

[Fred Hendrickson]

Thanks for the clarification! It was definitely the bathroom that was in my memory, not the kitchen, so the word "press" probably stuck in my mind as "printer." The total layout you described is amazing, especially considering the great programming that often emanated from that place. But a fancy building does not make a great station. A similar situation was the first months of The Katt operating from the old KJAK transmitter shack behind KLPR debuting at like #2 with lovable, music-wise personalities playing the music people wanted (that most stations refused to play), and brilliant promotions conceived by its creative owner Bill Lacy. With more power – and perhaps a little more consistency – KWHP probably would have enjoyed similar success competitively. 97.7 had the music and the magic! ☮

 

[b344077]

You guys are bringing back painful memories of KJEM and KBYE and KFNB and KELR, before I got my break...

 

[stacker]

But a fancy building does not make a great station. A similar situation was the first months of The Katt operating from the old KJAK transmitter shack behind KLPR debuting at like #2 with lovable, music-wise personalities playing the music people wanted (that most stations refused to play), and brilliant promotions conceived by its creative owner Bill Lacy. magic! ☮

While we're dredging up old history here...Bill Lacy was certainly the owner of KATT creativity. But never the owner of the station. In the early days of the station the owner was still Ed Sossen, "Debtor In Possession". Until the KATT calls were assigned, the legal ID was a recording of Ira Lipsom (creator of Dallas' KZEW, and early Cat consultant) mumbling KJAK, then in the clear, Oklahoma City, The Cat. Shortly after the station start-up, both 100.5 and KLPR were acquired by John Tyler (who was then managing KLIF in Dallas). Many months later, the station moved out of the transmitter shack and into the KLPR studios. Believe me, it was not much of an upgrade. Low ceilings, bad plumbing...

I have to admit, that I think a bit of the original magic was lost when we moved out of the "burned out transmitter building." Working in those lousy conditions created a sense of solidarity that money can't buy.

 

[dmyers]

Interestingly, Bill Lacy worked Sundays at KWHP. His air name was Bill St. John.
I think it irritated him that I had bigger numbers on Sunday.
During the week, it was hard for KWHP to compete with 100,000 watt stations, but on the weekends we rocked.

You all should send Bill Payne a congratulations message. Also, Ken Fearnow (air name Mike Baker) is now the Executive VP of the Payne Radio group.

Those were the days ..... when radio was really radio.

Denny Myers
Former KWHP Do-It-All Guy

 

[Media Mogul]

I had lunch with Bill today up at Lake Tenkiller. His stations sound better than ever.

Every conversation with him is a lesson in radio history! There are not many people that have been as innovative as he has over the years. He is not afraid to embrace and try things when it comes to radio. The stories of the early days at KWHP are amazing!

 

[RedGhee]

I got a job with Bill Payne when I was 15 years old running the print shop for WHP. This also led to Taking tape decks to ITC for annual refurbishing,
digging ditches, setting up The MARTI units and establishing balanced lines for remote Broncho Football games with the incredible Gary Crisco and Bill Payne, Live remote Broadcasts set up and logistics. being the tech guy for Oklahomas first Mobile Disco with Mark Hedrick. An lots of time spent in amazement watching Michael Erickson (Mike Murphy) (Uncle Murph) and Ken Fearnow back in the day of physically cutting tape to edit. All of the Award winning Bestyet food commercials. (Flash Bazbo) ah hello! (lol) Bill developed the first call in Local Bank Time Machine and it was my responsibility to keep them running in most every city in Oklahoma plotting ground radials for FCC approval at the new transmitter site on Britton. I Responsible for design, construction, maintenance tear down of The Ruins haunted houses. Printing and Distribution of A legal Newspaper Bill owned. I got the with Bill by outselling everyone combined in our VICA club selling radio ads, I then continued to Sell AIR on the phone and out sold everyone in the Phone Sales department winning a trip to Vail CO, and couldn't go because I was only 15 lol!
This is my story as there are numerous other who at the time didn't know that WHP was the catalyst for a life time of success!

Most of all I am grateful for the many human relationships that developed from that KWHP family, Bill & Gail, Ken Fearnow, Raymond Hutchinson III, Duane Helt, Denny Meyers, Mike Erickson, Phast Fred Hendrickson, Jim Wood, Mike Munday, Alice Galindo, The Silvenails,The great folks at Easter Seals and many others.

Congrats and God Bless Bill, Gail and the entire KWHP family, as He has blessed me with these things.
Gail Payne says the city of Edmond is interested in ANY Memorabilia regarding KWHP,.. for the Meroplex

 

[RedGhee]

Additionally I learned to talk backwards while attending to the Time Machines they were cassette based so every time it was activated it would play backwards till the minute passed. never found a use for that talent other that for a few laughs with friends.

Its great to see so many memories of "The Print Shop" @ KWHP

Looking back:
First to Use DOLBY Stereo Broadcast, and Quadraphonic FM

Ground breaking stuff little did we know!

 

[Jim Wood]

We really had some good talent go through KWHP over the years. Fred did a wonderful job mentioning Kevin Michael Flowers, Mike Murphy and M.G.Kelly. One you over looked was Mike Elder. I met Mike at the station after he returned from Armed Forces Radio in Korea. Mike has gone on to program KTOK and WLS as well as a station in Boston. Mike is currently VP of programming at FOX Talk Radio Network.

Looking forward to KWHP's 50th Anniversary Celebration and Reunion in Edmond June 29th and 30th. Hoping to see many of the guys who kept the station rockin' for so many years.

 

[TexasTuner]

Congrats, Mr. Payne.

As to the KWHP studios, I heard that a long time ago they were in Bill's garage. That may be urban legend.

I can still remember Dwayne Allen doing "Food World" spots with the old "chicken kit" gag.

It's true..an old house, and the studios were in the garage. An old CCA console, old ITC cart machines, and Marti STLs is what I remember.

 

[OKCRadioGuy]

Did Bill have his transmitter somewhere else other than right in behind the house-studio? Who actually built the "new tower" (approx 350ft) off the north side of Britton between Broadway Ext. and Kelly?

 

[TexasTuner]

Did Bill have his transmitter somewhere else other than right in behind the house-studio? Who actually built the "new tower" (approx 350ft) off the north side of Britton between Broadway Ext. and Kelly?

From what I can remember, the original tower was about 200' of Rohn 25G (the real lightweight stuff) behind the house. When he put up the new tower, essentially across the road from WKY AM/TV, he had to jump through some hoopes to get it there. I believe WKY filed a petiton to deny the move based on the assumption that a 300' tower would cause injury to WKY's nighttime patters. Payne finally got it approved by putting in a detuning network at the tower to make it invisible to the 930 frequency. I also seem to recall that Payne's father (or brother, I'm not sure) was an attorney practicing before the FCC so he may have gotten his legal work done for free.

 

[OKCRadioGuy]

It is rather close to WKY's array. That makes sense. OK. So Payne did move it to the 300 ft tower then... Interesting...