Retro Dial: Longview & Region, April 1990

[TR1968]

from Longview News-Journal via Newspapers.com

* Gregg County indicates Longview/Kilgore area stations
* Harrison County indicates Marshall area stations
* Smith County indicates Tyler area stations
Formats listed where indicated

AM Dial
900 KALT Atlanta
910 KIMP Mount Pleasant
930 KDET Center
1060 KHYM Gilmer
1240 KKTX Gregg Co (rock)
1280 KLGV Gregg Co (oldies)
1370 KFRO Gregg Co (news/talk)
1410 KCUL Harrison Co (AC)
1430 KEES Gregg Co (news/talk)
1450 KMHT Harrison Co (big band)
1470 KWRD Henderson
1510 KMOO Mineola
1560 KEGG Dangerfield
1590 KGAS Carthage

FM Dial
89.5 KVNE Smith Co (Christian)
91.3 KGLY Smith Co (Christian)
95.3 KAEZ Gregg Co (adult lite hits)
96.1 KKTX Gregg Co (rock)
96.7 KMOO Mineola
98.1 KTAL Shreveport (rock)
98.9 KTUX Shreveport (rock/pop)
99.3 KPYN Atlanta
100.1 KGRI Henderson
100.7 KPXI Mount Pleasant
102.3 KLCR Center
103.1 KXAL Pittsburg
103.9 KMHT Harrison Co (urban)
104.9 KWNS Winnsboro
105.7 KYKX Gregg Co (country)
106.5 KOOI Jacksonville (easy listening)
107.3 KISX Gregg Co (classic hits)

 

[Jay S]

Thank you for posting the list, TR1968.
They left out some stations. However, it is still quite informative.

92.1–Tyler. I don’t know what the format was at the time, but it doesn’t really reach Longview now, and it may have been a weaker Class A at the time.

93.1 KTYL—Tyler—AC
101.5 KNUE—Tyler—country
104.1 KTMJ—Tyler—AC—This station also doesn’t really cover Longview that well.

 

[Deleted member 108832]

Thank you for posting the list, TR1968.
They left out some stations. However, it is still quite informative.

92.1–Tyler. I don’t know what the format was at the time, but it doesn’t really reach Longview now, and it may have been a weaker Class A at the time.

93.1 KTYL—Tyler—AC
101.5 KNUE—Tyler—country
104.1 KTMJ—Tyler—AC—This station also doesn’t really cover Longview that well.

Yes, thank you very much, TR1968. This is quite a memory jog for me, seeing Mineola's KMOO (-FM) listed on 96.7. "It's K-M double O, goddamn it!" Sam Curry, what a guy.

If I may offer a little more to your post, Jay, the list was first published in the paper sometime in the mid to late 90s, judging from the formats and calls listed. 92.1 was originally country formatted KROZ as Tyler Rose Country from 75 until sometime in the mid 80s when it became rock as "Z-92". Also had an Urban format in there somewhere, the memory fades, all under the KROZ call. In 1992, it became KGLD-FM "K-Gold", running 50s and 60s gold. Became K-DOK a year later, after 1330 was sold (in essence, a net call swap between the two), and then to KTBB-FM in 2009 when teamed with 600, and now sports formatted KRWR since 2015.

A couple of errors were overlooked by the copy editor at the News-Journal. KIMP is, and has always been, operating at 960kHz in Mount Pleasant for as far as I go back. Closest 910 way back when, I believe, was in Camden, Arkansas. KWNS in Winnsboro is another one. Signed on at 104.7 in 1985, and has since remained on the same frequency.

 

[Kent]

Could've sworn Tyler/Longview had one of the last three AM CHR's in the nation, and I was thinking it was CHR into 1990. Might've been 1490, which didn’t put much of a signal into Longview, though.

 

[Deleted member 108832]

We did, Kent, until December 31, 1989, and you are correct that it was 1490. KDOK became Big Band on New Year's day 1990. Call changed a month or so later, becoming the current KYZS.

It is again "K-DOK", playing a significant amount of the same Top 40 Pop fare it was in its heyday, only now doing so in simulcast with the Kilgore AM.

 

[Jay S]

KDOK had an FM competitor for a while as I recall, KEYP “Y-99.” They moved to 107.3 and became KISX. I don’t knowif they flipped to classic hit/oldies or stayed CHR for a while after that. I think KDOK outlasted them either way. It’s interesting that an AM CHR outlasted an FM competitor at that day and age.

I remember 95.3 being AC as KLSQ “Q-95” in the early 90s. They appeared to have flipped to that sometime in 1990.

What happened KPYN 99.3? Did they move to 100.1? I remember KNRB in Atlanta playing Southern Gospel on 100.1. There also was a C2 on 99.3 licensed to Linden as KIXK that would go on the air periodically in the late 90s/early 00s and test with easy listening music. KIXK changed COL to White Oak and moved into the Tyler/Longview market. Maybe KPYN was connected to that station instead.

 

[Deleted member 108832]

KDOK had an FM competitor for a while as I recall, KEYP “Y-99.” They moved to 107.3 and became KISX. I don’t knowif they flipped to classic hit/oldies or stayed CHR for a while after that. I think KDOK outlasted them either way. It’s interesting that an AM CHR outlasted an FM competitor at that day and age.

Yes sir, Y-99 and KPXI "X-100" from Mt. Pleasant were the only two FMs running top 40 then, and KPXI did a lot better signal wise in Longview than it did here in Tyler. KPXI was the last of the Top 40s standing, as I recall. Though it, too, became country as "K-101" shortly afterwards. 107.3 went oldies after the frequency shift. The early 90s were a very dark time for top 40 radio, Jay.

I remember 95.3 being AC as KLSQ “Q-95” in the early 90s. They appeared to have flipped to that sometime in 1990.

Yes it was. I believe it was Q up until J.R. Curtis Jr. sold it in 98. Seems like it was oldies for a brief spell afterwards, then to "Super Invasora" with KOYE after that. 95.3 has been a couple dozen formats since Jack Daniels signed it on.

What happened KPYN 99.3? Did they move to 100.1? I remember KNRB in Atlanta playing Southern Gospel on 100.1. There also was a C2 on 99.3 licensed to Linden as KIXK that would go on the air periodically in the late 90s/early 00s and test with easy listening music. KIXK changed COL to White Oak and moved into the Tyler/Longview market. Maybe KPYN was connected to that station instead.

I don't remember 99.3 ever being KPYN, Jay, but then again it was a non-factor here in Tyler/Longview. As you aptly stated, what is now KAPW "Mega 99.3" White Oak was originally KIXK Linden. KRNB is not involved in the facility's lineage, having its own history dating back to the 70s. The KIXK plant was moved down here in 2000, and it may have been Rick who owned it even then and is the one who had it moved from Linden, I just don't remember. It was a non-factor in Atlanta, too, because it only lasted up there for a couple years before it was moved.

 

[Jay S]

Yes it was. I believe it was Q up until J.R. Curtis Jr. sold it in 98. Seems like it was oldies for a brief spell afterwards, then to "Super Invasora" with KOYE after that. 95.3 has been a couple dozen formats since Jack Daniels signed it on.

95.3 switched to oldies KFRO-FM in 1993. I had a lot of school teachers who listened to the station. They briefly changed call letters to KCGL but back to KFRO-FM. I think that may have been when they came under the ownership of Waller. They rebranded as “Cool FM” and simulcasted with the newly relocated and downgraded KPXI. The simulcast didn’t last long.

I don't remember 99.3 ever being KPYN, Jay, but then again it was a non-factor here in Tyler/Longview. As you aptly stated, what is now KAPW "Mega 99.3" White Oak was originally KIXK Linden. KRNB is not involved in the facility's lineage, having its own history dating back to the 70s. The KIXK plant was moved down here in 2000, and it may have been Rick who owned it even then and is the one who had it moved from Linden, I just don't remember. It was a non-factor in Atlanta, too, because it only lasted up there for a couple years before it was moved.

KPYN must’ve been something different entirely. KIXK may have been a new facility altogether. They only when went on the air to test every so often when they had the C2 facility in Linden. I could tell when they were on because they interfered with KTUX on my walkman and alarm clock radio. They may have been on at a much lower power beforehand.

I was watching KIXK with great interest, hoping that they would sign on and give us in the Tyler/Longview area a long awaited active rock or alternative station. They signed on full time in March 2022 from a tower near Gladewater as country 99.3 the Bull. I lived only three miles away from the tower, which caused it to be way more difficult to get KTUX on my home stereo.

 

[Deleted member 108832]

95.3 switched to oldies KFRO-FM in 1993. I had a lot of school teachers who listened to the station. They briefly changed call letters to KCGL but back to KFRO-FM. I think that may have been when they came under the ownership of Waller. They rebranded as “Cool FM” and simulcasted with the newly relocated and downgraded KPXI. The simulcast didn’t last long.

That's right. It became "The Frog" for a spell, llifting the heritage KFRO call set from his father in the process. Mr. Waller didn't acquire 95.3 until November 2000, so "Cool" and "the Frog" both had to have occured under the direction of J.R. Curtis, before his tragic death.

KPYN must’ve been something different entirely. KIXK may have been a new facility altogether. They only when went on the air to test every so often when they had the C2 facility in Linden. I could tell when they were on because they interfered with KTUX on my walkman and alarm clock radio. They may have been on at a much lower power beforehand.

It had to have been. Like I stated earlier, I didn't pay much attention to the facility until it moved down here. KPYN was the call set given to the now deleted AM 1610 facility near Queen City. Somewhat curious, now, as to what that specific facility ended up, or if it was surrendered. To further confuse the situation, there is a 99.3 facility in Arkansas that bore the same KAPW calls that the White Oak license now sports. How do we ever keep up with all of this? 😂

I was watching KIXK with great interest, hoping that they would sign on and give us in the Tyler/Longview area a long awaited active rock or alternative station. They signed on full time in March 2022 from a tower near Gladewater as country 99.3 the Bull. I lived only three miles away from the tower, which caused it to be way more difficult to get KTUX on my home stereo.

I vividly remember "The Bull", and it lasting all of a year, before flipping to "V-99.3". I believe you meant 2002, when the facility moved to its new tower, but that seems early to me. Wasn't it 2004? I distinctly recall "V 99.3" OTA in 2005 and 2006, with it flipping again in 2007 to Jack FM.

Active rock in Tyler/Longview? I wish. 96X tried it and went back to classic rock after only a few years. 96.7 tried a version of it, before flipping to Regional Mexican "O-Ye", and didn't last all that long either. I would love to see us light up HD on KYKX, and use it to feed a real rock format to the two attached translators, 103.7 Longview and 106.1 Tyler. Would it work? I just don't know. The demographics of this whole area have changed rather dramatically over the past decade or so. If an Alternative/Active can succeed up in New Boston, I certainly think a version of the format could make money here. Never have understood the rebroadcast of KYKX on either translator, given that each one's coverage area is fully encompassed by the primary signal.

 

[Jay S]

That's right. It became "The Frog" for a spell, llifting the heritage KFRO call set from his father in the process. Mr. Waller didn't acquire 95.3 until November 2000, so "Cool" and "the Frog" both had to have occured under the direction of J.R. Curtis, before his tragic death.


It had to have been. Like I stated earlier, I didn't pay much attention to the facility until it moved down here. KPYN was the call set given to the now deleted AM 1610 facility near Queen City. Somewhat curious, now, as to what that specific facility ended up, or if it was surrendered. To further confuse the situation, there is a 99.3 facility in Arkansas that bore the same KAPW calls that the White Oak license now sports. How do we ever keep up with all of this? 😂



I vividly remember "The Bull", and it lasting all of a year, before flipping to "V-99.3". I believe you meant 2002, when the facility moved to its new tower, but that seems early to me. Wasn't it 2004? I distinctly recall "V 99.3" OTA in 2005 and 2006, with it flipping again in 2007 to Jack FM.

Active rock in Tyler/Longview? I wish. 96X tried it and went back to classic rock after only a few years. 96.7 tried a version of it, before flipping to Regional Mexican "O-Ye", and didn't last all that long either. I would love to see us light up HD on KYKX, and use it to feed a real rock format to the two attached translators, 103.7 Longview and 106.1 Tyler. Would it work? I just don't know. The demographics of this whole area have changed rather dramatically over the past decade or so. If an Alternative/Active can succeed up in New Boston, I certainly think a version of the format could make money here. Never have understood the rebroadcast of KYKX on either translator, given that each one's coverage area is fully encompassed by the primary signal.

I’d love to see Alpha launch active rock on those translators. 96X was pretty conservative when they were an active rocker. Shortly after they shifted from classic rock, they would play a more adventurous song from a band like Egypt Central or the Vanished, but it was rare. They played more Linkin Park and Breaking Benjamin CHR crossovers. They were a run of the mill rock station playing mostly burned out 90s songs before they flipped back to classic rocks

Sometimes I can catch 95.1 the River on a skip when I’m over in East Texas. There’s lots of interference from 95.3. I enjoy the station and stream it a lot.

I wish there could be better signals so that there would be more variety on the dial instead of every other station being a simulcast. The Alpha translators in Longview could’ve been useful to relay KKUS and KOYE via KYKX HD2+. Since Longview is on the edge of the Tyler/Longview market, they don’t necessarily need a full power signal to add coverage. They could do something different with 107.9 and simulcast it on 106.1 for Tyler via KYKX HD2+ or feed by some other station’s HD2+ since KYKX’s HD feeds would be quite full if they did that.

 

[Deleted member 108832]

I’d love to see Alpha launch active rock on those translators. 96X was pretty conservative when they were an active rocker. Shortly after they shifted from classic rock, they would play a more adventurous song from a band like Egypt Central or the Vanished, but it was rare. They played more Linkin Park and Breaking Benjamin CHR crossovers. They were a run of the mill rock station playing mostly burned out 90s songs before they flipped back to classic rocks

Sometimes I can catch 95.1 the River on a skip when I’m over in East Texas. There’s lots of interference from 95.3. I enjoy the station and stream it a lot.

I wish there could be better signals so that there would be more variety on the dial instead of every other station being a simulcast. The Alpha translators in Longview could’ve been useful to relay KKUS and KOYE via KYKX HD2+. Since Longview is on the edge of the Tyler/Longview market, they don’t necessarily need a full power signal to add coverage. They could do something different with 107.9 and simulcast it on 106.1 for Tyler via KYKX HD2+ or feed by some other station’s HD2+ since KYKX’s HD feeds would be quite full if they did that.

I don't wish to bore you, or the room, with the why of it requiring the purchase of an additional facility, which Alpha can't do without exceeding the market's ownership cap, to extend The Ranch to cover Longview and Marshall. I hate to say it, because it is, after all, the station that Dudley Waller and Tom Perryman built, however, my perception is that The Ranch is living on borrowed time. It skews old, and while wildly popular with the 55+ audience, it has become somewhat of a crutch. It merely serves to compliment KYKX, which allows it to focus on current charted fare, while also serving as the new home for the folks who were simply aghast at the sudden loss of Big D and Bubba on KNUE.

I knew it was just a matter of time when La Invasora was chosen over The Ranch to run on the Hallsville signal. Had Alpha been allowed to make an outright purchase of KCUL-FM over in Marshall, that whole sequence of events would have turned out very differently. I'm not saying The Ranch's demise will happen today or next week, but one day in the not so distant future, I do see the classic country format being left to the likes of KYYK, K-MOO, and KCKL.

 

[Kent]

I don't remember 99.3 ever being KPYN, Jay, but then again it was a non-factor here in Tyler/Longview. As you aptly stated, what is now KAPW "Mega 99.3" White Oak was originally KIXK Linden. KRNB is not involved in the facility's lineage, having its own history dating back to the 70s. The KIXK plant was moved down here in 2000, and it may have been Rick who owned it even then and is the one who had it moved from Linden, I just don't remember. It was a non-factor in Atlanta, too, because it only lasted up there for a couple years before it was moved.

KPYN was indeed on 99.3 around 30 years ago. Don’t remember when it moved to 100.1. I've never really spent much time in Tyler. It's always been a place I just passed through, but I don’t think you could ever get KPYN there, at least not regularly. Not sure when it happened, but KPYN 100.1 took on the KNRB calls sometime after 1360 in DFW let them go when Radio AAHS bought Marsh out of bankruptcy. I'm also not sure why the records show KNRB having its own lineage going back to 1978, but there's been an error somewhere as that was definitely not the case. The 2000 M Street Directory shows that facility as KPYN. (I just checked, and the change from KPYN to KNRB happened in either 2000 or 2001, though I don’t know exactly when.) KNRB replaced KWJS on 1360 in DFW, which replaced KXOL after Swaggart sold 94.9.

I don't wish to bore you, or the room, with the why of it requiring the purchase of an additional facility, which Alpha can't do without exceeding the market's ownership cap, to extend The Ranch to cover Longview and Marshall.

Alpha could theoretically add translators and not exceed the ownership cap. Of course, that would assume Alpha could either buy a translator to relay the station on an HD subchannel or find an operator willing to use a translator to relay one of its stations. Seems like Alpha went through a bankruptcy not too long ago, and I don't remember it having made any recent transactions. I tend to think Alpha is more likely to be a seller than a buyer, though I tend to think it will try to sell the entire group together or in large chunks. Unlike the situation with Jeff Warshaw and Cumulus, I'm not aware of anyone kicking tires at Alpha.

 

[Deleted member 108832]

KPYN was indeed on 99.3 around 30 years ago. Don’t remember when it moved to 100.1. I've never really spent much time in Tyler. It's always been a place I just passed through, but I don’t think you could ever get KPYN there, at least not regularly. Not sure when it happened, but KPYN 100.1 took on the KNRB calls sometime after 1360 in DFW let them go when Radio AAHS bought Marsh out of bankruptcy. I'm also not sure why the records show KNRB having its own lineage going back to 1978, but there's been an error somewhere as that was definitely not the case. The 2000 M Street Directory shows that facility as KPYN. (I just checked, and the change from KPYN to KNRB happened in either 2000 or 2001, though I don’t know exactly when.) KNRB replaced KWJS on 1360 in DFW, which replaced KXOL after Swaggart sold 94.9.



Alpha could theoretically add translators and not exceed the ownership cap. Of course, that would assume Alpha could either buy a translator to relay the station on an HD subchannel or find an operator willing to use a translator to relay one of its stations. Seems like Alpha went through a bankruptcy not too long ago, and I don't remember it having made any recent transactions. I tend to think Alpha is more likely to be a seller than a buyer, though I tend to think it will try to sell the entire group together or in large chunks. Unlike the situation with Jeff Warshaw and Cumulus, I'm not aware of anyone kicking tires at Alpha.

Tyler has a lot to offer, with the exception of a multitude of available translators for purchase, so next time you pass through, shoot me a line and I'll be sure to treat you to a plate of J D. Stanley's famous barbecue. While it isn't Mr. Stanley greeting you from behind the counter, anymore, his locally famous recipes certainly live on with the current proprietor.

There's the thing, Kent. Having a radio market almost exactly halfway between Dallas and Shreveport, helped to keep us dealing with what Jay previously mentioned, and that is having signals that don't cover both Tyler and Longview, and to an extent Marshall, leaving us having to simulcast 2 facilities, and in the case of KTLH, having to report and license it as a Shreveport reporting service on top of the simulcast.

Translators, themselves, are pretty scarce. To acquire 104.9, it's a pretty safe bet that an acquisition of the AM would be required, as well. Alpha already owns both 106.1 and 103.7, both currently existing only to exist and simply rebroadcasting 105.7. Have you noticed the trigger has yet to be pulled on upgrading K291CH?

All that's left in Tyler, other than those mentioned, would be Chuck Conrad's QX-FM on K250AJ, and K-DOK on K239CB. 95.7 is attached at the hip to 1490, so like 104.9, you'd have to pick up the AM plant to go along with the translator, probably have to pick up the long overgrown and abandoned studio building and property directly in front of the tower, to boot. If 97.9 is the targeted acquisition, a lease to remain on the KYTX tower is also in play, and would also require Chuck Conrad to wash his hands of serving the Tyler side of the market with his main programming. I don't know the gentleman, but would have a hard time believing that would be something he would entertain. He's built a neat little cluster of facilities up here, over the past 20 years. 97.9 seems to be a vital cog in the well oiled machine he has built.

You are most certainly correct in that Alpha would be on the selling end, rather than on the purchasing end of any future negotiations. At least in the current conditions. That, of course, is always subject to change, just like the current economic situation.

 

[Jay S]

I'm not saying The Ranch's demise will happen today or next week, but one day in the not so distant future, I do see the classic country format being left to the likes of KYYK, K-MOO, and KCKL.

I could see The Ranch tweaking to a gold-based country format similar to the one KPLX in Dallas shifted to. KPLX plays a lot of 90s and 00s country. They could co-exist with KYKX. KYKX isn’t as much of a competitor in Tyler, anyway.

K-Moo is a good listen. They mix in a lot of red dirt.

There's the thing, Kent. Having a radio market almost exactly halfway between Dallas and Shreveport, helped to keep us dealing with what Jay previously mentioned, and that is having signals that don't cover both Tyler and Longview, and to an extent Marshall, leaving us having to simulcast 2 facilities, and in the case of KTLH, having to report and license it as a Shreveport reporting service on top of the simulcast.

You’re right, rosecitymedia, being caught between Dallas and Shreveport sure does limit frequency availability. A lot of markets caught between larger markets (at least historically larger in the case of Shreveport) can get by with lower powered signals because the urbanized areas are smaller. Bryan/College Station is one example. Their proximity to Houston, Austin, and San Antonio limits frequency options, but they do have quite a few translators. Most stations are limited to a Class A, maybe a Class C3 or C2 due to FCC spacing requirements. It’s kind of sad to hear 99.5 the Fox fade out 30 minutes after leaving B/CS.

You are most certainly correct in that Alpha would be on the selling end, rather than on the purchasing end of any future negotiations. At least in the current conditions. That, of course, is always subject to change, just like the current economic situation.

I wonder if Reynolds would be interested in buying KTLH. I remember seeing something about them challenging Alpha’s acquisition of the station in court, arguing about how KTLH would target Longview, putting them over the ownership cap even though KTLH is licensed to Hallsville in the Shreveport market.

KTLH could benefit from more promotion out of Longview. Alpha’s KYKX studios and office in Longview would make a good base to promote Invasora.