Studios

[dfaulkner]

Long ago the 1040 frequency was the home of KRLD and later KIXL-AM .....KIXL-FM at 104.1 ..... They were known as "KIXL-104 on both dials".....

I thought of that last evening when I noticed that KSKY 660am & 92.9fm are the same dial position on my Sangean table radio.

Was KIXL FM 104.1 or 104.5 ?

 

[MikeShannon914]

KIXL-FM was actually at 104.5 for nearly all of its life (it began at 104.3 but was only there briefly.) The station became KEZT in Sept, 1972 before flipping to KKDA-FM in December, 1975. Crescent Communications had bought just the FM from the Strauss brothers in April, 1972. On the AM side, the only notes I can find say that the Strausses kept 1040 until Oct, 1973, when it was sold to Crawford.

 

[dfaulkner]

KIXL-FM was actually at 104.5 for nearly all of its life (it began at 104.3 but was only there briefly.) The station became KEZT in Sept, 1972 before flipping to KKDA-FM in December, 1975. Crescent Communications had bought just the FM from the Strauss brothers in April, 1972. On the AM side, the only notes I can find say that the Strausses kept 1040 until Oct, 1973, when it was sold to Crawford.

Thanks Mike, I was remembering it as 104.5.

 

[MikeShannon914]

It was in the early '80's that Crawford applied for, and was granted, a license for the 770 frequency in Texas. That was a coveted frequency having once been the 50,000 clear channel class 1-A for WABC New York. He applied for, and was granted, the KAAM call letters which I believe were on 620 for a short time.

That's all correct AFAIK, but I think the timing's off just a bit. Since I lived in Garland most of my life, I took an interest in 770 when it first became news. Here's how I wrote it for the website: "Licensed to Garland in 1979, the frequency laid dormant until several companies expressed an interest in the mid-1980s; Century Broadcasting was the top competitor for the FCC license for 770 in 1984, but five years passed before Crawford Broadcasting won out and put a station on the air." I've got a letter somewhere from Century Broadcasting dated 1986 where they'd written me back about their progress with the frequency.

Also, while doing some other research yesterday, ran across a couple of articles from early 1980 where Garland was pursuing its own community station then. It mentioned using the "abandoned" 88.5 frequency that St Marks gave up (I guess to put their non-com at 93.3) and how plans had been disrupted by KNTU wanting to move back there from 88.1. (Of course, KEOM didn't exist then.) There was also mention of a religious station, KSLL-88.1/Richardson, who applied to move to 106.7 in 1980.

 

[jd]

KIXL-FM was actually at 104.5 for nearly all of its life (it began at 104.3 but was only there briefly.)

Just curious, Mike, but everything I've seen from that era shows them at 104.5. Was that before their "official" sign-on, or what? On your site I see November 15, 1947, which agrees with FCC records that I could find, but I've also seen the sign-on listed as June 8th of that year (from DFW Radio Archives). Perhaps, and this is just a guess, the station was testing for several months beforehand.

 

[MikeShannon914]

I know the AM side signed on 6/8/47. I don't recall offhand where I got the info for the FM side; perhaps from the Broadcasting Yearbook from back then. (I've traveled across the state to find college libraries that have years that I can't find elsewhere! No one place has them all.) Chris Huff and I don't always have the same info, and I know he doesn't put a lot of stock into dates that the BY's show. But especially going back that far, where I'm just too young to remember, I go with the published dates until someone can prove otherwise. The Dallas Morning News archives have cleared up a lot of those inconsistencies as well. (If only someone would catalog the old Times-Heralds now!)

Back that far, the priority (of course) would always be to get the AM side going first, then "play around" with FM afterwards. KVIL's a good example. (AM in 1960, FM in 1961. I'm not counting old-time, 20s and 30s-era stations when FM wasn't even an option yet, and/or existed before the FM band was reset to 88-108.)

 

[dfaulkner]

.......before the FM band was reset to 88-108.)

Just a fun tidbit...In the Library of the Degolyer House at the Dallas Arboritum, there's an old radio with the original FM Band. (38 to 48 ?) Something like that. The original band from Howard Armstrong's days, before RCA "pursuaded" the FCC to change it so they wouldn't have to pay royalties to Armstrong....

 

[easttxtv]

(If only someone would catalog the old Times-Heralds now!)

None of the local libraries have the Times-Herald on microfilm?

 

[Bubbadad]

Has anyone ever met anyone who has had business dealings with KAAM that doesn't have several horror stories about them?

Everyone I have ever met has said it is the last station that you ever want to work for.

 

[dfaulkner]

.......before the FM band was reset to 88-108.)

Just a fun tidbit...In the Library of the Degolyer House at the Dallas Arboritum, there's an old radio with the original FM Band. (38 to 48 ?) Something like that. The original band from Howard Armstrong's days, before RCA "pursuaded" the FCC to change it so they wouldn't have to pay royalties to Armstrong....

At least that's how it's presented in the Ken Burns documentary "Empire of the Air".......

 

[317C50KW]

"There was also mention of a religious station, KSLL-88.1/Richardson"

Does anyone know anything about this? I ask because I thought there was once a 10w FM at Richardson High School (on Beltline) I remember seeing a short tower atop of the building with an FM bay on it. It's no longer there.

Inquiring minds want to know.

 

[jd]

The Dallas Morning News archives have cleared up a lot of those inconsistencies as well.

Well, I can't say 104.3 never happened but there are two possible explanations.(#) Broadcasting Yearbook sometimes had wrong information or misprints, just as with other "radio guides." And while I agree that the DMN's radio section may have come in handy it was sometimes way off the mark. The Times-Herald was not free from bias, but as far as I can recall, it had fewer errors overall.

(#)= Wait, there's a third possibility, from another newspaper. In the first part of July, 1947 the Houston Post congratulated Lee Segall on his new FM in Dallas, KIXL-FM, according to the Houston Radio History blog. The Post had been reporting on a new FM there, along with permits for others and they may have transposed a fact or two. If there was anything that was "new" it probably was KIXL (AM), and I agree that getting the FM on first probably wasn't a real priority. So I'll stick with your November sign-on date!

 

[BBontheRadio]

Just a fun tidbit...In the Library of the Degolyer House at the Dallas Arboritum, there's an old radio with the original FM Band. (38 to 48 ?) Something like that. The original band from Howard Armstrong's days, before RCA "pursuaded" the FCC to change it so they wouldn't have to pay royalties to Armstrong....

The original FM band assignment was 42-50 MHz.

 

[jd]

I ask because I thought there was once a 10w FM at Richardson High School (on Beltline) I remember seeing a short tower atop of the building with an FM bay on it. It's no longer there.

There was a television station for the Richardson ISD back then, KRET-TV 23. I see that Mike's offline, but he's got good info on the TV section of his site: www.knus99.com/tvlist.html

It was a tough catch where I lived in Irving, and now I see why. They ran just 2,900 watts visual, according to a random check of FCC records.

 

[unclepudd]

Has anyone ever met anyone who has had business dealings with KAAM that doesn't have several horror stories about them?

Everyone I have ever met has said it is the last station that you ever want to work for.

If it is still Crawford Broadcasting (or anyone associated with Crawford) that statement is true. I am not familiar with Djrd Broadcasting (current owner) but have thought it was Donald Crawford's son. Anyone who can verify who/what is Djrd would be appreciated. Donald was a twenty dollar millionaire who was NOT a broadcaster and knew nothing about it. He surrounded himself with people who knew even less than he did. Donald owned (inherited) several radio stations from his father's estate in the '70's.

The Crawford national sales manager once had a campaign to sell advertising to Christian record company's promising them that if they bought a schedule on the Crawford stations their new releases would be promoted with hourly chatter, album give-a-ways and artist interviews. If they didn't buy then their albums would not be played (Hell-O PLUGOLA/PAYOLA). He was so ignorant of rules and laws and so enamored with himself that he put all in writing and distributed it to stations. At the time the PD of KPBC refused to be a part of the scam because of the Payola connection and eventually departed KPBC Christian radio and re-entered real radio.

Whomever told you that Crawford (or any associates) would be the last place you would want to work is correct. Lookout for anyone who tells you anything different!

Some of you guys on here are incredibly well informed about people, stations and situations which existed long before your time. I compliment you about your interest and knowledge of the greatest business in the world.

 

[Bubbadad]

I can verify that Djrd is the same as KAAM and the younger Donald Crawford. It was listed on the contracted they offered us until they found out that we might have advertisers that were gay friendly. They said their listeners and other advertisers wouldn't stand for it.

But this is minute to some of the other horror stories I have heard. I asked them if they were a Christian station and they said No...but that they frequently give a "shout out" to God. Not sure what that meant. He did make a point of saying they were an AMERICAN station. I wasn't sure what that meant either. I didn't know there were any
non-American stations in Dallas.

Is there a KOMI.....playing the latest communist hits of the 80's and 90's?

or

KQIDA.............playing the mellow sounds of Al Qaeda soft rock?

 

[unclepudd]

Thanks for the info Bubbadad.. I figured as much. Crawford will do/say anything for a buck. They once had a policy of re-working Bible scripture to make it fit the message of the client. They were ask about Revelation 22: 18-19. They had no idea what was being ask because they weren't familiar enough with the passage. It's the next to last verse in the Bible and not easy to forget once you've heard it, especially when Bible verses are being re-written to reflect whatever the sales department wants them to say.

Revelation 22:18-19 (King James Version)

18.For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:

19.And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

 

[dfaulkner]

unclepudd's replies (34 & 36 on this thread) & Bubbadad's (28 & 35) remind me of a story I heard while I was at KTNS. KTNS (Talkradio) had been KXVI (Contemporary Christian.) Several KTNS employees had been there during the KXVI days. KXVI did basically the same thing as KPBC (only with better music & fewer commercials.) At some point there was a Christian Concert, KPBC & KXVI were both present. The story goes that the KPBC people spent the evening acting very self-important & as if they were the Only station there, like the KXVI people were somehow invisible. Not too terribly long after this, KLTY came along, KPBC's ratings went into the toilet & KXVI became KTNS. Now, if I wanted to spout off reckless theories, (think Televangelist commenting on the news...)

 

[dfaulkner]

unclepudd's replies (34 & 36 on this thread) & Bubbadad's (28 & 35) remind me of a story I heard while I was at KTNS. KTNS (Talkradio) had been KXVI (Contemporary Christian.) Several KTNS employees had been there during the KXVI days. KXVI did basically the same thing as KPBC (only with better music & fewer commercials.) At some point there was a Christian Concert, KPBC & KXVI were both present. The story goes that the KPBC people spent the evening acting very self-important & as if they were the Only station there, like the KXVI people were somehow invisible. Not too terribly long after this, KLTY came along, KPBC's ratings went into the toilet & KXVI became KTNS. Now, if I wanted to spout off reckless theories, (think Televangelist commenting on the news...)

It occured to me that a better ending for this might be...."So things have a way of working out."