Summertime 30 years ago

[Chris897]

I produce an internet station that is essentially a musical time machine that goes back to this week 30 years ago and the songs are helping me bring back some great memories.

Memories of working at KIKM 910 AM in Sherman, Texas playing The Alan Parsons Project "Eye In The Sky" on Russco turntables with worn green felt. Turntables that were remote started by light switches installed by none other than Steve Eberhart during his tenure there.

I remember turntable 2 making a "ticking" noise when it turned. Playing 45s taken from sleeves that were different colors depending on the catagory. A hint of reverb on the audio chain. Pulling a 1 share in the DFW Arbitron with a directional signal that shot straight south. A mouse that would appear late at night from under the stairs that led to the transmitter room that was behind the control room. Going to the Texxas Jam that summer to see Journey at the Cotton Bowl. Dreaming of working at KVIL or KAFM-FM someday. Wishing I had great pipes so I could dream about working at KZEW or Q-102...

Anyway, I thought it would make an interesting thread to read your memories of the summer of 1982 as well. What station were you working at or what were you listening to if you're weren't in broadcasting. If you need some help to jog your memory you can visit my website at www.soundmedia.us.

Chris

 

[bturner]

Sounds like a great idea. I'll take a listen.

I have fond memories of 'Kick-em' from living in Dallas through the late 1970s. Having a choice of great stations to listen to, such as KVIL, KZEW and many others, I often found myself tuning in KIKM and loving it. I wish I had an aircheck of KIKM back in the 1975-78 era. I do have an aircheck I found of KKAJ in Ardmore, Oklahoma from early 1976 and one of KMMK in McKinney around the same time when they did all requests and dedications. Was also a fax of KSEO in Durant, Oklahoma. In fact I actually visited them in 1978 and was put on the air about an hour right before I got my first gig in, of all places, Eagle Pass, Texas.

The old turntables, slingng carts and trying to pull off Top 40 in those days was great fun and so interactive with listeners. You were mentally exhausted after 6 hours on the board. You loved it regardless of the low pay and couldn't believe you were getting paid to do something that brought you so much satisfaction.

I wish you the very best and thank you for making it happen instead of just talking about it. I'll be monitoring the feed and the transmitter this afternoon while playing on the internet and likely dreaming of those great days!

 

[arnoldevns]

I remember living in North Dallas and listening to Casey Kasem's American Top 40 on KIKM back in the mid 80s. It aired at a much better time for me to listen than the spot KEGL in Fort Worth-Dallas had for it.

 

[unclepudd]

An old fart? I do remember KIKM when it was KRRV 910 which was across the highway from KDSX 950.. My original inspiration for wanting to be "in" radio. Now THAT was a long time ago....

 

[Gopher]

KRRV played country during the day and then Top 40 from 6pm till midnight for a while I think in the 70's.

 

[jd]

I do remember KIKM when it was KRRV 910 which was across the highway from KDSX 950..

But do you remember when KRRV operated mid-days from their Richardson studios, with Buddy Harris on the air? That was back in the mid-60's.

 

[unclepudd]

I do remember KIKM when it was KRRV 910 which was across the highway from KDSX 950..

But do you remember when KRRV operated mid-days from their Richardson studios, with Buddy Harris on the air? That was back in the mid-60's.

No that was after my time in that area (mid-late 50's) but now that you mention it I do recall KRRV from somewhere in the Richardson area.

Thanx

 

[mrh1960]

I remember living in North Dallas and listening to Casey Kasem's American Top 40 on KIKM back in the mid 80s. It aired at a much better time for me to listen than the spot KEGL in Fort Worth-Dallas had for it.

KFJZ "Z97", KSCS, KTXQ, KAFM and KEGL...70's DFW radio at it's finest

 

[Triple Fake Jerry]

The only AM station I listened to for music at this time was WLS at night, and it was good.

 

[Jay Walker]

The only AM station I listened to for music at this time was WLS at night, and it was good.

Sadly 1982 was well into the beginning of the end for WLS. That was right about the time B-96 and the other FM hit music outlets were kicking in. I was lucky enough to pass through the door at 360 North Michigan in the mid 80's for a couple of years on the FM (WLS-FM/WYTZ) and it was sad to hear the AM referred to as "The Ghost Ship Down The Hall" About the time I left for Dallas and the Eagle in 1987, Landecker was on the way back, but by then the writing was on the wall for the migration to Talk.

In it's day there was no one who did it better day in and out, and set the standard for Top 40 programming, marketing, promotion, music and personality than the Big 89 WLS.

 

[unclepudd]

The only AM station I listened to for music at this time was WLS at night, and it was good.

In it's day there was no one who did it better day in and out, and set the standard for Top 40 programming, marketing, promotion, music and personality than the Big 89 WLS.

Well said and oh so true...

 

[Chris897]

I remember living in North Dallas and listening to Casey Kasem's American Top 40 on KIKM back in the mid 80s. It aired at a much better time for me to listen than the spot KEGL in Fort Worth-Dallas had for it.

That would have been me from 1982 through 1984. Always loved running and listening to the show. Playing it off of LPs and having to turn the rotary pot down fast on that Ampro board before it rolled into the next segment. Cueing it back up within 30 seconds before having to fire off the next spot.

All I do now is push one green button...

 

[Gopher]

We would listen to WLS late at night after KLIF went off (for us in Big Sky country) at sundown and when KRRV went off at midnight. Always thought their playlist was just a bit different than KLIF's.

It was cool listening to their first re-wind show a few years ago as the good Lord intended us to....on a scratchy AM radio. ;D

 

[NancyJohnson]

I was at Q102 in the summer of 1982, and expecting my daughter. I worked overnights, playing Cheap Trick, Ozzy, REO, VH, BOC, Rainbow, Motels, Billy Squier, Billy Idol just to name a few. I love those memories. 8)

 

[billyg]

In it's day there was no one who did it better day in and out, and set the standard for Top 40 programming, marketing, promotion, music and personality than the Big 89 WLS.

I totally agree. When most AM Top 40's had died by 1981-2 they kept on rocking. And I also remember hearing KLEO, WNOE, WHB, and KAAY in their last years as Top 40's around the same time.

I was learning radio at Northern Oklahoma College in Tonkawa at 1200 watt KAYE-FM, and in 1982 landed a summer job at KXVQ 1500 in Pawhuska, a station with 60's vintage QRK turntables, Tapecaster cart machines and a Collins 212g all-tube control board. I worked noon to signoff saturday and sunday.. almost 8 hours shifts. Luckily I had several paid church programs and freebee things like Country Crossroads to pad things out.

 

[Steve Eberhart]

I produce an internet station that is essentially a musical time machine that goes back to this week 30 years ago and the songs are helping me bring back some great memories.

Memories of working at KIKM 910 AM in Sherman, Texas playing The Alan Parsons Project "Eye In The Sky" on Russco turntables with worn green felt. Turntables that were remote started by light switches installed by none other than Steve Eberhart during his tenure there.

I remember turntable 2 making a "ticking" noise when it turned. Playing 45s taken from sleeves that were different colors depending on the catagory. A hint of reverb on the audio chain. Pulling a 1 share in the DFW Arbitron with a directional signal that shot straight south. A mouse that would appear late at night from under the stairs that led to the transmitter room that was behind the control room. Going to the Texxas Jam that summer to see Journey at the Cotton Bowl. Dreaming of working at KVIL or KAFM-FM someday. Wishing I had great pipes so I could dream about working at KZEW or Q-102...

Anyway, I thought it would make an interesting thread to read your memories of the summer of 1982 as well. What station were you working at or what were you listening to if you're weren't in broadcasting. If you need some help to jog your memory you can visit my website at www.soundmedia.us.





Chris

Haha!

I installed those "light switches" one day after seeing similar ones at KVIL. We had the long version of Chicago "Beginnings" on cart and while it played I cut out the holes in the countertop. The turntables would have skipped terribly if I did it while a record was playing -no isolation for the turntables.

A few months later I left KIKM and was working at KVIL and noticed their light switches had been replaced by push buttons to start the turntables.

By the way, KRRV 910 was originally licensed to "Sherman - Richardson".
They had studios in both locations.

910 back then was 1000 watts two tower directional day and night. It had the signal of a 50,000 watt station. The pattern went east and west and south. It came in like a local in Dallas and almost to Waco. Almost to Wichita Falls and over to Paris.

It sounded pretty good and clean mostly because we had a new board (8 channel stereo/mono Ampro) and we played 45's with few exceptions. The only processing were two Marti CLA-40's ganged together one into the other.

For a good while we simulcasted on 96.7 which was only 3000 watts FM at the time.

I remember going to Sher-Den Mall and buying oldies at Musicland so we'd have more gold to play.

We kept the playlist to 20 currents straight off the Billboard Hot 100 and restricted the rock and heavy urban stuff to nights only. The rest of the time, much like most Top 40's at the time we were basically Hot AC, although that term didn't exist at the time.

Somewhere I still have the "hot clocks" from KIKM.

it was a fun station to jock at. Management was on the other side of the building from the studios and we hardly ever saw them. I did middays first then afternoons. Ken Barnett was there as "John Paul Stevens". He was GREAT then too!

 

[jd]

By the way, KRRV 910 was originally licensed to "Sherman - Richardson".
They had studios in both locations.

Yes, they had studios in Richardson for a few years beginning in the mid-60's, as mentioned earlier. But when KRRV signed on in 1936 Richardson was just a wide spot in the road and Sherman was KRRV's only licensed community. It remained that way even when they used the auxiliary studios. Nearby KDSX was a different story, though, being licensed to "Denison-Sherman" starting aorund 1960.

910 back then was 1000 watts two tower directional day and night. It had the signal of a 50,000 watt station. The pattern went east and west and south. It came in like a local in Dallas and almost to Waco. Almost to Wichita Falls and over to Paris.

You're right, it really was a great signal (even though Paris was a little out of reach). This page shows the pattern, with the main lobe basically pointing in a south-southwesterly direction, right toward Dallas/Fort Worth:

www.fccinfo.com/CMDProEngine.php?sCurrentService=AM&tabSearchType=Appl&sAppIDNumber=433046&sHours=N

 

[jd]

^^^^^^ Let me amend that post, before anyone points out that the dates don't match or the location is wrong. Here's another link to the archived KRRV [now KATH] pattern; the shape is identical except the "Map It" function will bring up the Sherman location, not the present one in Frisco):

www.fccinfo.com/CMDProEngine.php?sCurrentService=AM&tabSearchType=Appl&sAppIDNumber=13171&sHours=U

 

[dfaulkner]

Fun thread. When I was grade school age, I discovered KRRV on my GE AM/FM clock radio (lots of tubes in that thing.) ;D It came in like a local station at my parents home in Garland & at my grandparents home in Oak Cliff. Through the years KRRV/KIKM was part of my radio listening. In 1982 I would've been listening to American Top 40 on KIKM. KFJZ 1270 had become "Music of Your Life" by that point.

 

[Steve Eberhart]

That's not the pattern of 910 when I worked there on the two tower directional on hwy 75.
The pattern was left to right fat and south. The pattern was changed sometime in the late 80's or 90's