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The Book: Arkansas Airwaves

I think I have large sections of that photocopied, which I might be able to dig out, copy and share (hopefully without violating any copywright laws). Many libraries in the state have that in their collections. I think I got it from the ASU school library and NLR's Lahlam (SP?) Library. It was a great, fascinating summation of the state's broadcasting outlets and their histories as of 1974. I'd first suggest trying a local library.

Good luck! It's great reading. Michael
 
Thanks for the link Michael. I may have to order one as well. I read the book several years ago, compliments of the L.R. Public Library, and it's a good read.
 
I just ordered a copy from a vendor at amazon.com for 77 cents plus 3 bucks postage...can't wait to read this book.
 
I've read the book several times from various public libraries. The first half of the book (Pre-WWII era), IMHO is better written than the second half. Even with its flaws, its a valuable history of Arkansas Broadcasting and a good start for further research of radio history via newspaper microfilm. I just wished that Poindexter would have covered FM a bit better.
 
Thanks for the props! I had read this in 1990 while in college, but since first seeing the post earlier this month, I checked out a library copy and have been reading it again. I'm almost done and have got to say it has been fascinating reading.

The rich narratives of the births of stations that would become institutions is great. The only difficulty with the book is, since it was published in 1972, figuring out what stations they later became, since frequencies are not always included alongside call letters. So much changed in Arkansas radio in the years right after this book came out, mainly FM finally catching on and overtaking AM. And of course corporate consolidation that changed everything in the 1990s.

Some kind of follow up on Arkansas radio history, picking up where this book left off, sure would be nice. But this book is an incredible gem. Ray Poindexter clearly did so much research and had great passion for his topic. I'm thankful someone documented how broadcasting began in Arkansas. I've decided I need to buy a copy of this myself to have in my collection. But for anyone interested, it seems there are copies in most major libraries in the state, so definitely give it a read if you haven't, especially if you're a radio person or interested in broadcasting.
 
MichaelHibblen said:
Thanks for the props!  I had read this in 1990 while in college, but since first seeing the post earlier this month, I checked out a library copy and have been reading it again.  I'm almost done and have got to say it has been fascinating reading. 

The rich narratives of the births of stations that would become institutions is great.  The only difficulty with the book is, since it was published in 1972, figuring out what stations they later became, since frequencies are not always included alongside call letters....... 
Click to expand...

A recent treasure trove is David Gleason's website ... http://www.davidgleason.com/Radio_Archives.htm    There, a PDF library of Broadcasting Yearbooks can be found, going back to 1935, plus a growing batch of the weekly Broadcasting issues.  While the staff and format listings must be taken with a salt grain, the calls and technical info were culled from the FCC.  It makes a great resource for tracking not just the evolution of call letters, but also power and antenna info.  For a radio geek like myself, it's enough to make one ponder being a hermit; it would take being one just to digest everything on that site!

I'd forgotten about Poindexter's book - I'd checked it out a time or two while living in Arkansas ('80s).  I haven't seen a copy in as long and really need to hop on e-Bay or Amazon and track one down.

And I completely agree -- an Arkansas Airwaves sequel is a project someone over there needs to tackle.  I'd nominate Grant Merrill - but I seriously doubt he has the time.  :)

--Russell



   
 
Believe it or not, I found this book in a my home state...Massachusetts!...in a public library in a northern suburb of Boston. This was at least 10-15 years ago, so I doubt if it survived the periodic "purging of the shelves" they do every so often. I remember it made reference to a young Kirk Justice, DJ in Little Rock and North Little Rock in the late 50s, who would become a major market talent in Washington D.C., Philadelphia, and Boston using his real first name, LARRY Justice.
 
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