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COUNTRY MUSIC RADIO
EVOLVES
Format changes to Country
followed me all over Texas. Was at KXOL in Ft. Worth from 1974-76 when it changed to Country toward the winter of 1976. Was
at KILT FM and KILT-610 when they switched to Country in 1981. Went back to KILT FM and KILT AM from 1992-96. KILT AM dropped
Country Classics for All Sports in 1996. Things got pretty hectic. Three G-Ms, two P-Ds and all of us left the building. KILT
finally moved out of the over three decades old building to a high rise in the Galleria's Greenway Plaza. Houston radio has
made so many constant changes that I dropped out of radio after the second KILT FM episode. Only to return as a writer who
tells about the many Texas radio stations where I've been and several format changes.
KULF-790 and its sister
station, KYND FM eventually became Country not too long after many of us left the building. KULF and KYND FM's new call letters
became KKBQ and KKBQ FM respectively. A couple more sales and KKBQ became KBME with a Pop Standard format which bombed. KBME
is now All Sports.
COYOTE CALHOUN (Louisville, KY) CoyoteCalhoun@clearchannel.com Subject: A voice from your KULF Houston past. Hey Jim, Great memories of when I was in Houston and working for a
very professional staff. Actually back in 1979 I thought Houston was a pretty liveable city. I made a lot of civilian friends
while I was there and still stay in touch with a few of them today. Of course, it's changed a whole lot in the last 25 years
and I don't think it would be to my liking to live there now. However it's still fun to visit.
KULF was my last CHR
job. I was really wanting to get into Country about that time. I had started getting into the music alot in the previous 4
years and kind of figured that was where my future as an on-air personality was probably going to be. Plus as you well remember
when I came to Houston it was right in the middle of the disco craze and I was hating every single DONNA SUMMER minute of
it. So I got the opportunity to go back to Louisville to be P.D. of then automated WAMZ and become their 1st on-air personality.
I convinced them that Afternoon Drive was the correct shift to start (Even then I was going to do anything to keep from doing
mornings) Luckily enough the format on FM was stiff in its elementary stages and I was able to learn on the job. Because trust
me looking back on everything now, I had no idea what I was doing. By the next year in 1981 I was able to hire a full staff
and the rest is history.
I've been at WAMZ now
for 25 tears and in years gone by, I did receive a number of offers to go elsewhere (One was at KIKK back in 1985) I just
figured that since I was so happy here and they were paying me well. Plus I'd been able to build up a following. Why leave?
I'm happy to report that was a smart decision
on my part. Last February I was the 2nd broadcaster ever inducted into the Kentucky Music Hall of Fame. This past March I
was inducted into the Country Music Disc Jockey Hall of Fame in my 1st year of eligibility. Hey, it's been a great life. I
couldn't have ever invisioned this in my wildest dreams! Jim, Best of luck!!
Long time no see. Certainly proud of COYOTE
CALHOUN's great success as Program Director at WAMZ FM, plus the CMA award in 1986. When CALHOUN was at KULF-790 in 1980,
he picked my brain about Country music and its programming. COYOTE came to KULF from WAKY. Isn't it ironic that both WAKY
and KULF were 790 on the radio dial? Never will forget that huge hat that CALHOUN bought not long after he discovered GILLEY's.
WHAT FIVE 1970'S ROCK
GROUPS DID TONY BURROWS SING LEAD?
(Find The Answer At The Bottom Of This Column)
JAY WEAVER (DFW-Hurst, TX) jayweaver@charter.net Subject: Ron Rice Hi Jim - Have been reading your column in the Radio Daily News. Very enjoyable and it's always
nice to read about some of the folks you worked with in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and hear the stories of the other places
you worked. I spent the bulk of my time in D/FW at KCUL, changed to KBUY in 1966. I was there for most of five years - I left
once and went to KPCN for about a month in 1967. I'm hoping some of your readers can tell me the whereabouts of a fellow I
worked with at KBUY by the name of Ron Rice. This was Ronald Leon Rice from New Mexico - Clovis, I believe, not the Ron Rice
that worked for KBOX in Dallas. Ronald Leon was at KBUY for about two years and even did an evening TV show at Channel 21
in Fort Worth for a short time. He left KBUY in about 1970-71 to go to Houston to do the all night show at KPRC. I managed
to keep in touch with him for a couple of years and would talk to him occasionally, but finally lost him. He married
a lady who was formerly married to Jack Green's fiddle player by the name of Jerri. They had three or four daughters,
the oldest was named after my wife, Rhonda. I would love to hear from him! Keep up the good work - your column is great!!!
Jay Weaver
It's nice to hear from JAY. WEAVER
was at KPCN-730 in 1967? So was I. ED MILTON was News and Program Director at KPCN when I was there in 1967. KHFI FM
was my home as Program and Music Director and DJ from 1966-67. Applied to ED for a DJ spot on KPCN. Had no tape. ED said he
had relatives in Austin and would make the journey for a type of on-the-air audition during my 6-9p DJ show on KHFI FM. MILTON
hired me as a noon-3p DJ on KPCN. So, I moved back home to Dallas.
RANDY RYDER's show followed mine from
3p until sign-off. RANDY was a very secretive guy. He never wanted anyone to know his real name or where he lived. We became
very good friends for years. BILL MACK was sign-on to 9a. Groovy JOE POOVEY came on from 9a until noon. JOE
POOVEY was KPCN's Music Director.
It was the summer of 1967 that KBOX-1480 switched
to modern Country music. KBOX was a 24 hour operation. We had an all-request weekend at KPCN to try and fight off the forces
of our new competition. CHARLIE WALKER's Don't Squeeze My Charmin was the hot tune. KPCN was a 500 watt daytimer
on what was termed a Mexican clear channel frequency. KPCN was low on the band so its ground coverage was sensational. KPCN
completely blanketed central and north Texas, plus shot a strong signal right up through Oklahoma. Knew that because a young
guy, with his wife and baby drove all the way down from the Oakie state to, of all things, get my autograph.
Really liked being at KPCN. JOE, RANDY and
ED were truly great guys. We had a lot of fun as we spun all the Country hits way out there in the grand prairieland.
Not long after I came to KPCN, was called to go downtown Dallas for a meeting with somebody whom I don't remember his name.
This guy told me that KPCN had been sold and that I was the new kid on the chopping block. That turned out to be a blessing
in disguise because I went right on over to clear channel WFAA-820 for the 8p-midnight slot. A few months later, ED MILTON
called me and said they had retaken KPCN and requested that I return. Radio and life are odd, strange and sometimes funny.
JAY WEAVER (DFW-Hurst, TX) jayweaver@charter.net Hi Jim, Well, I kept thinking today that if you worked at KPCN, surely I would know you. I finally decided to check
my old diary and see if I was at KPCN in 1967 for sure, or not. Guess what - I missed it by a year. I actually went there
in September of 1968 and stayed about a month. I than went back to KBUY, where I actually started just before it became KBUY
(it was KCUL when I arrived) in 1966 and stayed there until about 1972. But - you must remember, and you probably didn't know
this, I was a weekender and filled in occasionally for vacation timers. In 1972, I quit radio and went into construction.
In 2003, I went back into radio, part-time, at KRLD doing "The Auto Show". In May, 2004, I went to KBOC in Bridgeport and
did weekends until it sold in March, 2005. I'm now out of radio - again, but am still seeing what's available. Yes, I still
live in DFW - Hurst is the exact spot. Radio was always a bunch of fun! I never had any problems in radio with anybody - it
was just a good time, all the time. When I went back - same thing! I would like to keep on doing it - part time, as long as
possible. The only way I would do it fulltime is if I owned the station - something I still would like to do! Enjoyed the
exchange of memories - maybe we'll meet someday. Jay Weaver
When I came to KXOL-1360 in 1974, never knew
what lie ahead. KXOL switched to Country in the winter of 1976. I was noon-3p DJ and Music Director of both formats.
TONY BERTA became the 6p-midnight DJ after the changeover. I believe TONY had been at KCUL and KBUY prior to KXOL. We bacame
good friends. Heard last year that BERTA has been a long-time meat-cutter.
Wondered if JAY is going to make it to the
2005 Texas Radio Hall of Fame in Dallas in November. WEAVER lives a lot closer to Grapevine's convention hall than most
of us. If he does, he's quite welcome to sit at our table.
JAY WEAVER (DFW-Hurst, TX) jayweaver@charter.net Subject: Tony Berta. Hi Again, Jim, Well, by 1975, I had been gone from KBUY for three or so years, so I never had
the opportunity to meet Tony. It is interesting that when I left KBUY, only myself and one other staff member had been there
longer than five years. I came in 1966 and Morgan Choat came in 1956. That's right, 1956. Morgan is still in radio today and
next April he will celebrate 50 years in DFW radio. And everybody thinks Ron Chapman is so special! Morgan out does him by
a few years! Morgan still does two days a week at KTFW - Saturdays and Sundays. He is 78 years young!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you
very much for the invitation. Larry Shannon called the house last week and my wife and he talked about the date and us going.
I'm not sure what they may have decided about the arrangements, but I will check and let you know. Heck, I may have a table.
Let me find out! Jay PS I do hope that maybe I can make contact with Ron Rice!
SEND YOUR TRIVIA QUESTIONS
WITH ANSWERS
GENTLEMAN JIM CARTER (San Antonio, TX) JCarter536@aol.com Small world! I also had a Times Herald route. I quit to play football at Sarah Zumwalt in the 8th grade. I threw
about 200 papers. Slinging papers to and fro from my bike. I recall losing a customer that I signed up during a contest because
he always wanted it porched. Too much trouble to porch a paper as I was always in too much of a hurry to finish my route to
fool with such nonsense! Cheers, Jim
My original Dallas Times Herald newspaper
route was RR32, but Dallas was growing fast in our part of Oak Cliff which was far out in the country. All the farmland became
full of new houses. GRADY BEAM, the Circulation Manager, never hired anyone else to pick up the slack. He simply added two
more newspapoer routes onto my already large one. This put me in charge of three Dallas Times Herald newspaper routes - RR32,
RR33 and RR34.
In those days, we folded and delivered the
papers, collected the monthly subscription fees and solicited for new customers. We were kind of like the H-P all-in-one printer.
Back in the Fabulous Fifties, we paper route boys paid for our newspapers out of what we collected from subscribers. What
was left over was our take home pay. BEAM, cheated me out of prizes and overcharged for papers. So I moved it on over to Wyatt's
grocery store (which became Kroger's in 1963) on Beckley Avenue near the intersection of Illinois Avenue. In 1958, the minimum
wage was 50c an hour. By the time I graduated from JUSTIN F. KIMBALL high school in 1962, the bottom dollar compensation had
jumped to $1 an hour.
JIM CARTER (San Antonio, TX) JCarter536@aol.com Grady was also MY route manager! World keeps getting smaller and smaller indeed! My route was RR18. I also was beat
out of contests and prizes. Hmmm. Jim
In 1986, a member of my Sunday school class
at Tallowood Baptist Church here in Houston, LARRY DAVIS, also had a Dallas Times Herald paper route back then and knew
GRADY BEAM quite well. He told me that BEAM was killed in an auto accident.
JIM CARTER (San Antonio, TX) JCarter536@aol.com Subject: Wrestling Zen Bill Mercer. Jim: Remember this guy? Long time Dallas broadcaster Jack Schell and I used
to carpool to NTSU in the mid-sixties. He had this Volkswagon Beetle at the time and must have logged close to a million miles
on that sucker. We met in Bill Mercer's radio broadcasting class at NTSU and decided to pool our commuting resources. Jack
is a very funny guy. A lot of people think that Jack is a bit egocentric but he really does have a big heart and has a lot
of compassion for others. He's definitely one of the good guys. Bill Mercer is one of the dinosaur legends of metroplex broadcasting.
He spent many years as an employee of the Times Herald while working for KRLD. Cheers, Jim
Remember BILL MERCER quite well. BILL was
a wrestling announcer for ED MCLEMORE's Sportatorium where wrestling matches were televised in Dallas when
I was in junior high school. That's how the famous sports announcer got his start in broadcasting. MERCER was a guest speaker
in my 1964 class at Elkin's Institute of Radio. The Sportatorium also was known as the Big D Jamboree which featured
a huge line-up of local and national Country music stars every Saturday night.
BLAKE LINDSAY (Dallas, TX) blazin_blake@iqmail.net Jim, I just returned from Florida, two days ago. I haven't gotten with our good friend Johnny Shannon, in getting
your home phone. The only thing that is the same about 1190, is they are using there famous fun to say Mighty 1190 slogan.
Nice tight jingles, but no jocks. We have us a Jack FM, maybe they should be his girl Jill for lack of better names to call
The Mighty 1190. A better night time signal may not make any difference in ratings, but why not? Its only money. Great
to hear from you as always Jim. I will say a prayer for you, and your doggy also. Have a Blazin Good Day! Blake
CHRIS HUFF (Arlington, TX) dfwradio@hotmail.com Hi Jim, I'm in Arlington, and found your website through radiodailynews.com . I'm not a website expert myself, I
can't recall the name of the company that hosts my site off the top of my head, but it's pretty easy. I used a program called
Microsoft FrontPage to create the pages (it's very easy to use), and then simply uploaded them through onto the website. I
can find out the name of the company I use if you'd like. Unfortunately, it's simply a labor of love for me, certainly no
profit - just a way to share my passion for this market's history. Chris Huff
EDWARD GUERRERO (San Antonio, TX) edward-guerrero@sbcglobal.net Subject: Bob Crowley & Chet Maxwell E-mails Jim, I roared with laughter after reading Bob's closing lines on
his latest e-mail. My laughter was so loud that made Chewy, my grandson's pet chihuahua, bark out of control. I haven't heard
these words for quite awhile. Interpretation: Pinche Cabron meaning - Stubborn Cheapskates (words reversed). I guess automation
and consolidation in broadcasting has taken its toll too. I'm sympathetic to Bob's situation...for i faced the same scenario
after +55 years in the electronics industries. However, I can see the up coming new technology turning things around for the
best for all of us, but we have to regroup to regain our losses. My thanks to Chet Maxwell for writing about Happy Herb, as
he was known while doing the early AM drive at KONO AM. I wonder if Chet remembers Herb's blooper about Shep Wooley's song
"The Purple People Eater"? I had forgotten Herb's last name. Chet's comments about AM 680 are very interesting. Its amazing
how a very low powered AM station KTAP 1310 (20W), Circa 1928, has evolved to a 50KW blow torch that KKYX 680 is now. The
genesis for KKYX has been: KTAP>KABC>KENS>KBAT>KKYX. Regards, Ed G. San Antonio, Texas
JEFF MCCLAIN (Cleveland, TX) hmcclain1@houston.rr.com Subject: Funny Radio Stories. Hey Jim, here's one for the funny story department. It was the summer of 1965 working
my first radio gig at KVLB in Cleveland, Texas. You ever have one of those radio spots you just can't get through without
screwing it up? The station didn't have much of a production room, just an old reel to reel and a microphone. I kept reading
it dry with no music trying to finish and each time I messed up, profanity would come out. I would rewind the tape and try
again. Finally finished the spot and ran it into the studio to be played on air. My buddy Royce Guinn had just relieved me
on the air. I left the studio shortly afterwards in my VW heading home listening on the station. Royce goes into a stop set,
plays my spot then forgetting to pot down the reel to reel deck on the board starts reading the local weather live. "Clear
to partly Cloudy in Cleveland today, High of 95 Low of 75 and Now 90 "F--King degrees". The following 5 minutes was dead air,
Royce couldn't move, his body or is mouth. I U-turned it back to the station and as I walked in the studio all I could hear
was the phone ringing off the hook. The audience thought he had said it, not me. I thought he was going to kill me. We were
fortunate we both didn't loose our jobs over that. Jeff McClain
TONY BURROWS sang the lead in five 1970's
Rock groups. They were: EDISON LIGHTHOUSE, Love Grows Where My Rosemary Goes (#5-1970); WHITE PLAINS, My Baby
Loves Lovin' (#13-1970); THE BROTHERHOOD OF MAN, United We Stand (#13-1970); THE PIPKINS, Gimme Dat Ding
(#9-1970); and FIRST CLASS, Beach Baby (#4-1974).
Jim Rose
Houston, Texas
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