In a short-lived, unsuccessful effort at increasing the station’s bottom line, owner Richard Miller revamped KADI-AM in July of 1978, removing the album-oriented format and replacing it with pop music and christening the station KKOJ – “OJ-13, Turn on the Juice.” The effort lasted a little more than a year, when the KADI call letters returned.
Crawford Broadcasting purchased KXOK in late 1993. By May of the following year, the call letters were changed to KJSL, with a format described as “Talk Radio Hell Hates.”
After tuning to 1460 on their AM dials for ten years to hear KADY, listeners heard a total identity change in July of 1968.
The studios were located in a small building in Boschertown, near St. Charles. New owners Mike Rice and his father changed the format from easy listening music to Top 40, pointing out that the old format had not only been unsuccessful; the KADY owners had actually declared bankruptcy in 1965.The Rices targeted listeners who were between 18 and 34 years old, competing directly against longtime powerhouse KXOK.
KIRL was sold in 1979 to Bronco Broadcasting, whose investors included several pro sports figures. It was the first black-owned radio station in the market. Upon completion of the sale, the format was changed to gospel music.
Rev. Chas. T. Corcoran, S.J., is the new director of Radio Station WEW, St. Louis University, succeeding Rev. Thurber M. Smith, who was recently appointed assistant dean of the Graduate School.
The new director is carrying out the enlarged program initiated by Father Smith at the beginning of the year, and he is trying to maintain the same high standard.
In pursuance of this policy, plans are now under way, under the direction of professor Walter von Kalinowski, to eliminate jazz and to cater exclusively to listeners who have a taste or desire for the best in music.
Another point of the present policy is to emphasize educational features. Since radio entertainment is sufficiently provided by other stations, it will be the aim of WEW to devote itself more and more, as circumstances permit, to popular education. With this in view Fr. Corcoran is endeavoring to enlist the cooperation of faculty members in inaugurating a University faculty hour which will be devoted exclusively to talks by various instructors. Several of the departments have already given to this project their hearty cooperation, and others, no doubt will join them.
(Originally published in Radio and Entertainment 1/16/32).
Radio station KSHE has made a big step into the lives of St. Louis area teens. KSHE-95 in the past few weeks has changed to “Rock Radio.” Now they have gone a step further and broadcast live every Friday, Saturday and Sunday night from 9 to 10 PM direct from the Castaways, 930 Airport Road in Ferguson, Missouri. The live broadcasts are emceed by Don O’Day, Big Jack Davis, and St. Louis’ own Johnny B. Goode.
Top bands are featured each night. You’ll hear sounds from such popular groups as Jerry Jay and the Sheratons, the Acid Sette, Herman Grimes and the Spectors with the Mo Jo Men, Walter Scott and the Guise, the Good Feelin’, the Poets, the Belaerphon Expedition, the Aardvarks, and too many more to mention. Castaway management told Teen Sceen that some new big groups from out of town will be featured in the future.
And where is KSHE 95? Why, it’s on the FM dial. In fact, KSHE is the first radio station to play hard rock music. It has become known as all request radio, 24 hours a day. Many of the area high schools listen to KSHE during their lunch periods, among them Webster Groves, Parkway, and Vianney in Kirkwood. The new tempo at KSHE cannot be pinpointed. Jockeys move. Therefore the KSHE disc jockeys will be moving time segments regularly so listeners can catch the djs of KSHE during the time that they normally listen. Guest appearances are coming up too.
To sum it all up, look for big things to happen to St. Louis radio during the first part of 1968. Lots of surprises and prizes from the new top station, KSHE, the official voice of Teen Sceen are in store for you.
(Originally published in Teen Sceen 1/68).
The job of Action Central is NEWS…the compilation and reporting of daily events from the four corners of the globe, and beyond. We live in a fast-moving world, not necessarily of our own making. None-the-less it is a world of speed where each fleeting moment has its hope and despair, its good and its bad. The job of Action Central is to bring these daily events into focus, to clarify their intent and content, with a minimum loss of time. The Action Central reporter is not a commentator. He does not take time interpreting the news for his listeners. He presents news as it happens – leaving the basis and reasons up to the listener himself. The Action Central report is brief, concise, and unbiased. It is modern news, geared for modern listening.
In the 13 months since its inception, Action Central has established an outstanding reputation. This reputation comes from constantly staying in touch with the city, county, state, national, and world news sou
rces. Of special interest to WIL listeners is local news. By instituting a “News Tip Wire,” Action Central has brought the scope of local news directly to the citizens of our community. “News Tip” has become well known. An on-the-spot account of a local news event can be phoned to Action Central by anyone. Merely by calling the “hot line,” Olive 2-0440, anyone can get in on the news coverage. At the end of the week, the Action Central News Staff looks over the various calls made and picks a winner for the best story of the week. This lucky honorary reporter becomes the recipient of a new Zenith transistor radio for his efforts. The tip service was, and still is, very successful.
Action Central is a hot spot. Served by the Associated Press, the United Press International, the Western Union Sports Wire, and the U.S. Weather Bureau Wire, WIL adds the mobile news cruiser and news tip information, to channel without delay ALL news to the fingertips of the reporter on duty. For him it’s a constant race against time. He has two deadlines an hour. By comparison, a newspaper only has one deadline a day. The Action Central reporter is constantly writing, re-writing, phoning, verifying. No news can be broadcast unless it is definitely verified. And this is most necessary where news tips are involved.
Bob Hardy opens the newsroom at the beginning of the day. At ten he’s joined by either Bud Clark or Paul Bair, with Gene Chase or Paul coming in at three in the afternoon. That gives the advantage of two men in Action Central at the peak times of the day, when news is being made. Reed Farrell takes over double duty at night from midnight to six, frequently checking the news sources while spinning records on his all night show. News doesn’t take a break…it happens at all hours of the day and night. And the WIL listener can be assured, when a story breaks…Action Central will break it immediately!
(From a WIL ad that ran 2/59).