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KSD’s First Eleven Years

It is eight o’clock p.m. on the evening of March 9th, 1922. In a room in the Post-Dispatch Building, a group of artists are patiently waiting. In another room close by, the engineer is making final adjustments to the 20-watt Composite Transmitter. With the adjustments completed, the ready signal is given!

A newspaper woman steps up to the microphone— (V.A.L. Jones – pictured)

The Woman - V.A.L. Jones“This is Station KSD, the Saint Louis Post-Dispatch. We are about to present our first musical program for your enjoyment.”

KSD IS ON THE AIR!

Out in the city a mere handful of listeners sat with their headphones clamped to their ears, nervously adjusting the cat whisker of their crystal sets for a more sensitive spot on the crystal – such was the atmosphere of the time when KSD was launched upon its career. The listener response to KSD programs was instantaneous and gratifying.

On March 21st, 1922, Station KSD inaugurated a regular schedule of Market and News broadcasts in addition to its entertainment service.

It soon became apparent to the Officials of the Post-Dispatch that Radio presented an opportunity for the newspaper, through its Radio Station, to give its readers an additional public service, such as was presented by no other local newspaper. To accomplish this, plans were made for the erection of a more powerful radio transmitter, incorporating all the refinements then known to effect good quality transmission of speech and music.

On the evening of June 26th, 1922, with appropriate musical setting, and addresses by the radio editor, Mayor Kiel and F.W.A Vesper, KSD’s Modern 500 Watt Western Electric Transmitter was dedicated. With this new transmitter, KSD soon became a national by-word.

KSD decided early in 1926 to enlarge its schedule of Network programs as it was felt that this type of service offered greater opportunities to secure programs of the highest type.

The popularity of KSD in this territory bears out the fact that the radio audience is not satisfied with any talent but the best.
With a record as a broadcasting pioneer that in many respects is outstanding in the Middle West, KSD recently commenced its twelfth year, having presented over 26,000 hours of programs since its inception.

The record of KSD during the past eleven years in broadcasting virtually every event that has interested the entire country, is truly an enviable one.

(Originally published in the Radio and Entertainment Annual Personality Book, 1933)

By it-registrationsstlmediahistory, ago

KMOX Studios Were Once In A Brewery

It’s hard to imagine now, but there was a time when KMOX was forced to relocate in temporary studios after the station’s landlord, the Federal government, forced them out of their large, well-appointed quarters.

In 1956, Mart Building owner the U.S. Government, told KMOX management that they had to vacate because the U.S. Army Support Center needed more space. CBS owned KMOX, and what happened next (which is reconstructed here from memoranda) was based in part on the plans CBS had to acquire a television station in St. Louis. KMOX found a vacant building at 9th and Sidney in Soulard, just south of downtown St. Louis that had originally been built in 1904 as the Anthony & Kuhn’s Brewery. A floor plan was sketched out by engineer Harry Harvey that had KMOX radio and television working side-by-side. The move was made in March of 1957.

Ollie Raymand was a popular KMOX radio personality from 1950 – 1960. As he remembers it, everyone on the staff knew the Soulard location was temporary, but that was never mentioned in press releases. The old brewery was owned by Bank Building Company, and Raymand says CBS became a tenant in Soulard until design and construction of brand new studios could be completed. Bank Building was a shared tenant at Soulard. That company’s woodworking shop, with its noisy power equipment, wasn’t exactly the kind of neighbor a radio station would want.

The network’s plans to acquire the Channel 11 frequency in St. Louis fell through and they ended up buying KWK-TV, which already had its own studio. This meant CBS wouldn’t need a building to house radio and television here, and they began planning and construction of a new building with about 15,000 square feet on Hampton Avenue. Until that was finished, KMOX remained in the old, cavernous brick building in Soulard. “The building was ‘Scrubby Dutch’ brick,” says Raymand. “The entrance opened into what would have been the basement level. Then you’d walk up a few steps to the studios and offices. We had a fairly large studio – one that would accommodate the 26-piece studio orchestra that would do feeds to the network.”

Engineer Clarence Nieder says that big studio “was kind of sunken,” and orchestra members were select members of the St. Louis Symphony. Chorus members came from the Municipal Opera, and the lavish musical productions were summer staples heard nationwide on CBS. There was also a large parking lot, which meant staffers no longer had to pay to park, as they had downtown. Nieder says employees entered the building from the rear. There was no staff lounge as there had been in the Mart Building, but Ollie Raymand says the bar just up the street sold shots of red-eye for a quarter. That, combined with the strong scent of hops from the Anheuser-Busch complex a couple blocks south helped make the two years in Soulard memorable for KMOX staffers.

There were still turntable operators at KMOX in the late ‘50s, but tape cartridges for pre-recorded commercials hadn’t surfaced yet, so all pre-recorded commercials were on discs, keeping those turntable guys very busy. Nieder says there were only two turntables in the master control room.

Station manager Robert Hyland had negotiated the play-by-play broadcast rights for the Cardinals, whose games usually pre-empted the afternoon soap operas. The soaps were transcribed on large discs by engineers and played back at night. Almost all of the office furnishings and technical equipment in the Soulard studios had been moved from the Mart Building and should have been replaced.

Even though the new Hampton Avenue facility was significantly smaller than their previous digs, the KMOX employees were said to be extremely happy to leave Soulard after two years and move to a place where everything, including the equipment and furnishings, was brand new.

(Reprinted with permission of the St.Louis Journalism Review. Originally published 02/04. )

By it-registrationsstlmediahistory, ago

KMOX Radio Log 1928

KMOX, The Voice of St. Louis, Inc.
Members of: Columbia Broadcasting System and National Association of Broadcasters

One of the recognized leading broadcasting stations in the United States from the standpoint of power, programs, dependability, coverage and established good will, broadcast for the first time on Christmas Eve, 1925, and represents the vision and the cooperative effort of an imposing group of civic and industrial interests in the Middle west.

In order that transmission of the Voice of St. Louis might approach the maximum of efficiency without, however, effecting a monopoly of the air, in this vicinity, the giant 5,000 watt station is situated 14 miles from the heart of St. Louis.

The broadcasting is accomplished through remote control through studios located in the heart of the downtown district.

KMOX attracts letters in just about any number, letters reflecting a degree of loyalty and gratitude which is constantly a surprise to our unit holders.

The Station itself averages well over one thousand pieces of unsolicited mail per week, with a distribution as follows:
Central States  50%
Metropolitan Area 28%
East Coast  10%
Southern States  6%
West Coast   3%
Canadian Prov.  2%
Rocky Mt. Reg.  1%

The underwriters of KMOX receive their mail direct, bringing the total station mail up to easily 10,000 per week.

The underwriters of the Voice of St. Louis, fortunately, realized from the inception of the station, that their returns from radio would be dependent upon what they put into it. In usefulness, in friendliness, and in sincerity.

This attitude has resulted in a consistent policy of giving to the public the type of entertainment when, where and how they want it, carrying the best of music to thousands in cities, as well as in remote communities and creating real personality so that thousands feel that they know us intimately.

KMOX, because of station popularity and public service, has use of a clear wave channel, meaning more thorough coverage for the advertiser, as the only other stations using the same frequency at any time are of limited range and are located close to the Atlantic and Pacific seaboards.

The Voice of St. Louis claims a circulation and territory served of within 150 miles of St. Louis, in which area there are –
1,000,000 homes
4,818,654 people
1,180,000 radio listeners
381,810 telephones
738,400 passenger automobiles
$22,257,500,000.00 purchasing power

KMOX, “The Voice of St. Louis,” is underwritten as a Civic Enterprise by the following St. Louis business houses: Funston-Fouke Fur Company; St. Louis Globe-Democrat; Hamilton-Brown Shoe Company; International Heating Company; Kilgen Organ Company; Mayfair Hotel; St. Louis Merchants Exchange; Pevely Dairy Company; Pierce Petroleum Corporation; St. Louis Radio Trades Association; Skouras Bros. Enterprises; St. Louis Southwestern Railway; Stark Brothers Nurseries and Orchards, Co.; F.C. Taylor Fur Company; Wagner Electric Corporation.

(Beginning November 11, 1928, KMOX will greet you regularly, without interruption in its service, about five points lower on your dial. The new order by the Federal Radio Commission assigns 1090 kilocycles, or 275.1 meters exclusively to KMOX, with the same 5000 watts power.)

By it-registrationsstlmediahistory, ago

KMOX Rewarded Its Initial Investors

When a group of local businessmen got together to build St. Louis’ “superstation” in 1925, their agreement included a chance for some corporate self-promotion.

That superstation went on the air December 24, 1925 with the call letters KMOX, but this wasn’t the set of call letters the organizers had wanted. Their group was called “The Voice of St. Louis, Incorporated,” so they sought KVSL. This request was turned down by the federal government. The group responded with a second request, this for KMO. The government had already assigned those letters to a West Coast maritime station. Finally, on the third attempt, the local group got what they sought, and KMOX was assigned to St. Louis in early December.

This group of men realized the promotional power of radio in that era. There were already several stations operating in St. Louis: KSD, KFUO, WEW, WSBF, WIL, KFQA, WMAY, KFVE and KFWF. Of these, WEW was owned by St. Louis University, KFWF by the St. Louis Truth Center, KFUO by the Lutheran Church, WMAY by the Kingshighway Presbyterian Church and KFQA by The Principia, all of which were non-profit institutions. Although some people felt the use of the public radio waves for advertising was not appropriate, many stations had been doing it since 1922 when WEAF in New York set the precedent.

So the new radio station, KMOX, would have the power to reach large audiences throughout the Midwest during the day and across the nation at night. While the investors were portrayed as civic-minded folks who wanted to put St. Louis on the map with the new station, a second motivation became obvious early in 1926. It was then that the regular program schedule of KMOX was announced.

Beginning January 4, entire program blocks were allocated to the companies that had invested in the Voice of St. Louis. The Merchants Exchange provided live reports throughout the broadcast day, with live coverage of the closing. The St. Louis Globe-Democrat provided news updates from the Associated Press. Brown Shoe Company had a program for children Monday and Friday nights at 7:00, featuring Buster Brown and his dog Tige. This was followed by F.C. Taylor Fur Company’s program of “interesting features.”

A Globe-Democrat article also told of an afternoon show “of particular interest to women” presented by the C.F. Blanke Tea and Coffee and Candy companies. “There will be short talks on problems peculiar to the housewife and the care of the household. These talks will be interspersed with musical numbers.”

Another investing corporation, Stark Brothers Nurseries and Orchards, tried to apply a weekly program revolving around a schoolhouse theme to their business. “The schoolmaster will discuss with his ‘class’ problems that relate to the planting of fruit trees, the planting of gardens, the care of the lawn and landscaping of yards and estates. Messages from Luther Burbank and other nationally known figures will be incorporated into the work of the ‘school.’ Many interesting romances of the fruit world will be discussed.”

The concept of sponsored hours proved successful. A year later, program listings indicated many of the same shows were still running. The early investors in KMOX really got their money’s worth, with their advertising messages broadcast to the masses.

(Reprinted with permission of the St. Louis Journalism Review. Originally published 12/00)

By it-registrationsstlmediahistory, ago

A Great Country Music Station

WIL-AM will be remembered for many things. It was the second station on the air in St. Louis (ed. note: Not true), going on the air in 1922. It was the first station west of the Mississippi River to air commercials for businesses. It had the first “man on the street” broadcasts with someone with a microphone outside, talking to people on the sidewalk about events of the day. They were the first station to carry the St. Louis Cardinals Baseball games (ed. note: Not true).And at one time they were the number one rock ‘n’ roll station. WIL-AM also has a rich history in St. Louis country music. In the early days they presented shows by many of the best bands and singers in the area on regular programs. Then came the time that they changed the face of country music in St. Louis.

In early 1968 WIL-AM was broadcasting an all-news format competing with KMOX. Tom Perryman, the manager at the time, convinced the owners to switch to a full-time country music format. He hired the most prominent program director in the nation, Chris Lane of WJJD in Chicago. Chris was also a great DJ, now a member of the Country DJ Hall of Fame. Perryman gave Chris a free rein to assemble the best DJs in the business to staff the station. It was a search that started in January of 1968 and took until June of that year. Chris was quoted as saying, “I took my time finding just the right guys until I felt I had the cream of the crop in DJs to really make an impact on the market!” All the DJs but one were rated number one in their respective markets.

The first was Davie Lee from Dallas, who was also named music director. That meant he was responsible for all the music to be played on the station. For about a year, Davie did the overnight show before moving to the 10 to 2 slot for the next 20 years. Next was Dick Byrd from San Diego, the morning man from 5 – 9 a.m. Chris did the 9 to 11 a.m. slot.

Then there was Dan Daily from Charlotte, N.C., to handle 11 to 3 p.m. Walter Vaughn from Dallas was a late addition to do the 3 to 7 p.m. show. Mike Haines from Knoxville, TN. was chosen to do the 7 p.m. to midnight shift. Today these guys are still close friends and admit it was the most fun they’ve ever had in radio.

WIL-AM immediately became the number one country music station in St. Louis and was named the number one country music station in America in 1969. After leaving WIL to buy into a radio station in San Jose, CA., Chris Lane was replaced by Larry Scott  from WLAC in Los Angeles. He is also a member of the Country Music DJ Hall of Fame. After him the following men were program directors at WIL: Tom Allen, Walt Turner and Mike Carta. Under their leadership the station continued to prosper.

There came a time that FM radio became more and more popular, and WIL-FM also became a full-time country music station.

After some time, the ownership decided to go with only WIL-FM and bought out the AM DJs, changed the call letters to WRTH and became the “middle of the road” format station that it is today. WIL-FM was a huge success and became the number one rated station in St. Louis, which it still is today (ed note: Not true).

Although it no longer is playing country music, the “old” WIL-AM with its dream team line up of DJs with their great visibility in the area, the Shower of Stars at Kiel Auditorium with all the great stars from Nashville, is still fondly remembered as the best thing to have ever happened for country music in St. Louis.

(From Gateway Country Music Association Who’s Who).

By it-registrationsstlmediahistory, ago

KDNA-FM – Listener Supported Radio

If you’re tired of hearing the same old thing on the radio, even if it is your favorite tunes, or if you would like to take a breather from commercials, you might want to check out radio station KDNA-FM at 102.5 on the FM dial.

KDNA is a non-commercial, listener supported station that plays just about every kind of music imaginable, mixed with talk about a variety of topics.

On KDNA you will hear country and bluegrass music mixed with Beethoven, the Beatles, jazz and folk singers from foreign countries. Of special interest might be Jeff Cook’s Bluegrass Show where you often will catch local groups playing live in the KDNA studios.

KDNA is supported entirely by its listeners, one of only eight stations in the country that operate that way. They are also interested in listeners’ ideas for programs. So tune them in, give a listen, and give them a call about what you think. It will certainly be radio like you have never heard before.

(Originally published in C&W Music 7/5/1972).

By it-registrationsstlmediahistory, ago

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