KOKC (AM)
Encyclopedia
KOKC is a talk
radio station
located in Oklahoma City
among a cluster of stations in the market owned by Pennsylvania
-based Renda Broadcasting
. KOKC is an affiliate of the CBS Radio Network
.
By late 1924, KFJF increased its power to 125 watts—reaching as far away as New Jersey, and claimed to have over 100,000 listeners. Three years later, KFJF boosted its signal to 5,000 watts and moved to 1480 on the AM dial.
KOMA was purchased in 1938 by J.T. Griffin, the founder of KWTV
. Griffin's son John and his brother-in-law were half of a partnership that was awarded FCC permission to put Channel 9 on the air. KWTV went on the air December 20, 1953, initially broadcasting from a shorter temporary tower on the KWTV studio grounds while the tall tower was under construction. The tall tower was at one time the tallest tower in the world, hence the calls KWTV which stands for World's Tallest Video. From 1953 to 1956, KWTV was operated in conjunction with KOMA.
That relationship was renewed in March 2007 when KOKC ended its news and weather partnership with KFOR-TV
in favor of KWTV.
.
Todd Storz
, the father of the Top 40 radio format
, purchased KOMA in 1958, adding it to his list of stations which included WHB
, Kansas City, WTIX
, New Orleans, WDGY, Minneapolis, KXOK, St. Louis, and WQAM-AM, Miami.
In 1961, KOMA became a totally automated station, but by 1964, returned to "live" programming.
Many times WKY was the ratings champ in the Oklahoma City metro area, while KOMA was much better known outside the market - due to nighttime "skywave" conditions on the AM band.
With little adjacent channel interference, KOMA had a tremendous reach with its directional antenna array. In many areas of the Plain States and the West, KOMA was the only Top 40 station serving some rural areas and small town markets.
At night, KOMA had a listenable signal in such far away locales as Denver, Salt Lake City, Phoenix and even Los Angeles. Fans of Rock and Roll and Top 40 music living in North and South Dakota in the 1960s and 1970s, for example, frequently waited until evening to enjoy listening to music on KOMA (as well as KAAY
/Little Rock, KSTP-AM/St Paul, WLS/Chicago, or KFYR-AM/Bismark) from a great distance away.
's "Thank God I'm a Country Boy." KOMA would remain in the Storz family until July 1, 1984 when it was purchased by Price Communications.
Price Communications kept KOMA's country format in place until September 1985 when it was determined that FM competition was too much to overcome. KOMA adopted the slogan "Forty Years of Favorites", and specialized in a beautiful music format.
On September 1, 1988, Chicago-based Diamond Broadcasting, Inc. purchased KOMA along with sister station, KRXO
. On September 22, KOMA returned to the "Glory Days", bringing back the hits of 1950s and 1960s to a familiar spot on the dial for those who grew up listening to the station.
The KOMA call letters made the transition to 92.5 FM on June 22, 1992 after Diamond Broadcasting entered a local marketing agreement
with Wilks Schwartz Broadcasting.
The studios—ironically—once housed KOMA's rival, WKY. Danny Williams, Ronnie Kaye and Fred Hendrickson all worked in the building during the 1970s when they were jocks for WKY.
After 37 years of broadcasting in Moore, KOMA's studios became vacant. The station's three towers and transmitter remain active there.
and CBS News at the top of the hour, fueling speculation about a move to a news talk format. Late that year, KOMA's parent company, Renda Broadcasting, announced it was discontinuing the simulcast with KOMA-FM
.
The launch date for News Talk 1520 KOMA was originally set for Monday, February 3, 2003. However, the disintegration of Space Shuttle Columbia
on re-entry prompted the change two days earlier.
, 1520 KOMA changed its call letters to KOKC on August 27, 2004. The call letters had previously been used since the 1950s at KOKC 1490, a station based in Guthrie, Oklahoma.
.
, covering OU football, men's and women's basketball as well as baseball. In 2007, the locally-produced "Total Sports" debuted in the 4:00-7:00 pm slot with hosts James Hale and former OU 2-time All-American Jimbo Elrod
. That program was canceled in July 2009.
KOKC's sister station, KRXO is also a flagship station for OU Sooner football.
Talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
located in Oklahoma City
Oklahoma city
Oklahoma City is the capital and largest city of the U.S. state of Oklahoma.Oklahoma City may also refer to:*Oklahoma City metropolitan area*Downtown Oklahoma City*Uptown Oklahoma City*Oklahoma City bombing*Oklahoma City National Memorial...
among a cluster of stations in the market owned by Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
-based Renda Broadcasting
Renda Broadcasting
Renda Broadcasting is a privately held Pittsburgh-based radio broadcasting company founded by chief executive, Tony Renda.Renda Broadcasting operates stations in Pennsylvania, Florida and Oklahoma.-Stations:Pittsburgh*WSHH 99.7 – Adult contemporary...
. KOKC is an affiliate of the CBS Radio Network
CBS Radio Network
The CBS Radio Network provides news, sports and other programming to more than 1,000 radio stations throughout the United States. The network is owned by CBS Corporation, and operated by CBS Radio ....
.
The early years
Founded by Dudley Shaw, KFJF, as it was first known, started transmitting its 15 watt signal on Christmas Eve, 1922. Originally, the principal function of KFJF was to rebroadcast the programming of larger eastern stations.By late 1924, KFJF increased its power to 125 watts—reaching as far away as New Jersey, and claimed to have over 100,000 listeners. Three years later, KFJF boosted its signal to 5,000 watts and moved to 1480 on the AM dial.
Birth of KOMA
In 1932, the KFJF call letters were retired and the station became known as KOMA. During this time, KOMA took on its familiar frequency when the Federal Communications Commission moved all AM radio stations 10 to 40 kilohertz up the dial. KOMA 1480 became KOMA 1520, and was operating at 50,000 watts by late 1946. It was around 1932 that the station moved sudio facilities to the Biltmore Hotel in downtown Oklahoma City. AM facilities were constructed around the NE corner of Kelly and Britton where the present-day Oklahoma Centennial High School sits. KOMA-FM was granted a license on 100.1 FM and went on the air from the Biltmore downtown in the late 40s.KOMA was purchased in 1938 by J.T. Griffin, the founder of KWTV
KWTV
KWTV-DT, virtual channel 9 , is the CBS-affiliated television station in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; it is owned by Griffin Communications of Oklahoma City...
. Griffin's son John and his brother-in-law were half of a partnership that was awarded FCC permission to put Channel 9 on the air. KWTV went on the air December 20, 1953, initially broadcasting from a shorter temporary tower on the KWTV studio grounds while the tall tower was under construction. The tall tower was at one time the tallest tower in the world, hence the calls KWTV which stands for World's Tallest Video. From 1953 to 1956, KWTV was operated in conjunction with KOMA.
That relationship was renewed in March 2007 when KOKC ended its news and weather partnership with KFOR-TV
KFOR-TV
KFOR-TV, virtual channel 4 , is the NBC-affiliated television station in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. KFOR-TV is owned by Local TV, a subsidiary of the private equity group Oak Hill Capital Partners, in a duopoly with MyNetworkTV affiliate KAUT-TV ; its studios are located at 444 East Britton Road in...
in favor of KWTV.
The Storz years
KOMA was in a period of transition—the first of many—when in May 1958, the station ended its long-time affiliation with CBS to become "an independent". Thus was born Oklahoma City's true "Rock N' Roll" music station. (During this time, there was a brief affiliation with NBC.) KOMA was the third station in Oklahoma City to flip to a Top-40 format, behind KOCY and WKYWKY
WKY is a radio station located in Oklahoma City and is under ownership of Cumulus Media.WKY is the oldest radio station in Oklahoma, the 28th-oldest in the nation and the third-oldest west of the Mississippi River...
.
Todd Storz
Todd Storz
Robert Todd Storz is credited with being the father of the Top 40 radio format, which Gordon McLendon then went on to perfect with great commercial success during the 1950s and 1960s.-Biography:...
, the father of the Top 40 radio format
Radio format
A radio format or programming format not to be confused with broadcast programming describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. Radio formats are frequently employed as a marketing tool, and constantly evolve...
, purchased KOMA in 1958, adding it to his list of stations which included WHB
WHB
WHB is a commercial sports radio station in Kansas City, Missouri, and is known as the first full-time Top 40 station in the country...
, Kansas City, WTIX
WIST (AM)
WIST is a combo news/sports talk station based in New Orleans, Louisiana. The locally owned & operated station is an affiliate of Fox Sports Radio and broadcasts at 690 kHz with a power level of 10,000 watts daytime and 5,000 watts nighttime.The facilities of the station, previously called...
, New Orleans, WDGY, Minneapolis, KXOK, St. Louis, and WQAM-AM, Miami.
In 1961, KOMA became a totally automated station, but by 1964, returned to "live" programming.
Battle with WKY
Even with its 50,000 watt signal, KOMA faced a serious challenge during the 1960s and '70s from cross-town competitor WKY.Many times WKY was the ratings champ in the Oklahoma City metro area, while KOMA was much better known outside the market - due to nighttime "skywave" conditions on the AM band.
With little adjacent channel interference, KOMA had a tremendous reach with its directional antenna array. In many areas of the Plain States and the West, KOMA was the only Top 40 station serving some rural areas and small town markets.
At night, KOMA had a listenable signal in such far away locales as Denver, Salt Lake City, Phoenix and even Los Angeles. Fans of Rock and Roll and Top 40 music living in North and South Dakota in the 1960s and 1970s, for example, frequently waited until evening to enjoy listening to music on KOMA (as well as KAAY
KAAY
KAAY is a 50,000-watt, class-A AM radio station in Little Rock, Arkansas, licensed on 1090 kHz.-History:KAAY was founded as KTHS in 1924 in Hot Springs; it moved to Little Rock in 1953. After the TV station KTHV was created from it in 1955, KTHS was sold to LIN Broadcasting, who turned it into...
/Little Rock, KSTP-AM/St Paul, WLS/Chicago, or KFYR-AM/Bismark) from a great distance away.
Changes over the airwaves
KOMA's Top-40 era officially ended September 12, 1980 when "KOMA Country" was born. The first song played -- John DenverJohn Denver
Henry John Deutschendorf, Jr. , known professionally as John Denver, was an American singer/songwriter, activist, and humanitarian. After growing up in numerous locations with his military family, Denver began his music career in folk music groups in the late 1960s. His greatest commercial success...
's "Thank God I'm a Country Boy." KOMA would remain in the Storz family until July 1, 1984 when it was purchased by Price Communications.
Price Communications kept KOMA's country format in place until September 1985 when it was determined that FM competition was too much to overcome. KOMA adopted the slogan "Forty Years of Favorites", and specialized in a beautiful music format.
On September 1, 1988, Chicago-based Diamond Broadcasting, Inc. purchased KOMA along with sister station, KRXO
KRXO
KRXO is a classic rock radio station serving the Oklahoma City area and is owned by Renda Broadcasting. Its transmitter is located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.-History:...
. On September 22, KOMA returned to the "Glory Days", bringing back the hits of 1950s and 1960s to a familiar spot on the dial for those who grew up listening to the station.
The KOMA call letters made the transition to 92.5 FM on June 22, 1992 after Diamond Broadcasting entered a local marketing agreement
Local marketing agreement
In U.S. and Canadian broadcasting, a local marketing agreement is an agreement in which one company agrees to operate a radio or television station owned by another licensee...
with Wilks Schwartz Broadcasting.
Ownership changes
In May 1998, it was announced that KOMA and KRXO were to be purchased by Renda Broadcasting. New state-of-the-art digital studios in NE Oklahoma City were constructed for the arrival of the legendary station. At 3pm on November 9, 1998, KOMA began broadcasting from the new location.The studios—ironically—once housed KOMA's rival, WKY. Danny Williams, Ronnie Kaye and Fred Hendrickson all worked in the building during the 1970s when they were jocks for WKY.
After 37 years of broadcasting in Moore, KOMA's studios became vacant. The station's three towers and transmitter remain active there.
Transition to talk
In 2002, the station added The Radio FactorThe Radio Factor
The Radio Factor was a nationally syndicated talk radio program, which aired from 2002–2009 and was hosted mainly by Bill O'Reilly. The program, which featured host commentary with a mix of listener call-in and guest segments was broadcast live every weekday from the Fox News Channel studios in...
and CBS News at the top of the hour, fueling speculation about a move to a news talk format. Late that year, KOMA's parent company, Renda Broadcasting, announced it was discontinuing the simulcast with KOMA-FM
KOMA-FM
KOMA is a Classic Hits format radio station located in Oklahoma City. It is among a cluster of stations in the market owned by Pennsylvania-based Renda Broadcasting.-92.5 history:...
.
The launch date for News Talk 1520 KOMA was originally set for Monday, February 3, 2003. However, the disintegration of Space Shuttle Columbia
Space Shuttle Columbia
Space Shuttle Columbia was the first spaceworthy Space Shuttle in NASA's orbital fleet. First launched on the STS-1 mission, the first of the Space Shuttle program, it completed 27 missions before being destroyed during re-entry on February 1, 2003 near the end of its 28th, STS-107. All seven crew...
on re-entry prompted the change two days earlier.
End of an era
In an effort to distinguish the station from KOMA-FMKOMA-FM
KOMA is a Classic Hits format radio station located in Oklahoma City. It is among a cluster of stations in the market owned by Pennsylvania-based Renda Broadcasting.-92.5 history:...
, 1520 KOMA changed its call letters to KOKC on August 27, 2004. The call letters had previously been used since the 1950s at KOKC 1490, a station based in Guthrie, Oklahoma.
Other changes
In February, 2011, KOKC dropped its network affiliation with ABC in favor of CBS. During the 1930s and 1940s, CBS provided the station over 90% of its programming. The station has been affiliated with the network on several occasions, most recently when KOKC (then KOMA) flipped to a news-talk format in 2003. That relationship ended in 2004 in the wake of Rathergate, a disputed CBS news report involving the military service record of then President George W. BushGeorge W. Bush
George Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 43rd President of the United States, from 2001 to 2009. Before that, he was the 46th Governor of Texas, having served from 1995 to 2000....
.
OU Sooner Sports
KOKC is the flagship sports station of the University Of OklahomaUniversity of Oklahoma
The University of Oklahoma is a coeducational public research university located in Norman, Oklahoma. Founded in 1890, it existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two became the state of Oklahoma. the university had 29,931 students enrolled, most located at its...
, covering OU football, men's and women's basketball as well as baseball. In 2007, the locally-produced "Total Sports" debuted in the 4:00-7:00 pm slot with hosts James Hale and former OU 2-time All-American Jimbo Elrod
Jimbo Elrod
James Whittington Elrod is a former American football linebacker who was an All-American at the University of Oklahoma and played professionally for the Kansas City Chiefs and the Houston Oilers of the National Football League.Elrod graduated from East Central High School in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in...
. That program was canceled in July 2009.
KOKC's sister station, KRXO is also a flagship station for OU Sooner football.
Notable alumni
- Paul HarveyPaul HarveyPaul Harvey Aurandt , better known as Paul Harvey, was an American radio broadcaster for the ABC Radio Networks. He broadcast News and Comment on weekday mornings and mid-days, and at noon on Saturdays, as well as his famous The Rest of the Story segments. His listening audience was estimated, at...
(1918–2009) -- The Rest of the Story - Curt GowdyCurt GowdyCurtis Edward "Curt" Gowdy was an American sportscaster, well known as the longtime "voice" of the Boston Red Sox and for his coverage of many nationally-televised sporting events, primarily for NBC Sports in the 1960s and 1970s.-Early years:The son of a manager for the Union Pacific railroad,...
(1919–2006) -- was hired in 1946 by KOMA for play-by-play coverage of OU Sooner football, as well as OSU basketball games. His distinctive style during his broadcasts in Oklahoma City earned him a national audition and then an opportunity with the New York Yankees in 1949. - Rod RoddyRod RoddyRobert Ray "Rod" Roddy was an American radio and television announcer. He is primarily known for his role as an offstage announcer on game shows. Among the shows that he announced are the CBS game shows Whew!, Press Your Luck and The Price Is Right. On the latter two, Roddy appeared on camera on...
(1937–2003) -- Announcer, The Price is RightThe Price Is RightThe Price Is Right is a television game show franchise originally produced by Mark Goodson and Bill Todman, and created by Bob Stewart, and is currently produced and owned by FremantleMedia. The franchise centers on television game shows, but also includes merchandise such as video games, printed... - Charlie TunaCharlie TunaCharlie Tuna is the stage name of Art Ferguson , a radio personality based in Los Angeles, California currently working at KRTH-FM....
-- KBIG-FMKBIG-FMKBIG-FM is an FM radio station in Los Angeles, California, owned by Clear Channel. The station plays a Hot Adult Contemporary format heavy on music from the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s.-Early years:...
104.3, Los Angeles, CA - M.G. KellyM.G. KellyMichael Gary Kelly , known professionally as M. G. Kelly and Machine Gun Kelly, is an actor, disc jockey and radio personality...
-- http://www.mgkelly.com Actor/Syndicated DJ - John PeelJohn PeelJohn Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
aka John Ravenscroft (1939–2004) -- KOMA's "Beatle Expert" from 1964–1966; later a respected disc jockey, radio presenter, and journalist in the U.K. - Danny Williams, Program Director of 1520 KOMA's Top-40 rival, WKY. He began his legendary career here in Oklahoma City in 1950, and would stay at WKY until his first "retirement" in 1979. He returned to the airwaves in June, 1992 on KOMA AM-FM. At the age of 81, he retired from 92.5 KOMA on August 29, 2008 after spending the last 16 years as the morning drive personality.
- Ernest IstookErnest IstookErnest James Istook Jr. is a former Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from Oklahoma's 5th congressional district. He held his congressional seat for 14 years, completing seven terms in the House...
, a former Republican member of the United States House of RepresentativesUnited States House of RepresentativesThe United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
for the 5th District of Oklahoma. Istook was a member of the Appropriations and the Homeland Security committees. He was the Republican gubernatorial nominee in 2006, running against incumbent Democrat Gov. Brad HenryBrad HenryCharles Bradford "Brad" Henry was the 26th Governor of the U.S. state of Oklahoma. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected governor in 2002...
. Istook lost the gubernatorial race. During the 1970s, Istook worked as a radio news reporter at KOMA.
Other Former Hosts
Former local news and talk show hosts include Billie Rodely, Jim Palmer and Carol Arnold.Oklahoma City sister stations
- KOMA-FMKOMA-FMKOMA is a Classic Hits format radio station located in Oklahoma City. It is among a cluster of stations in the market owned by Pennsylvania-based Renda Broadcasting.-92.5 history:...
92.5 FM - Classic HitsClassic hitsClassic hits is a radio format which generally includes rock and pop music from 1964 to 1989. The term is sometimes erroneously used as a synonym for the adult hits format, but is more accurately characterized as a contemporary style of the oldies format... - KRXOKRXOKRXO is a classic rock radio station serving the Oklahoma City area and is owned by Renda Broadcasting. Its transmitter is located in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.-History:...
107.7 FM - Classic rockClassic rockClassic rock is a radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format features music ranging generally from the late 1960s to the late 1980s, primarily focusing on the hard rock genre that peaked in popularity in the... - KMGLKMGLKMGL is an adult contemporary music formatted radio station serving the Oklahoma City area and is owned by Renda Broadcasting.-History:...
104.1 FM - Adult Contemporary
External links
- Voices of Oklahoma interview with Danny Williams. First person interview conducted on June 18, 2009 with Oklahoma broadcast legend, Danny Williams. Original audio and transcript archived with Voices of Oklahoma oral history project.