Airchexx.com

Here’s a short composite of the Dallas/Ft. Worth market in the Fall of 1992. Contributor Marc Viquez writes:

This was the first time visiting Dallas, Texas; I was in town for a week for my mother’s teacher’s convention. I found that the city had some great CHR radio stations: Y95 and 97.1 KEGL. They also had 100.3 Jamz, whiched seemed to be leaning towards CHR/Rythmic. However, there was plenty of good music being played on these three stations and, even back as a teenager, I was able to tell that both Y95 and KEGL were in a state of war with one another. A lot of the sweepers and bumpers were typical of the early 1990s and within a few years-when many CHR stations ceased operations or flipped formats to either Hot AC or Alternative-they were almost nonexistent. In fact, less than two years later when I returned to Dallas, KEGL was playing rock music and Y95-I believe-was playing lite music. However, here is a sample of one my earliest airchexx collection and one of my favorites. For those of us who used to listen to the FM dial after school around this time, I hope it conjures up a plethora of memories.

Contributor Marc Viquez recently sent this in for posting. He writes:

This was the first time visiting Dallas, Texas; I was in town for a week for my mother’s teacher’s convention. I found that the city had some great CHR radio stations: Y95 and 97.1 KEGL. They also had 100.3 Jamz, whiched seemed to be leaning towards CHR/Rythmic. However, there was plenty of good music being played on these three stations and, even back as a teenager, I was able to tell that both Y95 and KEGL were in a state of war with one another. A lot of the sweepers and bumpers were typical of the early 1990s and within a few years-when many CHR stations ceased operations or flipped formats to either Hot AC or Alternative-they were almost nonexistent. In fact, less than two years later when I returned to Dallas, KEGL was playing rock music and Y95-I believe-was playing lite music. However, here is a sample of one my earliest airchexx collection and one of my favorites. For those of us who used to listen to the FM dial after school around this time, I hope it conjures up a plethora of memories.

All audio was lightly processed to try to improve the sound quality. Parts of this are in stereo. 7 minutes, 49 seconds.

Sounding suspiciously like a McLendon station, this short-lived Top 40 outlet sat at 92.5 on the FM dial. Never to be a serious contender to the REAL McLendon FM at the time, KNUS 99, this station did sound pretty good. By today’s standards, it sounds awesome!

Notice the imaging and the voices. Pretty typical for Top 40 stations in the mid-70s, in fact, listen to the 92K “Great Get-Off” promo at 1:56. The same sound effect was used as part of the Top of Hour ID at WXLO, X-Rock 80 and some others. See how many other similarities you can find with this vs other Top 40 stations of the day…

Here’s a show which obviously was the result of an enormous amount of show prep. Its the KVIL Morning Show with Ron Chapman and company, with Traffic, contests and callers. Its 1988 and consider how much content and how little music there is in this show.

Your webmaster knows very little about KVIL during this time period, so I’ll rely on our visitors to fill in the blanks with their comments on this particular aircheck.

Here at Airchexx, we try to cover all the bases when it comes to documenting great radio. Whether its from the 40s, 60s, 80s or today, if it’s interesting, we’ll post it.

Here’s one that shows great promise. It’s not quite ‘there’ yet, simply because there are no jocks. HD radio has such potential, except for the drawbacks that are becoming apparent: Lack of a commitment by local market managers to put on a local oriented music format with jocks, and a serious lack of radio receivers both in the home and in autos. Editorializing here, the FCC should have mandated that beginning on the date HD radio was to commence, receiver manufacturers should have been ordered to make all FM receivers capable of receiving HD signals. Alas, they dropped that ball and HD will likely end up in the same position AM Stereo did – a great technological leap forward, ignored due to lack of receivers and interest. Ok, off my soapbox.

This is KPLX… the great Dallas Country station known as The WOLF, broadcasting CHR on it’s second digital signal (known as HD-2). For those not yet familiar with how HD works, the first (and sometimes only) HD stream simply simulcasts the analog signal. It’s always known as HD-1. Some stations have two HD streams, some even 3. Anyway, this is noteworthy because most stations with alternative formats are getting those formats from some sattellite feeed and are not locally produced. This one IS done local, and the imaging is stunning in between this dance-oriented CHR format. Now if there were only some jocks and a few contests it would really be something to latch on to.

Courtesy of George, a trader who provided this via our sister site Radioinsight.com, here is a PERFECT recording of Ken Lock on KLIF, back in the very early days of Top 40 radio!

KLIF, of course, was the Gordon McLendon station in Dallas, at this point competing with crosstown KBOX for the Top 40 crown. But listen, this is *not* all Rock & Roll! The first song you’ll hear is from Lawrence Welk! The music is all over the place, which is what you’d expect from a genuine Top 40 station (not the pre-programmed and preformatted crap that passes for Top 40 today), and from a programming standpoint its a breath of fresh air.

What really stands out in this short aircheck is KLIF news. Sure, this is packaged with the usual beeps and other sound effects you’d hear in the 50s and early 60s, but KLIF did an outstanding job of reporting news, and given that this is 1961, its an amazing glimpse into what was deemed important in terms of serving a station’s City of Licence.

Listen to these ancient commercials. This is the perfect recording for an aircheck museum such as Airchexx!

Now from the ‘annonymous’ donor file from two years ago comes this somewhat obscure recording of KVIL in the waning days of Top 40 before going to AC (and subsequently smashing the competition just like the top 40 days).

Cat Simon is very entertaining – you’ll hear contests in the form of a Susan B. Anthony dollar coin giveaway, a car that gets 150 mpg (another, earlier gas crisis that we’re all familiar with), and some pretty cool jingles.

Here’s a jock who sounds suspiciously like Charlie Tuna. Were this KHJ in LA …. well, okay its not.
Check out the contest – who woulda thought that back in the day, a station would give a winner anything they wished? These days you can’t even get a request!

Another, in a series of McLendon’s KLIF / KNUS airchecks!

KNUS 99 – 98.7 to be exact, was McLendon’s FM powerhouse. Originally slated to be an all-news station, and almost never to be because Gordon McLendon almost sold it in the 60s, KNUS turned out to be the SECOND successful Top 40 station, right behind (and later surpassing) sister KLIF 1190.

Here’s two great jocks doing Top 40 in a style imitated by much of the RKO chain (NOT the other way around) throughout the 70s. It’s GREAT radio – no reverb, plenty of personality and some big contests for the time period.

The next series of airchecks pertain to the Dallas market – in particular, Gordon McLendon’s contribution to broadcast history in ’72.

Perhaps there has been no greater innovator in all of broadcast history than McLendon, from his baseball play-by-play re-creations to HIS style of Top 40 radio. McLendon was even elected Mayor of Dallas!

This is the first in a series of KLIF / KNUS airchecks that we’d like to present to you. All scoped, but all apparently original recordings in terrific condition!

…”You’re listening to the Real McCoy, 620 KAAM”

What do you call a format which is part Standards, part PAMS 60s & 70s era jingles, and part classic 60s top 40? I have no name for it, but MAN! Does it sound good!

I have no idea whatsoever if this station still exists, but it’s the most unique approach to upper-demos radio I’ve ever heard.

One thing I can’t understand is why there are so many positioners heard for this station. The Mighty 620. Unforgettable 620 – what’s up, is this Oldies or Standards. Both?! At any rate, I believe most of you will really love this short aircheck.

Click HERE to Listen!

Here’s one I doubt anyone’s heard. This is the legendary, allegedly most-copied radio station in history, 1190 KLIF. It’s said that McLendon spent so much time in promotions that this station was unbeatable for several years. Well, this aircheck is from the later part of those years.

Click HERE to Listen!

Dallas (the city, not the show) was home to one of America’s true radio pioneers. This aircheck is from one of the McLendon stations. KNUS was the sister station of then 1190 KLIF. Sounding conspicuously like it was being consulted by the one and only Bill Drake at this point, KNUS-99 is very tight and certainly one of the best sounding Top 40 outlets in the country in 1972. At just over 2 minutes, this one’s scoped down tight enough to give you a good feel for the rhythm of the station.

Click HERE to Listen!

It seems to me that our good friend Beau Weaver worked here for a time before moving on to KHJ Los Angeles…. but he’s not on this one.

This is probably one of the oldest and most rare airchecks anywhere. As the story goes, this is the demo that got Dan Ingram the job at WABC. If not, it surely goes way back. You’ll hear WICC, WNHC and KBOX.

Click HERE to Listen!