Who would have thought that any AM station was doing an independent, in house music format, post 2000? There were a few. Quite notably, Forrest City, Arkansas, had a daytimer on 950 AM which did have a full-time Classic Hits/Classic Soul station.
KXKJ had a number of things going for it at the time of this recording. First, the signal covered an enormous amount of real estate. From Little Rock, through Memphis, TN and points north and south, KXJK could be heard all over the Mid-South, at least during the day. The station was also broadcasting in C-Quam AM-Stereo. When their stereo broadcasts began is anyone’s guess, but they still had the exciter on in 2004 when this was recorded. The station also had live jocks, at least during part of the day. Who knew that there would be a station giving this much effort in a time when consolidation and voice tracking was normal for regional FM stations! Somebody understood that live and local = success!
Remembering that this was a time before Facebook captured everyone’s attention span, it’s understandable that a station out west of the Mississippi River decided to keep a music format going well into the 2000s. I have delayed posting this until now, 8 years after having recorded it, because of two important reasons. First, the amount of noise on the signal is barely tolerable, even by me… (I lived in a housing area in Millington, TN at the time where there was a lot of Telephone pole noise, along with a big neon light on a pole close by.). Second, enough time has passed that this now qualifies as a ‘classic radio’ aircheck, worthy of being posted here.
There were times when the station came in static free (the pole was off or something 🙂 ), and I would plug in my Realistic TM 152 AM Stereo receiver for KXJK. Most times I forgot to record. Other times, I got home from work just in time for KXJK to go off the air. Once the sun went down, that was it for this little AM music station with a big daytime footprint. In the car, it was the little station that could, with a signal and sound that rivaled anything on the Memphis AM dial – the only AM Station in Memphis with music was 1060 WDIA, but not my Cup ‘o Tea, if you know what I mean. The music mix as I remember it on KXJK, ran the gambit from old Motown to John Cougar Mellencamp. It was a station that I PREFERED over the Memphis FMs!
Maybe some folks who remember KXJK from 8-10 years ago will see this and comment. If so, please understand the whole reason this webmaster posted it: KXJK was a station I truly enjoyed listening to. Good audio processing, a great, wide playlist, and a station that I could forecast the weather with (every time a thunderstorm developed, I could tell how severe it was by the static crashes in the background of KXJK), and some great LOCAL sounding personalities tuned me into a big fan of AM 950. I miss you guys!
KXJK I still alive and well in Forrest City Arkansas….
//www.arkradio.com
Wish more station hung in there. My good friend still owns a music AM in Rensselaer In. He understands the value of serving the community. If anyone is to blame for the death of our careers it’s us. I have read more than my share of negative talk. We listened to our own complaining. This January I will begin my 40th year on the air. My career, the love of my wife and The Gift of God has allowed me to pursue my passion. I fell in love with the companionship of Chicago Personalities as a child spending nearly 2 years of my frail life in a Chicago Children’s Hospital. It was the radio and the personalities that honed my imagination. The companionship of the Dj between the songs kept me company. As an 8 & 9 year old frightened and alone in the hospital clinging for my life I asked God that if I would live I would like to do what radio did for me. Today after 3 Transplants numerous surgeries and flat lining more times than my wife can count. Gods gift and the kindness of all who worked and encouraged me in this industry I love so much I am still living my dream. Please be live and local. You have an opportunity each day to reach and touch the hearts and imaginations of the people you serve. Lets use technology for good and not evil. Everyday at WKOA I say a pray to my Lord that “The words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing”. I have truly have been blessed by an industry and the people who run it. Lets keep pressing on. Nothing can take the place of live in real time radio. We have opportunities to make a connection with our listeners. We maybe the only friend they have. Don’t you want to answer them on what ever platform they reach out to you on. Companionship is what sets us apart from other forms of entertainment. Think about why we listen to these Airchecks. Why do you feel a connection vs today voice tracked radio. I thank you for reading my thoughts. Thank you for a tool for the next generation of talent to be inspired by. Bob Vizza