KFRO (AM)
Encyclopedia
KFRO is a radio station
broadcasting a Christian Talk format. Licensed to Longview, Texas
, USA, the station serves the Longview-Tyler-Kilgore-Marshall area. The station is currently owned by Access.1 Texas License Company LLC and features programing from Fox News Radio
.
The call letters KFRO stand for
"Keep
Forever
Rolling
On"
KFRO "The Voice of Longview" signed on the air on February 6, 1935 on 1370 kHz with a power of 100 watts daytime by owner J.R. Curtis. The original studio building and transmitter for KFRO was at the SW corner of S. Green St. (then known as Texas State Highway 149
) and Radio St. on the southern edge of town.
In 1935 First Baptist Church of Longview first started to broadcast its services on KFRO. This made the First Baptist Church Broadcast the 3rd longest-running program in broadcasting (The Grand Ole Opry
(November 28, 1925) on WSM is longest-running show and Music and the Spoken Word
(July 15, 1929) on KSL are the second longest). First Baptist ceased the broadcasts after 73 years (about 2 years ago).
On March 18, 1937, KFRO covered the New London school explosion
, in which approximately 300 students and teachers were killed in the deadliest school building disaster in US history.
By 1938, Mr. Curtis had raised power to 250 watts, and moved the studios to the Glover-Crim Building Suite 411.
In 1938 Jerry Doggett, LA Dodgers announcer got his start on KFRO. He left KFRO in 1941 to go to WRR in Dallas.
In 1941, KFRO moved into former home of the Hurst Eye, Ear, Nose, and Throat Hospital on Methvin St. in downtown Longview and renamed the building The Curtis Building. The new studios were very plush, with grand piano, harp, and room for a full band. The Hurst Hospital building was built in 1919 by Dr. V.R. Hurst, and was located on Methvin St, between the U.S. Post Office and The Hilton Hotel.
Also in 1941 KFRO's transmitter moved to its current site, the property behind the J.R. Curtis mansion at 2118 East Marshall Avenue (Hwy 80). At the new trasmitter site there were three towers erected, which allowed KFRO to be a fulltime station. KFRO's new transmitter was an RCA BTA-1B. At that time KFRO was an RCA turn key station. KFRO runs 1 kilowatt with one tower daytime, and 1 kilowatt three tower directional at night.
1941 The FCC shifted all of the frequencies above 710 kilocycles to make room for more stations, and more Clear Channels, but 1370 KFRO was never moved off of its original frequency. It is unknown how J.R. Curtis achieved this.
In 1940 Grant Turner of Baird, Texas joined the KFRO air staff. Turner was known as the "Voice of the Grand Ole' Opry. Grant Turner was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1981. Turner also sang, and had several duet albums with Helen Carter on the Tennessee and Republic labels. He also performed on the Grand Ole Opry.
In 1953, The East Texas Hillbilly Jamboree debuted on KFRO. The show opened at the Rita Theatre starring Claude King
and the Roadrunners, and some 30 other entertainers. The East Texas Hillbilly Jamboree was started to capitalize on the popularity of the WSM Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, and the KWKH Louisiana Hayride in Shreveport. With the close proximity of Longview to Shreveport KFRO was hoping to siphon some of the Louisiana Hayride's talent and audience. But due to KFRO's limited signal the show failed. WSM and KWKH had national audiences due to the 50,000 watt signals.
In the 1980s, Mr. Curtis moved KFRO to new facilities at 481 East Loop 281 near N. Fourth St, in northeast Longview.
Both The Curtis Building and the former Hilton Hotel were torn down in the early 1990s and the site is now occupied by Heritage Plaza.
In the mid 1980s J.R. Curtis Jr. bought 95.3 KNIF Gilmer, on December 5th, 1986 95.3 became KAEZ, and moved the studios to Longview. 95.3 then became KLSQ on September 17th, 1990. Then March 1st, 1993 95.3 was rebranded as KFRO-FM, and the format changed to oldies (1950s and 1960s rock and roll and pop), and was called "The Frog". On December 7, 1998 95.3 became KCGL, and then back to 95.3 KFRO-FM February 15, 1999. 95.3 has been just about every format in the book, Beautiful Music, Easy Listening, Country, Top-40, Oldies, Spanish, Smooth Jazz, Soft Rock, and now a Top-40 mix variety format. The most successful time in 95.3's history was the oldies era when the station was known as "The Frog".
Throughout KFRO's history it has been every network affiliation (except NBC/NBC Red). It has been Mutual, TSN, Keystone, ABC/NBC Blue, CBS, CNN, ESPN, and Fox. KFRO is currently (along with sister stations KKUS and KCUL) a Fox news affiliate.
KFRO remained in the Curtis family for 63 years until the late J.R. Curtis Jr. sold the station in 1998.
1410 KCUL Marshall
92.3 KCUL-FM Marshall
104.1 KKUS Tyler
105.7 KYKX Longview
96.7 KOYE Frankston
106.5 KOOI Jacksonville
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...
broadcasting a Christian Talk format. Licensed to Longview, Texas
Longview, Texas
Longview is a city in Gregg and Harrison Counties in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 80,455. Most of the city is located in Gregg County, of which it is the county seat; only a small part extends into the western part of neighboring Harrison County. It is...
, USA, the station serves the Longview-Tyler-Kilgore-Marshall area. The station is currently owned by Access.1 Texas License Company LLC and features programing from Fox News Radio
Fox News Radio
Fox News Radio is an American radio network programmed by Fox News Channel.- History :In 2003, Fox News began syndicating one minute radio updates to radio stations via syndication service Westwood One. On June 1, 2005, Fox News Radio employed 60 people and provided five minute newscasts at the top...
.
History
James R. Curtis received a license in 1924 to operate KFRO on 1220 kilocycles in Ft. Worth, TX. However, financial problems forced Mr. Curtis to abandon the plans for the Ft. Worth station, and later revive the KFRO license on 1370 kHz in Longview. According to legend, Carl Estes (late owner of the Longview News Journal) and R.J. LeTourneau (owner of LeTourneau Industries) offered to finance the station if Curtis would move the license to Longview. The hope of Estes and LeTourneau was that if Longview had its own station it would basically turn Longview into a big city and put it on the map. Which in turn would bring more readers to the Longview News Journal, and more quality employees to LeTourneau Industries.The call letters KFRO stand for
"Keep
Forever
Rolling
On"
KFRO "The Voice of Longview" signed on the air on February 6, 1935 on 1370 kHz with a power of 100 watts daytime by owner J.R. Curtis. The original studio building and transmitter for KFRO was at the SW corner of S. Green St. (then known as Texas State Highway 149
Texas State Highway 149
State Highway 149 or SH 149 is a state highway that runs from Carthage to Longview in east Texas.-History:SH 149 was originally designated by 1933 along its current route and included an extension north from Longview to Daingerfield. The northern extension was transferred to SH 26 by 1939...
) and Radio St. on the southern edge of town.
In 1935 First Baptist Church of Longview first started to broadcast its services on KFRO. This made the First Baptist Church Broadcast the 3rd longest-running program in broadcasting (The Grand Ole Opry
Grand Ole Opry
The Grand Ole Opry is a weekly country music stage concert in Nashville, Tennessee, that has presented the biggest stars of that genre since 1925. It is also among the longest-running broadcasts in history since its beginnings as a one-hour radio "barn dance" on WSM-AM...
(November 28, 1925) on WSM is longest-running show and Music and the Spoken Word
Music and the Spoken Word
Music and the Spoken Word is a weekly 30-minute radio and television program of inspiring messages and music produced by Bonneville Communications with music performed by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir .The radio program is distributed by the CBS Radio Network and its broadcast center is KSL...
(July 15, 1929) on KSL are the second longest). First Baptist ceased the broadcasts after 73 years (about 2 years ago).
On March 18, 1937, KFRO covered the New London school explosion
New London School explosion
The New London School explosion occurred on March 18, 1937, when a natural gas leak caused an explosion, destroying the London School of New London, Texas, a community in Rusk County previously known as "London". The disaster killed more than 295 students and teachers, making it the worst...
, in which approximately 300 students and teachers were killed in the deadliest school building disaster in US history.
By 1938, Mr. Curtis had raised power to 250 watts, and moved the studios to the Glover-Crim Building Suite 411.
In 1938 Jerry Doggett, LA Dodgers announcer got his start on KFRO. He left KFRO in 1941 to go to WRR in Dallas.
In 1941, KFRO moved into former home of the Hurst Eye, Ear, Nose, and Throat Hospital on Methvin St. in downtown Longview and renamed the building The Curtis Building. The new studios were very plush, with grand piano, harp, and room for a full band. The Hurst Hospital building was built in 1919 by Dr. V.R. Hurst, and was located on Methvin St, between the U.S. Post Office and The Hilton Hotel.
Also in 1941 KFRO's transmitter moved to its current site, the property behind the J.R. Curtis mansion at 2118 East Marshall Avenue (Hwy 80). At the new trasmitter site there were three towers erected, which allowed KFRO to be a fulltime station. KFRO's new transmitter was an RCA BTA-1B. At that time KFRO was an RCA turn key station. KFRO runs 1 kilowatt with one tower daytime, and 1 kilowatt three tower directional at night.
1941 The FCC shifted all of the frequencies above 710 kilocycles to make room for more stations, and more Clear Channels, but 1370 KFRO was never moved off of its original frequency. It is unknown how J.R. Curtis achieved this.
In 1940 Grant Turner of Baird, Texas joined the KFRO air staff. Turner was known as the "Voice of the Grand Ole' Opry. Grant Turner was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1981. Turner also sang, and had several duet albums with Helen Carter on the Tennessee and Republic labels. He also performed on the Grand Ole Opry.
In 1953, The East Texas Hillbilly Jamboree debuted on KFRO. The show opened at the Rita Theatre starring Claude King
Claude King
Claude King is an American country music singer and songwriter, best known for his million selling 1962 hit, "Wolverton Mountain".-Biography:...
and the Roadrunners, and some 30 other entertainers. The East Texas Hillbilly Jamboree was started to capitalize on the popularity of the WSM Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, and the KWKH Louisiana Hayride in Shreveport. With the close proximity of Longview to Shreveport KFRO was hoping to siphon some of the Louisiana Hayride's talent and audience. But due to KFRO's limited signal the show failed. WSM and KWKH had national audiences due to the 50,000 watt signals.
In the 1980s, Mr. Curtis moved KFRO to new facilities at 481 East Loop 281 near N. Fourth St, in northeast Longview.
Both The Curtis Building and the former Hilton Hotel were torn down in the early 1990s and the site is now occupied by Heritage Plaza.
In the mid 1980s J.R. Curtis Jr. bought 95.3 KNIF Gilmer, on December 5th, 1986 95.3 became KAEZ, and moved the studios to Longview. 95.3 then became KLSQ on September 17th, 1990. Then March 1st, 1993 95.3 was rebranded as KFRO-FM, and the format changed to oldies (1950s and 1960s rock and roll and pop), and was called "The Frog". On December 7, 1998 95.3 became KCGL, and then back to 95.3 KFRO-FM February 15, 1999. 95.3 has been just about every format in the book, Beautiful Music, Easy Listening, Country, Top-40, Oldies, Spanish, Smooth Jazz, Soft Rock, and now a Top-40 mix variety format. The most successful time in 95.3's history was the oldies era when the station was known as "The Frog".
Throughout KFRO's history it has been every network affiliation (except NBC/NBC Red). It has been Mutual, TSN, Keystone, ABC/NBC Blue, CBS, CNN, ESPN, and Fox. KFRO is currently (along with sister stations KKUS and KCUL) a Fox news affiliate.
KFRO remained in the Curtis family for 63 years until the late J.R. Curtis Jr. sold the station in 1998.
Sunburst Years
June 15, 1998, the KFRO stations were bought by Sunburst, who moved KYKX into the KFRO building on the Loop. The Sunburst group included 105.7 KYKX Longview, 104.1 KKUS Tyler, 100.7 KPXI Overton, 1370 KFRO Longview, and 95.3 KFRO-FM Gilmer. At that point "Voice of Longview" Broadcasting ceased to exist. A few months after the sale, J.R. Curtis Junior died in a motorcycle accident. A few months after that J.R. Curtis Senior, founder of KFRO passed away.Waller Years
October 18, 2000 KFRO, KFRO-FM, KKUS, and KYKX were sold to Waller Media of Jacksonville. Sunburst's KPXI was sold to Salem, and lowered power so that they could raise the power on their Dallas station 100.7 KWRD-FM. Under Waller's ownership KFRO's format changed many times. From Urban AC, to ESPN, to Music Of Your Life (standards), Oldies, and talk. The Waller group of stations included 1370 KFRO Longview, 95.3 KFRO-FM Gilmer, 105.7 KYKX Longview, 104.1 KKUS Tyler, 106.5 KOOI Jacksonville, 1400 KEBE Jacksonville, 96.7 KOYE Frankston, and 102.3 KLJT Jacksonville. In 2004 Waller leased and bought 103.1 KDVE and 100.3 KXAL.Access.1/East Texas Radio Group
January 7, 2005, KFRO was purchased by Access.1 (East Texas Radio Group), and currently runs a tri-mulcast of Classic Country 104.1 KKUS, Tyler. Access.1 moved KFRO from its 20+ year home in the Curtis Building at 481 E Loop 281, to its current home at 4408 North US Highway 259 in Longview. KFRO shares a studio with KCUL and KCUL-FM, KYKX is also in the building. KFRO is the current broadcast home of Longview HS Lobos football. 1370 KFRO Longview, 104.1 KKUS Tyler. and 1410 KCUL Marshall all run the programming of "The Ranch" from their studios on Broadway in Tyler.75th Anniversary
February 6, 2010 marked the 75th anniversary of "The Voice of Longview" AM 1370 KFRO. To date no tribute or mention of the anniversary has occurred on or off the air.Present Programming
Presently KFRO and sister station KCUL are stunting. They are simulcasting a loop announcing the upcoming Christian talk format coming to both 1370 and 1410.Former Programming
The on air staff includes Gary P. Walker, Don Jones, Mandee Montana, Dave Rousseau, and Radio Broadcast legend Tom Perryman. Tom Perryman is East Texas' only true radio legend. In the late 1940s Tom started his career at 1400 KEBE "The KEBE Corral" in Jacksonville, Texas. In the mid-1950s Tom was at KSIJ (now KEES)1430 in Gladewater, Texas. It was at KSIJ that Tom brought Elvis to East Texas, and gave Elvis some of his first work. It was also at KSIJ that Tom met Jim Reeves, Floyd Cramer, and Johnny Horton. Then Tom went on to host the Opry Star Spotlight on The Air Castle of the South 650 WSM in Nashville, as well as becoming one of the most famous Opry annoncers of all time. Before leaving WSM he hired his replacement, Ralph Emery. Tom and Jim Reeves then bought KGRI AM/FM in Henderson, Texas. Later Tom and Mary Reeves bought WMTS AM/FM in Murfreesboro, TN. The Perryman's and Mary Reeves sold WMTS AM/FM in the early 1980s, and Tom went into retirement. Tom was convinced to come back to East Texas by Dudley Waller (former owner of KKUS) and Rick Guest (former GM of Waller and Access.1/East Texas Radio Group), to boost the ratings of the fledgling classic country station (The Ranch). Tom agreed to join the Ranch, and has kept "The Ranch" consistently at the top of the ratings.Sports
KFRO formerly was the Longview home of the Dallas Cowboys. KFRO along with KCUL and KKUS are the radio home of the Longview Lobos High School Football. KFRO was the original home of the Lobos, but was lost to 95.3 KFRO-FM, 105.7 KYKX, 100.3 KXAL, and 102.3 KLJT.Engineering
1370 KFRO is a class B station. KFRO is 1 kilowatt day non-directional (1 tower), 1 kilowatt night directional (3 towers). The KFRO towers are 177 feet tall. The current KFRO transmitter building was built in 2003. KFRO signed on in 1935 with a 100 watt homemade transmitter. In 1935 KFRO increased power to 250 watts with a Western Electric Transmitter. In 1941 power was increased to 1,000 watts and a new RCA BTA-1B was installed, it stayed in service until 1983, when it was replaced by a Continental 820-D. The Continental was made to run C-Quam AM Stereo, which made KFRO the first AM stereo station in East Texas. The Continental was replaced in 2003 with a used 1975 Harris MW-1 solid state transmitter which is still in service.Sister Stations
1370 KFRO Longview is owned by Access.1 of New York, its East Texas sister stations are1410 KCUL Marshall
92.3 KCUL-FM Marshall
104.1 KKUS Tyler
105.7 KYKX Longview
96.7 KOYE Frankston
106.5 KOOI Jacksonville
Interesting Facts
The longtime program director of 1370 KFRO, Charlie Thomason (from 1983–2004), Died at the control board of KFRO in the main control room at 481 East Loop 281, on June 6, 2004. When Charlie died a stain appeared on the carpet. The concrete was treated and carpet replaced, but the stain continues to reappear to this very day. Today KMPA 103.1's control board sits over the stain to hide it. There have been reports that Charlie still walks the halls of the building.External links
- Dallas-Fort Worth Radio History
- Grant Turner - Country Music Hall of Fame
- East Texas Hillbilly Jamboree 1953