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- KXOL first went on the air as Ft. Worth's
first full-time unaffiliated
independent radio station on April 2, 1947 at 4:00pm. KXOL was owned
by The Fort Worth Broadcasting Company. The station owner and President
was F.M. Skinner and the General Manager was Russ Lamb. On April 3,
1951 Herman Clark replaced Russ Lamb as GM. April 14, 1952 Earle Fletcher
succeeds F.M Skinner as President of The Fort Worth Broadcasting Company.
Skinner remained the owner of the company until July 21, 1955 when the
station was sold to Wendell Mayes Sr. for $260,555.00. The company's
new name became KXOL, Inc. KXOL remained part of the Mayes family of
stations until 1972 when it was sold to TETCO President Tom E. Turner
who would be the stations owner until November 23, 1985 when KXOL was
sold to Universal Broadcasting for an undisclosed sum. The format and
call letters were changed.
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- Character actor Norm
Alden, one of the first DJ's on KXOL, was the first voice heard
on 1360. Alden hosted the Hillbilly Supper Club as a character
named "Epod" (which is dope spelled backwards) along with
Bill Herring who was known as "Sweet William." Alden &
Herring also hosted a show on KXOL called Doodle for Dollars.
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- Joe
Wills was KXOLs first Newsman and before the days of "mobile
news units" Joe carried a wire recorder everywhere he went. Joe
became the voice for 20th Century Fox Movietone News and would later
earn an Oscar® as well as the Cannes Film Festival Award.
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- The late Jim Lowe, also one of the first DJ's on KXOL, was
the voice of "Big Tex" at the State Fair of Texas until 1999.
Lowe also was a very well known DJ for WRR Dallas.
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- The first sponsored program on KXOL was
Ballads by Brooks presented
by The Fair Department Store and stared 17 year old Elston Brooks. The
show premiered on April 2,1947 at 5:30pm. Brooks later became a columnist
for the Ft. Worth Star Telegram and author of several books. Elston
Brooks passed away in 1991.
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- Kenny Sargent, prior to working as an all
night DJ on KXOL in 1962, was a featured singer with Glen Gray and
his Casa Loma Orchestra in the 1930's and had a hit song, For
You.
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- KXOL's first studio was in the Professional
Building at 1216 Pennsylvania Ave. In 1953 the station moved to 3004
W. Lancaster across from Farrington Field. Finally in 1965 KXOL moved
to the former Clifford Herring Sound Studio at 1705 W 7th Street and
was considered to be one of the most modern radio facilities in the
nation at that time.
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- The hit songs Hey Baby
by Bruce Channel and Hey, Hey
Paula by Paul and Paula were recorded at the Clifford
Herring Sound Studios at 1705 W. 7th St. in Ft. Worth. KXOL purchased
the property and moved their studios to this location in 1965. The legend
that the songs were recorded at
KXOL is incorrect.
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- Comedians George
Carlin and Jack Burns worked at KXOL from 1959-1960. Carlin and
Burns developed an on air two man act. They started
performing stand-up at The Cellar Club in Ft. Worth. Station Manager
Earle Fletcher gave the two an ultimatum, "radio or nightclubs."
Carlin and Burns left for Hollywood in February 1960 and were on The
Tonight Show with Jack Parr within a couple of months!
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- Jim
MacKrell was a KXOL DJ before becoming a National TV, Film and voice
over talent. Jim was the star of the hit NBC game-show “Celebrity
Sweepstakes.” He also hosted “The Game Game” (CBS),
“Quiz Kids” (Columbia Pictures TV), plus numerous other
shows and films. Jim was also a regular on General Hospital, Capitol,
and Days of our Lives.
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- The late Rodd Roddy of the Price is Right
began his career at KXOL in 1955. Roddy later went to KLIF in Dallas. His
first national announcing job came when he was asked to be the narrator
for the TV sitcom Soap.
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- News Anchorman Bob
Schieffer was a newsman for KXOL before joining WBAP and then on to CBS.
Station Manager Earle Fletcher made Bob change the spelling of his last
name to "Shaffer". Bob Schieffer is the host of Face The
Nation and is the currently the anchor for The CBS
Evening News.
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- KXOL was the first radio station in Ft.
Worth with news and pioneered "on the scene" radio news in
the Southwest.
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- KXOL was once on the FM dial at 99.5 formerly
KCWM and now KPLX "The Wolf".
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- The last program ever heard on KXOL was
the Rocky Davis Show. The last song played was Peace in the Valley.
Rocky signed the station off the air at 12:00am on November 23,1985
by saying, "This was KXOL". On the air with him were John
Lewis & Cowboy Chris Michales.
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