Untangling KTHS-AM and KTHS-FM

1090 KTHS-AM is best known as the station where Lum and Abner started out their career.  You'll notice that logo above states "on the air since 1958" but that has more to do with the modern station on 1480.  Today's KTHS has nothing to do with Lum or Abner or Hot Springs AR. I'll explain.

In 1952 KTHS-AM became a bit of an issue for NARBA (docket 9974). They wanted to move from Hot Springs to Little Rock, and increase power up to 50 kw, unlimited time becoming a clear channel station.  This was a challenge to the jigsaw puzzle of existing clear channel AM frequencies that had mostly been settled at the end of NARBA. But their timing was iffy. James Noe, the owner of 1060 WNOE-AM in New Orleans had also filed to move to 1090, for the purpose of increasing the daytime power of his station to 50 kw (night time to 25 k).  1450 KGRH-AM in Fayetteville, AR had also filed to move to 1090 requesting an increase of power from 250 watts to 50 kw daytime with a directional antenna.

The FCC handled this in a pretty even handled manner. They compiled dozens of pages of public documentation on the fitness of their engineering, finances, public service and community connections in validating their decision. The FCC identified 11 different criteria on which they would measure the relative merits of these conflicting applications. It's lengthy but I think this is worth reading to understand their reasoning. There is a very transparent effort here to demonstrate their even-handedness.  I do wish the FCC still operated this way instead of the Ajit Pai's agenda based rule-making. He's a tool.

1. To determine the technical, financial, and other qualifications of the individual applicant, and of the corporate applicants, their officers, directors, and stockholders to construct and operate respectively Stations WNOE, KTHS, and KGRH and with respect with Radio Broadcasting, Inc. to continue the existing operation of Station KTHS.

2. To determine the areas and populations which may be expected to gain or lose primary or secondary service from the operation of Stations WNOE, KTHS, and KGRH, as proposed, and the character of other service available to such areas and populations.

3. To determine the areas and populations which receive primary service from the present operation of Station KTHS and the character of other broadcast service available to such areas and populations.

4. To determine the type and character of program service proposed to be rendered and whether it would meet the requirements of the populations and areas proposed to be served.

5. To determine whether the operation of Stations WNOE, KTHS, and KGRH, as proposed, and the continuance of the existing operation of KTHS would involve objectionable interference with any other existing broadcast stations, and, if so, the nature and extent thereof, the areas and populations affected thereby, and the availability of other broadcast service to such areas and populations.

6. To determine whether the operation of Stations WNOE, KTHS, and KGRH, as proposed, and the continuance of the existing operation of KTHS would involve objectionable interference each with the other or with the services proposed in any other pending applications for broadcast facilities, and, if so, the nature and extent thereof, the areas and populations affected thereby, and the availability of other broadcast service to such areas and populations.

7. To determine the overlap, if any, that will exist between the service areas of Station KTHS, as proposed, and Station KWKH, Shreveport, Louisiana, the nature and extent thereof, and whether such overlap, if any, is in contravention of Section 3.35 of the Commission's Rules.

8. To determine whether the operation of Stations WNOE, KTHS, and KGRH, as proposed would be in conflict with any international agreement to which the United States is a party.

9. To determine whether the construction of Stations WNOE,KTHS, and KGRH, as proposed, would constitute a hazard to air navigation.

10. To determine whether the installation and operation of Stations WNOE, KTHS, and KGRH, as proposed, and the continuance of the existing operation of Station KTHS would be in compliance with the Commission's Rules and Standards of Good Engineering Practice Concerning Standard Broadcast Stations.

11. To determine on a comparative basis which, if any, of the applications in this consolidated proceeding should be granted.

KTHS-AM first signed on December 20, 1924 first on 600 kHz broadcasting from the Arlington Hotel.  It hopped from 780, 800 and 1040 before landing on 1090 in the 1930s. In 1928 the license was transferred to the Hot Springs Chamber of Commerce who claimed they operated it at a loss and transferred it to Radio Broadcasting Inc in trade for 500 shares of stock payable to the chamber and 250 shares of stock payable to the Arlington Hotel. The Chamber further received six daily 50-word spots for a period of 10 years. (The FCC docket has a foot note that lists the current value of the Chambers stock as $32,500.) The book Arkansas Airwaves by Ray Poindexter covers the early years in great detail.

In 1944 80% of the shares of Radio Broadcasting Inc. was sold to Tri-State Broadcasting System Inc in trade for the assets and facilities of KTBS-AM in Shreveport which was complete by September of 1944. At the time all the shares of Tri-State Broadcasting System were owned by the Times Publishing Company which owned KWKH-AM also in Shreveport. (Under the multiple-ownership regulations of the era, this was a good trade.)

So in December of 1944 the new owners of KTHS filed to move the marginally solvent station to West Memphis, AR. This is a surprise move. West Memphis abuts Memphis, TN 180+ miles to the East.  Only 2 years earlier they had abandoned an attempt to move 50 miles North to Little Rock. It shows chutzpah. It was denied. They petitioned to reconsider... that was denied too. Under the terms of NARBA, the FCC was committed to keeping KTHS an Arkansas station. The move to West Memphis would have in effect made them a Tennessee station. No soup for you. So in August 1950, like a consolation prize, KTHS re-filed to move to Little Rock, with an increase from 10,000 to 50,000 watts  (directional at night) was filed on December 8th 1951. The FCC's initial decision was released just weeks later on December 26th approving the move.

The reason for this dance is easy to understand. In 1950 the population of Hot Springs was only 29,000. Memphis was 396,000. Little Rock was just a quarter of that at 102,000. The owners were seeking higher population density and higher ad rates. Simple as that.

Just wait there's more. Under NARBA 1090 kHz is a clear channel frequency on which had priority to our station in Arkansas, WBAL-AM Baltimore, MD and XERB on Rosarito, Baja California in Mexico. KTHS had to use a directional antenna at night to protect the other two stations. They were also required to reduce power if they caused interference. (WBAL was unlimited time and non-directional.) Furthermore they may receive interference from CMBS in Havana, Cuba, CMKR in Santiago de Cuba and XEHR in Puebla Mexico. They also acknowledged that it could cause a little interference to KRLD in Dallas on the first adjacent frequency. KTHS was wedged in tight.

in 1955 they launched a TV station, Channel 11 KTHV and in 1962 they were both sold to different owners. KTHS-AM was flipped to Top-40 and the call letters changed to KAAY. The station 107.1 KTHS used the call sign KSCC prior to 1991. This is a bit of a conflict as even the FCC database claims that KTHS 1480 has been on air since 8/3/1958. Well it's true, but they originally signed on as KTCN-AM as a 1 Kw daytimer under the Ozark Radio & Equipment Co. The brains behind that re-branding was Ernie Howard, former KVLC announcer, KARK-TV reporter and later program Director and then owner and GM of KTCN. Obituary here.