The WFAA Early Birds

WFAA-AM was home to the long-running morning program, "The Early Birds", hosted by John Allen. It was broadcast from from the Santa Fe Railroad Warehouse in Dallas, TX. they called it "the penthouse ." Back in those days 820 kHz was a day share with WBAP-AM and WFAA took over at 7:00 AM, starting each weekday with The Early Birds. It was not like modern morning zoo programs. This was a full-blown variety program. The show premiered on premiered March 31st 1930 and celebrated the quarter century mark with a 25th Anniversary Album in 1955. More here.

WFAA itself only signed on in signed on in June of 1922. It changed frequencies a couple times but starting in 1938 it moved to 570. The share agreement was truly bizarre. WBAP Radio would broadcasting on 820 from midnight till six AM. Then WFAA took over till noon and WBAP broadcast the afternoon slot and WFAA took over again until midnight. Apparently WFAA thought it was worth working for every minute of clear channel signal time they could get on 820. To further complicate this nonsense, they aired NBC network programming on 820 kHz and ABC network programming on 570 kHz. To signal the frequency changes on air WBAP staff always rang a cowbell. 

John Allen hosted the program for it's entire run.He had a number of co-hosts over the years including Bob Shelton, Ben McCleskey, Emcee Jimmle Jefferles, Bert Noyd, Announcer Eddie Dunn, Board Operator Red Lucas, Emcee Norvel Slater, and others. They had skits, stand up comedy, an orchestra, an awkward number of black-face routines and a live studio audience.  Guests included Lynn Hoyt, Katy Prince, Frances Beasley, Terry Lea, Louise Mackey and Dale Evans. 

You can hear an episode here:
PART 1 - https://digi.countrymusichalloffame.org/digital/collection/musicaudio/id/2436
PART 2 - https://digi.countrymusichalloffame.org/digital/collection/musicaudio/id/2437 

In 1945 they debuted an FM simulcast on W5X1C on 94.3. The arrangement continued until the early 1960s gradually adding their own programming until they became an MOR station. On May 1, 1970, this messy and senseless share time arrangement came to and end. WBAP paid $3.5 million dollar to WFAA to buy them out. WFAA was relegated to 570. They dropped the WFAA call letters in 1983 becoming KRQX. The call sign still lives on as Channel 8 on the TV band.

Kansas Engineering Experiment Station

The Engineering Experiment Station of Kansas State Agricultural College is just another part of Kansas State University. Back in In 1917 they were not. Actually they published the following self-description in their monthly bulletin that year:

"The Engineering Experiment Station was established for the purpose of carrying on tests and research work of engineering and manufacturing value to the state of Kansas, and of collecting, preparing and presenting technical information in a form readily available for the use of the various industries within the state. It is the intention to have all the work of this experiment station of direct importance to Kansas."

The Experiment Station still exists today and has actually proliferated. Today Kansas State University owns and operates 18,000 acres of Agricultural Experiment Stations in research centers in Hays, Garden City, Colby, and Parsons Kansas. In a practical sense, this is the academic lab for agribusiness. If you want wheat resistant to wheat rust and glows in the dark... this is where that would happen. Why do I bring this up?  Well they did a little something with early radio.More here.

Professor Andrey Abraham Potter was their assistant professor in mechanical engineering from 1910 to 1913 professor of mechanical engineering in the Kansas State Agricultural College. After that he was the acting dean of their Engineering division and acting director of the engineering experiment station.Because this bulletin was kept so early in the history of radio he very avidly had them include articles on the "radiophone."  It includes some very informative QSL reports.  It lists off the regular broadcasting programs in their district for potential listeners particularly on WDAF-AM, WEAF-AM, WBAP-AM, KLZ-AM, KSD-AM and WHB-AM. Among others. In a 1923 bulletin they published the following:

"To those living in Kansas the service rendered by the broadcasting station of the Kansas City Star, which has been designated by its government license as W. D. A. F., is available afternoons and evenings. The Sweeney Automobile School of Kansas City also renders valuable service from its high powered station W. H. B. The stations at Topeka, Wichita, Emporia, Hutchinson, Salina, Denver, Colo., Lincoln, Neb., Jefferson City, Mo., and the Kansas State Agricultural College supply all parts of the state with information and entertainment adapted to the communities served; while the large stations at Davenport, Iowa; Omaha, Neb.; Chicago, 111.; Pittsburgh, Pa.; Atlanta, Ga.; Detroit, Mich.; Minneapolis, Minn.; St. Louis, Mo.; Schenectady, N. Y., and a number of Texas stations may be heard through most receiving sets in Kansas."

The published information on making cheap receiving sets, and making  and charging batteries to power them. They sent out their own weather reports by telegraph from a station WTG. Sadly the bulletins have little information on this service. Barry Mishkind wrote about a 1923 Department of Commerce list that had WTG broadcasting on 485 meters. There is some confusion about the station because documents self-describe it as "telegraphic." It was not a telegraph office. It just broadcast in Morse Code. Their first experimental callsign was 9YV, based in Manhattan, KS. It was first licensed in 1912 and became WTG in 1922. In 1924 the calls changed to KSAC-AM with a new frequency of 880 kHz. In 1925 they moved to 580 to share time with WIBW-AM. In 1984 the calls changed to KEXT-AM, then finally KKSU later that year.

They are generally thought to have broadcast the first regular weather information in the United States. Their daily weather broadcast in Morse code went out at 9:00 AM. In 1921, physics instructor Eric R. Lyon was running the station. Route56.com has great information on these early years. Today that station comes down to us as 580 KKSU-AM which after 78 years of broadcasting went off air in 2002 allowing WIBW to go full-time. The KKSU staff reorganized and now produce agricultural news programming for other Kansas stations, with now more than 50 affiliates. More here.

Barn Storming and Barn Dancing

Barn Dances predate American history. It's a tradition that is said to have descended from a tradition of bohemian round dancing in Bavaria. It rose to prominence in the late 1800s. This is the source of the tradition of the dance, and therefore the root of the radio program it was all founded upon.

A barn dance is any kind of dance held in a barn, but usually involves traditional or folk music with traditional dancing. It is a type of dance, originating in America and popular in Britain in the late 19th century and early 20th, derived from Schottische. Folk dancing events are often also referred to as "barn dances", despite being held in locations other than barns.

There have been a substantial number of "Barn Dance" themed programs. WBAP-AM is generally credited with debuting the first Barn Dance type of program in 1923. Even if I exclude the very similar Jamboree, Jubilee, Stampedes, Follies, Round ups, Hoedowns and Hayride programs the numbers are almost really surprising. Obviously those too are barn dance radio programs. According to the book Music of the World War II Era by William H. Young there were approximately 5,000 country music programs in radio land in the year 1935.

It seems impossible at first, but there were easily thousands of similar country music and variety radio programs on air at that time. There were about 600 stations on air by then [source] Even if they all broadcast only 12 hours a day, that's 7,200 hours of programming per day, 50,400 per week!  The math bears out the possibility at the very least. What I'm trying to do is to indicate their enormous popularity. Despite the obvious strength of country radio today, it is nothing compared to it's former prominence.  The "Barn Dance" formatted programs debuted essentially along with radio, then exploded toward the end of WWII.  The 1944 Music Year Book remarked on the phenomena, they "hold and build audiences."  But by then the National Barn Dance was in it's 12th year.

WRVA-AM - Old Dominion Barn Dance - 1946
KMBC-AM - Sears Roebuck Barn Dance - 1928
WLS-AM - National Barn Dance - 1924
KMOX-AM - Old Fashioned Barn Dance- 1930
KFH-AM -  KFH Barn Dance - 1946
WNAX-AM - Missouri Valley Barn Dance - 1940
WBRM-AM - Carlisle Family Barn Dance - 1933
WBAP-AM - Barn Dance Show - 1928
WSM-AM - WSM Barn Dance - 1925 (Grand Ole Opry)
WHO-AM - Iowa Barn Dance Frolic - 1931
WLW-AM - Renfro Valley Barn Dance - 1937
WOV-AM - Broadway Barn Dance - 1944
WXYZ-AM - Lazy Ranch Boys Barn Dance 1950?
KSTP-AM - Sunset Valley Barn Dance - 1944
WNOX-AM - Tennessee Barn Dance - 1942
WDVA-AM - Virginia Barn Dance - 1949
WHAS-AM - Old Kentucky Barn Dance - 1949
KMPC-AM - Country Carnival Barn Dance1948
KVOA-AM - KVOA Barn Dance - 1954
KRKD-AM - Los Angeles County Barn Dance- 1943
WMCA-AM - WMCA Barn Dance - 1935
KNX-AM - Hollywood Barn Dance - 1943
WBT-AM - Crazy Barn Dance - 1931
WAOK-AM - Hocking Valley Barn Dance
KLRA-AM - Arkansas Jamboree Barn Dance - 1946
WBRM-AM - Carolina Barn Dance - 1949
KRKD-AM - Foreman Phillips County Barn Dance - 1944
WCKY-AM - Liberty Theater Barn Dance - 1950s?
WEAU-AM - Chippewa Valley Barn Dance - 1948
WJHL-AM - Hawkins County Barn Dance - 1952
WKNX-AM - Michigan Barn Dance - 1954
WVLK-AM - Kentucky Mountain Barn Dance - 1949
WINS-AM - Village Barn Dance - ????
KTBB-AM - Texas Barn Dance - ????

Many of these stations have become what we now call heritage brands and are still broadcasting today in one form or another. Of those 30 or so radio stations listed above almost none are still airing country music. WSM of course has stayed the course with Country Music simulcast on both 650 AM and 95.5 FM. But WNAX moved Country to their FM stick on 94.1 and flipped the AM side to News Talk and small town 1250 WBRM-AM is still a country station today.  But that's all.  WOV became WADO and now airs regional Mexican music. WXYZ became WXYT and now airs Sports talk. WAOK and WDVA are a Gospel stations. KVOA became KCUB in 1953, it's a talker as well. KLRA became KELC-AM in the 1980s and went talk. All the others are News, talk or News/Talk as well.

There are still a handful of radio stations airing Barn Dance programs today.  Thought admittedly the format is dissimilar, the persistence of the branding is what's interesting.

KRFC-FM   - Poudre Valley Barn Dance
WMPG-FM - Barn Dance Radio
WSM-AM   - Grand Ole Opry

Lum and Abner

Lum and Abner were a comedy duo in the 1930s. Their fame has largely outlived their affiliates, and the men who played the characters. They began as a black face act locally at the University of Arkansas, they became a nationally syndicated program of great renown. But for some reason they are rarely grouped in with other golden era programs.



The general store that appears in the above film actually exists now as the Lum and Abner Museum. Chester Lauck and Norris Goff knew each other since childhood. They attended U of Arkansas together and even joined the Sigma Chi Fraternity together. They decided to try to get a job together at KTHS-AM in Hot Springs, AR but before the audition decided to drop the black face routine and do a hillbilly bit instead. It was something in the spirit of Amos & Andy but with decidedly more rural flair. PD Campbell Arnoux signed them for one 15 minute program each week. Their gig at KTHS went so well that after just a few weeks they got picked up by NBC for syndication. NBC even got them a national sponsor, Quaker Oats. When the Quaker contract expired, the duo picked up Ford as a new sponsor and broadcast just on WBAP and WFAA out of Dallas and Ft. Worth. In those days they were considered separate markets. More here.

NBC didnt' treat them well and In 1934 Horlick's Malted Milk because their new sponsor and the program moved to WCCO in Minneapolis and were heard on the station alone. When the station joined the Mutual Broadcasting System they picked up WXYZ in Detroit and Chicago's WGN-AM. In 1940 Alka-Seltzer became the sponsor and in 1944 they left MBS for ABC. which had only just ceased to be the NBC Blue network. The Keystone Broadcasting System recorded their programs for stations not directly connected to ABC. In 1948 they became a half-hour comedy series sponsored by Post Cereal. More here.
Those keystone network recordings are why we have recordings of Lum and Abner today. In 1948 they moved over to CBS where their program ran until 1950. the show ended in 1953. By then they were already on the big screen. They made 7 movies by the 1950s. My personal favorite bits are when Lum & abner start a radio station a plot that stretched over 3 15-minute episodes. You can download the Boxcars Oldtime radio podcast here.

Barn Dance on the radio!

In the early days of radio, the recording industry divided music into two primary categories: race music and hillbilly music. If you hadnt' guessed those are euphamisms for black people and white people. For the record, the adjective hillbilly is also derived from music. It's first appearance is in Uncle Dave Macon's "Hill Billie Blues" circa 1924. More here.

The Barn Dance was originated in Scotland in the 1860's. It was also known as the "Pas de Quartre" which basically was a generic term for any American folk dancing. A barn raising was a community event, and afterwards a party was given to all involved hands. Pretty much only the amish build barns in America now so we dont see these so much anymore since the Amish don't allow that deviant stuff goin' on.

Early Country Radio Timeline
1910 John Lomax publishes "Frontier Ballads"
1916 Cecil Sharp publishes Appalachian folk songs
1922 Eck Robertson, cuts the first recording of Mountain music.
1922 WBAP launches first barn dance
1923 Little Old Log Cabin by Ralph Peer is a national hit
1925 Carl Sprague records cowboy songs
1924 WLS debuts barn dance
1924 Vernon Dalhart sells 1 million copies of "The Prisoner’s Song"
1925 WSM launches the barn dance that becomes Grand Ole Opry
1927 Carter Family and Jimmie Rodgers cut first records
1928 First record is made in Nashville

Timeline contines here.

Eventually there came to be a multitude of small regional radio barn dance programs, (WRVA for example) but there were 3 big national ones. 820 WBAP-AM in Fort-Worth launched the first barn dance progam in 1923 shortly after WSM debuted hillbilly music. Thsi program really defined the radio barn dance. It even had cadance callers like a typical barn dance. A real barn dance has dance callers. A caller is a musician who shounts out dance movements. These are specificly times and on many old time recordings are ill-timed. [When your club DJ tells you to raise the roof... that's the same thing so dont get smug kid.] Little story here .

In 1922, WSM-AM was the first to broadcast these mountain songs to its audience. WSM is famous world-round for the Opry, the afformentoned Mr. Macon quite appropriately was one of the first stars of the Grand Ole Opry. It was Nashville's first radio station and the Barn dance they began broadcasting in 1923 would eventually change name to "Grand Ole Opry". Until his death in 1952, "Uncle Dave" Macon regularly performed on the radio show.

On April 19th 1924, Chicago's radio station WLS-AM began broadcasting a barn dance that could be heard throughout the Midwest. The WLS National Barn Dance had music, comedy and skits. The program ran for more than 50 years. Regularly featured were : Gene Autry, Lulu Belle and Scotty, Pat Buttram, George Gobel, and The DeZurik Sisters. Read about it here. In 1949, ABC attempted to lanuch a version of the program for TV. Sadly it tanked after only a few months. ABC Moved the program to to WGN-AM in 1960. In 1944,the show's origins were made the topic of a feature film of the same name. It sucked.

The barn dances are largely gone now, but some programs try to keep thatlantern lit like Don & Steve's BIG Fresno Barn Dance on KFSR in Fresno here. [Click the header to hear the Coon Creek Girls on the Renfro Valley Barn Dance on WHAS.]

Markets Merging...

Arbitron releases it's new market ratings and definitions twice a year; each spring and each fall. The biggest shake up I remember in recent years was been the deletion of the Westchester market. Typically market changes involve the addition or deletion of far more tertiary markets. But in the not so distant past Arbitron has changed major markets. Once Dallas and Ft. Worth were separate market areas. Obviously, this was no small change. Even today their downtown areas are 30 miles apart. Can you imagine the chaos if they merged Baltimore and Washington D.C.? That's only 35 miles. It is equally possible. I examine this change focusing on one particular station was went from the top of its game to an unrated station because of this market change.

KBOX-AM 1480 was the first all country 24-hour radio station in the Dallas Metro. This was historic. Group One Broadcasting of Texas acquired KBOX from Balaban Broadcasting in 1967 for $2 million dollars. KPCN-730 AM was the first country station in the area, starting in 1962, but broadcasted during the daytime only. KBOX quickly became the ratings leader for country music in Dallas. In its first ratings book, they moved from a 10.0 share Q3 1966 to a 12.1 share in Q1 1967!

KBOX-AM enjoyed six years of solid ratings, posting a high of 14.4 in the Q3 1967 book. In 1972 WBAP-AM began giving them stiff competition as a country-formatted 50k watt powerhouse. KBOX's ratings started to slowly sliding as a result. The Clear Channel owned WBAP was trying to chip away at their audience and it was working.

In the year 1973, the Arbitron markets for Dallas and Fort Worth were combined into one book, to reflect the merging of the two cities into one metropolitan area. KBOX, like other smaller stations, was hurt by this redefinition. KBOX did not even appear in the new ratings book. WBAP-AM became the clear country winner at that point, as KBOX barely reached the Ft. Worth half of the newly defined market.

In 1976 Group One applied for a nighttime power increase from 500 watts to 1,000 watts. The FCC approved it. This gave them a somewhat less marginal signal. It's probably what allowed them to struggle into the 1980's providing a decidedly more local service to the Dallas area. But by 1980 FM radio was growing in dominance and their ability to compete with a music format was waining.

on November 14, 1982 the KBOX call letters were dropped by Group One. KBOX-AM became KMEZ-AM and switched from its country format to a simulcast of the easy listening format of sister station KMEZ-FM. These days 1480 AM is occupied by KNIT-AM A Salem Media property running a decidedly more mundane gospel format.

You can hear a 2:00 .WMA of classic KBOX news from 1958 here:
http://www.michaelspears.com/kbox56k.wma
Great thanks to Michael Spears Entertainment just for existing.

great KBOX-AM history here:
http://www.knus99.com/kbox1480pt2.html