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KAMC/KFAD

I cannot offer a concise time when this happened, but listening to KAMC here and there I noticed the format sort of evolved into Progressive Country. It began with a set of progressive country here and there. I presume it would be in the last half of 1974 when it happened.

I recall buying the Michael Murphy album with "Holy Roller" after hearing it a few times on "95 FM". I think this album was released in early 1975.
 
Jezz said:
Does anyone have any old airchecks of KAMC (KFAD) out of the early '70?
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I have about 90 min of KFAD from about '72-73, and another tape from about 1975 of KAMC playing rock. I would thread a tape on the reel-to-reel, hit record and let it go til the end.
 
I was living in DFW during the KAMC era, and listened to the station quite a bit. But for the life of me I don't recall the Progressive Country format...I remember it being Progressive Rock up until the sale to Jimmy Swaggart and the flip to KWJS in 1976.

I assume there isn't confusion with the Progressive Country format on KAFM which ran from 1975-77...?
 
As I recall, the Progressive Country era was short. Sometime in mid to late 1974 they began playing more and more Progressive Country but stopped pretty suddenly about the time KAFM switched to Progressive Country. Within weeks of KAFM coming on, Progressive Country was back to a set of music here or there. I don't recall the exact date KAFM became Progressive Country, but I think it would be fair to say KAMC was turning back to rock within a month. Ironically the KAMC features remained in the Progressive Country era (like who was looking for or offering a ride to some place). I recall the Progressive Country bumper sticker was yellow with a rope around the edge and 95 FM in the center.
 
bturner said:
As I recall, the Progressive Country era was short. Sometime in mid to late 1974 they began playing more and more Progressive Country but stopped pretty suddenly about the time KAFM switched to Progressive Country. Within weeks of KAFM coming on, Progressive Country was back to a set of music here or there. I don't recall the exact date KAFM became Progressive Country, but I think it would be fair to say KAMC was turning back to rock within a month. Ironically the KAMC features remained in the Progressive Country era (like who was looking for or offering a ride to some place). I recall the Progressive Country bumper sticker was yellow with a rope around the edge and 95 FM in the center.
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Didn't Jon Dillon move from KAMC to KAFM about that time? I sort of recall the format moved with him.
 
The two names I remember at KAFM were Dave Thomas and Steve Coffman. If I recall Dave worked mornings and Steve did afternoons. Steve ran 98.7 KTXN The Texas Mix in Victoria until his death a couple of years back. I understand Steve had something to do in helping Jayson Fritz at KFAN, Texas Rebel Radio, in Fredericksburg and something to do with an AM station in San Antonio before buying the Hallettsville, Texas cluster (an AM & FM and FM in Yoakum). After selling the Hallettsville cluster he was off to Victoria where cancer ended up taking his life. In all instances these were Progressive Country but the termed evolved into "Texas Music" and "Americana" (both poor descriptions as I refer to it as music with a rural feel mostly played by rock musicians...I've heard "Farm to Market Rock").

Jon Dillon may have been involved with the Progressive Country format at KAFM. When KAFM opted for the short lived "Lonne Star" format, he made reference to 'going full circle'.
 
Steve Coffman went to KZEP 104.5 in San Antonio for a time, then worked with KFAN 101.1 (until it became KONO) He was on KENS-AM 1160 in 1993, doing a Texas music presentation with Ron Houston. I didn't know about Halletsville, but I had many nice interactions with Steve when he ran KTXN.
 
That's right. Steve was at KFAN working under Jason Fritz until Jason got an offer he couldn't refuse for the frequency. KFAN became the FM in Johnson City (operated from Fredericksburg). Then it was KENS AM (the calls I could not remember although we carried KENS TV news audio on our AM at the time). There seemed to be a gap between KENS AM and Steve's purchase of the Hallettsville AM and FM and Yoakum FM.

Steve really shook up the format at the Hallettsville cluster before leasing KTXN after selling his Hallettsville cluster. Laura and Travis at the FM in Hallettsville could fill in all the details as Laura was a waitress back when Steve hired her to be the receptionist at the station. Now she and her husband own the stations.

Of all the Texas Music/Americana formats I liked KTXN best. There seemed to be better variety and enough material that was familiar. My issue with the format is either too many songs in a row I've never heard or not enough variety (leaning too much one way or the other). Too bad the station is gone.
 
Kamc/kfad

I worked at KAMC in the early 70's. I started on the 7 to midnight shift and then moved to mid day 9am to 2pm. The station played a mix of top 40 and pop but then went back to the progressive rock format that KFAD was best known for. We slowly incorporated progressive country for a while but never went full country. It was not uncommon to hear Waylon and Willie along with Led Zeppelin in the same hour. I read in the thread about 95 FM offering a ride service. This was called "The Hitchhiker" and was actually featured on a channel 8 newscast. There was an ad for it in Iconoclast and I was the poster boy in that ad. In its heyday the lineup was Ken Baker in the morning, me, Chris Favors, mid day, The Michaels in afternoon replaced later by Stuart McRea and Mike Lawrence did 7 - mid night. When Swaggart bought the station I went to work at KAFM. The format there at the time was progressive country. The program director was Chuck Dunaway. I did work with Allen farmer and Steve Coffman there. Jon Dillon was not there when it was progressive country. He was when KAFM 92.5 became Lone Star 92.5.
 
KAMC Arlington/Cleburne

MidDayDJ said:
I worked at KAMC in the early 70's. I started on the 7 to midnight shift and then moved to mid day 9am to 2pm. The station played a mix of top 40 and pop but then went back to the progressive rock format that KFAD was best known for. We slowly incorporated progressive country for a while but never went full country. It was not uncommon to hear Waylon and Willie along with Led Zeppelin in the same hour. I read in the thread about 95 FM offering a ride service. This was called "The Hitchhiker" and was actually featured on a channel 8 newscast. There was an ad for it in Iconoclast and I was the poster boy in that ad. In its heyday the lineup was Ken Baker in the morning, me, Chris Favors, mid day, The Michaels in afternoon replaced later by Stuart McRea and Mike Lawrence did 7 - mid night. When Swaggart bought the station I went to work at KAFM. The format there at the time was progressive country. The program director was Chuck Dunaway. I did work with Allen farmer and Steve Coffman there. Jon Dillon was not there when it was progressive country. He was when KAFM 92.5 became Lone Star 92.5.
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Mrs. Favors' boy!!!! You were the best DJ ever in the DFW area!!! You taught me more about music and the art of the segue than anyone else. I was the teenager interested in music that used to call you on a regular basis when you did the evening shift at "your local radio station". KAMC is always the step-child when it comes to DFW stations in the 70's. To me, it had the best format of all of them. Like you said, you could hear Willie and Waylon and Zepplin. A segue you should try is Willie's "I Never Cared for You" and "Echoes" from Pink Floyd.

While I never became a real DJ, I do try to keep the spirit alive in an online music room. http://www.beatsense.com/FreeFormRadio#/ It would be fun for some of the old KAMC listeners to stop by for a chat. I'm usually around off and on during the day.

Alan
 
bturner said:
The two names I remember at KAFM were Dave Thomas and Steve Coffman. If I recall Dave worked mornings and Steve did afternoons. Steve ran 98.7 KTXN The Texas Mix in Victoria until his death a couple of years back.

Jon Dillon may have been involved with the Progressive Country format at KAFM. When KAFM opted for the short lived "Lonne Star" format, he made reference to 'going full circle'.
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Its great to be remembered. Those days were great fun. Steve had the coolest Texas drawl and the young single guy I knew was a smooth talkin ladies man. Miss him and all those guys I help round up out of Wichita Falls to start KAFM. I briefly was PD at KFM but had a hand in the music libraries as MD at KFAD, KAFM, Magic 102.9 and for all the jazz at KERA-FM

JD wasn't part of KAFM crew. He may have still been doing things with KRLD at that time. He did some very cool things at KRLD and of course was very instrumental at KFAD with me, Phil Cook, Gary Gorbett (the GM) and at KZEW where I enjoyed DJing Saturday nights

BTW Professor Gor BAY has some cool Earth Station Radio YouTube videos he did after moving to Crested Butte.
 
Hi Alan and Chris,

I'm think you guys might help me find Phil Cook and a few of the other KFAD and KAMC guys and put a few sets together. If that sounds like fun let me know.

Dave
 
MidDayDJ said:
...the lineup was Ken Baker in the morning, me, Chris Favors, mid day...
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The tape I have of KAMC is of you! Must have been spring 1976 because one song played "Darkness, Darkness" by Ian Matthews is on a record that came out in '76. Great version btw... !
 
davethomas said:
Did you happen to record me in that tape? I don't have a single one from that station.
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Dave Thomas check your PM ! I think there's at least a public service announcement you did on the KFAD recording I have.
 
Great to see your name here Dave. I remember KAFM well and if I recall, you had a few shifts outside radio at Disc Records in Town East Mall.

I was a fan of KFAD even back when it was 'Top 50' versus Top 40 6am to noon, Album Rock from noon to 6 and if I recall, mostly jazz after 6 in the evening, eventually moving to all album rock followed by a short time as a country station under KAMC and it's eventual return to the album oriented rock format which allowed, I understand, plenty of freedom to create sets of music. (My family moved to Dallas in June 1969 and I became a regular KFAD listener then.) KAFM used to be that way, I suppose. I recall hearing a few 'theme' sets on the way to work at Valley View Mall while listening to Dave doing the morning shift.

KAFM was about 3 years before I began my radio career, moving from Big D to the Texas/Mexico boarder for my first gig.
 
Loved the station and somewhere have a 8-track tape with the last few tunes before the air went dead, last song played was Michael Murphy's Honolulu.
Also fondly recall the Public Watermelon...
 
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