Seattle's (K)KOL is 95!

A look back at various radio stations

Seattle's (K)KOL is 95!

Postby jon » Tue May 23, 2017 8:45 am

Today is KOL's 95th birthday. Were the late Lan Roberts still there, I am sure that he would be playing Channel 95 jingles throughout his show, to celebrate. He'd done it before, on Hallowe'en 1969, when he spun a package of KJR jingle material on KOL's Garbage Record Festival.

Within the last week or so, I stumbled upon KOL's FCC records and was shocked at how many times they had applied for a change in frequency and been turned down, sometimes after an experimental period of actually being on the new frequency, all in a quest for higher power:
  • 1933 - 850
  • 1934 - 660
  • 1934 - 850
  • 1935 - 810
  • 1935 - 920
  • 1936 - 1040
  • 1937 - 1020
  • 1942 - 880
  • 1945 - 820
Other than a few experimental changes, KOL remained on 1270 up to the mass frequency change of 1941 (Havana Treaty), when they switched to their current home of 1300.

Today in Broadcast History looks at KOL's Top 40 history.
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Re: Seattle's (K)KOL is 95!

Postby drmusic » Tue May 23, 2017 2:18 pm

CKCK would have been 95 as well, in another month. A month ago, CHAB's 95th birthday passed by. I wonder if someone there is still keeping track. I know they observed their 90th.
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Re: Seattle's (K)KOL is 95!

Postby jon » Tue May 23, 2017 8:51 pm

Which brings up the usual questions of who had the first stations on the air in Western Canada.

Depends on the definition of a radio station, and what kind of license the station had.

A couple of interesting candidates come to mind.

Signing on sometime in February 1922, CKZC Winnipeg broadcast on Sunday and Tuesday evenings, playing a variety of records, and was logged 845 miles away.

Although CFCN was beat to Calgary by CFAC for a commercial license, the station was broadcasting concerts heard by many Western Canadians as CYAA from High River with 50 watts in early 1921. Owner Bill Grant had previously broadcast voice and music on his own radio station in Halifax in May 1919. CFCF Montreal, then with call letters XWA, was also experimenting in 1919.
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