KVOO-FM

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

KVOO (98.5 FM) is a country music radio station in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Although KVOO began as an AM station, the AM counterpart has since changed to a talk format and is now known as KFAQ. KVOO now operates solely as an FM station at 98.5 MHz.

[edit] History

In 1933, longtime news broadcaster Paul Harvey started his career at KVOO at the suggestion of a high school teacher.

Tulsa's NBC TV affiliate originally signed on with the call letters KVOO-TV in 1954. The station later became known as KTEW in 1970 and changed names again in 1980 to its present day KJRH.

The letters KVOO mean "The Voice of Oklahoma." During its heyday, the station became nationally famous for not only country music, but also for western swing music, harboring such musicians as Bob Wills and his Texas Playboys, Johnny Lee Wills and disc jockey Billy Parker, who has won awards as country music disc jockey of the year. One of the places in Tulsa made famous by KVOO Radio was the Cain's Ballroom, located on Tulsa's Main Street. Cain's Ballroom was the performing place for Bob Wills, and his show was broadcast on KVOO. In addition, KVOO sponsored The John Chick Show, a full hour of local country music talent on KTUL-TV until 1979. This program broadcast at 7 a.m., and regularly beat out NBC's Today Show and CBS' Morning News in the local ratings (this was at a time when ABC had no morning news program).

In addition to country music and western swing, KVOO had an award-winning radio news department.

[edit] External links

• Journal Broadcast Group
• Query the FCC's AM station database for KVOO
• Radio Locator Information on KVOO

This article about a radio station in Oklahoma is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.