KXOK (630 AM) was a radio station in St. Louis, Missouri, which helped pioneer the Top 40 radio format in the early-1960s.
KXOK broadcast on the 630 kHz frequency with 5,000 watts of power and reached a substantial portion of eastern Missouri and southern Illinois during daytime hours. At night, the power was 5,000 watts as well, but with a more directional signal, sending a strong signal into the immediate St. Louis metro area, from KXOK's three tower site just outside Granite City, Illinois.
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Nicknamed "The Sound and the Spirit of St. Louis" and "The Fun Spot," KXOK was one of several stations owned by Todd Storz as part of the Storz family of stations (other stations in the group included WHB in nearby Kansas City, WQAM in Miami, WTIX in New Orleans, KOMA in Oklahoma City, and WDGY in Minneapolis-St. Paul). During the mid-60's KXOK was one of the two dominant radio stations in the St. Louis market, along with KMOX. KXOK was so successful during this period, that its Top 40 competitor, WIL (AM 1430) dropped pop music in 1967, and switched to country music. [1]
A number of legendary air personalities graced the KXOK airwaves during the station's glory years 1including Ray Otis, Bill Addison, Mort Crowley, Danny Dark, Johnny Rabbitt aka Ron Elz, Peter Martin, Shad O'Shea, William A. Hopkins, Johnny Rabbitt aka Don Pietromonaco, Don Shafer, Delcia Devon, Louise Harrison Caldwell (Beatle George Harrison's sister), Lou Cooley, Davey O'Donnell, Peter Martin, Keith Morris, Richard Ward Fatherley and Bob Shannon.
Other outstanding personalities of the 1970's included Jerry Butler, Jack Mindy, Craig Roberts and Scott Sherwood, The news staff included veteran reporters Bob Shea, Robert R. Lynn and Steven B. Stevens. It was under the leadership of Station Operations Manager Bud Connell and program directors Ray Otis and Mort Crowley that KXOK became one of the highest-rated stations in the country.
Many of the station's DJ's over the years went on to successful careers as national talk show hosts, television news anchors, actors and nationally known freelance talent. Danny Dark became the Voice of NBC-TV, a post he held for an entire generation.
With the departure of key air talents and the advent of Top 40 music on FM, most notably from KSLQ (now known as KYKY), KXOK went through several format changes starting in circa 1975, including talk and oldies. As of March 2008, KZQZ-AM 1430 in St. Louis is referring to itself as the new KXOK, playing an oldies format.
The call letters are also used for a low-power television station, KXOK-LP in Enid, Oklahoma. The 630 kHz frequency in St. Louis has been used by KJSL, a Christian talk radio station since the sale of the station in 1994.
"Jumpin' Joe" Madigan, an oldies DJ from Cleveland produces a special one hour edition "Retro Radio" tribute to KXOK and other Top 40 stations from the 1960s on The Oldies Super Highway,an online station. Madigan also hosts a live version of his program on Saturday afternoons on the online stream of the website of WJCU a campus FM station in the Cleveland area.
The 630 AM frequency in St. Louis today is used by KJSL, a Christian talk station.