Fun Facts and History

	KXOL first went on the air as Ft. Worth's first full-time unaffiliated independent radio station on April 2, 1947 at 4:00pm. KXOL was owned by The Fort Worth Broadcasting Company. The station owner and President was F.M. Skinner and the General Manager was Russ Lamb. On April 3, 1951 Herman Clark replaced Russ Lamb as GM. April 14, 1952 Earle Fletcher succeeds F.M Skinner as President of The Fort Worth Broadcasting Company. Skinner remained the owner of the company until July 21, 1955 when the station was sold to Wendell Mayes Sr. for $260,555.00. The company's new name became KXOL, Inc. KXOL remained part of the Mayes family of stations until 1972 when it was sold to TETCO President Tom E. Turner who would be the stations owner until November 1985 when KXOL was sold to Universal Broadcasting for an undisclosed sum. The format and call letters were changed to KWJS.
	Character actor Norm Alden, one of the first DJ's on KXOL, was the first voice heard on 1360. Alden hosted the Hillbilly Super Club as a character named "Epod" (which is dope spelled backwards) along with Bill Herring who was known as "Sweet William." Alden & Herring also hosted a show on KXOL called Doodle for Dollars.
	Joe Wills was KXOLs first Newsman and before the days of "mobile news units" Joe carried a wire recorder everywhere he went. Joe became the voice for 20th Century Fox Movietone News and would later earn an Oscar® as well as the Cannes Film Festival Award.
	The late Jim Lowe, also one of the first DJ's on KXOL, was the voice of "Big Tex" at the State Fair of Texas until 1999. Lowe also was a very well known DJ for WRR Dallas.
	The first sponsored program on KXOL was Ballads by Brooks presented by The Fair Department Store and stared 17 year old Elston Brooks. The show premiered on April 2,1947 at 5:30pm. Brooks later became a columnist for the Ft. Worth Star Telegram and author of several books. Elston Brooks passed away in 1991.
	Kenny Sargent, long before working as an all night DJ on KXOL in 1962, was a featured singer with Glen Gray and his Casa Loma Orchestra in the 1930's and had a hit song, For You.
	KXOL's first studio was in the Professional Building at 1216 Pennsylvania Ave. In 1953 the station moved to 3004 W. Lancaster across from Farrington Field. Finally in 1965 KXOL moved to the former Clifford Herring Sound Studio at 1705 W 7th Street and was considered to be one of the most modern radio facilities in the nation at that time.
	The hit songs Hey Baby by Bruce Channel and Hey, Hey Paula by Paul and Paula were recorded at the Clifford Herring Sound Studios at 1705 W. 7th St. in Ft. Worth. KXOL purchased the property and moved their studios to this location in 1965. The legend that the songs were recorded at KXOL is incorrect.
	Chuck Dunaway and Kent Burkhart initiated what is believed to be the very first radio station playlist in 1955 at KXOL.
	Comedians George Carlin and Jack Burns worked at KXOL from 1959-1960. Carlin and Burns developed an on air two man act. They started performing stand-up at The Cellar Club in Ft. Worth. Station Manager Earle Fletcher gave the two an ultimatum, "radio or nightclubs." Carlin and Burns left for Hollywood in February 1960 and were on The Tonight Show with Jack Parr within a couple of months!
	The late Rodd Roddy of the Price is Right began his career at KXOL in 1955. Roddy later went to KLIF in Dallas. His first national announcing job came when he was asked to be the narrator for the TV sitcom Soap.
	News Anchorman Bob Schieffer was a newsman for KXOL before joining The Star Telegram, then to WBAP and then on to CBS. Station Manager Earle Fletcher made Bob change the spelling of his last name to "Shaffer". Bob Schieffer is the host of Face The Nation.
	KXOL's "Jimmy Kaye" (Jim McKrell) became a television personality, best known for emceeing television game shows such as Celebrity Sweepstakes and The Game Game and TV shows including Dallas, Soap, Moonlighting and more. His movies included Teen Wolf, Harry's War, The Howling and Gremlins. Jim was also the corporate spokesman for Chevrolet and Disney.
	KXOL has been credited as the station that pioneered "on the scene" radio news in the Southwest.
	KXOL was once on the FM dial at 99.5. It became KCWM and today it's KPLX "The Wolf".
	A not so "fun fact", 1972 marked the last year KXOL would appear in the ratings top 5 after a 25 year reign. In 1976 KXOL ditched its Top 40 format for Country. In 1984 KXOL tried to go back to Top 40 but failed and adopted the "Pure Country" format in 1985.
	The last program ever heard on KXOL was the Rocky Davis Show. The last song played was Elvis Presley's Peace in the Valley. Rocky signed the station off the air at 11:59:55 PM on November 22,1985 by saying, "This was KXOL". On the air with him were John Lewis & Cowboy Chris Michales. The transmitter was shut off at 12:00am Novermber 23,1985.
	From 2006-2008, 1360AM in Ft. Worth / Dallas heard the call letters K X O L once again along with the sounds and voices of the past. Mike Shannon and John Lewis revived a familar show name "The Hi-Fi Club" and it aired live on KMNY 1360-AM Dallas / Ft. Worth on Sunday evenings starting at 6PM. The first showed paid tribute to the men and women who made KXOL great. The Hi-Fi Club continues in syndication with its intrepid host Mike Shannon.