1924 - KFOQ and KFUL, Galveston, and some new frequency assignments

By mid-1923 the government had abandoned the separate assignments on 485 meters for stations broadcasting weather and crop information. In response to the flood of applicants for licenses and complaints from the public about interference, new stations started receiving assignments on additional frequencies and older stations were moved off the congested 360 meters. KFLX, Galveston, was the first station in the Houston-Galveston area to get an assignment other than 360 or 485 meters in November. In January, Alfred P. Daniel’s WCAK became the first station in the area authorized to move off of 360 meters; it was assigned to 1140 kilocycles, still operating with just 10 watts. That same month, Will Horwitz’s WEAY was authorized to operate with 500 watts.

In March, 1924, KFOQ, Galveston, received a license, issued to Ora W. Chancellor of 3216 Avenue O. It was assigned to share the 1250 frequency with KFLX but was to be deleted before the year was out. Chancellor had been mentioned in 1922 as the operator of the first Galveston station, WHAB, licensed to Fellman’s, and his connection to both may be the origin of the belief that WHAB was continued as a later radio station.

In May, WSAV was re-licensed on 360 meters, while in June both WHAB and WRAA were struck from the Commerce Department list and WEV was authorized to share time on 1140 kc with WCAK.

The official government list for June 30, 1924, showed stations sharing time on 833.33 kc, 360 meters, in the Houston-Galveston area to be:

KFCV, Houston, 10 watts, Fred Mahaffey, Jr.
WEAY, Houston, 500 watts, Iris Theater
WIAC, Galveston, 100 watts, Galveston Tribune
WSAV, Houston, 100 watts Clifford W. Vick Radio Construction Co.

It also showed WCAK licensed to Alfred P. Daniel with 10 watts, and WEV, licensed to the Hurlburt-Still company with 100 watts, sharing time at 1140 kc. Incidentally, compare the 100 watts shown for WEV in 1924 with the Press’ assertion that WEV had been the most powerful station south of Kansas City in April 1922 with 200 watts and the Post’s claim that once all the equipment had been received, WEV would be operating with 500 watts.

In Galveston, KFLX, licensed to George R. Clough with 10 watts, and KFOQ, licensed to Ora W. Chancellor with 50 watts, shared time at 1250 kc.

In October, KFOQ was deleted. Then in December, 1924, KFUL, Galveston, was licensed to the Thomas W. Goggan & Brothers Music Co., to operate at 1160 kc with 10 watts and WRAA was re-licensed to Rice Institute with 100 watts at 1170 kc.

The owners of KFUL had founded their business in Galveston in the late 1800s and had branches all over the state at one time. It was considered the largest and oldest musical firm in Texas, supplying sheet music and instruments of all kinds. There was a store in Houston.

The first mention of KFUL in the Galveston Daily News appeared on December 18, 1924, reporting on a concert broadcast the previous evening by the Oriental Orchestra, a local group that performed at the Garden of Tokio.  The station lasted until the spring of 1933.

For more on KFUL, go here.