May Anniversaries

May 1 marks the anniversary of the storied KIKK call letters in Houston. KRCT, 650 AM, flipped on that date. The station had originated in Baytown but moved to Pasadena in 1957.

May 2 is the anniversary of KUHT-TV, Channel 8, the first educational TV station in the US.

May 5, 1947, brought the launch of KCOH, a daytime only, good music station on 1430 kilocycles. The station became the first Black-owned, Black-programmed station in Houston in 1953 and is the second oldest station in Houston still using the original call letters.

Three years later on the same date, Cinco de Mayo, Houston’s first Hispanic-owned, Spanish language station signed on, KLVL, 1480 kilocycles. It is the 3rd oldest station in Houston still using the original calls.

May 9 marks the anniversary of the oldest station in Houston, KPRC, which began on that date in 1925 and still uses the original calls.

May 12, 1947, was the first date for a station operating on 1590 kilocycles. Originally KATL, it became KYOK in 1954 and is now KMIC.

May 14, 1957, was the date the KILT calls were first used in Houston. On that date Gordon McLendon flipped the calls of KLBS, 610 kilocycles.

Broadcasting Yearbook gives May 20, 1971, for the launch of KTRU-FM @ Rice, but whether this represents the first day of broadcasting or the issuance of the license I don't know. This is later than I have extended my research so far on FM stations but here is an article from the Thresher on KTRU-FM.