The Sammy

The Texas Radio Hall of Fame has created the first named award, The Sammy, dedicated to pioneering women in Texas broadcasting.   J.C. Webster of KLUV, KNUS, KLIF and KMGC is the first recipient.

Mary Nash 'Sammy' Stoddard herself sent me notice of this, enclosing a short bit from the Tom Taylor Now newsletter:

"Mary Nash “Sam” Stoddard was a pioneering woman in Texas radio, and now the Texas Radio Hall of Fame establishes an award to honor women in the business – naming it “The Sammy.” Stoddard herself continues to broadcast on a regular basis, and she tells this NOW Newsletter she’s got a new Power Point presentation about her career, starting with her as a 15-year-old on KULP, El Campo in 1954 and going on to Waco and then Dallas at KVIL. There she was the “Girl named Sam,” a very early example of a fulltime female jock in a major market. She later married KVIL morning man Mike Stoddard, and she worked at four other stations and networks after leaving KVIL"

Thanks, Mary, and congratulations on your long career.

Texas Radio Hall of Fame

Mary Stoddard

Tom Taylor Now

Larry Kane on the Bayou City History Blog

By far the most read post on this blog on a continuing, daily, weekly and monthly basis, is this post on the Larry Kane Show.  It has accumulated almost 2 and a half times more viewings than any other post and also has accumulated the most comments.

Perhaps because of the recent passing of Dick Clark, to whom Kane was often compared, J. R. Gonzales'  has posted this week about Kane in his Bayou City History blog in the Chronicle with a couple of pictures from the Chronicle files and some excerpts from interviews.  Of course, of great interest will be all the comments.

It should be noted the station in El Campo that Kane started out at was KULP.

For everything on this blog about Kane, click on the label below.

February Anniversaries

Saturday, February 1, 1947, was the first day of broadcast for KGBC, Galveston, 1540 kc. Originally a daytime station it became a full time operation within a couple of years and still operates on the same frequency and with the same call letters, making it the second oldest station in the Houston/Galveston market with the original call letters.

In the midst of the hoopla over the launch of KLEE, the news that the city had been awarded its first TV license and the start of the Rodeo for that year, Houston’s 4th FM station slipped on the air on Sunday, February 1, 1948. KXYZ-FM operated at 96.5 megacycles for 5 years before going silent for 8. Other call letters on that frequency since 1961 have included KAUM, KSRR, KNRJ, KKHT, and since 1991 KHMX-FM.

A decade later Houston’s 4th oldest FM signed on, KFMK-FM took to the airwaves on Sunday, February 2, 1958, at 5pm on 97.9 megacycles with 10,000 watts from studios in the Medical Arts Building at 1709 Dryden, between Main and Fannin. The station now on that frequency is KBXX-FM.

Broadcasting Yearbook, 1979, gave February dates for 2 suburban FM stations, February 14, 1965, for a station in Conroe on 106.9 MHz. The call letters in 1979 were KMCV-FM but I think the original calls were KNRO-FM. The station now on that frequency is KHPT-FM. February 11, 1968 was given for KUFO-FM, Galveston, 106.5 MHz. The station on that frequency now is KOVE-FM.

February 18, 1948, was the date of the big flip on 1230 kc and the launch of KTHT on its new frequency of 790 kc. KTHT was allowed to simulcast on both frequencies for 24 hours before KNUZ took to the airwaves on 1230.


February 20, 1948, brought the launch of KULP, El Campo, 1390 kc. The station is still on the air with the original calls from what is probably the original studios in downtown El Campo and calls itself The Texas Original.