Today marks the 65th anniversary of AM 1230 KWTX in Waco, Texas. Former KWTX DJ/announcer Mike Braun worked there from 1975-1979 and is the owner of what might be the only existing KWTX sticker from that time period. Here's Mike with a brief station history...**** Radio station KWTX-AM celebrates 65 years of serving Waco and Central Texas ****
KWTX radio, Waco, Texas, was founded by Beauford Jester and a group of Waco businessmen. Jester would later become Texas governor.
An application for the station was made in 1941, but the start of World War II imposed equipment and construction restrictions across the United States, delaying the station's approval and completion for five years.
KWTX radio's inaugural broadcast was May 1, 1946, at "1-2-3 on your dial" (1230 kc) from a studio in downtown Waco. The station aired a mix of music, news, sports and drama, and was affiliated with the Mutual radio network.
The station moved to a new facility on Bosque Boulevard in the early '50s. The building would become known as Broadcast Center, sharing space with KWTX-TV (Channel 10) in 1955 and KWTX-FM (97.5) 1970.
Twenty-eight-year-old M.N. "Buddy" Bostick was the station manager when KWTX-AM first began broadcasting. Mr. Bostick would later become president of KWTX Broadcasting Company. The ownership group would put KWTX-TV (Channel 10) on the air in 1955, followed by KBTX-TV, Bryan-College Station (Channel 3) in 1957, along with the purchase of KXII-TV, Ardmore, Oklahoma (Channel 12). The company acquired KNAL radio, Victoria, Texas, in 1959 and KLFY-TV, Lafayette, Louisiana, in 1965. KWTX-FM, Waco (97.5) would go on the air in 1970.
KWTX-AM programmed an adult middle-of-the-road music format with a mix of news, weather and sports until it switched to news/talk in 1996.
KWTX-AM and FM were sold to GulfStar Communications in 1996, ending Mr. Bostick's 50-year relationship with KWTX radio. The stations are now owned by Clear Channel Communications. The radio stations are located at 314 West State Hwy. 6., Waco. KWTX-TV was sold to Gray Communications in 1999. The TV station is located at 6700 American Plaza, Waco.
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