THE 1940s   

1940 - 1941 - 1942-44 - 1945 - 1946 - 1947 - 1948 - 1949

1940

1941

The North American Radio Broadcast Agreement (or "NARBA") went into effect on March 29, 1941.   The last of the major frequency assignment overhauls moved Dallas and Fort Worth's heritage AM stations to the frequencies they are most readily identified with, and in some cases, still occupy.

The north Texas radio dial also had its first addition in over three years with the arrival of Dallas' first "independent" radio station.  KSKY signed on with studios on the top of the Stoneleigh Hotel.

1942-44

The radio dial in north Texas remained unchanged during the war years, as America's entry into World War II meant a freeze on radio construction. 

Luckily, WBAP and WFAA had finished constructing their massive new transmitting facility before the war.  The 820 frequency radiated with 50,000 watts from a site near Grapevine (it was later plowed under in the construction of DFW Airport).   Stations like WBAP/WFAA were lifelines as people throughout the Southwest spent night after night listening for the latest updates from the front lines in the first war in the radio era.

1945

Here is an actual "Crossley" ratings report for Dallas from the Spring of 1945.

1946


Frequency modulation broadcasting made its official debut in north Texas in 1946.   The Dallas Morning News had been experimenting with high-frequency broadcasts dating back to the 1938 debut of W5XD, a shortwave "apex" station that broadcast high-fidelity music at a frequency of 31.6 megahertz.   That short-lived operation led to the News' experimentation with facsimile broadcasting, whereby the newspaper was transmitted to special receivers that then printed out the newspaper (the fore-runner of the modern fax machine.)  

Facsimile broadcasting never found much of an audience, so after World War II the News shifted its developmental focus to frequency modulation broadcasting.  The experimental FM station W5X1C was put on the air at 45.1 mHz in 1945.   That led to KERA-FM, which officially signed on in October as the 2nd FM radio station in Texas.

1947

The complicated histories of WBAP and WFAA started a new chapter in 1947.  The stations had been sharing the same frequency for most of their existence.  Then, KGKO was added, and it allowed programs that got bumped off of WBAP and WFAA to still be broadcast.   It was a fitting way to start off the Silver Anniversary of radio in north Texas.
 
However, this arrangement still meant that both WBAP and WFAA would essentially disappear half the time.   It was decided to eliminate the KGKO call letters altogether and let the WBAP and WFAA call letters occupy both the 570 and 820 frequencies.  While WFAA was on 820, WBAP would be on 570, and vice versa.  And since neither entity was willing to fully relinquish control of the powerful 820 frequency, this is how the stations would continue to operate for another 23 years.

1947 also marked the end of the freeze that kept new radio stations from going on the air during World War II.  North Texas radio saw explosive growth as 3 new AM stations and 1 new FM station signed on.   Sunday, November 9th witnessed the sign on of KLIF 1190 in Oak Cliff.   From that day's Dallas Morning News:
 
  Station KLIF To Take The Air Here Sunday Afternoon

Dallas will get a new daytime radio station Sunday.  Station KLIF, which will take the air at 12:50p.  Studios are located in Cliff Towers and the call letters indicate that it will have Oak Cliff identification.  KLIF will broadcast over 1190 kilocycles with 1,000 watts.
President of the KLIF Corporation is Barton R. McLendon of the Tri-State Theaters.  Gordon B. McLendon is executive director and Aubrey Escoe, station manager.
A comprehensive sports program is promised.  Red Calhoun and Buster Smith comprise a Negro disk jockey team.  Mrs. Margaret Healey, widow of the late Capt. Tim Healey, is director of women's activities.  There will be a talking parrot at station break time and a satirical news commentator to be known as Lowell Gram Kaltenheatter.

Few could have imagined the impact KLIF would have on the entire radio industry
in the coming decade. 

1948

1949

A case of revisionist history is evident in 1949, when the Fort Worth Star Telegram celebrated its 100th anniversary.  The centennial edition of the paper paid tribute to the city, along with the Star Telegram's related properties, which included WBAP's radio and TV stations.

There is no question that WBAP was, and still is, a pioneer radio station, and accomplished many firsts in the field of broadcasting.  However, government documents and contemporary accounts alike all confirm that WBAP was not the first radio station in Fort Worth - WPA holds that distinction.

The Star Telegram's primary rival, the Fort Worth Record, owned WPA, and the radio station signed off the air after just over a year of broadcasting.   The Record itself was bought by the Star Telegram in 1925.   This certainly made WPA's place in Fort Worth's history much easier to overlook.  Whether an intentionally re-written history, or simply a case of foggy memories, you can see the Star Telegram's 1949 version of the chronology of radio stations in Fort Worth.

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