Are you up for a little time travel? Back to a time when there were only a handful of channels to enjoy and they didn’t broadcast 24/7?
With KAMU-TV’s 55th birthday happening in February and KAMU-FM’s 48th birthday coming up in March, we’re looking back at our station’s earliest days. Learn what the first broadcasts were on each station, find out why our birthday should have been in December instead of February, listen to the KAMU-FM sign-on ceremony, see archival evidence that we weren’t the original KAMU and find out what “Play That Funky Music” from a personal record collection has to do with all this.
We Weren’t the First KAMU
That’s a bit of a surprise, right? After all, our call letters stand for Texas A&M University (the K is an FCC designation, indicating stations west of the Mississippi River). But a station about as far away from us as possible had those call letters first.
In 1966, a radio station owner in Anchorage, Alaska, was trying to sell the FM side of his operation to Alaska Methodist University (now Alaska Pacific University) and applied for the KAMU call letters. The sale to the university didn’t go through despite months of negotiations. But once someone did buy the station, the call letters stuck around.
– A 1969 advertisement for Anchorage, Alaska’s KAMU-FM. (click on the image to expand)
The station broadcast an easy listening format under the KAMU call letters for about three years, before changing to KWKO on Nov. 3, 1969 – just in time for Texas A&M to apply for the letters before our station’s launch.
– Before computer databases, the FCC used “History Cards” like these to track TV and radio station owners, studio locations, construction permits and more. In this card from Alaska, you can see KAMU was used as the call letters for a radio station in Anchorage from March 23, 1966 – Nov. 3, 1969. (click on the image to expand)
By the way, that Alaska station still broadcasts at 102.1 FM to this day. They’ve been through several more call letter changes, now playing classic hits on KTMB since 2014.
Our Birthday Should Have Been in December
Okay – so we had our call letters in place. What more could be needed for a successful launch?
A way to transmit our signal, as it turns out.
KAMU-TV was all set to launch on Dec. 15, 1969. A highlight package from a recent race at what was then called Texas International Speedway (since demolished) was to be among the first programs.
The station manager at the time, Mel Chastain, is quoted in a November 1969 article in The Eagle as saying: “It’s going to be a tight deadline, but we will be ready.”
– From the front page of the Nov. 23, 1969 edition of The Eagle. KAMU-TV was ready to operate. (click on the image to expand)
But just a few days before the big launch, it became clear the General Electric transmitter used to send our signal out to Bryan-College Station would not be finished in time. Why? The 1969-1970 GE strike.
Lasting 102 days, union workers nationwide took on what was then one of the largest companies in the world. For KAMU, it meant delaying the start of telecasts 60 days – to Feb. 15, 1970.
– From the front page of the Dec. 9, 1969 edition of The Eagle. The GE strike meant KAMU’s transmitter wouldn’t be completed in time. (click on the image to expand)
The transmitter was finally installed on Jan. 23, 1970 by station staff and GE staff. A few days later, our antenna was connected to the transmitter and everything was ready. Fun fact: at the time, the antenna was located on the A&M water tower, which was demolished in 1975 to make way for the current water tower that looks over campus.
Time to Sign On
When KAMU-TV was finally ready to sign on in February 1970, the very first broadcast day, Feb. 15, only lasted an hour and a half.
That’s because it was a Sunday evening – outside of the regular broadcast schedule.
In 2025, when you find KAMU on your TV, radio, phone, tablet, smart TV or social media platform, you’ll find something all hours of the day. But it didn’t used to be that way. Stations would sign on and off, only broadcasting for part of the day.
KAMU’s plan was to broadcast from 2-10 p.m. Monday through Friday, with instructional programs for public schools and the university starting at 2 and regular telecasts beginning at 5.
– The Battalion features a photo from an early KAMU studio rehearsal. (click on the image to expand)
But to celebrate the launch of the new station, KAMU decided to make its debut on a Sunday evening, going live for the first time at 8:30 p.m. for a 90-minute special preview of all the shows to come during the week. Station staff hosted the program from the new studio, answering viewer questions and generating excitement.
– This clip from the front page of the Feb. 12, 1970 edition of The Eagle expresses excitement for the impending launch. (click on the image to expand)
So, a special programming preview was the official first broadcast on KAMU. What was the first regular program?
It’s hard to tell what KAMU broadcast between 2-5 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 16, 1970, but we do know what aired at 5 p.m. to start regular telecasts: “Misterogers’ Neighborhood.”
The show may be a vintage classic now, but back then it was only a few years old. And yes, that strange spelling is correct – Misterogers was one word from 1966-1970. Other programs for the first full evening included “Sesame Street” at 5:30 p.m. and “French Chef” with Julia Child at 7:30 p.m.
Local news broadcasts, an instructional guitar series, nostalgic silent films and more made up the rest of the early KAMU lineup.
– “Misterogers” pictured in The Eagle’s TV Log on KAMU’s first day on the air. (click on the image to expand)
There were only two ways to watch KAMU in those early days. One was with an antenna, the second was with cable. The newfangled way to watch TV was still growing in Bryan-College Station in 1970. The local company offered a whopping 11 channels, a far cry from the thousands available today. KBTX, KAMU and WTAW music were the local channels, joined by stations from Houston and Austin.
– An early Bryan-College Station cable advertisement – yes, you’re reading that right, their sales pitch was that cable cost less than cigarettes. (click on the image to expand)
Taking to the Skies
KAMU-TV went off the air several times in its first few years. Most of the time it was for transmitter maintenance, including a two-and-a-half-month period in early 1970. But the longest time off the air was for a good reason: a move.
For the first two years of its existence, KAMU operated out of Bagley Hall, an old textile engineering building. It was a good first home, but by the time it was demolished in May 1972, the 68-year-old building was the oldest on campus. The Harrington Education Center Office Tower now stands there.
– Bagley Hall in the process of being razed in this photo from the May 9, 1972 edition of The Eagle. (click on the image to expand)
This time in KAMU’s history provides some of the most dramatic photos. KAMU’s new building was too close to an Easterwood Airport approach path to build an antenna tall enough to reach the whole Brazos Valley. So the station split up for the first time – with studios, control rooms and offices moving to KAMU’s new campus building, and the transmitter and antenna moving off campus to Hensel Park.
– Pieces of KAMU’s new broadcast tower lie in wait to be used, seen in this KAMU archival photo. (click on the image to expand)
The 300+ foot tower went up over a few months, with workers from a tower company in Houston doing the most dramatic parts, hanging off the side of the tower in their harnesses.
– The base section of the KAMU tower is installed, seen in this KAMU archival photo. (click on the image to expand)
– The KAMU tower is almost complete as a piece is hauled up, seen in this KAMU archival photo. (click on the image to expand)
– The top of The Eagle front page on Aug. 16, 1972 featured these five photos of the KAMU tower under construction. (click on the image to expand)
By Dec. 30, 1972, the move was complete and KAMU was back on the air, nine months after ending transmissions from Bagley Hall.
90.3 KAMU-FM
It took a few years for KAMU-FM to join its TV twin on the airwaves. In late 1975, the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents made the first move, authorizing the university to submit an FCC application to start the station. If approved, the station would broadcast from 6 a.m. to midnight every day, reaching radios up to 15-19 miles away. News and music would make up the schedule, including classical, easy listening and jazz.
The application was submitted in Dec. 1975 and approved in July 1976. While much of the infrastructure was already in place from the TV station, lots of new equipment was still needed. Staff worked long hours to make it happen and barely eight months later, in March 1977, KAMU-FM was ready for its debut at 90.3 FM.
Wait, not 90.9?
Nope. For the first five months of our existence, we could be found at 90.3. That’s the frequency we applied for and received. Doesn’t roll off the tongue quite as well, does it?
– Early advertisement for 90.3 KAMU-FM in The Eagle. (click on the image to expand)
By August of that year, the FCC shifted frequencies around to allow an Austin radio station to upgrade to higher power and we moved to the place you know us at today: 90.9 KAMU-FM.
While we still feature news and play classical and jazz music, the lineup has changed a lot in 48 years. Except in one place. The afternoons were and still are anchored by “All Things Considered.”
A Presidential Welcome
When it was time to start KAMU-FM, who was the first DJ? A president, specifically university president Jack K. Williams. When KAMU-FM went on the air at 3 p.m. on March 30, 1977, President Williams manned the control board, dedicated the station and pressed the button to play the first song. KAMU-TV Station Manager Mel Chastain called President Williams key to getting the radio station going.
– President Jack K. Williams at the microphone during KAMU-FM’s first broadcast, seen in this picture from The Battalion. (click on the image to expand)
The sign-on ceremony was a big deal. KAMU staff and supporters gathered in the TV studio as KAMU-TV carried the sign-on ceremony live. Chastain interviewed President Williams and KAMU-FM Station Manager Don Simons for 15 minutes before they walked down the hall together for the radio station’s debut.
In his introductory remarks, Dr. Williams said the first song was a unanimous decision. Everyone wanted to play a song from the Texas A&M Singing Cadets. They selected “I Believe in Music.” Listen to Dr. Williams’ remarks and the first song in this video from the KAMU Archives.
It became the first song ever played on KAMU-FM. At least, it was the first official song.
Play That Funky Music
During construction, it’s common for broadcast stations to undergo a test period before going live. They use it to make sure equipment works properly. They might play music or have someone talk into a microphone.
KAMU-FM had a test period of its own. Our broadcast engineers worked hard for months to make sure the equipment was ready. It feels only appropriate that one of our engineers, Wayne Pecena, who is still with KAMU to this day, brought something from his personal record collection for the first test.
The test began and the sounds of Wild Cherry’s signature song carried over headphones and speakers.
“Play that funky music, white boy. Play that funky music right. Play that funky music, white boy. Lay down the boogie and play that funky music ’til you die.” – the chorus of Wild Cherry’s “Play That Funky Music.”
While “I Believe in Music” was the first official song played on KAMU-FM, the first unofficial song was “Play That Funky Music” – a bit of a departure from the easy listening, classical and jazz lineup the station would soon carry.
Decades of History
Keeping KAMU-TV and FM on the air all this time hasn’t been easy. For example, university budget cuts almost killed KAMU-FM less than a year after its debut. But thanks to community support, KAMU stuck around and continues to provide fun, informational and educational programming to everyone from kids to older adults. We couldn’t do it with you. If you’d like to help support KAMU as we embark on our 56th year of TV broadcasting and 49th of radio broadcasting, please visit our donation page. Thank you!
Bonus Features
– Want to listen to the full KAMU-FM launch day interview with President Jack K. Williams? Enjoy it here:
– Want to learn more about the Alaska station that used to carry our call letters? Former station owner Joe O’Hearn lays out the history in this AnchorageMemories.com article.
– You saw the FCC history card from the Alaska station. Want to peek through our station history cards? Click on these links:
KAMU-TV History Cards
KAMU-FM History Cards
– Today, we have a state-of-the-art remote truck to help us bring you live events such as Texas A&M Commencement Ceremonies, Midnight Yell Practices and Aggie Muster. But when KAMU-TV first began, we purchased an old remote truck from KTRK in Houston, repurposing it as a studio control room and remote truck.
– Finally, remember how we said stations used to sign on and sign off each day? Check out this video of an early sign-on from KAMU-TV. This was seven years after launch and shows you just how much things have changed since the 1970s.
