This year is the 50th Anniversary of KOXE. It went on the air on May 17, 1975 and it makes me feel kind of proud. I feel like I’m kinfolk I’ve been associated with them so long. It’s a wonderful station and I’m glad we’ve got it. KOXE FM, 101.3 and 100,000 watts which reaches a very long way!
1941 was the first day that KBWD went on the air then 1975 was when KBWD and KOXE moved to what would now be considered the old station. The original second station isn’t even there anymore. I’m not sure of the year that the second station was built but they’ve been great stations for a great many years.
I don’t have a whole lot of memories but I always remember the first night I went in to KBWD. It was at night when I went up there and unbelievably Jack Wallace let me in. A few years after that I actually got on as a disc jockey. The fact is, we moved across the alley way and into a beautiful building known as KBWD and KOXE. That was the first time both stations had literally gone on the air for the first time together. We kick started them and we were rolling.
The funny thing is that KOXE was kind of an oddity. You have to realize there wasn’t FM on the air except for a very few places and Brownwood was one of them. It was fully automated and everything was programmed into computers. It was KOXE, but the main studio was still KBWD. Then things changed. In the late 70’s or maybe the early ‘80s it got switched and KOXE became the big dog and KBWD was simply a satellite station. The programming was picked up through a satellite and played on the KBWD station. KBWD became what it is now on the AM and KOXE became the big dog on the FM.
The sports were carried on KBWD at the start. In 1997, Brownwood beat Stephenville in double overtime and that ending of “Lions Win” was played over and over on the airway. At that time, KOXE was 1,000 watts and didn’t reach very far. The sports were moved to KOXE which was 100,000 watts and could provide a huge coverage area.
The practically new radio station’s building became history because Brownwood removed some buildings to facilitate the building of the overpass. In a new building KOXE and KBWD moved to where it is now on Carnegie Street. The people at KOXE were kind enough to invite me down and let me spin the first record – or whatever you call it – at 6:30 or 7 in the morning. It has now become a great radio station.
I used to know everybody’s name and address and everything else. Now I very seldom go in there, but if I go in half of the people I don’t even know, but the ones that I do know, Don and Bonnie, Mitch and his wife, and a few of the board people, are still good people and I like being associated with KOXE and KBWD.
Happy 50th Anniversary KOXE!
Until next time, so long everybody
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‘Out of the Box’ with Dallas Huston is published each Monday morning at BrownwoodNews.com. Dallas was the radio voice of the Brownwood Lions and Howard Payne Yellow Jackets for more than 55 years. He currently is Pastor of Center City Baptist Church and hosts a Men’s Bible Study in Brownwood on Monday evenings. Your comments are welcome at [email protected].