KWTO
Encyclopedia
KWTO refers to two radio station
s in Springfield, Missouri
, USA
. On AM
, KWTO can be found at 560 kHz, where it airs a news-talk
format. On FM
, KWTO operates at 98.7 MHz and carries a sports talk
format.
The station is owned by Meyer Communications, making it, KWFC
, and KTXR
the only radio stations in the Springfield market to be locally owned and operated.
and began broadcasting on December 25, 1933. Foster applied for and got the call letters KWTO, which stood for "Keep Watching The Ozarks." Since the Federal Radio Commission
prohibited playing recorded music on the air, the station had its own live bands.
From the 1930s through the 1950s, KWTO’s staff musicians included Slim Wilson
and the Tall Timber Trio, Chet Atkins
, The Carter Family, Wynn Stewart
, Les Paul
, The Haden Family and The Goodwill Family. KWTO’S Korn’s-A-Krackin’, a weekly “hillbilly variety” program, was carried nationally by the Mutual Broadcasting System
. During the late 1940s and 1950s, the station played a key role in launching the careers of stars such as Porter Wagoner
and The Browns
. In 1954, the station began carrying Ozark Jubilee
, which became an ABC-TV
and radio
show. In 1959, KWTO broke with its live music tradition and began playing country records, and for the next 30 years was known as "56 Country."
On October 22, 1990, KWTO ended its long-standing country format and became the Ozarks' first full-time news-talk radio station
, which carries the programs of talk-show hosts including Rush Limbaugh
, Dr. Laura Schlessinger, Jim Bohannon
(who once worked at the station), and computer guru Kim Komando
.
With his 2008 album Rambling Boy, Charlie Haden
acknowledged KWTO's country roots by featuring the station's transmission tower on the album's cover. On December 10, 2008, Rep. Roy Blunt
recognized the station's 75th anniversary with remarks from the US House floor.
The station's 5,000-watt signal reaches large parts of Missouri, Arkansas
, Kansas
and Oklahoma
. It provides at least secondary coverage as far north as Kansas City
and Topeka, as far south as Fort Smith
and as far west as the Tulsa suburbs.
1980's Rock 99 bumper sticker.
format and was known as "Rock 99." This format lasted well into the 1980s until rival station KXUS
went on the air in April 1985 with a similar format. Rock 99 was originally an automated music format utilizing the TM Stereo Rock format based from Dallas, TX. Several FM radio stations used this format during the 1970's into the 1980's. These stations had the same announcer and same call letter type music jingles. One example, WIBW-FM 97.3 in Topeka, KS was Rock 97 and sounded just like KWTO-FM Rock 99.
That was a great automated music format without the talkative DJ's, it was rock, pop, oldies, and some album cuts. The on-air format basically went like this: Two new songs followed by two older songs then commercial break (usually four commercials) then call letter jingle and back to the music.
In March 1987, the station adopted a more Top-40 format and became "99 Hit FM." This format was changed again in 1991 to a soft-rock format, the call letters were changed to KKHT and the slogan became "The Heart - 98.7 FM." In 1993, the station returned to its classic rock roots with "98.7 FM Rock 99" and changed the call letters back to KWTO.
In 2001, the station adopted an all-sports format and became known as "The Jock, 98.7 FM."
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
s in Springfield, Missouri
Springfield, Missouri
Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. According to the 2010 census data, the population was 159,498, an increase of 5.2% since the 2000 census. The Springfield Metropolitan Area, population 436,712, includes the counties of...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. On AM
AM broadcasting
AM broadcasting is the process of radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation. AM was the first method of impressing sound on a radio signal and is still widely used today. Commercial and public AM broadcasting is carried out in the medium wave band world wide, and on long wave and short wave...
, KWTO can be found at 560 kHz, where it airs a news-talk
Talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
format. On FM
FM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
, KWTO operates at 98.7 MHz and carries a sports talk
Sports radio
Sports radio is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcasting of sporting events. A popular format with an almost exclusively male demographic in most areas, sports radio is characterized by an often-boisterous on-air style and extensive debate and analysis by both hosts and...
format.
The station is owned by Meyer Communications, making it, KWFC
KWFC
KWFC is a radio station broadcasting a Southern Gospel format. Licensed to Springfield, Missouri, USA, the station serves the Springfield MO area. The station is currently owned by Baptist Bible College, Inc., and broadcasts from Fordland....
, and KTXR
KTXR
KTXR is a radio station broadcasting a Soft Adult Contemporary/Adult Standards format, licensed to Springfield, Missouri, USA. The station is owned by Stereo Broadcasting, a subsidiary of Meyer Communications....
the only radio stations in the Springfield market to be locally owned and operated.
KWTO-AM
KWTO was founded by Ralph D. FosterRalph D. Foster
Ralph David Foster , was an American broadcasting pioneer and philanthropist who created the framework for Springfield, Missouri to challenge Nashville, Tennessee as the nation's country music capital during the 1950s...
and began broadcasting on December 25, 1933. Foster applied for and got the call letters KWTO, which stood for "Keep Watching The Ozarks." Since the Federal Radio Commission
Federal Radio Commission
The Federal Radio Commission was a government body that regulated radio use in the United States from its creation in 1926 until its replacement by the Federal Communications Commission in 1934...
prohibited playing recorded music on the air, the station had its own live bands.
From the 1930s through the 1950s, KWTO’s staff musicians included Slim Wilson
Slim Wilson
Clyde Carol Wilson , better known as Slim Wilson, was an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, and radio and TV personality who was a cornerstone of country music in the Ozarks for more than 50 years beginning in the 1930s; both in his own right, and as a member of The Goodwill Family and The...
and the Tall Timber Trio, Chet Atkins
Chet Atkins
Chester Burton Atkins , known as Chet Atkins, was an American guitarist and record producer who, along with Owen Bradley, created the smoother country music style known as the Nashville sound, which expanded country's appeal to adult pop music fans as well.Atkins's picking style, inspired by Merle...
, The Carter Family, Wynn Stewart
Wynn Stewart
Winford Lindsey Stewart , better known as Wynn Stewart, was an American country music performer. He was one of the progenitors of the Bakersfield sound...
, Les Paul
Les Paul
Lester William Polsfuss —known as Les Paul—was an American jazz and country guitarist, songwriter and inventor. He was a pioneer in the development of the solid-body electric guitar which made the sound of rock and roll possible. He is credited with many recording innovations...
, The Haden Family and The Goodwill Family. KWTO’S Korn’s-A-Krackin’, a weekly “hillbilly variety” program, was carried nationally by the Mutual Broadcasting System
Mutual Broadcasting System
The Mutual Broadcasting System was an American radio network, in operation from 1934 to 1999. In the golden age of U.S. radio drama, MBS was best known as the original network home of The Lone Ranger and The Adventures of Superman and as the long-time radio residence of The Shadow...
. During the late 1940s and 1950s, the station played a key role in launching the careers of stars such as Porter Wagoner
Porter Wagoner
Porter Wayne Wagoner was a popular American country music singer known for his flashy Nudie and Manuel suits and blond pompadour. He introduced the young Dolly Parton near the beginning of her career on his long-running television show, and they were a well-known duet throughout the late 1960s and...
and The Browns
The Browns
The Browns were an American country and folk music vocal trio best known for their 1959 Grammy-nominated hit, "The Three Bells". The group, composed of Jim Ed Brown and his sisters Maxine and Bonnie Brown, had a close, smooth harmony characteristic of the Nashville sound, though their music also...
. In 1954, the station began carrying Ozark Jubilee
Ozark Jubilee
Ozark Jubilee is the first U.S. network television program to feature country music's top stars, and was the centerpiece of a strategy for Springfield, Missouri to challenge Nashville, Tennessee as America's country music capital...
, which became an ABC-TV
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
and radio
ABC News Radio
ABC News Radio is the radio service of ABC News, a division of the ABC Television Network. Formerly known as ABC Radio News, ABC News Radio feeds, through Cumulus Media Networks, newscasts on the hour to its more than 2,000 affiliates...
show. In 1959, KWTO broke with its live music tradition and began playing country records, and for the next 30 years was known as "56 Country."
On October 22, 1990, KWTO ended its long-standing country format and became the Ozarks' first full-time news-talk radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
, which carries the programs of talk-show hosts including Rush Limbaugh
Rush Limbaugh
Rush Hudson Limbaugh III is an American radio talk show host, conservative political commentator, and an opinion leader in American conservatism. He hosts The Rush Limbaugh Show which is aired throughout the U.S. on Premiere Radio Networks and is the highest-rated talk-radio program in the United...
, Dr. Laura Schlessinger, Jim Bohannon
Jim Bohannon
James E. "Jim" Bohannon is an American broadcaster who has worked in both television and radio.During the 1980s he was a fill-in for Larry King when King had his popular nighttime national radio program. He also does much work with the Smithsonian Associates...
(who once worked at the station), and computer guru Kim Komando
Kim Komando
Kim Komando is the host of an American talk radio program based on the popularity of personal computers, the use of the Internet, and the complexities of consumer electronics. The Kim Komando Show is broadcast and syndicated on over 450 radio stations in the U.S. and two stations in Ontario, Canada...
.
With his 2008 album Rambling Boy, Charlie Haden
Charlie Haden
Charles Edward Haden is an American jazz musician. He is a double bassist, probably best known for his long association with saxophonist Ornette Coleman...
acknowledged KWTO's country roots by featuring the station's transmission tower on the album's cover. On December 10, 2008, Rep. Roy Blunt
Roy Blunt
Roy D. Blunt is the junior United States Senator from Missouri. He is a member of the Republican Party. His Senate seat was previously held by Republican Kit Bond, until his retirement....
recognized the station's 75th anniversary with remarks from the US House floor.
The station's 5,000-watt signal reaches large parts of Missouri, Arkansas
Arkansas
Arkansas is a state located in the southern region of the United States. Its name is an Algonquian name of the Quapaw Indians. Arkansas shares borders with six states , and its eastern border is largely defined by the Mississippi River...
, Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
and Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
. It provides at least secondary coverage as far north as Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
and Topeka, as far south as Fort Smith
Fort Smith, Arkansas
Fort Smith is the second-largest city in Arkansas and one of the two county seats of Sebastian County. With a population of 86,209 in 2010, it is the principal city of the Fort Smith, Arkansas-Oklahoma Metropolitan Statistical Area, a region of 298,592 residents which encompasses the Arkansas...
and as far west as the Tulsa suburbs.
1980's Rock 99 bumper sticker.
KWTO-FM
KWTO-FM went on the air in November 1972 at 98.7 FM with a rockRock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
format and was known as "Rock 99." This format lasted well into the 1980s until rival station KXUS
KXUS
KXUS is a radio station broadcasting a Classic rock format. Licensed to Springfield, Missouri, USA, it serves the Springfield area. The station is currently owned by Clear Channel Broadcasting Licenses....
went on the air in April 1985 with a similar format. Rock 99 was originally an automated music format utilizing the TM Stereo Rock format based from Dallas, TX. Several FM radio stations used this format during the 1970's into the 1980's. These stations had the same announcer and same call letter type music jingles. One example, WIBW-FM 97.3 in Topeka, KS was Rock 97 and sounded just like KWTO-FM Rock 99.
That was a great automated music format without the talkative DJ's, it was rock, pop, oldies, and some album cuts. The on-air format basically went like this: Two new songs followed by two older songs then commercial break (usually four commercials) then call letter jingle and back to the music.
In March 1987, the station adopted a more Top-40 format and became "99 Hit FM." This format was changed again in 1991 to a soft-rock format, the call letters were changed to KKHT and the slogan became "The Heart - 98.7 FM." In 1993, the station returned to its classic rock roots with "98.7 FM Rock 99" and changed the call letters back to KWTO.
In 2001, the station adopted an all-sports format and became known as "The Jock, 98.7 FM."