The Hi-Fi Club

THE HI-FI CLUB
NOW A PART OF THE

RATIONAL RADIO NETWORK

SUNDAY EVENINGS, 6PM-7PM ON KMNY-1360 AM IN DALLAS-FORT WORTH
CLICK HERE FOR LIVE STREAMING

CONTENTS

                        - What is THE HI-FI CLUB?
                        - Your hosts
                        - THE HI-FI CLUB history
                        - Related websites/sponsor links
                        - What happened to "Retro Radio"?
                        - How to contact us

Begun in 2006, THE HI-FI CLUB is a weekly salute to those who made local radio great, and also covers some long-forgotten local history, celebrity birthdays and commentary on the industry. The music is all hand-picked and covers some of the greatest years of pop and rock--1955 through 1975. A popular weekly fixture is the "Classic Aircheck" segment, where the hosts play an archived radio station recording from their vast collections. Recent features include the earliest known recording of Fort Worth's KXOL-1360 from 1947, featuring Norm "Epod" Alden (who is an accomplished actor these days,) the final "timeshare" broadcast of WBAP/WFAA-AM from 1970; a 1968 tape of the late Michael Spears ("Hal Martin") burning up the airwaves at KLIF-1190; KXOL morning legend Jim Tucker from 1960; and a young Russ Bloxom as the "Man on the Beat" at KCLE-AM/FM in Cleburne from 1959. Other recent special features include tributes to Bud Buschardt and WFAA-TV's 1960s dance show, "Sump'n Else;" to WBAP/KXAS-TV Channel 5 on their 58th anniversary; to longtime DFW news anchor Chip Moody; and to weatherman Harold Taft and KTVT funnyman Bill Camfield. In November, 2006, THE HI-FI CLUB aired a special presentation of long-lost John F. Kennedy assassination tapes from the old KXOL-1360. Thanks to the BizRadio Network, the show was able to reunite the recordings with their original 1360 frequency!

The "Hi-Fi" name pays homage to the 1959-62 evening radio program at the former KXOL-1360 known as "The Coca-Cola Hi-Fi Club." It was once hosted by the late George Carlin just before he moved from Fort Worth to Hollywood to make history as a comedian. THE HI-FI CLUB airs over KMNY-1360, the former KXOL frequency, making for a very appropriate place to bring the memories of 'radio past' back to life!

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L-R: Bob Schieffer, Norm Alden, Bud Buschardt, George Gimarc, Steve Eberhart, Russ Bloxom, Bill Mercer, Pat Priest, George Carlin with Jack Burns

And you never know who might sit in or call in! Actor Norm Alden was a two-time guest; Bob Schieffer, anchor of "Face the Nation" and the "CBS Evening News," taped his reflections for THE HI-FI CLUB about his time in Fort Worth and as a newsman at KXOL (and we brought Bob's voice back to the 1360 airwaves for the first time in over 40 years!); Jack Burns, former KXOL newsman who was half of a comedy duo with another KXOL ex, George Carlin; and Bud Buschardt, longtime DFW radio personality and respected musicologist, was a guest in September, 2006 and January, 2008. KJIM owner and former KXOL personality Bob Allen shared his memories of 1360 by phone. Other callers include DFW radio legends Steve Eberhart and George Gimarc (who let us break the story of his new radio protocol, Radio SASS,) as well as John Fletcher, son of the late KXOL station manager Earle Fletcher. Former Channel 5 news anchor and KXOL/KJIM/KCLE personality Russ Bloxom also provided some great reflections of his time in local radio and TV, including an account of his broadcast contributions on the day President Kennedy was assassinated. Latest guests include DFW radio legends Bill Mercer and Bob Bruton, as well as actress Pat Priest (Marilyn from "The Munsters.")

Others that we're planning future telephone or studio interviews with: The wonderful Suzie Humphreys, perennial girl-about-town at KVIL; Sandy Shepard, son of KDNT owner Harwell Shepard; Mike Selden, son of DFW radio legend Michael Selden; Jim Thomas, DFW radio legend and host of "70s Saturday Night," who provided many of the jingles you hear on the show; Jack Schell, longtime announcer at KVIL and KBOX; and "Dark Shadows" and "Alias Smith and Jones" actor Roger Davis.

YOUR HOSTS...

Mike Shannon is the webmaster of www.knus99.com, an all-encompassing history of radio and television in the Dallas-Fort Worth market. Shannon, a longtime record and aircheck collector, began cataloging historical tidbits about the market in 1984, and the website is the culmination of years of research. Mike was the program director and creative mind behind "Retro Radio," an oldies music/talk format, in 2007. Mike's regular job is that of morning traffic anchor at WBAP-820 AM in Fort Worth, and does weekend traffic for WFAA-TV in Dallas. Shannon devised the new HI-FI CLUB concept.

Chad Hoker comes to us from the sales side of radio, having held positions with Clear Channel, CBS Radio, ABC and others over his broadcast career. Hoker was the creator and host of "The GenX Radio Project," a popular personality-driven morning radio show that featured New Wave music and 1980s nostalgia. Chad comes from a family of radio executives: His father, Jay, was the station manager for KZEW-97.9 in Dallas during the early- and mid-1980s, who helped put the first local classic rock station, KRQX-570, on the air. (Jay now owns KODF-TV Channel 29 in Dallas.) Chad's sister, Kelly, is currently the director of national sales at Clear Channel in Dallas.

ROTATING CO-HOSTS...

Ray Whitworth's 36 years in Texas radio have taken him to WOAI in San Antonio, and to KLIF, WBAP, KRLD and others in DFW. Ray can be heard on the Mortenson stations in the Metroplex as a personality and as a voiceover pro on many commercials. He also operates a successful voiceover and production company in his spare time. Ray provided many of the jingles for THE HI-FI CLUB, and lends his expertise on numerous creative projects, particularly the 'Lost JFK Tapes' presentation, the recent salute to the late George Carlin, and the "Retro Radio" format.

John Lewis is the webmaster of www.kxol1360.com, which chronicles the 38-year history of KXOL-AM in Fort Worth. Lewis was one of the last jocks at the station before it signed off in 1985. Although John left the broadcast industry years ago, he served in several capacities at KTVT-TV Channel 11, and at KPAR-AM in Weatherford. Through his website, John has made numerous contacts with personalities and staffers at the old KXOL, which culminated into a KXOL reunion he hosted in September, 2001. Recently, Lewis hosted the "1360 Jazz Cafe" and other programming on KMNY's "Retro Radio" format.

HISTORY OF THE ORIGINAL "COCA COLA HI-FI CLUB"...

Logo for the original Hi-Fi Club.
Story by Bill Combs, former president and current vice president of the Coca Cola Collectors Club.
See the complete story with illustrations at www2.coca-cola.com/heritage/collectorscolumns_hifi.html.

THE HI-FI CLUB was a pretty simple, but very ambitious, idea. Kids love music and love to dance. Organizations, and parents, were looking for a way to keep those teens "off the streets" and out of trouble. Enter The Coca-Cola Company with a way to help both groups.

THE HI-FI CLUB got its start in 1958. By June 1959, Coca-Cola bottlers in 47 states sponsored THE HI-FI CLUB, and its membership was estimated at almost 2 million teenagers.

So just what was THE HI-FI CLUB? A dance club that would be supported and promoted by The Coca-Cola Company. Coke would turn to schools or any responsible group looking for a way to promote positive youth activities. Coke would supply the framework for a successful Club and the organization would do the rest. The most popular Club events were dances.

With THE HI-FI CLUB, Coca-Cola started what was one of the first national dance clubs. Coke told the organizations how to set up and run the Clubs, and provided songs and ideas for each dance and event. Membership was open to every teenager who wanted to join, with no initiation fees or dues required. Each member was given a membership card, and only members could attend events. Contests would be held at each local event, and prizes would be given on a local and national level.

One of the most important factors in a successful Club was the proper disc jockey. Coca-Cola would supply the DJ with plenty of material, and the DJ was to learn about the product and its history. The DJ's name or image would appear on advertising and point-of-sales materials. Coke provided the DJ with "The Monthly Disc Jockey Package" that included a record or transcription with the theme song for Coca-Cola, a series of special cuts containing interviews and programming from other Hi-Fi Clubs (there were breaks where the DJ could act like he was talking to others "live,") some other open-ended interviews where the DJ could pretend to be live with the artist, a segment called "Around the World Hit Parade," and a "Popular Records" set that included commercial recordings of artists who appeared on the program. The DJ package also had scripts and commercials, which in total included over two hours of music and programming ideas.

WHAT HAPPENED TO "RETRO RADIO"?

Retro Radio was a short-term project that was broadcast over KMNY-1360 during May and June, 2008. Once the station's owner, MRBI, lined up a new lessee for the airtime, Retro Radio's time on the air ended. Retro Radio still maintains a MySpace page; visit www.myspace.com/retroradio1360 for more information.

LINKS...

Live streaming of THE HI-FI CLUB: Click HERE
THE HI-FI CLUB is now on MySpace! Go to www.myspace.com/radiohificlub
The Rational Radio Network airs THE HI-FI CLUB each week...check out their website HERE
Links to current and former local radio/TV personalities, radio history sites, radio forums, etc - Click HERE
Ray Whitworth, longtime jock and production whiz, does many of the jingles and sounders for the show. To find
out about Ray's voiceover and production services, send an email HERE
Norm Alden, character actor and former personality on KXOL-1360, has a new website! Click HERE
Jim Thomas, perennial DFW radio personality and host of the long-running "70s Saturday Night," provided
several sounders and jingles for the show. Check out his website HERE
Bill Mercer's home on the web can be found HERE
George Gimarc's new radio protocol, Radio SASS, can be evaluated HERE
Mike Shannon's tribute to DFW radio and TV can be found HERE
John Lewis' salute to KXOL-1360AM in Fort Worth can be accessed HERE
Retro Radio's MySpace page is still operational...click HERE

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Restarting "The Hi-Fi Club" on 12/30/2007: 1. (L-R) Mike, John and Chad. 2. Mike Shannon at the KMNY board. 3. Ray Whitworth.

CONTACT INFORMATION/SPONSORSHIPS...

Listener questions, advertising/sponsor opportunities, or to inquire about bringing THE HI-FI CLUB to YOUR station? Email us!

Or you can contact the hosts directly:

Mike Shannon: shannon914@wans.net
John Lewis: john@kxol1360.com
Chad Hoker: chadhoker@yahoo.com
Ray Whitworth: eskimoradio7@aol.com

THANK YOU'S...

THE HI-FI CLUB has lots of folks to thank for its existence and for its continued success. Ray Whitworth, who took a job with BizRadio 1360 back in 2005, and got Mike Shannon on board thereafter, is the root of the whole process. Without Ray, there wouldn't have been the networking opportunity that led to the existence of THE HI-FI CLUB. Ted Sauceman, general manager of KMNY, took a chance with THE HI-FI CLUB and gave us the airtime to use, and worked with us to allow the creation of the Retro Radio project. John Lewis and Chad Hoker have both contributed greatly to the show's success and growth; Melissa Rasmussen has bailed us out of streaming issues for quite a while now, and was a tremendous help with the Retro Radio project; Dave Clifton and Jack Bishop of the Rational Radio Network, for allowing us to continue the program on our original frequency and time; Doyle King, Jim Thomas and Ray Whitworth for all the great imaging and production; and to radio enthusiast Ned Wolens for listening intently to 1360 and letting us know about recent changes in programming that created space once again for THE HI-FI CLUB. And of course, a BIG thanks to our listeners and supporters and guests; your faith and encouragement and kind words are greatly appreciated!