KJMU 1340 Tulsa

[X-Man]

Heard that the station is back on the air with an Urban format as Hot 1340. Has anyone had a chance to listen to the station?

[NightAire]

I've listened a little; I hear some familiar voices from the past: Fresh Jamz, Mix 102.3, and Power 1550 / KBLK.

When they're live, it's kinda interesting; guests in the studio, beat mixing, etc.  When they're automated, it sounds like a jukebox with no segues.

It also sounds like they have little or no processing, maybe nothing more than a peak limiter or something...  I can get them on hwy 169 headed towards Owasso during the day, but every street light and electric meter drowns them out.  Plug an Optimod or an Omnia on there and they might actually have some decent coverage...  surprising, since I don't remember that station being listenable past 31st & Yale.

I still remember the day I was on Mix 102.3 and the PD of Love 1340 came into the station with (I assume) some of her church members, all clapping and shouting hallelujah and anointing the station with oil, claiming both the AM & the FM in the name of the Lord.

To their credit, 1340 stayed gospel a long, long time, considering all the changes in staff and ownership...  and I suppose it could be argued even though it's CCM, Cox's operation of 102.3 as Spirit counts...

...hey, maybe it DID work!   

[kxojdj]

How do you explain the Rock 102 years? 

[NightAire]

Uh...


...God's perfect timing?

(Truth be told, I thought it was the silliest, & scariest, thing I'd ever seen a radio staff do.  And I've seen some scary things over the years, but a bunch of women hyped up on Name It And Claim It is SCARY.)   

I begged God to keep 1530 KXTD Christian back in the early 90s and it went Mexican...  so obviously His plans are not always ours.

Why?  I dunno.  You'll have to take that up with Him!   

[NightAire]

TALK ABOUT TIMING!!!

Muy bien, amigos
By JEFF POSTELWAIT
World Staff Writer
3/26/2008

http://www.tulsaworld.com/business/article.aspx?articleID=20080326_5_E1_spanc56577

[j1203]

Does the station match up to its FM competitors?

[NightAire]

Does the station match up to its FM competitors?

Signal strength: no.  Not even close.  They're on AM, from Sand Springs, 500 watts during the day, and weak, weak weak processing.  I expect they sound pretty good in the parking lot, if there are no storms in the area.

Music mix:  Maybe, but I'm a little "out of the loop" on the format.     It's hard to tell what they're aimng for, but it sounds like maybe it's a....  hot urban AC?  Seems like I heard a fair amount of gold and not much modern hip hop, but it felt like a contemporary upbeat mix.

Announcers:  Where they have announcers, I'd give this one to 1340.  105.3 hasn't seemed (to my ears) to have much direction other than "open the mic and talk a while."  What little bit I've heard on 1340 has been guys who have been at this for a while on one station or another and while they may not be New York or LA (or Dallas, or Denver) they have more of a polish and a forward momentum than what I've heard on 105.3.  A different day might be a different story.

92.1's announcers just annoy the snot out of me, although they are significantly more polished and organized than either 105.3 or 1340.

Most PDs would rather have 92.1's jocks, while I'd rather listen to 1340's jocks.   

I think 1340, if it does anything, will likely hurt 105.3 a little in north Tulsa (since you can kinda hear them there) but won't put a dent into 92.1.

Crank up the processing, either get live jocks 6a - 12p or real automation, and analyze the music mix (and leave it alone if it's OK)...  then, you might have a minimally competitively station.

In its current condition, it's an admirable effort but I don't expect it to be on much of anybody's radar screen.

[stan]

Is KJMU the old KGOW I remember from the 1970s? 

For a minute, I thought of KXXO, which was actually AM 1300 at the time and their tower was in the 81st and Harvard area if I remember.  KXXO had a unique format for a time in the 1970s, and call letters that only my girlfriend at the time could understand (K kiss kiss hug).

Going back even further, didn't 1300 have the calls KOME back in the 1960s?

[Radio55]

KJMU is the former KTOW in Sand Springs. They played country, and sounded pretty darn good if I remember correctly. I think the station was owned by Hank Thompson and Roy Clark during the 70's.  If it were me, I'd take that little 500 watt blowtorch and zero in on Sand Springs---local, local, local.  News, sports, classic country format maybe and be a local station. It would probably have to be automated/computered to save money, but it could work. SANDITES FOOTBALL ON AM 1340!!  Oh, I'm getting too worked up here!

This is a good example of some good radio stations that have just faded away. They were excellent training grounds for young radio people with some great hands on experience.  KBIX and KMUS were two really good stations in Muskogee that are no more.  KMUS moved to Tulsa and is now Disney and KBIX is sports. You should hear it. The signal is horrible. A waste. It makes it tough for people interested in radio to learn the business to the extent that they would be ready for coming into Tulsa.  It's too bad. 

KXXO in the 70's was excellent. Glenda Silvey worked there during that time and it was a pioneer in news/talk.  The station was later a country format, KCNW, and I remember the station, again, sounding pretty darn good.  And yes, it was also KOME, I think in the late 60s/early 70s.  They may have been easy listening.  Can't really remember. Today, 1300 is being wasted with yet another sports format.  I can see the manager's meeting now, "Well, we have really no idea what to do with 1300. Oh, hell, just put sports on it or something and we'll sell it for $15.00 a spot."  A tragedy.

[Kent]

KJMU is the former KTOW in Sand Springs. They played country, and sounded pretty darn good if I remember correctly. I think the station was owned by Hank Thompson and Roy Clark during the 70's.

Sounds correct to me.  1340 was KTOW.  It may have been KGOW prior to that.  I'm not sure.  I know Roy Clark had an interest in the station at one time.  It eventually landed in the hands of the owners of Cust-O-Fab.  I'm thinking they're the ones who sold it to Bill Payne, who sold it to Davidson who sold it to Birach.  It remained country for awhile and was required listening anytime you went to Cust-O-Fab.  The studios were also right there on the Cust-O-Fab property.  I was told they bought the station as a toy for their son, who is blind.