Midwest Legendary Radio Stations

The History of KXOK begins in 1936 as Elzey Roberts, the publisher of the St. Louis Star-Times newspaper, applied for a radio station for St. Louis after purchasing KFRU operating at 630 kHz from Columbia, Missouri. That St. Louis application was at 1250 kHz, but another application was filed for the frequency by Missouri Broadcasting, operators of the existing WIL Radio, which operated at 1160 kHz at 250 watts. Either radio station would be able to increase its power to 1,000 watts to achieve a more regional coverage area from that frequency.

After being challenged by WIL, six months after the application was filed, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Star-Times. On September 20, 1938, KXOK went on the air from the fourth floor of the newspaper's building in downtown St. Louis and a transmitter site near Venice, Illinois.

By the next year, KXOK would apply for the frequency of sister station KFRU at 630 kHz and move KFRU to 1370 kHz, operating at 250 watts. On October 26, 1940, KXOK would begin broadcasting at 630 kHz with a power of 5,000 watts, giving the station a regional coverage area.

Even after Elzey Roberts sold his Star-Times newspaper to the Post-Dispatch in 1951, he continued to own and operate KXOK until 1954, when the station was sold to Chet Thomas and Elzey Roberts, Jr.. He moved the studios from downtown to a location on Kingshighway near Forest Park and called the property Radio Park. In 1960, the station would change hands again, this time to Robert and Todd Storz. Storz Broadcasting quickly changed the station to a Top-40 format to compete with WIL Radio, which had already established itself as St. Louis' leading contemporary music and personality radio station.

Even though WIL had several top-flight announcers/DJs, KXOK took St. Louis by storm as its popularity faded into the 1960s. By 1967, WIL would become a country station.

KXOK in the 1960s had Davey O'Donnell, Peter Martin, Don “Stinky” Shafer, Nick Charles, Keith Morris, Ray Otis, Steven B. Stevens, Bob Shea, Robert R. Lynn, Richard Ward Fatherly, Nick Charles, and Johnny Rabbitt, among others. As the 60s brought us the British Invasion, KXOK became the Midwest Beatles station, as George Harrison's sister lived in St. Louis, and she would feed KXOK Beatles releases before anyone else. Johnny Rabbitt, played by Don Pietromonaco, and his sidekick, Bruno J. Grunion. Meanwhile, nighttime jock Johnny Rabbitt became a local celebrity with appearances throughout the city with local charity benefits and commercial appearances.

The format was unique, with a barrage of jingles, sound effects, and even music accompaniment during newscasts. It was fast and furious with live commercials, voice effects, and prerecorded promotional announcements. The station staff participated in benefit basketball games as the KXOK All-Stars throughout most of the 1960s and played school faculty throughout the listening area. I remember seeing them when I was in the 8th grade when the All-Stars played the Taylorville High School faculty.
 

From the early to late 1960s, KXOK became the leader among young radio listeners, while KMOX remained the station for the older generation. In fact, KXOK was one of the top independent radio stations in the country, with a regional signal that attracted listeners across much of the mid-Mississippi River Valley and into the Midwest.