What a trip ... this site takes me back to the Naked Pueblo ... the
Stumble Inn ... halter tops ... the best rock and roll station in the
world right there at 92.9.

I remember getting into an argument with the program director - Guy
Zapoleon, who's now a certified radio genius - when they put KRQQ on
the air.


He said Tucson in 1978 had the lowest FM penetration in the country
because FM was so bad. I argued that it was low because the only rock
station - KWFM- was too good for the masses. 

He looked at me like the populist simpleton that I was.

Hearing the Beatles station ID took me to the back seat of a Datsun
210, waking up one morning in at Gates Pass and listening to the
Beatles during a Tucson sunrise....

Nicely done!

[I have several hours of reel-to-reel tape of the KWFM jazz show -
which I loved - from the late '70s. Pls e-mail me if you want a dub...]

searching google for Nina Joy and came up with this website. I was lucky
enough to grow up in Phoenix and listen to underground radio the way it
should be...KDKB 93.3 FM and 1510 if you AM..as the firesign theatre
used to say during station ID's. never got to listen to Tuscon
radio...but heard Nina and the rest...they definately shaped my
listening styles...and I thank them for that. Nina had the Lost Gonzo's
on one evening and I got to request a couple of songs...I still have
that night on tape...1977ish ....

PS...oops that's Tucson...forgive me for the mispellin

One reason KW was so successful was it had that we will do as we please
attitude. They played what everyone wanted to hear, not what some d!@&
back in New York wanted to play to us. 

  I was sorry to see it go.

Lived in Tucson 1980 - 82, remember great station highlighted by Bob
Cooke's tribute to John Lennon when he was killed; have two cassettes
of Beatles music thanks to Bob. Sadly we were still there when BC was
taken from us. Still a sad memory to this day. Long live the memory of
KWFM in Tucson and WZMF in Menomonee Falls,WI.

I worked as an ad sales rep for KWFM from 1983-1985. Won a couple of
Tucson ADDY awards for the the copy I wrote that was produced by the
great air staff of both KWFM and then sister station KCEE-AM.

In 1983-84, I remember assisting our Chief Engineer (I can only recall
his first name was "Bill") with the installation of the new transmitter
and STL on top of the mountain after hours.

Dan Hicks of NBC Sports (Golf, and most recently 2016 Olympic Swimming)
got his start at KW/KC around that time.

I lived in Tucson from 80 to 95.  KWFM was the only thing I listened to.
 What a treat to stumble on your site!

I was actually trying to find any surviving recordings of Street
Pajama.  Anybody know where I can get any or all of their three
albums??

Thanks! And keep on rockin!

It was odd that I was thinking back to the times when I lived in the
barrecks in 73 and 74 at DM. My first exposure to FM radio...and a lot
of other things. It would be great to find some old faces..Anyhow..KWFM
was a great source of entertainment back in the day!!!

Ahh...Tucson.  I can still remember listening to the great tunes in
Sabino Canyon with the smell of the creosote bushes in full bloom, and
a beer.  Love those days.  Thanks for the walk down memory lane.  Are
there any stations taking the place of this cultural icon?

Where else in 1970 could anyone hear songs like "The Legend of the USS
Titanic" by Jaime Brockett but KWFM?  Or anything by King Crimson? Or
"Layla" coming from a cheap FM radio purchased at AMA? Or Hot Tuna's
"Water Song" played at sunset from a backyard patio on a steamy,
post-monsoon-rain summer day?

But I digress. My yellow Datsun wore the stripey KWFM bumper sticker
until the sun bleached it white. Were there any other stations then? Oh
yeah: KTKT. Pop. Shrimp.

Y'all have your memories, I have mine. KWFM was there for so many of
them. Thanks to all.

I was looking for Margie Rye and found your website...  My sister Toni
Nichols worked in the offices of KWFM until her death nearly three
years ago... the names I saw here were familiar from hearing her talk
about you all like "family"... I love Tucson, and still hope to move
back there one day...

WOW, what a cool find. I was a loyal listener from 72 to 79 when I moved
away. I still got that old bummper sticker on my tool box.

In 79 the station was giving away 3 albums if you were the 9th caller,
got the bumper sticker with the albums.

I to was checking the web for following groups: Street Pajama, Chuck
Wagon and the Wheels, Saddle City Band, & The Frank and Woody Show.
Anyone know if you can get their CD's if there are any?

Started listening to K-Dub-Ya in 1970 until we got assigned to a base in
Germany in 1972. Came back to go to the U of A in 1973 and this was
STILL the only station in town to listen too.  Spent so many nights in
the design studio at the U listening to K-Dub during all night
charrettes and jamming to artists you’d never hear anywhere else. I
have so many fond memories listening to this station and wish I had
gotten all the playlists thru the 70’s. After leaving Tucson in 1980
I gave up on finding a better station to listen to because where I
landed there were none to be found. I hope folks keep adding to the
playlists because there’s a certain song I’m trying to find but
can’t remember the artist or the songs title.  Thank so much for
providing this web site!

I lived in Tucson from '76-'79 & I remember that the DJ's would always
answer the phone with,"FM", because it was understood that this is the
ONLY station of note!  I also remember they played a song for me on my
birthday(as requested by my sister, I was in the desert partying & she
knew I would be listening)it was "Montana" by Frank Zappa, who else
would play him??!!  
   One other memory, I scoured the city to get as many bumper stickers
as I could & covered every square inch of my bedroom walls with them!
It looked pretty cool!  Glad to have found you guys!

I remember sitting in my parent's house late at night watching channel 9
with my Walkman tuned to 92.1.  Rock 'n Roll picture show was awesome!

Hi, everyone, 
     I found this site while trying to locate any information on the
DJ, Nina Joy. Besides this station, she also was on the FM station
"KDKB" (The early, really cool format KDKB, not the commercial-format
station it later turned into) in Phoenix in the early '
1970's. Does anyone know whatever happened to Nina Joy...???
            Regards,
              Bill

P.S.
    I still have one of the famous (infamous?) classic KDKB "Howdy!"
T-shirts. Does anyone else besides me remember them?!
         Bill

Hey everybody!  Looks like Jim Ray is coming to town for a visit and
that means KWFM staff reunion!  Mark your calendars for November 6th
and contact me or Margie for the details.  Looking forward to seeing
you all there!

FINALLY ! Some history about one the most influential (and early) Tucson
FM Station!!

Many of the persons mentioned here I've had 
the pleasure of meeting & working with over the 
years in and around Tucson/Southern Arizona radio.

Like Jim Brady, I too hung around the studios from time to time but
alas, I was WAY too young but was 
still Interested.  It's unfortunate that there aren't any air checks to
listen to but . . . the 
voices that made KWFM I can remember like yesterday!! My most sincere
Thanks for your web site, & if by any chance I have ANY air checks in 
my collection, I WILL DEFINATELY pass it on to here!!  

Sincerely,
Frank Luna
Chief Eng.

580 AM, 1210 AM, 1080 AM, 100.3 FM

....thanks for the memories, KWFM RULES!!!

Dear Old Real Radio Hounds,

	Imagine my surprise….. KWFM certainly lives in my head and heart,
and I’m happy to see all the aged expatriates writing in to confirm
that they have not been swallowed-up by what now passes for commercial
radio. Since my mother was the first female newscaster in New Mexico
(in, I believe, 1938) I have a small bit of family investment in the
free airwaves.  Mom would like that New Times picture of me too… all
that hair….

	It is of course crucial to add some names to the employee list. Those
of us in the Public Affairs Department in 1974 (ok, that means me) were
busy recording news-maker and rocker interviews for the show entitled
“Love News Confusion,” an original creation by Dick Hermans whom I
replaced.  My personal favorite interview exists now as a CD: a killer
discussion with John McLaughlin, who presented a number of stunning
insights into his spiritual and musical paths.  Forgive me but the
interviews with Ravi Shankar, Howard Baker, John Mayall, and Cheech and
Chong (recorded at the still-standing El Minuto after their show) have
long disappeared into tape-dust.

	I am indebted to many of you for an era of very creative effort, and
my final hurrah in public media.  The experience drove me to become a
psychotherapist, where I still work with crazed individuals but now
make more than $40 a week.  

	*thanks to those guys in the next-door Spanish radio station for
calling me “Pescado” whenever they saw me
	*thanks to Matt Seigel for demonstrating that a music segue could
literally provoke an altered state of consciousness 
	*thanks to Lee Dombroski for selling advertising so that I could spend
eight hours generating thirty minutes of taped music and interviews
	*thanks to Janey Snyder for being the brilliant station on-air female
presence and for playing Allman Brother’s “Blue Sky” every time I
phoned in the request…

	Let’s quit our day jobs and start up again!  I’m ready!

Perk Clark

Thank you so much for the great site and time machine back to the great
KWFM and the early 1980s Tucson music scene I loved so much! Dave
LaRussa STILL rocks, and I am still thankful to him for all of his help
as I started in music... Any old Tucson scenesters who remember Jacket
Weather, The Marshmallow Overcoat or any of my other bands please drop
a line! :)

Wow; what a find!

After an evening of reminiscing through this web page, I'll admit - I
was one of those goofy high school interns at KHYT when Rich Robbin
showed up back in 1978!

REAL radio was KWFM - that was what I wanted.  Yeah, I wanted to be the
engineer that got to resurrect the transmitter at 3 in the morning, or
replace the pot on the board, or, even, clean the cart machines, but it
just never did work out that way.

Now, after over 25 years in aerospace (at that place south of the
airport...), I really miss what all of you did over there; thanks so
much for setting this web presence up!

Fortunately, the only thing that's marginally close is KRDX 98.5 in
Vail.  With a a good car radio receiver, it's covering a good chunk of
Tucson - give it a listen!

Now, to begin the task of copying some of the files for listening on
the road.

Just discovered this site while looking up "Overheard" by Mississippi
Charles Bevel.  I so miss that station!  At least we have KXCI...

Hello All; what a welcome site to see the call letters KWFM. My little
sister and I grew up in Tucson, rockin' to KWFM during the 70's, This
was the best station going. My little sister found your site, then
shared with me where you were on the web. We were also able to find an
artist that we have not been able to find anywhere else, by searching
thru your archives. Lo and Behold, we found the album by Mississippi
Charles Bevel, song title "Overheard" in Portland, Oregon and it is on
the way to our hot little hands.

It was great seeing all the DJ's and some of the old local bands names,
Dusty Chaps, Street Pajama. The old Stumble Inn, Choo Choo's, Ox Bow.
Great Stuff. My sister and I will spend hours on your site remembering
days gone by and songs that will never leave the heart.

Thanks for all your hard work, Christy

Christy Price
Tucson, Arizona

Hello!

I am the "little sister" that Christy Price referred to in here in the
guest book. 

I wanted to thank you for this very cool web site.  I have had such a
great time listening to the "tune in" portion.   I am just going nuts
over this one.  Takes me back listening to the lost and found animals
and all the great Audio Emporium commercials.  We truly were two of the
most loyal fans and we were so sad when it ended.  Tucson radio has
never been the same.

I just did want to share with you... I found the actual album "Meet
Mississippi Charles Bevel" through Craig Moerer Records By Mail.  I
just received it the other day.  Now, I am totally in heaven.

I also found the original (long) version of Little River Band "It's a
Long Way There" on that site.  Of course, these are not out on CD's --
only vinyl.  Which is totally cool.

All my findings were thanks to your web site.  Looking through the play
lists really helped jog my memory of tunes I had nearly forgotton.  When
I started this mission, I knew I wanted "overheard" by Mississippi
Charles Bevel, however, I had no idea what the name of the album was or
that it was made by A & M--- so, with thanks to your web site, and me
doing more digging...after many years... I FOUND IT.  

You may want to sometime check out that Craig Moerer Records By Mail
web site, they have some very hard to find vinyl.  They may even have
another copy of the "Bevel" :)
 
Just wanted to say "thanks" and share my findings.
 
Sincerely,
Teresa Peterman
Long time fan of KWFM and native Tucsonan

I got out of the Army in 1969, returned to Tucson and went to work for
KVOA-TV, camera, vidotape, there were DJs from all of the local radio
stations floating in and out of there working the audio booth, reading
news or sports and making ends meet which is how I first heard about
KWFM coming on the air. We had one DJ from KWFM working the booth but
for the life of me I can't remember his name (TMB/CRS), I do remember
he had a droopy Peter Maxx style mustache and smoked a pipe filled with
latakia tobacco. I had this VW bus with a Blauplunkt AM/FM radio in it
and used to listen to KWFM as I drove back home from work after the
10:30 News. They were the first ones to play the entire Who album
Tommy. So thanks for the site and for jogging my memory cells.

I can remember having an FM converter in my car so as to listen to KWFM
radio. I remember listening to one of the original DJ's, Jim Ray, and
immediately became a loyal listener to KWFM. One of KWFM's main
formats/strengths was to take other cuts/tracks from albumn's and play
them over the Top 40 formats by other stations. I first heard and
listened to Dan Fogelberg on KWFM. Captured Angel. I was hooked. What
memories.  R.I.P. B.C.

Wow...what a tribute to a great time in our lives, both as professionals
working in radio, but more importantly, as people who LOVE MUSIC!  Those
were the days when DJs were creative, when we could meet to discuss what
songs on a record would be best to play. No computers.  No consultants. 
OLD SCHOOL BABY!  Thank you for putting this site up, and I will be
making audio and video available.  Remember the Frank Zappa interview? 
I've got it on tape! KWFM rocks Tucson...my first radio gig and a great
place to cut my teeth.
Chris Ryan
KWFM DJ 1980-1987

I ran the Pawnbroker from 1975 to 1980 and have a photo of Bob and Lau
Cooke at my home having dinner.  Also lots of Riopelle, Meighan,
Straight Shot, etc. photos. That and wild memories, what does a gal
need?  Ran into Lee Dombrowski at a Denver restaurant several years
ago, should have but didn't follow up.  Saw Steve Zind recently, what a
fine soul.

- Lisa Harber Maher 520-232-3878  

Wow!  This brings back some memories! I loved KWFM!  As a youngster,
rock musician and budding radio guy myself, that was the pinacle to
which I aspired.

I have a Bob Cooke story... I was a student DJ in the late 70s on
KUAT-AM (the local public radio/jazz station).

Bob called me during my shift one night to ask if I'd ever considered
doing commercial radio.  He said he thought I'd do well in the
business. 

That blew my mind! Having this pro-DJ calling to talk to me was a
thrill that I still recount decades later.  It meant a lot to me. I was
so sad when he left us...and in such a bizarre way!

I still do a bit of announcing on TV and Radio in Tucson, but one of my
buddies (also a budding student DJ at the time) is still burning up the
airwaves in Tucson...Mike Rapp.

A hearty pat on the back to all those who made my college years more
liveable by letting me tune into KWFM on my radio!

Mike Serres