History
Shortly after the end of World War II, a group of young men pooled their resources to start a radio station in Austin, Texas. All of them were veterans of the conflict, hence K-VET AM-1300 signed on October 1, 1946. These men included future Texas Governor John Connally, future United States Representative Jake Pickle, future United States Ambassador to Australia Edward Clark, Jesse Kellam, and Willard Deason.
As was common in the 1940s and 1950s, KVET offered "full service" radio, block programming of music, news, talk, cooking shows, even soap operas. KVET also included programming for Austin's minority community, which was uncommon at the time. Spanish language news and music on "Noche De Fiesta"; music and news for the African-American community on The Elmer Akins Gospel Train.
In the 1950s, even more diversity was added to the lineup when Lavada Durst introduced Austin to R&B and "Jive Talk" on KVET's nighttime Dr. Hepcat Show.
Noche de Fiesta and Dr. Hepcat were phased out in the 1960s, but The Elmer Akins Gospel Train is on the air on KVET to this day.
During most of the 1960s, KVET featured the popular music of the day, plus a strong emphasis on news and sports block programming. The music of Frank Sinatra, Perry Como and Dinah Shore, plus Paul Harvey commentary, the Joe Pyne show, and Houston Astros baseball were all part of the mix.
KVET switched formats on April 14, 1969 to country music, and the Country Giant was born. Popular celebrity DJs including Arleigh Duff, Penny Reeves, Jerry Gee and Sammy Allred quickly took KVET to the top of the local ratings during the 1970s.
Despite increased competition, KVET continued to prosper in the 1980s by featuring a traditional mix of country music, news and sports, including Houston Oilers and Dallas Cowboys football.
In 1990, KVET began to also broadcast on 98.1 FM. With the new signal came the creation of the Sammy Allred and Bob Cole Morning Call-In Show. Through the 1990s, KVET has evolved to a sports and talk station, the flagship station of the Longhorn Radio Network. KVET-FM continues to attract audiences with a blend of country music and personality.
Read more about this topic: KVET (AM)
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