Today KOLM is corporately owned and operated like virtually every other radio station these days. However back in 1967 it was a quintessential example of what radio once was – Mom and Pop owned, decidedly local, and very much live. They ran a tight show considering their limited resources in a small market.
My Dad, Don Erdman, was one of the first employees taking on the dual roles of announcer and Chief Engineer. He also had a limited role in sales. He was a graduate of Brown Institute for both broadcasting and electronics with an FCC Radiotelephone First-Class Operator License. As engineer he built out the studio and performed routine maintenance at the studio and transmitter. As announcer he did the morning drive as a one-man show including spinning his own records, rip and read news, weather, commercials, and of course announcing. It gets to be a bit humorous with the number of roles he played in this short broadcast recording.
Recording of KOLM Broadcast
Taken From: ¼” 2 track 10 ½” tape
Restoration: Speed correction, selection of cleanest track, click reduction, tape splicing, removal of small sections of irreparable tape, equalization
Scoping: Music has only brief beginning and ending
| TIME | CONTENT | TALENT |
|---|---|---|
| 0:00 | Announce: : local event calendar | Don Erdman |
| 0:47 | Announce: time and temperature | Don Erdman |
| 0:52 | Jingle: KOLM 1520 | |
| 1:01 | Music: Melodie d’amour | Ray Conniff and his Orchestra and Singers |
| 1:30 | Music: Love is Here and Now You’re Gone | The Supremes |
| 1:52 | Announce: cut music short since it is news time! | Don Erdman |
| 2:13 | Commercial: Blickle Jewelers | Agency produced with live tag by Don Erdman |
| 2:44 | Intro: news | Don Erdman |
| 2:48 | News headlines | Don Erdman |
| 5:00 | PSA: See and be seen | Agency produced |
| 5:31 | Weather: feed from Rochester Weather Bureau | Jim Anderson (neighbor of Don Erdman) |
| 6:12 | Announce: current weather conditions | Don Erdman |
| 6:34 | Jingle: Now back to music… | |
| 6:39 | Music: A Single Girl | Sandy Posey |
| 6:48 | Announce: welcome aboard to the Don Erdman show | Don Erdman |
| 7:04 | Commercial: Greater Rochester’s Surplus Stores (prerecorded) | Unknown and Don Erdman |
| 7:35 | Announce: tongue-in-cheek thanks to the commercial guys | Don Erdman |
| 7:41 | Jingle: The tunes are all hits… | |
| 7:58 | Commercial: Sears Kenmore gas dryers (live read) | Don Erdman |
| 8:39 | Music: Lovin’ You | Bobby Darin |
| 8:50 | Announce: time and temperature | Don Erdman |
| 9:03 | Commercial: H&R Block | Agency produced with live tag by Don Erdman |
| 10:03 | Intro: Quickie Quiz | Don Erdman |
| 10:32 | Announce: Quickie Quiz contest | Don Erdman |
| 10:47 | Music: The Green, Green Grass of Home | Tom Jones |
| 10:58 | Announce: quiz contest winner | Don Erdman |
| 11:28 | Commercial: Andy’s Furniture (live read) | Don Erdman |
| 12:01 | Announce: current weather conditions (with fumble) | Don Erdman |
| 12:28 | Music: unknown song | Les Baxter the Chorus and Orchestra |
| 12:44 | Jingle: KOLM 1520 | |
| 12:55 | Announce: temperature | Don Erdman |
| 13:01 | Promo: Joe Fine Show | Agency produced |
| 13:26 | Music: Look What You’ve Done | Pozo-Seco Singers |
Recording of KOLM Jingles
Taken From: ¼” 2 track 10 ½” tape (original tape available)
Restoration: Speed correction, selection of cleanest track, click reduction, tape splicing, removal of small sections of irreparable tape, equalization
Scoping: None
| TIME | THEME |
| 0:00 | The four/fore most letters… |
| 0:22 | The swingin’ one… |
| 0:36 | Stay with us for the news… |
| 0:54 | In Rochester… |
| 1:06 | The station that really cares… |
| 1:20 | From the sunny side of the dial…weather |
| 1:30 | If you follow a sport… |
| 1:52 | We are your kind of people… |
| 2:18 | Now back to music… |
| 2:32 | The only way to fly… (jazzy) |
| 2:48 | We have amused you…now it’s time to news you… |
| 3:09 | Totally informed…Completely entertained… |
| 3:31 | KOLM…1520 |
| 3:43 | No work and all play makes for the perfect blend… |
| 4:03 | KOLM…1520 |
| 4:12 | The tunes are all hits… |
| 4:28 | This was a record that was…the station that made it big |
| 4:44 | KOLM gets you up, up, up… |
| 5:02 | The one with the fun…it’s Don Erdman |
Howard G. Bill came to Rochester to the Mayo Clinic in the early 1960s for a consultation and was attracted to Rochester’s market to start another radio station (KOLM). He came from Eau Claire, where he owned WBIZ. Howard’s dad was the very first manager of WLS Chicago. Howard had told me about his dad taking him down to the station on weekends as a boy, maybe that is where the radio seed got planted.
Radio legend Tom Jones (KNXR in Rochester)
History
KOLM-AM
| Early 1960 | Howard G. Bill visits Mayo Clinic |
| Oct 27, 1961 | Application to FCC for new radio station |
| Mar 20, 1963 | FCC grants conditional license 1,000 watts 1520 khz call letters KFAV |
| April 22, 1963 | FCC grants call letters KOLM |
| May–Nov 1963 | Pre-dawn testing to prove field measurements |
| Aug–Nov 1963 | Construction permit |
| April 6, 1964 | Fully licensed on air with Gates BC-1G transmitter |
| Feb xx, 1967 | Norton Hotel fire with award winning news coverage |
| Feb 24, 1967 | Power increased to 10,000 watts with Gates BC-10P transmitter |
| May 16, 1975 | New antenna tower array |
| July 2, 1977 | Call letters changed to KKEE |
| April 9, 1979 | Call letters changed to KOLM |
| Nov 26, 2003 | Agreement to sell stations KOLM-AM, KWWK-FM, KLCX-FM, KFIL-AM, KFIL-FM, KVGO-FM to Cumulus for $8,000,000 |
| May 27, 2004 | Sale to Cumulus approved by FCC |
KOLM-FM
| Jan 11, 1967 | Application to FCC for new radio station |
| Jan 11, 1967 | FCC grants conditional license 930 watts 96.7 mhz |
| Jan 11, 1967 | FCC grants call letters KOLM-FM |
| May 17, 1967 | Power increased to 1,000 watts |
| Aug 23, 1967 | Fully licensed on the air power increased to 3,000 watts |
| Dec 10, 1973 | Call letters changed to KWWK |