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KWEM-LP
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KWEM-LP is a low-power FM radio station in West Memphis, Arkansas, United States, owned by Arkansas State University Mid-South. The station airs a format of blues and gospel music and is also used as a training ground for students in the community college's digital media program.
Key Information
The call letters and format are a tribute to a former West Memphis radio station, KWEM (990 AM), which began in 1947; moved across the Mississippi River to Memphis, Tennessee, in 1953; and changed call letters in 1959. The station was influential in the early careers of several blues and rockabilly musicians.
History
[edit]The original KWEM
[edit]The owners of Little Rock-area radio station KXLR sought to build a statewide network of stations to carry Arkansas Razorbacks football, and they felt that the Memphis area would provide important coverage and exposure for the football program.[2] After delays, KWEM (990 AM) began operating on February 9, 1947,[3] with official opening two weeks later.[4]
West Memphis was described as the "Las Vegas of the South" in this era, and its programming drew from the musicians playing clubs in that era.[2] Howlin' Wolf had a show on the station from 1949 to 1952, and Sam Phillips heard him and signed him to a contract with Sun Records;[5] his program aired after music by rockabilly guitarist Paul Burlison;[6] B.B. King was first heard over the station, getting his break on a show helmed by Sonny Boy Williamson II;[7] Stax Records founder Jim Stewart started at KWEM, as did James Cotton and Hubert Sumlin;[8] Johnny Cash's first radio broadcast was on KWEM in 1953.[2][9] The station allowed aspiring performers to pay for 15-minute blocks of air time.[10] Elvis Presley made his first radio appearance on KWEM in 1953, which did not go well because he lacked a band and moved around too much;[5] George Klein worked there as a DJ after its move to Memphis;[11] so did Eddie Bond.[12]
KWEM was purchased by Dee Rivers in 1951.[13] Rivers moved the station to Memphis, where from studios on Flicker Street, it continued to be an influential hotbed of talent; the transmitter remained on the Arkansas side of the river.[14] This lasted through the end of the decade, when KWEM became KWAM,[14] and it eventually stopped playing live music.[10]
The revival
[edit]In 2009, Dale Franklin purchased assets to relaunch KWEM as an online-only station, playing the genres of music where it had the most influence.[9] In addition, he acquired such historic artifacts as a recording lathe used by Ike Turner.[5] Franklin's goal was to increase recognition of KWEM's historical role and increase musical tourism on the Arkansas side of the Mississippi by restoring the original studio on Broadway Street.[10] He then opted to sell these assets to Mid-South Community College in West Memphis.[15] Streaming returned under MSCC management in 2014 ahead of the station's 2015 sign-on on FM.[16]
Franklin, who was described by the president of MSCC as having a "John the Baptist type fervor" for the project,[5] died in 2017.[17]
References
[edit]- ^ "Facility Technical Data for KWEM-LP". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ a b c Nelson, Rex (April 10, 2013). "Resurrecting a radio legend". Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
- ^ "New Station Gathers Audience From Afar: West Memphis KWEM Reported Clear 175 Miles Away". The Commercial Appeal. February 11, 1947. p. 11.
- ^ "Kay Arrives Today!". The Commercial Appeal. February 23, 1947. p. 4.
- ^ a b c d Randall, Mark (June 5, 2014). "KWEM 'flips the switch' at Mid-South Community College". The Evening Times.
- ^ Boehm, Mike (September 19, 1986). "Sun's sons: Rockabilly pioneers". Providence Journal.
- ^ Shuster, Fred (October 23, 1991). "Blues king had pauper start". Daily News of Los Angeles. p. L8.
- ^ Ellis, Bill (April 29, 2005). "Wolf's guitar man keeps his bite". The Commercial Appeal.
- ^ a b McCracken, Mitch (July 13, 2010). "Back on the Air: Historic KWEM returns to airwaves". Memphis Daily News. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
- ^ a b c Boudreau, Eleanor (May 13, 2013). "You'll Be Mine: Bringing Musical Tourism To West Memphis". WKNO. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
- ^ "Platter Spinner Patter" (PDF). Cash Box. February 12, 1955. p. 11. Retrieved August 30, 2021 – via World Radio History.
- ^ "Country Round Up" (PDF). Cash Box. August 17, 1957. p. 43. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
- ^ "FCC Actions" (PDF). Broadcasting. December 3, 1951. p. 98. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
- ^ a b "History Cards for KWAM". Federal Communications Commission. (Guide to reading History Cards)
- ^ "Historic KWEM Station Returns Online". Billboard. Associated Press. May 27, 2014. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
- ^ "Bob Mehr's Memphis Music Beat: Historic KWEM radio to relaunch, Pearl Jam in Memphis, new Amy LaVere". The Commercial Appeal. May 22, 2014. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
- ^ Randall, Mark (November 21, 2017). "Dale Franklin, KWEM radio revivalist, passes away". The Evening Times. Retrieved August 26, 2021.