Hide Article Text (OCR)
Gallup's four radio stations informativeThe coming of television in the United Stotes was considered by many to be the going of radio.But oimost 30 yeors have proven that to be untrue, and in Gailup, radio is not only alive and well, but veryspeatol, vital and os diverse as the motley population.few other towns in the United States can offer everything from play-by-play coverage of high school sports to Navajo and Zuni language programs to Sunday evenings of classical music.Four stations broadcast inGallup: KGAK-AM andKQNM-FM stereo owned and operated by Betty and Jack Chapman; and KYVA-AM and KOVO-FM stereo owned by a California corporation and managed by Ted Foster.While four stations might seem a lot in a town of only17.000 persons, Foster points out that the population swells to 50,000 or more on weekends, and the radio signals travel far onto the reservation.KGAK trovels about 90 miles with its power of 5,000 watts, while KQNM travels about half as far with its30.000 watt signal. Chapman said.KYVA broadcasts at 1,000 watts during the day and 250 watts at night, Foster said, traveling about 70 miles atbest. The FM station Kovo broadcasts at about 25,500 watts and travels about 40 to 45 miles.Chapman explained that AM waves travel over the contours of the terrain, whereas the FM waves will stop when they reach an obstacle, such as a mountain, hence the greater wattage used to transmit FM broadcasts.While the four stations are eoeh primarily aimed at different audiences, the two broadcasting firms here both target the Indian population because their transmissions reach so much of the reservation.Indians Are TargetIn our coverage area we have more Navajo listeners than non-Navajo, said Jack Chapman. We don't ignore non-Indians though.Chapman added that radio is also the only way for advertisers, politicians, and newsmakers to reach the large numbers of area Indians who don't speak English or don't read. Radio is a vital link between Gallup and the outlying areas that contribute to heavily to the city's economy.KGAK began broadcasting from Gailup in 1945, and in 1950 put on Navajo programming. It was then owned by Merle Tucker, who receivedin 1950 two public service awards for Indian programming,Until Merle, there was no radio for the Indians here,' said Chapman, who boughtKGAK in 1967.Both broadcasting companies have tried to increase service to Indian listeners in the past few years.At KGAK, programming for Indians has increased from the original hour-and-a-halfbroadcast to seven-and-o-half hours daily in Navajo, plus additional broadcasting on Sundays in the Zuni language.A station could go all Navajo in this town and be very successful,” Foster said.At KYVA, This is Navajolond” airs from 5 a.m. to 7 a.m, Monday through Saturday, and on FM sister station KOVO from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday.In fact, said Foster, KOVO plays country and western music to particularly reach the Indian population. Good country music is all oround and a lot of Indians like it.1 4That’s Why we -went country on FM, he said.Before KOVO went on the air in the autumn of 1974. Foster said, KYVA playedAnd country can get a little hokey on AM. We already had one good selling point, so we thought we d develop the second best selling point.Although KGAK tries to mix country western, rock and Indian programming. Chapman said the FM station, with its ‘eosy listening or beautiful music was intended to better serve the non-Navajo audience when it went on the air three years ago.You have to see whot other stations are doing. There was not a 'beautiful music’ stotion here. That kind of music lends itself to the clear fidelity of FM. It lends itself a lot better than rock and roll,’’ Chapman said.The AM station, said Chapman, piays about 60 per cent country, 20 per cent Indian and 20 per cent popular music. But it olso includesclassical programming on Sunday evening.This is rather a unique station. We try to be middle of the road for Indian and non-Indian alike, Chapman said,How did Beethoven get to the wild west? About seven years ago, a Public Health Service doctor, Lance Chilton, asked Chapman if he would air o clasical program. Chapman soid he would if Dr. Chilton could show that there was sufficient interest.Dr. Chilton circulatedpetitions and presented Chapman with 600 signatures. And since then, every Sunday from 6:30 to 10 .m. KGAK aims at classics uffs.You will not find a station that will put clossicol music on except maybe in the big markets for what the frade calls a 2 per cent audience, Chapman said.He is considering putting classical programming on the FM station if technical details are worked out, though.because he thinks it would sound beautiful in stereo.Chapman adds that his stations aim for an adult audience, thus the mixtures of music.'Aduft Contemporary By Any Other NameAlthough Foster soys that his evening audience in particular is young, probably under 21, he says- he's sure KYVA has a large adult audience also.Neither broadcasting company has conducted any forma! surveys of their audience, although they both say the potential audience is about 150,000.But Foster bases his assessment on the nature of Top 40s selections. He says if you look at the difference in the music that teenagers and young adults listened to 20 years ago, you'll see a much wider gap than you would now.The exception to this would be punk rock, but KYVA doesn't play much of that, Foster said,I tend to think Top 40s music is more of what they coll adult contemporary. Young people are getting more , sophisticated, Foster said.” ‘Saturday Night Fever' is an example. Some of the music from that was musically good.Foster said the stations’ owner, Transwestern Communications, Inc., of San Francisco considered making KOVO-FM a rock station, but nixed the idea.We would have been competing with ourselves, he said. We felt the fact that we could throw in sports andCon't on pg, B-14Top 40's plus country.But the jocks didn't really like mixing the two,” he said
Newspaper Details
Navajo Times
Window Rock, Arizona, US
Thu, Oct 05, 1978
Page 38
Full Page
Clipped by
Sammi B.
NA 03 Aug 2020
Other Publications Near Window Rock, Arizona
Adahooniligii
Navajo Time
Navajo Times Today
Navapache
White Mountain Navapache Independent
