SEPTEMBER 25, 1967

WYOMING’S FIRST COMMERCIAL FM STATION

SIGNS ON IN CASPER!

KAWY – KY-94 – KGRQ

Casper’s First FM!

While KATI Radio went on the air in 1956, in September of 1967, Casper got its fourth radio station and its first FM.  KAWY was only the second FM radio station in the state and its first commercial signal.  The station was the most powerful in the state broadcasting in Stereo with 25,000 watts.

The station was fully automated with programming on reel to reel tapes and a 24-cart carousel that played back commercial announcements.  Programming in the day was advertised as the most beautiful stereophonic music was heard from 9:00 A.M. to 11:00 P.M.  The daytime portion of the day featured slow, medium and uptempo instrumental and adult vocal selections.  Dinner music was heard each night from 6:00 to 8:00 P.M.  The sounds in the later evening featured Musical productions, show tunes and even semi and classical music.  KAWY was known as “Casper’s Beautiful Music Station!”

 

Larry Wakefield was the station’s first Manager.   He promised to bring Casper listeners a bit of cultural listening with broadcasts of the Casper Civic Symphony, the Metropolitan Opera, Local News three times a day and weather on the hour.  While it didn’t last long, KAWY also presented a national discussion program called “The Joe Pyne Show.”

 

The Casper Trooper Broadcasts…….

In 1968, KAWY-FM was the world’s first radio station to broadcast live from a “Drum & Bugle Corp” competition.  From the 50-yard line of the stadium, Larry Wakefield provided the “Play by Play” of the 1968 VFW National Drum and Bugle Corp Finals.  The Casper Troopers were just one of the many corps represented from around the country. The three and a half hour broadcast on KAWY was just the first of many such presentations heard on the station over the next twelve years.