Ahh...Tucson.  I can still remember listening to the great tunes in
Sabino Canyon with the smell of the creosote bushes in full bloom, and
a beer.  Love those days.  Thanks for the walk down memory lane.  Are
there any stations taking the place of this cultural icon?

I stumbled onto this site doing a Google search. What a great find. This
brings back great memories. I was born and raised in Tucson and remember
the only radio that really existed then was AM top 20. FM was in its
infancy and had little to offer except 92.9. I remember having a KWFM
bumper sticker on my ’70 Mustang. My favorite Djs were Karen Stern
and of course Bob Cooke. Anyone remember the "Disco Dystrophy Kangaroo
Court"? Bob would select a worthy current disco record and put it on
trial. The inevitable verdict was death and he'd proceed to carry out
the sentence by smashing it to pieces. Classic and original radio. They
don't make radio like this anymore. Thanks for a great tribute.

This site is fantastic!  It's a great tribute to the staff, the
listeners and to the Old Pueblo. KWFM was the best and a great part of
broadcasting history.  What a time we had, growing up in Tucson and
listening to KWFM.  The station was my inspiration to go to UofA, major
in Radio/Television and become a DJ/Announcer in the 80's and 90's. 
Those days of creative FM programming are gone forever but never
forgotten.  Party On!

Mike Kraushar, AKA Pete Michaels
FORMER DJ AT KLPX & KSTM "The Storm" in Phoenix

Great work you guys. How I miss this kind of taste. I'll always remember
my friends on that station and that period. Thanks for giving us this
reminder.

Bob

KWFM was the ONLY station my big brother and I ever listened to in the
'70's and early 80's.  It was the greatest, and this web site has
brought back great memories of the station.  I remember one of the DJ's
doing a special segment where a disco record would be "put on trial"
(played) and then destroyed.  Would LOVE to hear that again!

Thanks for the memories,

Eric.

I was looking for Margie Rye and found your website...  My sister Toni
Nichols worked in the offices of KWFM until her death nearly three
years ago... the names I saw here were familiar from hearing her talk
about you all like "family"... I love Tucson, and still hope to move
back there one day...

Howdy and thanks for doing such a great job on your web site!  Many
great memories came flooding back.  I was very fortunate to have worked
with folks like Brian Miller, Jim Brady, Alan Browning, Bob Cooke, Bob
Bish and many more beginning in 1976.  Oh, do we have some stories to
tell when we all get together around a pitcher of margaritas?!  

I'm even luckier to still be friends with most of them today.  Our hair
has some grey in it, there are fewer of us still around and we now all
have real jobs.  But it is a rich experience to relive the crazy days
of life at KWFM before the Empire of the Formats took over....  Before
the dark times.  We were considerably more carefree back then.  

Thanks a megawatt!

Blake Williams
VBW Productions, Inc.

Tucson really lost a great radio station when the KWFM as we knew it
left us.  Bob, we love and miss you......  Radio just ain't the same
without ya.  Can't read that from a liner card!

Robert (Foster) Napier

Hello All; what a welcome site to see the call letters KWFM. My little
sister and I grew up in Tucson, rockin' to KWFM during the 70's, This
was the best station going. My little sister found your site, then
shared with me where you were on the web. We were also able to find an
artist that we have not been able to find anywhere else, by searching
thru your archives. Lo and Behold, we found the album by Mississippi
Charles Bevel, song title "Overheard" in Portland, Oregon and it is on
the way to our hot little hands.

It was great seeing all the DJ's and some of the old local bands names,
Dusty Chaps, Street Pajama. The old Stumble Inn, Choo Choo's, Ox Bow.
Great Stuff. My sister and I will spend hours on your site remembering
days gone by and songs that will never leave the heart.

Thanks for all your hard work, Christy

Christy Price
Tucson, Arizona

I grew up in Tucson and had just got out of the Navy when KWFM went on
the air. Just before I left the Navy I made a quick trip to the
Exchange in Yokosuka Japan and came home with what was then a nearly
unheard of FM Tuner / Amp and killer speakers.  KWFM went on the air
soon after I arrived home and sounded great on my system.  The station
was informal enough in those days that if you called ahead the DJ's
would usually let you in the studio which at first was about the size
of a large phone booth.

Hello!

I am the "little sister" that Christy Price referred to in here in the
guest book. 

I wanted to thank you for this very cool web site.  I have had such a
great time listening to the "tune in" portion.   I am just going nuts
over this one.  Takes me back listening to the lost and found animals
and all the great Audio Emporium commercials.  We truly were two of the
most loyal fans and we were so sad when it ended.  Tucson radio has
never been the same.

I just did want to share with you... I found the actual album "Meet
Mississippi Charles Bevel" through Craig Moerer Records By Mail.  I
just received it the other day.  Now, I am totally in heaven.

I also found the original (long) version of Little River Band "It's a
Long Way There" on that site.  Of course, these are not out on CD's --
only vinyl.  Which is totally cool.

All my findings were thanks to your web site.  Looking through the play
lists really helped jog my memory of tunes I had nearly forgotton.  When
I started this mission, I knew I wanted "overheard" by Mississippi
Charles Bevel, however, I had no idea what the name of the album was or
that it was made by A & M--- so, with thanks to your web site, and me
doing more digging...after many years... I FOUND IT.  

You may want to sometime check out that Craig Moerer Records By Mail
web site, they have some very hard to find vinyl.  They may even have
another copy of the "Bevel" :)
 
Just wanted to say "thanks" and share my findings.
 
Sincerely,
Teresa Peterman
Long time fan of KWFM and native Tucsonan

Man, what memories this site brings back. I started listening to KW when
I was about 15, in 1976. The many great times that I associate with
listening to this station all come flooding back, Choo Choos, the Gran
Faloon Salloon, and just hangin' out with my buds....and somebody
always had an FM radio so we could party while we listened. Thanks for
a fantastic site.

What ever happened to Streeet Pajama.  They were the best Tucson band
ever!  I have not heard Screwed Again in ages.  I remember seeing them
at The Embers, Westward Look, and I think a place on 1st Avenue called
Noni's.  That was way back in '82.  Mikey King was great and Merle was
just too cool.  If anyone remembers this great band email me at
choicekten at aol dot com.

Wow! Thanx for the memories! I was doing a search on NYC radio stations
and recalled when I first moved to Tucson back in 78 and started to
listen to KWFM. The only dj's I could immediately recall from that time
were Dave LaRussa and Karen Stern. Thankfully, I found the site and was
able to go through everything again. PS: I still have the KWFM On the
Air album in my collection!

Hi Everybody! Just wanted to share some exciting news with you. Soosie
and I are in the process of re-locating to San Diego. After 30
wonderful years in Arizona I have landed a job with Jefferson-Pilot
Communications as Director of Engineering for their cluster of stations
here. KBZT is radio without borders and of course KSON is the heritage
Country station here. Also there is KiFM smooth jazz to watch the sun
set over the ocean. J-P isn't corporate radio like most groups. I'm
really lucky to be able to contribute to the accomplishments of so many
fine folks here. And hey,no more hot summers! What a great bonus. Surf's
up...

Wow!  What a blast from the past with this web site!  I moved away from
Tucson about six months after KWFM came on the air but now 34 years
later when I talk to old friends still in Tucson, "KW" still comes up
as very fond memories.

Found this looking for anything I can find on the classic "Mississippi"
Charles Bevel song "Overheard".  

I have heard only on two radio stations, both in Tucson.  One of course
was KWFM (still the best station I have ever listened too).  The other
had a direct link to KW because the music director the overnight DJ for
several years on KW, and that was KEKO.  

It was a shame when KRQQ went on the air and forced KW to change its
(what is now called AAA) format.

Was in Tucson last March (O4) and heard the Mountain, good, but still
not as good as KW in its heyday.

Kay-Dub.  Nothing finer in radio before or since.  I was glad I was in
Tucson listening in during the Golden Years of KWFM.  Best study music
for those late nights cranking on U of A lab reports, etc.  Thanks for
the website & the memories.

Hi Tim, I've been to the KWFM web site many times. You guys have done a
great job on it. It's a shame there isn't a KDKB one.

The playlist archives & personal history are great. I enjoyed reading
awhile back how Nina Joy did her show in the nude and you (the
listener) missed it. 

Radio is notorious for forgetting its past so it's nice to see such an
excellent work in progress. It validates what happened back then and
those that contributed to it.

Andy Olson
RadioFreePhoenix
http://www.radiofreephoenix.com/

Wow!  This site is soooo freakin'cool!  Hearing those old Bob Cooke
airchecks brought tears to my eyes.  Thank you for doing such a
wonderful job of preserving the memory of this great station!  

Chris Wagganer

P.S. Keep an eye out for "High and Dry" the documentary which I
co-produced about the Tucson Music scene which features interviews with
Dave LaRussa and other Tucson air personalities.  

You can get more info at www.highanddrymovie.com

I am very thankful to KWFM for all the great memories especially those
Friday nights out off of Houghton Road in the back of my truck, I can't
remember all the girls names but I can what was on my radio. And then
there was Saturday Nights cruising Speedway, KWFM was a lot more than
just a radio station it was a way of life for many of us. Thank you for
all the great memories.
Harry Gorrell

I lived in Tucson from 80 to 95.  KWFM was the only thing I listened to.
 What a treat to stumble on your site!

I was actually trying to find any surviving recordings of Street
Pajama.  Anybody know where I can get any or all of their three
albums??

Thanks! And keep on rockin!

Thanks for the great memories that I have been enjoying with all the
pictures and recordings in this site.  I worked from 1975 to 1980 on
KEVT am, wich was a Spanish radio, in the same building and of the same
owner of KWFM, so I knew a lot of the great announcers of KWFM, as we
shared the studios and a lot of good times, both the Spanish speaking
announcers and the KWFM dj's.

Great site, Thanks again

I remember KWFM as a listener.  I remember how its DJ personalities
molded my and others' exposure and our taste of Rock n' Roll music
while coming of age as a teenager in the late 1970's.  KWFM was an
integral part of the freshman student experience at The University of
Arizona in the late summer of 1978.  Everything felt so new including
what emanated from the stereo speakers in our dormitories, the
fraternity houses and apartment dwellings.

Was it Tucson's "Golden Age of Radio"?  I believe that it was.  KWFM
was one of Tucson's first tenants on the mysterious FM dial, a frontier
that demanded the eclectic and creative.  In the fall of 1978,  KWFM was
voted the 9th best radio station in the country by Rolling Stone
magazine.  KWFM comforted us through the deaths of Keith Moon and John
Lennon.  It introduced Tucson listeners to "Punk" and "New Wave". 
Before cable and before all night local television, KWFM was our
overnight sentinel.

How can one relive the entire KWFM 70's and early 80's?  We must build
a spaceship that can travel faster than radio transmissions.  We must
catch up to all those fleeting signals of the music and the warm voices
in between.


"I like to dream yes, yes, right between my sound machine
On a cloud of sound I drift in the night 
Any place it goes is right 
Goes far, flies near, to the stars away from here"

Got Fogerty's live of "Almost Saturday Night."  I was at Riopelle's "In
the Round" shows at the Celebrity Theater.  Listened to Meighan but
never caught him live.  Saw Jerry Riopelle about a dozen times.  Would
really like to get a line on some Meighan material.

Anyone have any leads or know of who may sell his work???

Thanks!

Nice site. I appreciate the historical significance of such sites,
especially with regards to the evolution and current state of radio
today. Indeed, kwfm was born in the true spirit of radio, a rarity
today outside of free-form college and pirate broadcasts. kwfm's
influence on myself and friends who grew up to be musicians was
invaluable. To this day i miss the old FM delivery, typified by voices
like Bob Bish (when I hear todays "radio personalities", zingers, and
obnoxious production thats when I reach for my revolver). It was my
observation that the station changed pretty heavily after about
1977-78, playing more toward standard hit formats. Its interesting to
me to read others' comments that post-1978 could be considered "the
golden age" of kwfm (I wouldve considered 1970-76 the golden age of FM
in general). Unfortunately my interest in commercial radio waned around
the time time krq and klpx appeared (78?) as the competition seemed to
breed less creative air programming (and my music tastes went
underground where they've remained ever since). But thats just me. 
Thanks for a wonderful site. And thanks for having a hand in the
evolution of radio. kwfm was great (especially the jerry's audio "album
of the week" on weds nights where you would even give us time to cue up
our cassette recorders! boy, try that in today's ridiculous anti-music
sharing corporate atmosphere).

Bill Cuevas

p.s. and for those of you "longing for the past", good radio is far
from dead. In fact, webstreaming makes it easier to access than ever.
Check the streams of wfmu, kzsu, wnyu, kfjc, kexp, wkcr and others.

What a blast to find this site. I was the graphic designer and part
owner of a small alternative paper in Tucson from 1978-81 (Tucson Nite
Times) and we did a lot of work with Lee & KWFM. In fact, I put
together ('designed' might be too strong...) the Dave LaRussa "Anything
that's Rock & Roll" ad seen in the web gallery. Strangely enough, I was
also the "Dan Ackroyd" that won the Blues Brothers contest (also
featured in the gallery). All of us at the paper listened to KWFM
exclusively and we worked closely with them on a number of promos. I
still have a stack of our old papers around here somewhere so I'll dig
through and see if I can find any other print nuggets for the site.
Like the family-owned FM stations, our alternative paper was one of the
independant, funky papers of that era that ultimately led to the
corporate owned "alternative" papers that came later. Great work!
Thanks!

I started listening to KWFM in 1972 as a snot-nosed 12-year-old. It was
a revelation. No hype, album sides, DJs that sounded like real people.
It was like anti-radio. My only complaint is that I once requested
Black Sabbath and was told you had burned all their albums. You
weenies! It was probably Brady I talked to on the phone. Most
memorable: KWFM used to play new albums in their entirety on Sunday
nights. One evening in 1975 I heard Patti Smith's *Horses*. I had never
heard anything like it before (and probably never will again). A sublime
moment.

Great site. This brings back a lot of memories for me from the mid-70's.
I was actually googling for some info on Street Pajama when I found this
related site.

I was also looking around for Meighan and Riopelle music not too
recently (within past year) and dropped by PDQ records on Grant in
Tucson. Browsing through the old vinyl sections, I found several copies
of their albums; picked out all the ones I was missing. You might have
similar luck at Bookmans too, they have used records. I wish they had
recorded more material.
Good luck,
Francisco