KVIL HELLER JINGLES

The legendary KVIL Hugh Heller Jingles from 1974

[@Paul-fw9sh]

Boy, does this bring back great memories! I lived in DFW in the late 70s and early 80s and faithfully listened to KVIL. I miss the sound and especially miss Ron Chapman in the morning. Great times!

[@sally5846]

Thank you for this! I miss the KVIL(a)singers, and of course Ron Chapman and Susie Humphreys in the KVIelecoptor. I still have the Christmas albums/CDs that I play every year. There's a few jingles on those that I love. What a great era! We were lucky to have grown up with KVIL!

[@misssoftyhole]

I grew up in the early 1970s, listening to mostly Ron Chapman and Larry Dixon on KVIL, if i was with my grandfather, we listened to KBOX Country 1480 and went shopping at BigTown in Big D.

[@donut23stewart69]

21.15. It's why I'm here. Remembered it all these years and never thought I would hear it again. Thank you!

[@LarryCarolla]

What's this world comin' to? There's no more radio that relates like this...that entertains like this...that swings like this all day, all night? It certainly is a shame what's happened to radio...and what's really sad is that they CAN still afford to do it...they're just afraid to TRY to do it any more.

[@ricovali9245]

KVIL was the hottest media,more than local tv stations. It was non-stop 24/7. They didn't go to sone syndicated radio show overnight, like all stations do today. They kept it all local. It was all Dallas, Ft. Worth meteoplex on the airwaves.

[@radiogeo]

Ron used to love when I visited Dallas because I showed up with stuff like this not to mention art work for Billboards that made the air staff look bigger than life which they all turned out to be. geo

[@loujosephs]

Yeah this is heller's greatest hits. WHN's KGBS FEM Fourum, WLW, WIBG, and of course the legendary KVIL. FYI Heller died in 2009 in Missouri, Dick Hamilton who wrote the lyrics still alive in LA, The vocal group is the Ron Hicklin singers, who know do jingles as grooveworks. Now let's pull out the WKOX Heller jingles...

[@sgc284]

Steve, by chance do you have the "Thank You" jingle (...with thanks for all the things...we...are...and we are (big tympani) K...V...I...L (big fanfare finish)? Other than "It's A Shame", that's my all-time favorite KVIL jingle, would love to hear it again. Thanks.

[@JeffreyKirk]

I'm looking for the KVIL jingles that my wrote back in the early 1980s with TM (Jim KirK). Hopefully, somebody can point me in the right direction. I've gone through his old tapes, but cannot seem to find any of the KVIL stuff. Thanks!

[@senorxrey6429]

21:16 Indeed "it's a shame what's happened to radio, but they can't afford to do it any more (do it any more)". Sadly, a prophetic jingle.

[@gregsells8549]

KVIL has flipped to Amp 103.7. It's a shame what happened to radio.

[@senorxrey6429]

After years of ownership changes thru Infinity, Viacom, and CBS and constant tinkering and reducing budgets a legend slowly eroded where they flipped formats AGAIN. They didn't even give AMP a chance to catch on before they flipped to Alt 103.7. Even that's a shell of how alternative radio started. (2022 edit). I predict they will flip it to "All News 103.7" like they did with the formerly successful KLSX 97.1 here that flipped to "All News KNX-FM 97.1" in December 2021.

[@donmccullen1973]

@@senorxrey6429 Entercom/Audacy is more commited to the Alternative Rock format than CBS Radio ever was other than WXRK back in their 90's prime and KROQ on LA. Speaking of NYC, they dumped CHR for Alt, smart movie with WKTU being viewed as a Mainstream CHR and coupled with Z100.

[@donmccullen1973]

KVIL was not able to evolve and keep their audience...or at least keep the brand alive.

[@senorxrey6429]

@@donmccullen1973 You're right, Don. However, alternative isn't what it started out to be in the '80s to '00s. Most of the new music generally isn't exciting or edgy like it once was. We have two alternative stations here (KYSR "Alt 98-7" and KROQ 106.7) and neither are burning up Nielsen's ratings. Alt has some old KROQ refugees and is way better. KROQ should have been flipped to news, or Spanish. Its days are numbered, and I hate to say that being a fan of their long-time format.

[@senorxrey6429]

@@donmccullen1973 I agree that KVIL didn't evolve gradually like it could have. When I left in 1980 under Fairbanks ownership we were closer too what is now considered "Hot AC" before the name was recognized, and we were a CHR since we played all but maybe 3 or 4 songs in the top 30 at any given time. After I left no one wanted to push the musical envelope, so it got a lot softer and conservative, which gradually opened up a big opportunity for a good CHR like KHKS "Kiss 106" when the CHR version of KEGL and their annoying competitor on 94.9 imploded.

[@donmccullen1973]

Ron Chapman was with KVIL since 1969, and this was a pivot moment for the station.

[@senorxrey6429]

When Ron came to the floundering top 40 "Kay-Ville" format Christmas 1969 the local "know-it-alls" told him that playing "good music" like The Ray Coniff Singers and Barbra Streisand with those "rock records" like The Fifth Dimension, Neil Diamond, and The Beatles would NEVER work. We went directly after KLIF 1190 when Gordon sold it, and we put the nail in their coffin in short order. That coupled with FM penetration in D/FW being higher than many other major markets, and KVIL-FM is 100,000 watts ERP and covered much of North Central Texas. Hard work, 'copters full of cash infused into our promotions, and the planets aligning worked for us.

[@archdukebigdogkoopa3821]

Wow, Hugh Heller, and TM Century got that corporate name! Who's next? PAMS? (who might've done jingles in 1961-1969?) PURE jingles? (they might've done some during nighttime) with that K-V-I-L jingle?

[@garymack9431]

And what's the People's Choice total this hour? Great jingles from a once great station - it's shame what's happen to radio.

[@ApartmentKing66]

Wasn't there a KVIL AM at one time?

[@cwdfw]

InvestorGuy66 yes!

[@NAP4205]

Yes but it was only 1,000 watts with a weak signal. KLIF 1190 was just to the right with 50,000 watts. The shift from AM to FM started with KNUS-99 which was KLIF's sister station. First as an "underground" station in the late 60's. Then after Gordon McLendon sold KLIF he turn KNUS into a hip pop station starting in '72.

[@senorxrey6429]

Nick is correct. However, "the nifty 11-50" as I called KVIL-AM was simulcast with the FM most of the years I was there, except a brief period when the FCC changed the rules in the mid '70s. Then the Commission changed the rules back about a year later. KVIL-AM also had a great daytime signal in Dallas, and helped regularly add a half-point to the FMs Arbitron numbers under their methodology. The problem was it was a 6-tower directional from Royal Lane & Luna Road pointed southeast to Highland Park (and covered halfway to College Station) that didn't cover Tarrant County at all. The main lobe was probably the equivalent of 5,000 watts because of the antenna gain. Still it covered more people than KLIF-1190's 5,000 watt Rockwall night site did with 12 towers that produced a thin coverage lobe that marginally covered Ft. Worth, missed everything north of, say, Walnut Hill Lane and south of Oak Cliff, but came in strong like a local station at night in El Paso! So growing up in Richardson, around 1970 KLIF would vanish at local sunset after they moved their 1,000 watt night transmitter site from Scyene Road to Rockwall.

[@joeslayter5841]

One of my favorite stores Ron told about Kvil am: It was a club. It had such a small signal that one evening I think it was Jack Schell tried to give away a yacht to the first caller. No one called in. 🤣🤣

[@x-rockfm92hd81]

WHERES CAT SIMON💋

[@markg6860]

When Ron Chapman transferred to KLUV, it was the start of the decline for KVIL. Several subsequent format changes did not help!

[@senorxrey6429]

That was Infinity Broadcasting's Mel Karmizan (and Howard's friend) who thought Chapman had aged out of KVIL. So when he went to KLUV mornings, I understand he took KVIL's morning listeners with him. Oops. People always underestimated Ron's insights.