Last week, the Texas House passed House Resolution 1690, authored by Rep. John Frullo, which honored KFYO for its 85th anniversary of broadcasting.

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KFYO started in Texarkana, TX in 1926.  The radio station then moved to the cities of Breckenridge and Abilene over the next few years before settling in Lubbock in 1932.

KFYO was the first radio station in Lubbock and is also one of the longest continuously operating broadcast outlets in the state and country.

KFYO also has the unique distinction of using only one set of call letters throughout its whole history.

KFYO broadcast the first-ever radio play-by-play broadcast of Texas Tech Football in 1934 and has been the home to legendary broadcasters Jack Dale, Max Mott, "Big Ed" Wilkes, Bob Nash and Paul R. Beane. Other personalities heard on KFYO over the past decade include: Ryan Hyatt (Voice of Lady Raider Basketball), Johnny May, Jane Prince-Jones, Jim Stewart, Ron Roberts, Chad Hasty and Robert Pratt.

KFYO is also known among long-time Lubbock residents as the only broadcast outlet that stayed on the air before- during- and after the 1970 Tornado.  KFYO was the lifeline to Lubbock and the rest of the South Plains in the aftermath of the devastating tornado that struck the heart of Lubbock.  KFYO was honored by President Richard Nixon for its service to the community in the months following the tornado.

During my decade-long tenure at KFYO, we have embraced our history and added to our collection of KFYO memorabilia here at the station, some of which we hope to showcase on KFYO.com.

If you wish to read about the complete history of KFYO, click on this link.

Shown below is the text of the full resolution passed by the Texas House:

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82R23765 JGH-D

By:  Frullo                                      H.R. No. 1690

R E S O L U T I O N

WHEREAS, Radio station KFYO in Lubbock is celebrating its 85th anniversary in 2011; and

WHEREAS, Founded in 1926 in Texarkana, Texas, the station, whose call letters stood for the slogan "Kum Find Your Opportunities," originally broadcast at 1430 AM with 10 watts of power; the station was moved to Breckenridge in 1927 and moved again a year later to Abilene, where for a time it broadcast from the historic Grace Hotel; and

WHEREAS, In 1932, the station made its final move to Lubbock, broadcasting at 1310 AM; it first aired a Texas Tech football game in 1934, and the following year, began regular broadcasts of the games; and

WHEREAS, During the next decade, KFYO was affiliated with the Mutual Radio, NBC Blue, and ABC Radio Networks; the station was granted a TV license for Channel 5 in Lubbock in 1953 and subsequently began a nearly half-century affiliation with CBS News; and

WHEREAS, KFYO was the city's FEMA/civil defense radio station and was equipped with two diesel back-up generators, which proved critical in the aftermath of the deadly tornado that struck Lubbock on May 11, 1970; the only station that remained on the air, KFYO provided vital information to the community and served as the city's sole link to the outside world by broadcasting over the phone to a Dallas station; as a result, KFYO earned a number of awards and accolades, including a presidential citation; and

WHEREAS, Over the years, the station has offered a variety of local coverage through the sportscasts of Jack Dale, known as the "Voice of the Red Raiders," the farm reports of agricultural director Jim Stewart, the weekly broadcasts of the Downtown Bible Class, and programs by such popular area radio personalities as Chad Hasty and Robert Pratt; in January 2009, the station broadcast live from Centennial Plaza in Midland during the "Welcome Home" celebration for former president and first lady George and Laura Bush; and

WHEREAS, KFYO has kept pace with the latest radio technology, transitioning to digital broadcasting in 1998 and streaming its programming live over the Internet starting in 2007; the station has been affiliated with ABC since 2003; and

WHEREAS, Since its humble beginnings 85 years ago, KFYO has become a leading source of information, commentary, and entertainment in Lubbock, and it is a pleasure to honor the organization on the occasion of this special milestone; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas Legislature hereby congratulate radio station KFYO on its 85th anniversary and extend to the station's managers and staff sincere best wishes for continued success; and, be it further

RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be prepared for the station as an expression of high regard by the Texas House of Representatives.

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