I’m excited to share audio of a newly-digitized recording of legendary Little Rock R&B station KOKY-AM 1140 on August 8, 1975. The 90-minute cassette, recorded from the air signal, captures a strong presentation by midday disc jockey Harold Torrence who was clearly very busy, talking between nearly every song and bringing together the many elements on the air.
A recording of Little Rock’s KOKY-AM 1440 on August 8, 1975.
The station was heavily promoting its summer “Stash the Cash” contest, which involved $250 being hidden somewhere in Little Rock. That’s the equivalent of about $1,500 today. 12 clues hinting about where the money was located were being broadcast and printed on KOKY’s Soul Express Music Survey, which could be picked up at businesses throughout central Arkansas.
There are lots of great jingles in between new and classic R&B hits. KOKY aired national newscasts from Mutual Black Network News, which was created in 1972 specifically for stations targeting Black audiences. The lead story in this recording was the death that day of jazz musician Julian “Cannonball” Adderly at age 46. There’s also part of a local newscast, but the recording doesn’t include the local newscaster’s name. Side A of the cassette ran out midway through the cast and perhaps he gave his name at the end. I’ve prepared a full index of what’s included in the recording, including quotes of the patter by the DJ.
AUDIO: Little Rock radio station KOKY-AM 1440 on August 8, 1975 from 10:10 a.m. to 11:40 a.m. The music has been edited to only include the beginnings and ends of songs to avoid potential copyright violations.
KOKY was put on the air Oct. 8, 1956, initially calling itself the “Greater Little Rock Ebony Station,” and broadcast from studios at 1604 West 14th Street. The FCC had awarded the license that year to John M. McLendon, who also owned three radio stations in Mississippi. The Encyclopedia of Arkansas has a detailed history on the station, which was the first in the state to have a Black staff and to be programming for a Black audience. Among KOKY’s early DJs was Central High School student Al Bell, who would later become co-owner of Stax Records in Memphis.
Nineteen years later in this recording, KOKY was calling itself “Soul Express Radio” and had moved eight blocks to 723 West 14th Street. After initially broadcasting a 1000-watt signal, it was soon given a power upgrade to 5,000 watts, which more effectively covered central Arkansas.
KOKY had been sold several times over the years while retaining its format until 1979 when a new owner, Forus Communication of Arkansas, changed the programming to religious and the call letters to KITA. The studios remained in the building on 14th Street for decades.
The building that housed studios for KOKY-AM 1440 in 1975, at 723 West 14th Street in Little Rock. The photo was taken on June 7, 2025, with a banner on the front that says BFM Studio, a music recording studio currently located in the building. Photo: Michael Hibblen
The building currently houses Braceface Music Studio, according to its website, while a radio microwave tower still stands behind the building. An FCC database shows the AM 1440 signal in Little Rock is now off the air as more companies are abandoning AM stations.
The KOKY call letters — after disappearing from the radio dial for years — were revived in the late 1990s by corporate radio chain Citadel Broadcasting when it was planning to put an urban adult contemporary station on the air at FM 102.1. The company’s Director of Programming “Broadway” Joe Booker told the Arkansas Times in a 2019 story that he felt the call letters “would be perfect” for the format. And indeed, KOKY-FM consistently ranks near the top of Little Rock radio ratings. The heritage and history of KOKY was celebrated at a 2019 event organized by the Central Arkansas Library System’s John Miller, which included a panel discussion with those associated with the station.
The 1975 broadcast comes from a collection of tapes I’ve been digitizing that had belonged to longtime broadcaster Bob Gay. He worked at several Little Rock radio and TV stations, though not KOKY. I wouldn’t be surprised if Bob recorded this to monitor competing stations, though his writing “do not erase” on the label shows he knew it was worth saving. Bob Gay died last December at the age of 87. Thank you to his son Russell Gay for giving these tapes to me.
Director of Public Affairs at Arkansas PBS, 36-year broadcasting veteran, photographer, interested in radio, TV and railroad history, author and host of the book and podcast series Rock Island Railroad in Arkansas.
