I’m proud to have been asked by the Encyclopedia of Arkansas to write an entry on KBTM, which was one of the state’s early radio stations, while its FM frequency with the same call letters is believed to have been the first licensed FM in the state. The online encyclopedia is a project of the Central Arkansas Library System.
I had extensively researched the Jonesboro radio station in 2011, even interviewing many people who worked there, as well as members of the Patteson family, which owned the AM/FM combo for 35 years. My research was spurred by eventual corporate owner Clear Channel Communications killing off the powerful FM frequency to put a lower power station on the air in Memphis, which would make more money being in a larger market. It was a joy to revisit my research as I prepared the entry for the encyclopedia, following its style. The entry was published Nov. 23, 2019 and can be read here. If you’d like to read what I originally wrote for my website, which includes audio of my interviews, you can find it here.
Director of Public Affairs at Arkansas PBS, 35-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.
