KWEM-LP
Frequency93.3 MHz
Programming
FormatBlues/gospel
Ownership
Owner
History
Founded2014
First air date
2015
Call sign meaning
West Memphis; tribute to former KWEM
Technical information
Facility ID193203
ERP45 watts
HAAT45 meters (148 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
35°11′24.3″N 90°15′26.3″W / 35.190083°N 90.257306°W / 35.190083; -90.257306
Links
WebcastListen live
Websitekwemradio.com

KWEM-LP is a low-power FM radio station in West Memphis, Arkansas, United States, owned by Arkansas State University Mid-South. The station airs a format of blues and gospel music and is also used as a training ground for students in the community college's digital media program.

The call letters and format are a tribute to a former West Memphis radio station, KWEM (990 AM), which began in 1947; moved across the Mississippi River to Memphis, Tennessee, in 1953; and changed call letters in 1959. The station was influential in the early careers of several blues and rockabilly musicians.

History

The original KWEM

The owners of Little Rock-area radio station KXLR sought to build a statewide network of stations to carry Arkansas Razorbacks football, and they felt that the Memphis area would provide important coverage and exposure for the football program.[1] After delays, KWEM (990 AM) began operating on February 9, 1947,[2] with official opening two weeks later.[3]

West Memphis was described as the "Las Vegas of the South" in this era, and its programming drew from the musicians playing clubs in that era.[1] Howlin' Wolf had a show on the station from 1949 to 1952, and Sam Phillips heard him and signed him to a contract with Sun Records;[4] his program aired after music by rockabilly guitarist Paul Burlison;[5] B.B. King was first heard over the station, getting his break on a show helmed by Sonny Boy Williamson II;[6] Stax Records founder Jim Stewart started at KWEM, as did James Cotton and Hubert Sumlin;[7] Johnny Cash's first radio broadcast was on KWEM in 1953.[1][8] The station allowed aspiring performers to pay for 15-minute blocks of air time.[9] Elvis Presley made his first radio appearance on KWEM in 1953, which did not go well because he lacked a band and moved around too much;[4] George Klein worked there as a DJ after its move to Memphis;[10] so did Eddie Bond.[11]

KWEM was purchased by Dee Rivers in 1951.[12] Rivers moved the station to Memphis, where from studios on Flicker Street, it continued to be an influential hotbed of talent; the transmitter remained on the Arkansas side of the river.[13] This lasted through the end of the decade, when KWEM became KWAM,[13] and it eventually stopped playing live music.[9]

The revival

In 2009, Dale Franklin purchased assets to relaunch KWEM as an online-only station, playing the genres of music where it had the most influence.[8] In addition, he acquired such historic artifacts as a recording lathe used by Ike Turner.[4] Franklin's goal was to increase recognition of KWEM's historical role and increase musical tourism on the Arkansas side of the Mississippi by restoring the original studio on Broadway Street.[9] He then opted to sell these assets to Mid-South Community College in West Memphis.[14] Streaming returned under MSCC management in 2014 ahead of the station's 2015 sign-on on FM.[15]

Franklin, who was described by the president of MSCC as having a "John the Baptist type fervor" for the project,[4] died in 2017.[16]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Nelson, Rex (April 10, 2013). "Resurrecting a radio legend". Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
  2. ↑ "New Station Gathers Audience From Afar: West Memphis KWEM Reported Clear 175 Miles Away". The Commercial Appeal. February 11, 1947. p. 11.
  3. ↑ "Kay Arrives Today!". The Commercial Appeal. February 23, 1947. p. 4.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Randall, Mark (June 5, 2014). "KWEM 'flips the switch' at Mid-South Community College". The Evening Times.
  5. ↑ Boehm, Mike (September 19, 1986). "Sun's sons: Rockabilly pioneers". Providence Journal.
  6. ↑ Shuster, Fred (October 23, 1991). "Blues king had pauper start". Daily News of Los Angeles. p. L8.
  7. ↑ Ellis, Bill (April 29, 2005). "Wolf's guitar man keeps his bite". The Commercial Appeal.
  8. 1 2 McCracken, Mitch (July 13, 2010). "Back on the Air: Historic KWEM returns to airwaves". Memphis Daily News. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
  9. 1 2 3 Boudreau, Eleanor (May 13, 2013). "You'll Be Mine: Bringing Musical Tourism To West Memphis". WKNO. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
  10. ↑ "Platter Spinner Patter" (PDF). Cash Box. February 12, 1955. p. 11. Retrieved August 30, 2021 – via World Radio History.
  11. ↑ "Country Round Up" (PDF). Cash Box. August 17, 1957. p. 43. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
  12. ↑ "FCC Actions" (PDF). Broadcasting. December 3, 1951. p. 98. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
  13. 1 2 FCC History Cards for KWAM
  14. ↑ "Historic KWEM Station Returns Online". Billboard. Associated Press. May 27, 2014. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
  15. ↑ "Bob Mehr's Memphis Music Beat: Historic KWEM radio to relaunch, Pearl Jam in Memphis, new Amy LaVere". The Commercial Appeal. May 22, 2014. Retrieved August 30, 2021.
  16. ↑ Randall, Mark (November 21, 2017). "Dale Franklin, KWEM radio revivalist, passes away". The Evening Times. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
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