KAZZ fun and games

In his June 21, 1965, Radio-TV Programming column in Billboard Magazine, Claude Hall profiled KAZZ-FM's block programming. Although Sam Hallman was KAZZ's program director at the time, Hall interviewed afternoon DJ Rim Kelley to prepare the article, since one focus was on KAZZ's broadcast of rock music, surely a first for American FM radio at the time. Hall's Billboard story was probably the best national recognition KAZZ-FM ever received and may have influenced Hall to review Sonobeat's first stereo 45 rpm releases in 1967. KAZZ's live broadcasts were mentioned frequently in John Bustin's Austin American-Statesman newspaper entertainment column.

Radio stations notoriously have run contests and promotions of all kinds to woo listeners. Even back in the '60s, KAZZ-FM was no exception. Here's an assortment of contests and promotions the station ran:

1. Kazoom! was a simple call-in competition for which tickets to The Cinema Theater in Capital Plaza were awarded on the Rim Kelley show.
2. P-Q (Personality Quiz, also on the Rim Kelley show, tested listeners' knowledge of rock artist trivia.
3. The Fabulous Great 8 game, featuring as prizes gift certificates from Jim's Frontier (a local restaurant chain), Campus Corner, Sage (a local discount department store, precursor to K-Mart Target), The Cinema Theater, J. R. Reed (then Austin's largest music store), and the Big Four Mexican restaurants. The grand prize was a Bulova AM-FM portable radio donated by regular station advertiser Valmon Jewelers. Individual numbers were stamped on the back of several thousand copies of KAZZ's March 13-20, 1965, Fun Fifty Hit-List. Numbers were then randomly drawn to award the prizes during the Folkways program on March 18, 1965.

4. Abominable Snowman contest winning entry

   The Abominable Showman Contest, which required entrants to submit a drawing of the loveable character who made regular appearances on the Rim Kelley show, was won by Mike Peal. Nick Kerpchar was runner-up. Unfortunately, we don't know what either won...
5. The April 17-23 Fun Fifty Hit-List promoted Shindig, a traveling music review based on the weekly TV variety show of the same name. Quoting from the Hit-List: "It's gonna be a reallllly big show: Shindig, headed into Austin April 22 (that's Thursday!) will feature the biggest, best acts you've ever seen! Sue Thomson (Paper Tiger fame!) and the Hondell's (Little Honda!) are featured with the Newbeats (currently: The Birds are for the Bees) and lots more. John Andrea, Jim Doval and the Gauchos, and special Shindig Guest, Roosevelt Grier! The Shindig dancers, singers, and band back up the all-star cast and entertain you April 22 (that's Thursday!) at 8 PM at the Municipal Auditorium. Get your tickets now and dig Shindig with KAZZ, Austin's #1 top 40 sound." We made it easy on your eyes: this entire promo was printed in ALL CAPS in the Hit-List. And never mind all the hyperbole.
6. The KAZZ Christmas Coloring Book Contest featured 12 black and white pages of "scenes from a day in the life of KAZZ". The coloring book -- actually a staple-bound booklet -- was available alongside the KAZZ Starline Record Survey at record stores around Austin. Run during the 1965 Christmas season, the contest attracted a significant number of entries. The top prize was a portable transistor FM radio.
7. A homemade valentine contest ran in February 1966. In an odd act of extreme sexism, the contest was open open to "girls only", who were invited in the February 7-13 Starline Survey to "Send your valentines to your favorite Kay-Zee Dee-Jay."
8. A tie-in with the Longhorn Jazz Festival, produced by KAZZ's original manager, Rod Kennedy, in April 1966.
9. A Rolling Stones Aftermath album giveaway; the gimmick here was that the album was the British version. The winner had to submit a 25 word (or less) definition, explanation, or personal feeling about the Stones' music.
10. A giveaway of the weekly pick hit single on Kirk Wilson's Saturday morning rock program.
11. A Christmas card drawing in December 1966; the winner was awarded "12 days of Christmas... actually, your choice of any twelve record albums, from KAZZ".

Next: a look back at KAZZ's hit lists