K-M-T-R is on the air

"Take the Last Train to Clarksville and I'll meet you at the station... (open mic, fade the Music, Announcer voice) ...K-M-T-R is on the air!" Those were the first words being uttered over top of the first song to be played on the newest radio station in town sometime in the fall of 1985.
 
KMTR was a controlled carrier station (sometimes called a carrier current broadcasting station) originating from the second floor of Hurie Hall on the campus of the University of the Ozarks, in Clarksville, Arkansas. 

---

A controlled carrier station is one where the signal is sent through the electrical system of each building on campus at such a low frequency that you had to be on campus, near a building for it to be picked on an Amplitude Modulated (AM) radio signal. The “K” in the call letters identifying the station was because all stations west of the Mississippi started with the letter “K” by edict of the Federal Communications commission, and the “M-T-R” was to represent the universities then school and team mascot, a Mountaineer.
 
The esteemed and beloved journalism professor, Dr. Jane Cater, and a handful of excited communication students worked feverishly to acquire the needed equipment, microphones and music that were going to be used as soon as we flipped the microphone to “on” and we were on the air!
 
Buddy White was Founding Station Manager, and Hiroshi Hirai and David Combs were Founding Members. Notice the reel-to-reel recorders, cart machine and carts, turntable, and cassettes. We had it all and had a great time!!
 
My small contribution to the process was basically that of a consultant and as the house megaphone. I had worked at a carrier current station (KHCA) when I was a student at Harding University ten years before this time, and at other real broadcast stations.  Now I was the Director of Public Relations for the Uof O and was tasked with telling the world, broadcasting if you will, that we were on the air!
 
-30-