Cox Media Group's KONO 860 AM dropped its oldies format last week for carry business news from Bloomberg Radio.
The station, founded in 1927 by Eugene Roth and George Ing, has been a staple in San Antonio, known for its deep connection to the local community.
In the 1960s and 70s, KONO, "The Big 86," was one of the leading Top 40 stations in San Antonio. Some of the on-air personnel were Howard Edwards, Don Couser, Woody Roberts, Skinny Don Green, Lee 'Baby' Simms, Dave Mitchell, Johnny Shannon, Charlie Scott, Nick St John and Frank Jolley. KONO won national awards in the 60s for its popularity and creativity. In 1965, Bob Pearson and Howard Edwards were selected as two of the top radio personalities in the country. KONO and its sister station KITY would remain at 317 Arden Grove, attached to the KSAT-TV building, until the early 1990s, when they moved to a location on NE Loop 410.
In the 1970s, KONO and KTSA battled in the Top 40 format. Although KONO's more recurrent-based style frequently played second-fiddle to the more current-oriented KTSA, it continued to do well. The two stations provided a nice 1-2 punch that made WOAI regret its brief flirtation with the top-40 format in the mid-'70s. The two also ran AM/FM simulcast KQAM/KSAQ (“Q-100”) out of the format after a few years.
KONO began the 1980s with the same recurrent-heavy Top 40 format it had in the 1970s but with a softer sound than before. KONO's days as a true contemporary hits station were numbered, as AM Top 40 stations were rapidly losing audience to FM upstarts. KONO began to evolve to a gold-based Adult Contemporary direction while its Top 40 format replaced the AC format on sister station KITY.
The final song played on KONO as “86KONO” was “Daydream” by The Lovin’ Spoonful.
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