KZEW's first print adTuesday, September 18th, 1973 at 6:00AM,
Ken Rundel keys his mike, "Welcome to the ZOO... ...you are listening to KZEW Dallas-Ft.Worth." The first song played was Simon and Garfunkel's "At the Zoo." Ira Lipson remembers, "There was a huge buzz in the air. We were ready to launch The ZOO. There was so much positive energy flowing through the station that we probably could have levitated if we wanted to. Ken Rundel launched us at 6 AM and we just kept soaring. Sure, there were a lot of little things that needed to be fixed, but the feeling was fabulous. We broadcast more than music that day --- we broadcast energy and confidence. The station was a gas to listen to. And the listener response was instantaneous. The ZOO was gonna be a monster." Gary Shaw also remembers that day, "The ZOO went on the air on my mom's birthday...so how could it fail?" Not only that, but the ZOO went on the air nine years to the day from when the Beatles played Dallas on their first U.S. tour. On the down side, the ZOO began on the third anniversary of Jimi Hendrix's death.

September 19th 1973 - The ZOO-Jimi Hendrix connection was further marred on the ZOO's second day of operation when Gram Parsons of the Byrds and of the Flying Burrito Brothers died of a drug overdose at the age of 26.

Oct '73-anouncement - Ken Rundel, Mike Taylor & Jon Dillon (pictured)September 20th 1973 - On the ZOO's third day of operation, Jim Croce dies in a small commercial plane crash, one day before his third album, 'I Got a Name' was to be released. Also on this day, Billie Jean King defeats Bobby Riggs in the "battle of the sexes" Tennis match in the Houston Astrodome.

The new schedule...

Ken Rundel from 6am-10am - Morning spot.
Mike Taylor from 10am-2pm - Middays.
Mark Addy from 2pm-6pm - Afternoons.
Gary Shaw from 6pm-10pm - Evenings.
Mark Christopher from 10pm-2am - Late-nights.
Jon Dillon from 2am-6am - All-nights

The weekend chores will be handled by David Hefner and Dave Thomas. Later would come Joan Green and Rob Dayton as the weekend air-staff.

The First ZOO StickerJust as they did for W4 Detroit, John Dew and Ira Lipson had put together a great team. Mike Taylor remembers, "The Magic was right. There was a lot of optimism and togetherness. We were so close we even took baths together. Seriously, the charisma, the timing and vibes were in sync. And even though some of us were Texans and some of us were from outside the state, our musical ideas were very much alike. We agreed, for instance, that the album-cut approach was what we wanted in our sound. So, we decided what the oldies should be and we laid out a pattern for the new music. We didn't have anything to lose, so we shot for the stars."

Jamie Friar
Let's not forget the ZOO News Crew. Pioneering progressive rock radio news theirselves, Jamie Friar, Laural Oruish, Suzette Smith and Martin Lowy presented the news in the same low key manner. No taped teletype machines in the background, no big introduction, just a fresh approach to news that actually relates to people's lives. "We broadcast the kind of news you don't get anywhere else," explains Ira Lipson.Suzette Smith "In the first few days of broadcasting, the news department had a news story on how a group of Ft. Worth women are trying to deal with the problem of rape, a tongue in cheek look at the government's unsuccessful attempts to get motorists to wear seat belts, and an interview with the New York Dolls."

The news department would use passages off popular records to make editorial comments Spirit of Rebirth Ador underscore certain points. Such as the way passages are used in this 'Spirit of Rebirth' commercial from the fall of '73. The ZOO would begin day one with community in mind.

Listen to the Spirit of Rebirth commercial here

The jocks play a lot of music between newscasts too, at least 17 minutes of each 20 minute set. They never talk down to their listeners-or over the music.

The ZOO had thrown out all of WFAA-FM's old Frankie Layne and Prez Prado albums and replaced them with something a little heavier. And speaking of spring cleaning. Thanks to KZEW's George Gimarc, over 250 KZEW radio commercials were rescued from the trash during a station housecleaning in 1980. We will feature some of those commercials here, but all 252 of the ZOO spots are available on CD from George here. Please support George as he is one of the biggest contributors to the site.

These commercials were mostly concert promos of the biggest concerts to come through Dallas-Ft.Worth during the seventies, plus quiet of few spots promoting local clubs or newly released albums of the day. These spots give you a glimpse of how the ZOO sounded back in those days. Here are some of these album spots here.

The first KZEW T-shirt design

Lynyard Skynyrd - 'Pronounced' album
spot (released Oct. 1973)

Steve Miller - 'Joker' album spot
(released Oct. 1973)

David Bowie - 'Pin ups'
album spot (released Oct. 1973)

The Who - 'Quadrophenia' album spot
(released Nov. 1973)

October 10th 1973 - Spiro T. Agnew resigns as Vice President of the United States and then, in federal court in Baltimore, Maryland, pleads no contest to charges of income tax evasion on $29,500 he received in 1967, while he was governor of Maryland. He is fined $10,000 and put on 3 years' probation.

October 17th 1973 - The Arab Oil Embargo against several countries which support Israel begins, which triggers the 1973 energy crisis.

November 17th 1973 - In Orlando, Florida, U.S. President Richard Nixon, in front of 400 Associated Press managing editors, utters the now famous phrase "I am not a crook."

November 21st 1973 - U.S. President Richard Nixon's attorney, J. Fred Buzhardt, reveals the existence of an 18½-minute gap in one of the White House tape recordings related to Watergate.

November 22th 1973 - Dallas is in the national spotlight once again as the 10th anniversary of the John F. Kennedy assassination passes.

November 25th 1973 - The Who plays the Dallas Memorial Auditorium

The Who 11-25-73 concert promo

Sometime late October or early November, the ZOO begins promoting their very first concert presentation with Humble Pie. In affiliation with Wild West Productions, the concert is set for November 30th at the Tarrant County Convention Center.Movement magazine-Dillon interview - Dec.'73

Humble Pie 11-30-73 concert promo

Many of the Local Clubs of the day had promotional spots featured on the ZOO. Here are some of these spots.

November 28th 1973 - 'Gemini's Eye' spot

December 1973 - 'Mother Blue's & Gertie's' spot

December 31st 1973 - 'The Stoned Pony' spot

If you listen to the Stoned Pony spot, it tells us that the ZOO's first New Year's Eve special were taped concerts by The Allman Brothers & The Marshall Tucker Band. Earlier in the month, Jon Dillon was asked where the KZEW music was headed in the next year. "We're going to hear a lot more country-rock and cuts with down-home blue-grass roots" says Dillon. The New Year's Eve special certainly reflects that. Dillon also adds, "You might as well get ready for more electronic and computer music like with the Moog Synthesizer in the new year.

To be continued...

Last Chapter - "KZEW is Created"Next Chapter - "ZOO Year 1974"