SPECIAL ARCHIVE: “KWMR’s First Day On-Air”

WHAT: Special segment on ‘Swimming Upstream,’ covering KWMR’s first day on air, May 2, 1999.
AIRED ON: “Swimming Upstream” with host Amanda Eichstaedt, March 29, 2023
LISTEN: “KWMR’s First Day On-Air“
ABOUT THE SHOW: Station Manager & show host Amanda Eichstaedt’s note…

“When Richard Dillman told us that he had found audio from KWMR’s very first day I was not expecting to get emotional about it. I wasn’t here when the station went live on May 2nd in 1999. It seems strange that the year prior to Y2K was that long ago – 24 years. I hope I don’t shed any tears on the air tomorrow, but it would not be the first time.

As Richard recommended, I gave myself some dedicated time to listen to the whole hour and 15 minutes that his producer friend Mariah Gilardin recorded on the day KWMR went live. There is a lot of background noise, and some great recordings of the David Thom Band that was the first music to be broadcasted on KWMR when the FM was turned on. And there are some kernels that are so heartwarming, really quite incredible to hear from that opening day. It was quite a celebration! Maybe YOU were there.

Richard Dillman and Kay Clements when KWMR was on Cable. The hole is for the FM transmitter pole.

Tomorrow morning, Muriel (Aggie) Murch, KWMR’s founding Program Director and Richard Dillman, KWMR’s first Executive Director, and now Transmitter Engineer will join me on the air starting at 8:15 AM. We will take the rest of Swimming Upstream to play some of this audio for YOU. We will reminisce and get some back stories from Aggie and Richard.

I’m excited to share this audio with you. You will hear some long lost voices and some that are still very much involved with KWMR all these 24 years later. I think you may be as surprised as I am at how resilient and consistent the spirit of KMWR has been all these 24 years.

KWMR Transmitter! First one. Richard likes to point out that the UFO was identified later, would that just make it an FO?