KLYQ Radio Starts Its 60th Year Broadcasting
At 5:58 a.m. February 4th, 1961, KLYQ Radio brought AM broadcasting to the Bitterroot Valley. Stan Hooper and Luin K. (Dex) Dexter had been working with Hamilton business people for about two years to get Federal Communications Commission approval for Hamilton s first radio station. Until then, the closest station was in Missoula.
In late November, 1960, the FCC granted a construction permit. Dex and Stan ordered wire that needed to be buried in the ground around the AM tower. When it arrived, the ground had frozen solid. So, it took until February to get all the technical issues settled. They received permission to broadcast and went on the air Friday, February 3rd, for a general test at 1 p.m. Dex, who was the chief engineer, said there were a few problems that were fixed during the five hours they were on the air. They were ready for the real thing.