When AM 1240 went on the air December 19, 1947, it was the beginning of a long history of entertaining and informing the growing communities along US Hwy 75.
KJIM originally held the call sign KTAN and was established on December 19, 1947. Its original format was Classical music. The owners were: Joe Carroll and Elmer Scarborough (1947–48), Tony Anthony, and E. T. Fant Jr (1948-?) Charles L. Cain (?-1953) Col. Howard L. Burris (1953–55; operated under an LMA to Howard Davis) Galen O. Gilbert (1955–57; Gilbert later owned KDNT-Denton) J. Lou Groves (1957; Groves was a theater operator) Senator William J. Samples (1957–58) and King Fisher/Jimmy Fisher/Harry O’Conner dba O’Conner Broadcasting (1958.) Programs: “An Ear for Corn” (morning show) “Concerts in Miniature” (hosted by Bill Jaco,) Notables: Bill Jaco (who was the first to broadcast on the station, and was PD) Otis McKenzie, Bill Collins, Louise Cobbler, Sue Hill, Paul Phillips, Stafford E. Davis. Located at 2024 N. US 75, south of US 82.
In 1958 the station adopted the call letters KTXO, and began airing a Country and Western format (one of the first Texas stations to go C&W.). Its call letters stood for Texas and Oklahoma.
Owners: King Fisher/Jimmy Fisher/Harry O’Conner/Paul Carter dba O’Conner Broadcasting (1958–60) Bill Jaco and Tom Spellman (1960–69; Jaco was a disc jockey) Floyd Shelton (1969-?) Larry Henderson (co-owned with his wife). Notables: David Sprowl, John Scott, Bill Jaco, Gary King. Increased power to 1,000 watts in 1968. Sister station to KWSM. Located on US 75, south of US 82, then to the Grayson Bank Building, then to near the Woodlawn Country Club (1968–present).
KJIM-AM Arrives
On July 31, 1991 the station adopted the call letters KJIM and began airing an oldies format. Calls taken from the longtime KJIM on 870 kHz in Fort Worth.
On September 22, 1995, Bob Allen dba Bob Mark Allen Productions, Inc. became licensee after the transfer of ownership was approved by the FCC.
“Bobbin'” Bobby Allen began his radio career in Oklahoma City in the 1950s. He later worked on air at a number of stations in the Midwest including, KIOA and KSO Des Moines, Iowa; KRMG and KELI in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Allen later became a well-known Top 40 DJ and talk show host in Fort Worth, Texas, working at KXOL and KFJZ.
He left radio to establish his own advertising agency to service a growing Tandy Corporation (headquartered in Fort Worth). Allen built his agency on work done for Tandy’s Radio Shack brand.
Later, he became a staple in the automotive business, representing McDavid Automotive Group. Featured in the auto dealer’s TV commercials, Allen’s own Great Dane, Widetrack, became a star of the campaign.
Adding FM to the Service
On March 16, 2016 the Federal Communications Commission granted the construction of an FM translator station, K233CV to Bob Mark Allen Productions, Inc. to simulcast the programming of KJIM 1500 as part of the AM Revitalization Act. The FM signal (now K267CB) at 101.3 began broadcasting full-time, day and night, 7 days a week, on March 27, 2017. The low-power transmitter antenna sits on a tower located in Sherman near Texoma Parkway and Hwy 691.
Both KJIM features news on the hour from CBS Radio and extended local newscasts each morning. The stations also broadcast an hourly half-cycle on NOAA Weather Radio’s WXK22 which serves the Sherman-Denison area.