Reverend Paul J. Pietsch, founder of Missionary Gospel Fellowship  in  Turlock, suggested in 1946 that some Christian businessmen in Turlock start a new radio station in Turlock. 

The first thought of the Turlock group was to establish the station on Colorado Avenue on four acres  acquired for this purpose.  Eventually this site was abandoned when the group decided to  a rent a larger site on approximately 10 acres on Quincy Road, between Hawkeye and Tuolumne where they eventually erected towers and built their studios.

The first Washington D.C. representative retained to help with the   license  application made a trip out to California, and in his spats inspected the site.  He inquired how high on the tower base the snow would be in wintertime.

The group applied for and received FM license at the same time but since there was only small listener interest in FM at the time, the group did not pursue it and let it lapse.

Application for a construction permit was filed in 1946 and  after contending with at least one competing application for another

city, a construction permit was issued.

Studios, offices and two antenna towers were erected. Two antenna towers  were required for nighttime directional operation in order to protect KGER in Long Beach and a station in Oregon.

After construction was completed and extensive signal pattern testing done by the KGER chief engineer the application for actual broadcasting was filed in Washington, D.C. on October 7, 1949.  A permit to go on the air was received Friday, October 14, 1949 .

The first broadcast was the Turlock-Lodi football game at Lodi, with  sports announcer Claire Rampton calling the game. 

An open house was held shortly after going on the air attended by a full house of interested citizens.

The first broadcast from Beulah Tabernacle occurred on October 16, 1949. Cecil Lynch, Technical Advisor set up the necessary engineering for phone connections between the church and the station. 

There were about 10 to 15 employees at the time and  Max Sayre, was  the station's Chief Engineer .  Some of the early programming on the station included a Portuguese program by Frank Mendonca and the farm broadcasts by Buck Clausen.

Though the station was limited to only 1,000 watts , there was good coverage in the primary area and at times could be heard between from Carson City, Nevada  to  Ridge Route and Gorman in the south.

When broadcasting started the owners and board members were  Wallace Lindskoog, Chairman; Gilbert. Moody, Secretary; Elwood Swanson, Treasurer; Luther Boone; Elmer Hyer; August Lindblom; Herbert Lindgren; Wilbur Merrill;  H. A. McMillen; Gordon Mowrer; Clarence Soderstrom; Melvin Soderstrom; and Bill Tell.

In about 1960 KTUR was  sold to some men from Ohio who preferred to emphasize network baseball and changed the name from KTUR to KCEY to tie in with "Casey at the bat".

Before the sale, the original owners  had completed engineering to increase the power to 5,000 watts and move the transmitter site SE of Turlock at Montpelier. The FCC granted the increase application after the new owners took over control of KTUR who completed the improvements. At the same time the new owners purchased a piece of property  on Geer Road at Santa Fe Ave. and built a new studios also installing a nearly 400 foot tower on which to install the antenna for their new FM station.

Eight Turlock area men have filed an application with the FCC for a commercial AM broadcast station for Turlock.   The group comprises the Turlock Broadcasting Group and include  chairman , Wallace N. Lindskoog.  Luther G. Boone, Gordon E. Mowrer, Elmer A. Heyer, August Lindbom, C.H. Lindgren, secretary,  Wilbur Merrill and Gilbert Moody, legal adviser.  The station manager H. Ansel McMillian said the group is a general partnership.

Mowrer and Lindblom are Turlock merchants, Moody an attorney and the others turkey raisers, farmers and dairymen.

According to McMillen.  a 5 acre tract of ground has been purchased on Colorado Ave. a half mile northeast of the Turlock city limits.   The transmitter will be placed 2112 feet due south of Minnesota avenue and 330 feet due east of Colorado at 107 feet above sea level.   The studios will at the same location. 

The tentative call letters will be KTUR with a power of 250 watts at 1450  Kcs  with expected  "blanket" coverage of 25 miles in any direction from Turlock.  The total range would encompass approximately 50 miles. 

McMillian said a competing application from a Modesto group for a station in Modesto on the same frequency may delay the granting of a license by the FCC for several weeks and may require a hearing.  

The initial investment of the Turlock group will amount to approximately $30,000 according to McMillian.  

Country Planners have approved the site for Turlock's own commercial radio station which will on t he air within 100 days according to H.A. McMillen, spokesman for the owners.  The station's application to erect towers and a studio on the W.J. Glaze residence on Quincy Road between Tuolumne and Hawkeye has been approved by the Stanislaus County planning commission.  

The towers have been purchased and delivered to the Quincy Road site and bids are now being accepted to erect them.    Preliminary plans have also been completed for the construction of a studio at the same location.

The FCC has granted the local group a license to operate an AM station on 1390 Kcs.  The group has also received an FM station license.  It will be simulcast with the AM station programming if the group decides to put it on the air.

Others connected with the station besides McMillen  include Gilbert Moody, Wallace Lindskoog, Herbert Lindgren,  Wilbur Merrill, Luther Boone, August Lindblom, Gordon Mowrer and Ralph Hyer.  

KTUR Goes on the Air Next Week

Turlock's radio station, KTUR,  will go on the air during the early part of next week according H.A. McMillian, station manager. All test have been completed and the station has been inspected by the FCC.  All that remains is for formal approval from the FCC in Washington, D.C.  which is routine.The approval should be telegraphed by the FCC by early next week and the station will go on the air as soon as it is received.  Formal opening ceremonies will be aired on the following night.  The station's frequency is 1390 Kcs.

Assistant Chief Engineer Carl Pendergraft (seated) and KTUR General Manager H.A. McMillian The control board was built by Max Sayre, KTUR Chief Engineer and Carl Pentergraft, Asst. Chief.

L-R   Unknown and H.A. McMillian KTUR station manager

Can you help?   There are a few people in the photos above that we have not been able to identify.   If you know there names please contact us with the information.

(Photos courtesy of Cecil Lynch)

KTUR booth at the Stanislaus County Fair in the '50s.