| Broadcast area | Midland-Odessa |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 1310 kHz AM |
| Programming | |
| Format | Defunct (formerly Tejano) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Pete C. Rodriquez |
| History | |
First air date | September 7, 1957 |
Last air date | 1991 |
Call sign meaning | OYL |
| Technical information | |
| Facility ID | 52349 |
| Class | D |
| Power | 1,000 watts (day) 79 watts (night) |
KOYL (1310 AM) was a radio station in Odessa, Texas, that served the Midland–Odessa metropolitan area. It was the first country music station in the area. KOYL's air staff as a country music station has included Bill Myrick. It went silent in March 1991.
The Mid-Cities Broadcasting Co., owned by Edward and Lowell Roskelley, received the construction permit for KPBX on September 19, 1956. Before going on the air September 7, 1957,[1] the station was given call letters KOYL, a nod to the importance of oil in the Permian Basin economy. A 1981 Book of Texas Lists would feature KOYL and fellow Odessa station KRIG, both named for the oil industry.[2]
KOYL became the first country music station in the area,[3] broadcasting with 500 watts (later increased to 1,000). It also was the first new radio station in Odessa in a decade.[4]
KOYL's air staff as a country music station over the years included Bill Myrick,[4] and guest disc jockeys Waylon Jennings and Johnny Dollar.[5] Jennings and Dollar would continue to appear on KOYL after leaving the station as part of its regular "Voice of the Past" feature, hosted by former station DJs.[5] Edward Roskelley also hosted the station's morning show as "Ross the Boss" for the 22 years he owned the station.[3] On April 5, 1966, KOYL-FM signed on the air, offering separate programming and country music at night when KOYL was off the air.[6]
In 1979, Roskelley sold KOYL-AM-FM to Stream Broadcasting of Texas, Inc.[7] Stream added nighttime service to KOYL, broadcasting with 79 watts. In March 1980, Stream split the FM station off as contemporary outlet KUFO-FM; it is now KODM.[8]
The second—and final—sale of KOYL occurred in 1985, to Pete C. Rodriquez, as Stream sold the AM and FM stations separately. Rodriquez, the owner of Odessa's Pan American Ballroom,[9] immediately changed KOYL to a Spanish-language format.[10] One of the reasons Rodriquez bought KOYL was because the existing Spanish-language station in town, KJJT, was co-owned with a competing venue and tended to ignore entertainers performing at the Pan American.[11] KOYL also relocated its studios after the sale.[11] The sale, however, prompted a concern from the Associated Press, which in 1989 sued Stream Broadcasting for terminating its AP wire service contract for KOYL right before selling the station without notifying Rodriquez; the AP sought $23,525 in back payments.[12] KOYL's license was eventually canceled in 1992 after the station was reported silent in March 1991[13] and its silent status was reaffirmed by the National Association of Broadcasters in a May 29, 1992 letter to the FCC on media ownership rules.[14]