By Vanesa Brashier, editor@bluebonnetnews.com
It’s a wrap. On Monday morning, KSHN FM 99.9 owner Bill Buchanan hosted his final Partyline Show with Dayton City Manager Theo Melancon, Dayton Mayor Caroline Wadzeck, Liberty City Manager Tom Warner and Mayor Carl Pickett as guests. At midnight tonight, a switch will be pulled that will turn on Humble-based KSBJ’s signal to the former KSHN FM radio signal.
As always, the Partyline Show was a time for the city leaders to discuss topics of interest to their communities, but the conversation again and again drifted back to Buchanan and his storied history in broadcasting.
Buchanan explained he once interviewed the late Madalyn Murray O’Hair, who fought for atheism and a separation of church and state, and had then-Texas Governor George W. Bush as a guest a couple of times before he became the U.S. President.
Throughout the day, the familiar sound of the tinkling door chimes that hang on the front door of the KSHN office on the 2200 block of Sam Houston Ave., in Liberty, could be heard as friend after friend of Buchanan and his crew came in to say thank you for the service they have provided to the community for the last 42 years – first with KPXE AM and then KSHN FM.
“We should have put out a guest book,” said Tiffany York, who will remain with KSHN’s terrestrial radio program that will be offered online at http://www.KSHN.com. “People have poured out a great deal of love for Bill and the station today. We have received flowers, cards, letters, everything.”
Don’t ring the death bells for KSHN, according to York. While the show will no longer be on the radio, music with some local news will still be streamed through the website.
“Yes, it’s going to be different. KSHN.com will be just as devoted to the community but in a modern way,” said York, who is the only remaining employee as operations have been scaled down extensively. “Bill will no longer be doing Partyline but I will be coming back with Partyline in the future. I don’t know what form and when yet. We spent the last month and a half getting to today. Now we are figuring out what’s next.”
York said she plans to add more modern music in the mix.
“I don’t want to take away the music that people like but we can make it have a more modern sound,” she said. “We also plan to bring video to the webpage in addition to audio. There will also be podcasts. There will be lots of changes, but I consider these additions, not subtractions, to bring it into a more modern age.”
To listen to the online radio program, go to KSHN.com and click “Listen Live,” or download the “Tune In Radio” app through your phone or tablet’s app store.
“Let’s see how this goes. It’s a great big, community-wide experiment. Let’s see what I can pull out of my magic hat,” York said.
