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About Us!

Small-town Radio...

KMOO has been on the air since 1963, serving East Texas with a unique blend of music, information and small-town traditions. KMOO started as an AM station located in downtown Mineola. In late 1970s, Sam Curry, then owner of the station, added an FM signal, broadcasting at 96.7 on the dial. The AM station was eventually sold and moved to Canton and in 1998, Jason and Ingrid Hightower bought the FM station. It moved to 99.9 during the same time and was re-branded as "K-Moo!"

"Local" means local!

Since then the station has become an icon of East Texas, becoming the number one listened-to station in a six-county area. In an era where many radio stations are remotely controlled from hundred of miles away, "local" is the guiding principle at KMOO and today it produces all its programming locally. Decisions about KMOO's music and programming; production of local news and weather 24 hours a day; broadcasting of live high school sports from 12 different districts; it's all done right here at KMOO.
 

True country music

KMOO began by playing country music and owner Jason Hightower believes KMOO should stay true to its roots. Tune in and you'll hear all your old favorites including Willie Nelson, Tom T. Hall, Waylon Jennings and Jerry Jeff Walker. You'll hear Johnny Cash's number one hits and some song you never knew he recorded. You will also hear new songs that while climbing the charts are still true to the traditional country sound and you'll catch a few hidden gems of songs that most other radio stations will never discover. On KMOO, "if it ain't country, it ain't playing."
 

Listeners and clients

KMOO boasts an average of more than 18,000 listeners at any given time. We love our listeners and hope our listeners love us. We're always looking for ways to say "Thanks!" to those who tune us in with fun contests and exciting activities. We've hosted "senior" proms, beach parties, summer challenges, home expos, holiday give-aways, block parties, and more. We give away thousands of dollars in cash and prizes every year. Our listeners also know where to find the best deals in East Texas. Connecting local businesses to local listeners is what we do best. Business owners know that word of mouth advertising is very effective and by using KMOO to spread the word, everybody wins!
 

Giving back: Children's Miracle Network

KMOO recognizes the responsibility that comes with having a successful radio station. And part of that is to use our resources to help people right here in East Texas. For more than 10 years, KMOO has hosted an annual Children's Miracle Network Radiothon. For 15 hours straight, we broadcast live, telling the stories of local children who have benefited from contributions made by our own listeners. And each year, more people give. Since 1998, KMOO's listeners have given more than a quarter of million dollars, every penny of which has stayed in East Texas, purchasing life-supporting and life-sustaining equipment and training for all of our children.


 

KMOO.com The KMOO Crew
The KMOO Crew PDF  | Print |  E-mail

Meet the Crew!

David Chenault
Operations / News Director

David has been with KMOO since 2004. Before coming to KMOO, he worked at a newspaper and before that lived in Germany. He is a ham radio operator and a Rotarian and currently lives in Mineola, spending most of his time chasing news stories.
 

 

Mid-Days



  

Robert Trammell
Sports Director

Robert joined the KMOO crew in March of 2008. Before coming to KMOO, Robert worked for another station in Sulphur Springs as the play-by-play voice of the High School Football Game of the Week. Robert was the radio/tv analyst for the Dallas Sidekicks, and currently does fill-in work for SMU Football and Basketball. Robert currently lives in Lindale.



 

General Store / Evenings



Danielle Reeves

 


 

Kendra Howerton





Analesia Jones




 

Marketing Professionals

Tonya Slayton

Tonya joined KMOO as a marketing professional nine years ago, although her first job at the station came much earlier. In high school, Tonya worked behind the KMOO microphone as a DJ on the weekends. Still committed to radio, Tonya understands that her success is based on building successful marketing plans for her clients. She is honored to celebrate the many successes of her local clients and would love to help your business become successful. She lives in Mineola and enjoys working with youth sports. Most of her personal time is spent watching her daughters play sports. Tonya's motto for life: Empty what's full - Fill what's empty and scratch where it itches! Give her a call - she'll help you fill what's empty - but she'll let you take care of the scratchin'..........


Gary DeArmond


Gary has been with KMOO for nearly 10 years. In addition to extensive sales and marketing, Gary is an avid angler and also serves as a guide to Lake Fork. Gary lives in Quitman and if he is not in the office or visiting clients, he is most likely on the lake.



Samantha Willis

Sam joined the KMOO crew earlier this year. She currently attends Tyler Junior College and lives in Mineola. She is an Alba Golden High School graduate and enjoys camping and spending time with her family.




Jennifer McGee

Jennifer is the newest member of the KMOO Crew but comes with years of experience in both marketing and human resources. She currently lives in Quitman and enjoys kick boxing.


 

 

Administration

Amy Castleberry, Business Manager

 

Stacey Russell, Administrative Assistant

Sports

Coach Larry Smith, Sportscaster
 


The Heart of KMOO

Jason Hightower

Jason had been behind a microphone since he was sixteen and living in Winnsboro. Since then he had done almost every job imaginable while a student at Texas A&M. Jason's community involvement as varied as his interests. Jason worked with broadcast students, presided over a local hayshow and served a head of the Wood County Junior Livestock Show. He was as much at home at a broadway show as he was on his tractor.

In 1998, Jason and his wife, Ingrid, bought a tiny station in Mineola and quickly transformed it into a regional powerhouse. The playlist was all his own and at the time unique in the industry. Jason mixed classic country with a little blue grass and a heaping serving of authentic Texas music. He spiced it with new songs that were pure country, whether they were hits or not. Most importantly, if he didn't like it, KMOO didn't play it!

Jason's success in the business world brought simmilar success in the industry he loved. He served several years on the Executive Board of the Texas Association of Broadcasters, the largest broadcast lobby group in the nation and was eventually elected President in 2008.

In March, 2009, Jason lost his battle with an aggressive form of brain cancer. He leaves behind his wife and three wonderful children, Brazos, Halee-Grace and Wyatt. Not to mention all of his KMOO family.

Jason was a country boy at heart and is sorely missed each and everyday. But listen closely and you'll hear his spirit, alive and well, still on the air at the station he loved.