KALG

Station Information

Call Letters: KALG (now KRSY)

Frequency: 1230AM

Location: Alamogordo, NM

KALG banned The Beatles!

Evidence of the Ban:

According to the Alamogordo Daily News on August 4, 1966, "Beatle records were banned from local radio station KALG's broadcast this morning because of local reaction to Beatle John Lennon's recent comment that 'Christianity is on the way out.'... Terry Clarke, president of the Basin Broadcasting Corp., and Program Director Bob Vaughan said they decided to ban Beatle music after three hours of calling random numbers to determine popular reaction to Lennon's remarks. They said 90 per cent of those replying favored banning the mop-top singers' records from the air."

Notes:

The Alamogordo Daily News ran a letter to the editor about the KALG ban on August 7, 1966, written by R.G. Harloff, pastor of Our Savior Lutheran Church: "The trivial-appearing news story on Page One (Aug. 4) concerning the banning of Beatle records by Alamogordo station KALG would be laughable, if the station's attitude did not reveal a very unlaughable philosophy. The philosophy that a person or group must be suppressed simply because they don't happen to agree with my religion, politics or ideals is the seed of bigotry.... If KALG doesn't like Beatle music, then let their objections be artistic and aesthetic, rather than pseudo-religious."

A counterpoint letter to the editor ran in the Daily News on August 15, 1966: "I applaud the KALG management's decision--especially since this action was based on the democratic process: random telephone calls to the constituency to determine their opinions. (It goes without saying that probably 90 per cent of those contacted had to be told what the problem was. Also that a poll of listeners on the merits of the Beatles' music would have indicated a similar 90 per cent disapproval.) I am pleased that the management is concerned to protect our young people against... against... well, against people who say that kind of thing— even if they don't say it in their music.... The only quarrel I have with the management of KALG is that they may be contributing to the very end they oppose. If our Christianity is so narrow and frightened that it cannot stand a difference of opinion, even when it is based on facts of experience, maybe it really is on the way out! Please don't misunderstand me: I am not fond of Beatle music."

Current Info:

Correspondence:

The station responded to the standard email text on 12/7/2021:

Yes, the station was under completely different ownership then, by a number of owners… and that was two call letters ago.  KALG is KRSY (am) now, and while you’d only hear the Beatles on special occasion, as the station is Sports and Talk now, there is no ban on them.

On the station who’s format does allow for the Beatles and Lennon’s solo recordings, we certainly do play them.  In fact, I’ll be playing John Sinclair this Friday in honor of John’s concert to attempt to free Sinclair, as well as playing music in recognition of his murder tomorrow.

Since I’ve been here, 31 years, no artist has been banned due to their  public statements … we never banned the Dixie Chicks, for example, where many did.

I will not issue an apology to the Beatles, or their surviving members, however.  I, nor anyone working at the station for decades now, had any part of that.  Those people are still around, and they can apologize for themselves.

Cheers,

Kelly