History of  WKKO

Mr. Davis E. Wilson tells about the beginnings of WKKO.
"Since I was the original chief engineer and co owner of WKKO, I thought I might bring you up to date a bit on the beginning of the station. Carl Collins and I were at WDLP in Panama City in 1951 when we decided to build a station in Cocoa (not Cocoa Beach). The station was actually located about three miles west of downtown Cocoa and about  2 miles south of SR 520. Carl and I  found that Emerson Browne (then at WTRR-AM 1400 in Sanford) had also applied to the FCC for a station in Cocoa, so rather than fight, we joined in a partnership as Brevard Broadcasting Company.
We finally received our construction permit in the summer  of 1952. We had hoped to be on the air by Christmas, but didn't get our final OK from the FCC until after Christmas. Our first day on the air was Sunday, January 4, 1953. (I still think of that as the most hectic day of my life), Carl and I later bought Emerson's interest in the station and became the owners in 1954. Carl was General Manager and I was Chief Engineer.
We were Cocoa's first radio station and Brevard County's second, after WMMB-AM 1240. We were a very small-time operation at first, with only five of us as full time personnel. We were daytime only, which was the way we wanted it. We started out at 250 watts, with an old 1935 Gates transmitter that had been used in Toccoa, Georgia. Around 1954 (we) decided to go to 1,000 watts. I designed the new transmitter (a modified version of the Collins kilowatt of the day), obtained FCC approval,  and built it to fit into the existing 250 watt transmitter rack. One night we removed the 250 watt chassis and replaced it with the 1000 watt chassis. For about ten years or so the station must have been one of the few in this country with a "home made" transmitter.

WKKO Personalities

"Little" Tommy Tyler-(Tom Melanson) -Program Director/Mornings-Marvin Rothschild Ownership

Rosa Lee Jones-1965-1985-Host of "Open House"-Marvin Rothschild Ownership
In 1966, Mrs. Jones opened the first kindergarten for black children in Cocoa. It was the Rosebud Kindergarten and Child Care Center on Poinsett Drive. Mrs. Jones was a respected writer and an eloquent voice in Cocoa's African-American community, which because of segregation, remained racially and geographically separated from Cocoa's white community until the civil-rights era of the 1960s.

Fred King-1967-1972-Mid Days (10AM-2-PM)-Marvin Rothschild Ownership Biography 
In Memory
   Fred King Nov. 23, 1967

Frank Wooten-News and sports director

Johnny T                                                                                                                

Rick Ryder-Program Director                                                                               

Peter David Kaufman (now an Editor at The Washington Post) 

Lillian Eiland  In Memory

Paul Gardner

Gary Sherman

From Fred King; "...Nort's La Scene was...extremely popular..." "...(it) was located one block from the beach at the end of the 520 causeway. It was straight out of (the movie) Saturday Night Fever, with the flashing colorized dance floor, strobes, movies on the wall and deafening discotheque (music)..." "...(WK)KO (DJs) handled the music there. 

From Fred King; The WKKO "... jocks would pick up some extra cash by handling the music here. The owner of The Red Door, Johnny Esposito, was very close friends with one of the (WK)KO owners and we promoted...that club. Everyone knew about that club at that time. The building located along the Merritt Island causeway, no longer exists."

Other Names in WKKO History

Carl G. Collins, Jr.-1953-Partner/General Manager-Brevard Broadcasting Company In Memory

Davis E. Wilson-1953-Partner/Chief Engineer-Brevard Broadcasting Company

Emerson Browne-1953-1954-Partner-Brevard Broadcasting Company

Marvin Rothschild-1959-Owner

Theodore Eiland-1970-President/General Manager-Cocoa One Inc. In Memory

Bill Maschmeier-1970-Owner

Keith Walker-1992-Owner-Walker Broadcasting

Alan Dickson-1992-General Manager-Walker Broadcasting

Carl Marcocci-1998-Owner

Lowell Fenner, Jr.

Earline Hamilton-Secretary

Ron Schrader-Engineer

Bob Norris-General Manager

Jay Waggoner-Engineer