CANYON, Texas — Homecoming Weekend will be a blast from the past—and a step into the future—for West Texas A&M University’s student-run noncommercial radio station. 

KWTS The One 91.1 officially will switch to a virtually all-’90s format as of 12:01 a.m. Oct. 1; special shows for country, Latin and other formats will continue as before. 

“When we say ‘all-’90s,’ we mean all of the ’90s — ’90s rock, ’90s Top 40, ’90s country, ’90s hip hop and R&B. And not just the hits, either,” said KWTS adviser Randy Ray, director of broadcast engineering and associate lecturer of media communications.   

Additionally, the station will celebrate its 50th anniversary at a party from 2 to 6 p.m. Oct. 1 in the Sybil B. Harrington Fine Arts Complex. 

Dani Morton, a 2012 graduate and media communication and English teacher at Pampa High School who’s still the voice of KWTS, will interview several alumni on air during the party. Scheduled guests include 2010 graduate Ashley Treider, 1985 graduates Scott and Debbie Stockdale, 1979 graduate Eric Scholl, 2005 graduate Erin Moya and 2009 graduate and KAMR anchor Jackie Kingston.  

Other alumni will serve as guests DJs for four special shows Oct. 1: 

• 9 to 10 a.m.: Married alums Anthony and Jennifer Smith, 2005 and 2007 graduates, respectively. Anthony Smith was a professional DJ for several years and now works as field service trainer and senior sales consultant for Sysco Food Services. Jennifer Smith, a former news producer, is a behavior facilitator at Reeves-Hinger Elementary School in Canyon. The Smiths run a video game streaming network. 
• 10 to 11 a.m.: Morton and Keith Augustine, a 2017 graduate, who is a reporter for KGNC in Amarillo. 
• 11 a.m. to noon: Johnathan O’Neill and Jessica Wyers, 2011 graduates. O’Neill is senior sales manager for Affinaquest in Golden, Colorado. Wyers is professor of visual communications at Louisiana State University and is finishing a Ph.D. in media and public affairs. 
• Noon to 1 p.m.: Sheryl Proctor and Heide Edwards, 2013 and 2008 graduates, respectively. Proctor is a producer at KAMR in Amarillo, and Edwards works at KOCO in Oklahoma City. 

The shows can be heard over the air or at wtamu.edu/kwtsfor those outside the area. 

The station officially launched at 3 p.m. April 12, 1972. It upgraded to 100 watts in 1982, then to 6,000 watts in 1998. 

Twenty students currently work as DJs or engineers at the station.  

In addition to six weekly shows devoted to rock, country, metal, video game soundtracks, psychedelic and classic rock, and Latin music, the station hosts Live Lounge and One Sessions live concerts, posts podcasts, and provides music at tailgate and other on- and off-campus events. 

Media communications students also train in digital distribution in many forms, preparing them for work in podcasts, streaming services, live and recorded audio engineering, management, programming and more.  

Meeting regional needs by providing noncommercial radio and training future broadcasters and engineers is a key component of the University’s long-range plan, WT 125: From the Panhandle to the World. 

That plan is fueled by the historic, $125 million One West comprehensive fundraising campaign. To date, the five-year campaign — which publicly launched in September 2022 — has raised more than $110 million.