M03-20
Bill Johnson is a native of Conway, Arkansas. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. H.H. Johnson of Conway. He graduated from Conway High School in 1957 and from State Teachers College (currently UCA) in August 1960.
He wrote sports for Conway High School and SCA publications. Consequently his interests in broadcasting peeked in the mid 1950’s when store owner Grant Hazelwood, who did the play-by-play for Conway Schools at that time, asked him to spot for him. Soon after, Mr. Johnson began his radio career as an announcer at KCON, as a part time employee, in September 1958, while going to college (cited from the Log Cabin Democrat, 3/8/1998).
Soon after graduating from college, Mr. Johnson got a job as part of the faculty of the North Little Rock schools. But soon he realized that he wanted to focus on radio broadcasting full-time. After starting to work, full-time, at the station in 1961, Bill asked James E. Clayton, the late owner of the station, if he could broadcast the games of the NAIA basketball tournament being held in Pine Bluff, Clayton agreed. Bill Johnson began broadcasting the SCA and Conway High School football games in the mid 1960’s (cited from Faulkner County, Its Land and People, page 174-176). Eventually, he called games for UCA, Hendrix College, the University of Arkansas, and Conway High School.
Even though he joined the station as a part time employee in 1958, then a full time employee in 1961, his love for radio inevitably propelled him into the position of general manager of the station in 1962. Mr. Johnson held this position until December 1977 when he entered the banking business. He became the president and CEO of the Security Savings Bank of Conway. In 1989, he was elected chairman of the Arkansas League of Savings Institutions.
Additionally, Bill Johnson has served in various capacities with the Conway Kiwanis Club, the Conway Development Corp, the Conway Chamber of Commerce, the Faulkner County Museum Commission, the Arkansas Higher Education Board, the Faulkner County Quorum Court, the Toad Suck Council, and the Conway Area Men’s Chorus (cited from Log Cabin Democrat, Jan. 2004).
Today, Mr. Johnson is still involved with broadcasting for football and basketball games. He is currently the president of Simmons First National Bank in Conway, but he will forever be associated with the history of radio in Faulkner County.
Box 1
File 1 – Log Cabin Democrat article on UCA archiving Bill Johnson Collection,
January 2004
File 2 – “Onions In The Stew” three-act comedy presented by Conway High School senior class, April 1957
1. A young Bill Johnson sitting and standing in a yard
2. Bill Johnson and other KCON employees on a holiday greeting card
3. Bill Johnson escorting Mrs. Cecil at Cadron Settlement Park Dedication, 1979
4. Bill Johnson (M.C.), Guy W. Murphy, Charles Blanchard at the dedication of Cadron Settlement Park, 1979
5. Rob M. McHenry, Melanie Hendricks, T. Milton Honea, Bill Johnson (M.C.), Congressman Ed Bethune, Rep. Bill Stephens, Senator Stanley Russ, County Judge Gerald Ward, Sheriff Castleberry, and Rep. Larry Mahan
File 4 – Personal correspondence, 1965-2003
File 5 – History of KCON Radio
File 6 – Two original cassette tape recordings of the oral history of KCON 1230 AM Radio Station in Conway, Arkansas recorded by Bill Johnson, November 1950 to March 1998
File 7 – Newspaper articles
File 8 – Contents of drilled Lock Box No.1200
Item 1: Articles of incorporation
Item 2: Lease November 11,1947
Item 3: Lease agreement and supplement 1966
File 9 – Conway Broadcasting Company; Frequency Allocation Survey, July 1947
File 10 – Engineering exhibit application for construction permit; proposed standard broadcast station 1230 KC 250 watts unlimited; Conway Broadcasting Co., Inc. April 13, 1948
File 11 – Federal Communication Commission application for a broadcast station license and correspondence
File 12 – Engineering Amendment; file BPH; 1458; 1000 W FM, October 1948
File 13 – Hearing exhibit no.3 proposed new station; docket no.8999, January 1949
File 14 – Piano loan agreement between Sam M. Clark, stockholder, and Conway Broadcasting Co., April 1949
File 15 – Conway Broadcasting Co. correspondence, 1948
File 16 – Conway Broadcasting Co. correspondence, 1949
File 17 – Conway Broadcasting Co. correspondence, 1950
File 18 – Conway Broadcasting Co. correspondence, 1953 - 1968
File 19 – Conway Broadcasting Co. incorporated May 19, 1947; board of directors and stockholders meetings, 1947-1962
File 20 – Conway Broadcasting Company Inc. May 19, 1947; Minutes of Directors’ Meetings, 1947-1978; stockholders and directors
File 21 – Proposed site of Radio Antenna
File 22 – Ownership report; Conway Broadcasting Co., 1950
File 23 – Lumbermen’s Mutual Casualty Co.; workmen’s compensation and employer’s liability no.C 105 236,1950; schedule automobile liability policy no.9612450, 1950; American Fire and Casualty Company, 1952
File 24 – Conway Broadcasting Co. income tax returns, 1947-1957 and 1962
File 25 – Engineering report for Conway Broadcasting Co. Radio Station KCON,
June 12, 1964
File 26 – Conway Broadcasting Co. Stock, 1948-1963
File 27 – Conway Broadcasting Co., Inc. Clayton stock transfer, June 1964
File 28 – Lease and Remodeling agreement between Conway Broadcasting Co., Inc. and Robert L. and Patricia W. Ott, May 1966
File 29 – Compact disc of Robert Kennedy shooting, June 5, 1968 and 1965 Conway tornado (converted from original reel to reel tapes on January 5, 2004)
File 30 – Radio telephone third class operator permit, May 1976
File 31 – Voice of the Razorback football games, Bill Johnson, 1969 - 1987
File 32 – KCON Broadcasting Co., Inc. Articles of Incorporation, March 1980
File 33 – KCON Broadcasting Co., Inc. Board of Directors meetings, 1980 - 1985
File 34 – KCON Broadcasting Co. stockholders, March 1980
File 35 – President of KCON, Mrs. Madge Clayton’s Obituary, May 1991
File 36 – KCON closes March 10, 1998 after 49 years
File 37 – Compact disc “Sinatra Sings Rodgers and Hammerstein” 1996
File 38 – Appointment to Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board by Governor Mike Huckabee, May 1997
File 39 – Security Bank of Conway’s President and Chief Executive Officer Bill F. Johnson
End of Box 1
Box 2
File 1 – Compact disc of UCA vs. TA&I game, 1st half
File 2 – Compact disc of UCA vs. TA&I game, late in the 1st and 2nd quarter
File 3 – Compact disc of UCA vs. TA&I game, half time and 3rd quarter
File 4 – Compact disc of UCA vs. TA&I game, 3rd and 4th quarter
File 5 – Compact disc of UCA vs. Carson Newman
File 6 – Compact disc of UCA vs. Carson Newman
File 7 – Compact disc of NAIA, 1984
File 8 – Compact disc of NAIA, UCA vs. Carson Newman
File 9 – Compact disc of NAIA Championship #4, UCA vs. Carson Newman, 1984
File 10 – Compact disc of NAIA, UCA vs. Carson Newman, 1984
File 11 – Compact disc of NAIA, UCA vs. Hillsdale
File 12 – Cassette tape of Ron Marvel’s retirement news conference in the Hall of Fame Room of Estes Stadium, March 2004
File 13 – Compact disc of Ron Marvel’s retirement news conference in the Hall of Fame Room of Estes Stadium, March 2004
File 14 – Cassette tape of Head Sugarbears Basketball Coach, Checola Seals, news conference, March 2004
File 15 – Compact disc of Head Sugarbears Basketball Coach, Checola Seals, news conference, March 2004
File 16 – Compact disc of dialogue of Dr. Christie and Arkansas State Senator Guy H. “Mutt” Jones on Equal Rights Amendment, January 1975
End of Box 2
Box 3
Reel-to-Reel tapes
Item #1- UCA vs. T.A. & I game
Item #2- NAIA - UCA vs. Carson Newman, 1984
Item #3- NAIA Championship Bowl game of UCA vs. Hillsdale, December 1985
Item #4- Ron Marvel’s Retirement Conference in the Hall of Fame Room, March 2004
Item #5- Dialogue with Dr. Christie and Arkansas State Senator Guy H. “Mutt” Jones on Equal Rights Amendment
Note: These items have been changed over to compact discs (cd’s), see Box 2.
End of Box 3
Box 4
Reel-to-Reel tapes
UCA Games:
Item #1- Blank 5” reel
Item #2- UCA Bears vs. Elon, 5” reel-to-reel, no. 1-3
Item #3- UCA Bears in Kansas City, 5” reel-to-reel, no. 1-4
Item #4- SCA Las Vegas game, 5” reel-to-reel, no. 1-5, September 1973
Item #5- UCA Bears Cheers, 5” reel-to-reel, 1975
Item #6- Hendrix SCA game, 5” reel-to-reel, last time in the SCA gym
Item #7- Hendrix / Harding wrap-up, Bill Johnson’s 500th Broadcast, 5” reel-to-reel, January 1974
Item #8- Hendrix College, Fausett Hall Dedication, 7” reel-to-reel, October 1983
Item #9- SCA game, 7” reel-to-reel
Item #10- News cuts, 7” reel-to-reel, February-March 1981
Conway High School Games:
Item #1- Conway High vs. Benton, AAAA State Championships, 5” reel-to-reel, November 1977
Item #2- Conway High vs. Hot Springs, no. 1-4 (5” reel-to-reel), no. 5-6 (7” reel-to-reel)
Item #3- Conway High vs. Morrilton, 5” reel-to-reel, no. 1-4
Item #4- Conway High vs. Southside, 5” reel-to-reel, no. 1-4, 1977
Item #5- Conway High vs. El Dorado, no. 1 (5” reel-to-reel), no. 2 (7” reel-to-reel)
Item #6- Conway High vs. Springdale, 7” reel-to-reel, no. 1-2, October 1976 and February 1977
Item #7- Conway High vs. Helena, no. 1 (5” reel-to-reel), no. 2 (7” reel-to-reel),
March 1976
Conway High School Games:
Item #8- Dialogue with Mayor for 25th Anniversary of KCON, November 1975
Item #9- Conway High vs. Blytheville, 7” reel-to-reel
Item #10- Conway High vs. Northside, 7” reel-to-reel
End of Box 4
End of Collection