with live broadcasts on KVOO. In addition, KVOO hosted The John Chick Show, a full hour of local country music talent also seen on ABC-TV network affiliate KTUL Channel 8 until 1979. This program broadcast at 7 a.m., and regularly beat out NBC's Today Show and The CBS Morning News in the local ratings. (This was at a time when ABC had no morning news program). When ABC premiered Good Morning America in 1975, KTUL continued to air the Chick program instead. When Elton Rule, president of ABC, visited KTUL-TV to see why the ABC affiliate was pre-empting Good Morning America, Jimmy C. Leake, owner of KTUL-TV, showed the Tulsa ratings book to Rule, and ABC backed off. KTUL began carrying GMA in 1979, when Chick left the station due to multiple sclerosis. Noted DJs and performers In 1971, Billy Parker joined KVOO. While at the station, Parker's awards included the Country Music Association Disc Jockey of the Year honor in 1974 and the Academy of Country Music Disc Jockey of the Year awards in 1975, 1977, 1978 and 1984. Parker was inducted into the Country Music Disc Jockey Hall of Fame in 1992, the Western Swing Hall of Fame in 1993, and scored the Oklahoma Association of Broadcasters' Lifetime Achievement Award in 1995. The Interstate Road Show was also hosted on the station by veteran country DJ Larry Scott who is also in the Country Music Disc Jockey Hall of Fame. The last live country show was broadcast by veteran Tulsa radio personality Bob O'Shea, who first worked at Big Country AM 1170 KVOO in 1979. He later rejoined KVOO AM in August 1999 and retired from radio June 26, 2006, after more than 34 years in radio. He recorded the entire program including commercials for posterity. The last three songs Mr. O'Shea played were "Hello Out There" by Billy Parker, "T-U-L-S-A, Straight Ahead" by Ray Benson & Asleep at the Wheel and "Take Me Back To Tulsa" by Bob Wills and The Texas Playboys. Switch to talk At midnight on May 15, 2002, KVOO changed to KFAQ with a talk radio format. Most of the DJs moved to co-owned 98.5 KVOO-FM and that station added more classic country. In 2003, co-owned KXBL flipped to all-classic country music, playing many of the same songs KVOO AM aired. KXBL calls itself "Big Country," the same slogan KVOO AM used when