KPFT
Founded by journalists Larry Lee and Don Gardner, Houston’s KPFT (90.1 FM) went on the air on March 1, 1970, as the fourth station in the listener-sponsored Pacifica Foundation network. Established as a noncommercial community radio outlet, KPFT embraced progressive politics, cultural diversity, and local programming ignored by mainstream media. In May 1970, just two months after its debut, the station’s transmitter was blown up by the Ku Klux Klan.
A second dynamite attack targeted the transmitter in October 1970 while broadcasting Arlo Guthrie’s “Alice’s Restaurant,” making KPFT the only US radio station twice bombed off the air. Returning to transmission in 1971, the station built a reputation for uncensored free speech and grassroots cultural advocacy. Beginning in the 1980s, KPFT became a vital home for Gulf Coast roots music, broadcasting long-running specialty programs like Cajun Bandstand and Zydeco Pas Salé.
Restaurant owner Pe-Te Johnson started Cajun Bandstand at KPFT, the name was copied directly from the long-running show by legendary Johnny Janot. Johnson hosted the show for nearly 30 years, and it is still on the air today.
See this great article by Jason Theriot; first appeared in “Keeping Cajun Music Alive—A Conversation with Pe-Te Johnson.” Houston History 11, no. 1 (2013): 12–16.
Dedicated volunteers like Mary Thomas, J. B. Adams, and Willie McQueen maintained the zydeco broadcasts, serving Houston’s large Louisiana-Creole diaspora. KPFT’s commitment to progressive causes persisted despite ongoing opposition, including a 2007 studio drive-by shooting during a live zydeco broadcast. Today, 90.1 FM remains an active listener-supported pillar of Houston community radio.