1 State of Arkansas
2 94th General Assembly
3 Fiscal Session, 2024 SR 18
4
5 By: Senator M. McKee
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7 SENATE RESOLUTION
8 TO CELEBRATE TOM NICHOLS'S SIXTY-FIVE (65) YEARS IN
9 RADIO BROADCASTING AND HIS RICH HISTORY IN ARKANSAS
10 RADIO.
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13 Subtitle
14 TO CELEBRATE TOM NICHOLS'S SIXTY-FIVE
15 (65) YEARS IN RADIO BROADCASTING AND HIS
16 RICH HISTORY IN ARKANSAS RADIO.
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19 WHEREAS, Tom Nichols was born in Hot Springs on July 22, 1941, and
20 attended The Jones School and Hot Springs High School; and
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22 WHEREAS, in November of 1958, Tom Nichols joined members of the Hot
23 Springs High School speech class to start a teen request show on KWFC and was
24 the only student hired by the station as a part-time weekend announcer; and
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26 WHEREAS, by the spring of 1959, Tom Nichols had a full-time job at the
27 radio station KBLO; and
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29 WHEREAS, Tom Nichols and his wife of fifty-seven (57) years, Polly
30 Nichols, were married on January 7, 1967, at the Oaklawn United Methodist
31 Church in Hot Springs; and
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33 WHEREAS, Tom Nichols learned all aspects of the radio business by
34 working at many different radio stations, including:
35 (1) KWFC Hot Springs;
36 (2) KAAB Hot Springs;
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1 (3) KBLO Hot Springs;
2 (4) KWAK Stuttgart;
3 (5) KBBA Benton;
4 (6) A five-thousand-watt country station in Pine Bluff;
5 (7) KFOY-TV Hot Springs;
6 (8) KJWH Camden; and
7 (9) KZNG Hot Springs; and
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9 WHEREAS, in 1980, Tom Nichols and Polly Nichols moved onto radio
10 station ownership and founded KWXI AM, the first radio station in Glenwood
11 and Pike County, later adding KWXE FM to their portfolio; and
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13 WHEREAS, in 1994 Tom Nichols and Polly Nichols established KVRE 92.9
14 FM, a beloved radio station in Hot Springs Village, creating a lasting legacy
15 in Arkansas broadcasting; and
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17 WHEREAS, KVRE 92.9 FM is one (1) of the last family-owned stations in
18 the state, and Tom and his daughter, Alice Bates, instill a warm, family
19 atmosphere into their daily broadcasts; and
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21 WHEREAS, KVRE 92.9 FM stands out among other radio stations because the
22 staff makes their listeners feel like friends; and
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24 WHEREAS, Tom Nichols and Polly Nichols sold KWXI AM and KWXE FM to
25 focus exclusively on KVRE 92.9 FM, and February of 2024 marks the thirtieth
26 (30th) anniversary of KVRE 92.9 FM; and
27
28 WHEREAS, Tom Nichols is currently celebrating sixty-five (65) years in
29 radio broadcasting; and
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31 WHEREAS, The following are the highlights of Tom Nichols's radio
32 career:
33 (1) Televising the Hot Springs Christmas Parade for the first
34 time;
35 (2) Hosting "Tom's Record Room" for Dean's Milk Radio;
36 (3) Creating and hosting the "Ask Your Neighbor" show for forty
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1 (40) years; and
2 (4) Broadcasting the Miss Arkansas Pageant with Polly for ten
3 (10) years,
4
5 NOW THEREFORE,
6 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE
7 STATE OF ARKANSAS:
8
9 THAT the Senate celebrate Tom Nichols's for sixty-five (65) years in
10 radio broadcasting and his rich history in Arkansas radio.
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12 BE IF FURTHER RESOLVED THAT upon adoption, a copy of this resolution shall be
13 provided to Tom Nichols by the Secretary of the Senate.
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