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If you are new to Midland/Odessa, you do not know that 40 years ago next month, channel 9 and channel 2 switched networks.

For those who have lived here all your life (and you are old enough to remember), you remember back in the 70s that NBC was on Channel 2 and ABC was on Channel 9.

Also, the call letters for channel 9 have changed quite a few times too. They started out as KVKM when the station started out in Monahans in 1958. They changed their call letters to KMOM in 1969 upon new ownership (which stood for "Monahans, Odessa, Midland").

The next call letter change happened on October 20, 1980, when KMOM flipped to KTPX (the TPX stood for "Television for the PetropleX" which was our area's nickname till the big bust in the mid-80s). They moved to their current location in between Midland and Odessa and since the station was no longer in Monahans, the KMOM moniker was not needed anymore.

Then on September 5, 1982, the swap of networks between Channel 2 and Channel 9 happened, ABC switched over to Channel 2 (which has never changed its call letters, they signed on almost 70 years ago as KMID), and NBC switched over to Channel 9.

I am sure Channel 2 thought this would be great for them because through the late '70s and early '80s ABC dominated the primetime ratings with shows like Three's CompanyHappy Days, Mork & Mindy, and Laverne & Shirley. 

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But the prime time tide was about to shift in the 80s and NBC was about to start producing the primetime shows that would get the ratings like Cheers, The A-Team, Facts of Life, Family Ties, and Miami Vice.

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So the switch was not as great for channel 2 as it was for channel 9 to go from the #1 primetime network of the 70s (ABC) to the #1 primetime network of the 80s (NBC).

The next call letter change for channel 9 would happen in 1993 when they would change to KWES and brand themselves as the "Star of West Texas."

So there is a brief history of the two stations and their switch of networks 40 years ago in September 1982.

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