A reply from Mr. Dugger soon followed:
April, 1, 1967
Mr. Frank A. Millspaugh, Jr.
General Manager
WBAI-FM (Pacifica)
30 East 39th St.
New York, New York 10016Dear Mr. Millspaugh,
Thank you for your letter of March, 27.
Two professional men whom I trust are proceeding to make the necessary inquiries as to Houston. One of them, who worked with Pacifica on the coast and is a dedicated educational radio-TV man, is running the library materials on the situation in Houston, and getting up what can be got up as to a budget. The other, a brilliant working journalist in Houston, equally dedicated, is making, and having made, inquiries in Houston as to the available bands. I gather from our preliminary information that they would much prefer an AM channel for the sake of listenership. This of course would cost more than the sum you mention for an FM channel; they will be inquiring as to the FM option, too. We of course have no-advertising that is standard with Pacifica as our first premise. In our initial inquiries, (which the are proceeding with; I am heavily and totally committed to a book on Johnson from Texas, and so they must do the labor), they are keeping me out of it. We fear that either might prejudice the purchase price if a channel can be got. We could use some advice on at what point it is judicious to introduce the requisite candor, which we fully intend, about our plans. Of course, we propose, whenever we deal with the F.C.C, full disclosure of all aspects of our project.
I am sending a copy of this to Mr. Lloyd M. Smith
Ronnie Dugger
Mr. Lloyd M. Smith
633 South Shatto Place
Los Angeles, California 90005P.S. I shall probably be in New York City early in May. If it appeared to be absolutely necessary, I could go to California, but I very much prefer not to do so until, at the earliest, later this year, because of the circumstances of my work.
R.D.
This letter sheds light on the earliest aims of the KPFT founders, especially an early affinity for an AM band station, which ultimately did not happen.
Although the men in Dugger's letter go un-named, it seems almost certain that he refers to Larry Lee and Don Gardner.
Unfortunately, the records available shed no further light on Mr. Dugger's affiliation or involvement in KPFT after this early planning stage. Should additional material surface this article will be revised accordingly.