KFNC
Encyclopedia
KFNC is a sports
radio station
in Houston, Texas
, under ownership of Cumulus Media
. The station's transmitter facility is located east of Houston in an area of Chambers County south of Winnie, Texas
.
area, which consists of Beaumont
, Port Arthur
and Orange, Texas
, as country music
station KAYD (known on-air as KD-97.5).
format as Power 97.5 under the temporary calls KKTT but IDed as KRPW (the station was unable to get the callsign in time for sign on and acquired the KRWP sign weeks later) and also continued to serve Beaumont area. (KAYD
has since moved to a different frequency.) The station, renamed KRWP (PoWeR spelled backwards) had modest success in the early months of 2002. However, KRWP faced stiff competition from longtime Houston hip-hop stations KBXX
and KPTY-FM
as well as rhythmic CHR
station KTHT
(which was also somehow competing with sister urban station KTCX
in Beaumont).
KRWP later skewed to an Urban Adult Contemporary
format with the intent of challenging the market's heritage R&B station, KMJQ
. However, KRWP never challenged KMJQ in the ratings due to the location of the transmitter, which resulted in a lack of decent coverage for the market. KRWP was transmitting from a site 50 miles east of Houston in Chambers County, whereas the transmitter for KMJQ and almost every radio and television station serving Houston was based in northeast Fort Bend County
east of Missouri City
. The station was home to Doug Banks
in the Mornings, even through the format altering in 2003.
station, KLOL, dumped its rock format after 34 years in favor of a Hurban
(Hispanic Urban) format. In January 2005, under new management, KRWP inherited the former KLOL format of AOR rock
and flipped to KIOL as Rock 97.5. The format change was headed by former KLOL personality Jim Pruett and program director/jock Pat Fant (who assumed market manager for Cumulus Houston as a result) in response to heavy outcry from misplaced KLOL listeners. When the 103.7 signal signed on in May 2005, Cumulus moved KIOL to the new frequency and simulcast on 97.5 under the new calls KFNC for the next few weeks.
On May 24, 2005, at 6am, 97.5 broke the simulcast and launched Houston's third attempt at an FM news station, KFNC FM News Channel 97-5 (102.1 KLYX—now KMJQ—was the first in 1975 as an affiliate of NBC Radio's now-defunct 24 hour News & Information Service. 97.1 was the second FM News/Talk station, and is now classic country
.) Adopting a News
/Talk radio
format, the station consisted of former KLOL morning personalities Jim Pruett and Brian Shannon (the voice of Eddie "The Boner" Sanchez), who reunited to host the afternoon talk show "Back Talk", which was later moved to mornings. Other KLOL alumni on board for the station's news department were Laurie Kendrick and Martha Martinez. Non-KLOL personalities included former KILT newsman Jim Carolla, former KRBE and "NewsRadio 740" staffer Michael Shiloh as morning host/anchor. Former "Newsradio 740" reporter and editor Belinda Babinec, and former KPRC-TV
sports director Craig Roberts.
KFNC went through format tweaks and house cleaning, and the FM News Channel moniker was dropped around spring of 2006 for Supertalk 97.5. However, the station's ratings failed to keep the talk format afloat, and on the morning of December 22, 2006, after tearful goodbyes from Pruett and Shannon along with Kendrick, Martinez and news/traffic/producer Julie Takahashi, the talk format left the airwaves for its current sports format that officially launched in mid-January 2007. KFNC's on-air branding, ESPN 97.5 The Ticket, is similar to that of its sister AM sports station in Dallas, KTCK
. It has become the Greater Houston
FM radio affiliate for ESPN
, which began moving its programming from Clear Channel
's KBME-AM
.
In 2007, Cumulus Media moved KFNC, along with KIOL
, to its new Houston headquarters with sister station KRBE in the Chase Building at 9801 Westheimer Road in Houston, home to KRBE since the mid-80s.
programs, most notably Mike & Mike in the Morning and The Herd with Colin Cowherd
, air on KFNC's schedule.
To compete with KBME and the market's long-time leading sports station, KILT-AM
, KFNC brought on long-time Houston sports guru, Carl Dukes, to host "Put Up Your Dukes" on weekday mid-afternoons. Dukes' role expanded to drive-time (The Drive 5-7pm) with program director Dave Tepper and assistant program director Julie Takahashi.
KFNC also brought in a mid-day show, "The Blitz" (Weekdays 12-2pm), with Fred Faour
, Matt Dean and Jong Lee in October 2009. In May 2010, Dean left for business school and was replaced by AJ Hoffman, from Austin's 1300 The Zone.
Houston Rockets
hall of famer
Calvin Murphy used to host a two-hour sports talk show that aired weekday evenings. This is Murphy's first broadcasting job in Houston since his unceremonious departure in 2004 from his position as the Rockets' television analyst alongside longtime Rockets play-by-play announcer Bill Worrell. Saturday mornings are filled with the extreme automobile ramblings of John Clay Wolfe
.
Sports radio
Sports radio is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcasting of sporting events. A popular format with an almost exclusively male demographic in most areas, sports radio is characterized by an often-boisterous on-air style and extensive debate and analysis by both hosts and...
radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
in Houston, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, under ownership of Cumulus Media
Cumulus Media
Cumulus Media, Inc. is the second largest Owner and Operator of AM and FM radio stations in the United States, behind Clear Channel Communications, operating 570 stations in 150 markets as of September 16, 2011. The company also owns Cumulus Media Networks...
. The station's transmitter facility is located east of Houston in an area of Chambers County south of Winnie, Texas
Winnie, Texas
Winnie is a census-designated place in Chambers County, Texas, United States. The population was 2,914 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Winnie is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of , all of it land.-Historical development:The town plat was filed in...
.
History
The 97.5 frequency was originally marketed to the Golden TriangleGolden Triangle (Texas)
The Golden Triangle is an area of Southeast Texas between the cities of Beaumont, Port Arthur, and Orange. The "golden" refers to the wealth that came from the Spindletop oil strike in Beaumont in 1901...
area, which consists of Beaumont
Beaumont, Texas
Beaumont is a city in and county seat of Jefferson County, Texas, United States, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's population was 118,296 at the 2010 census. With Port Arthur and Orange, it forms the Golden Triangle, a major industrial area on the...
, Port Arthur
Port Arthur, Texas
-Demographics:As of the 2000 census, there were 57,755 people, 21,839 households, and 14,675 families residing in the city. The population density was 696.5 people per square mile . There were 24,713 housing units at an average density of 298.0 per square mile...
and Orange, Texas
Orange, Texas
Orange is a city in Orange County, Texas, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 18,643. It is the county seat of Orange County, and is the easternmost city in Texas. Located on the Sabine River at the border with Louisiana, it is part of the Beaumont–Port Arthur...
, as country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
station KAYD (known on-air as KD-97.5).
As KRWP
In December 2001, Cumulus entered the Houston market by purchasing the station and later relocating the station's transmitter from the Beaumont area to Devers, TX to include service into the Houston area. The station signed on with an Urban ContemporaryUrban contemporary
Urban contemporary is a music radio format. The term was coined by the late New York DJ Frankie Crocker in the mid 1970s. Urban contemporary radio stations feature a playlist made up entirely of hip hop/rap, contemporary R&B, pop, electronica such as dubstep and drum and bass and Caribbean music...
format as Power 97.5 under the temporary calls KKTT but IDed as KRPW (the station was unable to get the callsign in time for sign on and acquired the KRWP sign weeks later) and also continued to serve Beaumont area. (KAYD
KAYD-FM
KAYD-FM is a radio station broadcasting a Country music music format. Licensed to Silsbee, Texas, USA, the station serves the Beaumont-Port Arthur area. The station is currently owned by Cumulus Media.-History:...
has since moved to a different frequency.) The station, renamed KRWP (PoWeR spelled backwards) had modest success in the early months of 2002. However, KRWP faced stiff competition from longtime Houston hip-hop stations KBXX
KBXX
KBXX is a Houston-based radio station with an urban contemporary musical format. It is owned by Radio One. Its transmitter is located in Missouri City, Texas. 97.9 The Box is currently the only station that plays hip hop and modern R&B music in the Greater Houston area after the demise of KPTY in...
and KPTY-FM
KPTY-FM
KAMA-FM is a Latin pop radio station serving the Houston, Texas, USA area. The Univision-owned station is licensed to Missouri City, Texas, and is a class C2 FM . Its transmitter was previously located on the Wells Fargo building in Downtown Houston...
as well as rhythmic CHR
Rhythmic Contemporary
Rhythmic contemporary, also known as rhythmic top 40, rhythmic contemporary hit radio or rhythmic crossover, is a music radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip-hop and R&B hits. Rhythmic contemporary rarely uses rock music or country music in its airplay, but it may...
station KTHT
KTHT
KTHT 97.1 "Country Legends 97.1" is a 100,000 watt FM station licensed to Cleveland, TX, that includes service to Houston and Beaumont TX with its Classic Country format. The station is owned by Cox Radio and is co-owned with KGLK, KHPT, and KKBQ...
(which was also somehow competing with sister urban station KTCX
KTCX-FM
KTCX is an Urban Contemporary formatted radio station in Beaumont, Texas. It serves the entire Golden Triangle and is owned by Cumulus Media.KTCX "Magic 102.5" was launched in 1998 based on its current format...
in Beaumont).
KRWP later skewed to an Urban Adult Contemporary
Urban Adult Contemporary
Urban adult contemporary is the name for a format of radio music, similar to an urban contemporary format. Radio stations using this format usually would not have rap music on their playlists. The format was designed by Barry Mayo when he, Lee S. Simonson and Bill Pearson organized Broadcast...
format with the intent of challenging the market's heritage R&B station, KMJQ
KMJQ
KMJQ, "Majic 102.1" is a Houston radio station with an urban adult contemporary musical format. It is owned by Radio One.-History:The station originally went on-the-air in 1961 as KAJC-FM with studios and transmitter in Alvin, Texas, a Houston suburb...
. However, KRWP never challenged KMJQ in the ratings due to the location of the transmitter, which resulted in a lack of decent coverage for the market. KRWP was transmitting from a site 50 miles east of Houston in Chambers County, whereas the transmitter for KMJQ and almost every radio and television station serving Houston was based in northeast Fort Bend County
Fort Bend County, Texas
Fort Bend County is a county located along the Gulf Coast region in the U.S. state of Texas within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. In 2000 its population was 354,452, while the 2010 U.S...
east of Missouri City
Missouri City, Texas
Missouri City is a city located in the U.S. state of Texas within the metropolitan area. The city is mostly in Fort Bend County with a small portion within Harris County. As of the 2000 U.S...
. The station was home to Doug Banks
Doug Banks
Doug Banks is an American radio personality and host of The Doug Banks Radio Show.-Career highlights:The Philadelphia-born, Detroit raised Banks began his radio career broadcasting on the high school radio station. Local station WDRQ took notice of his talent and offered him a spot as a temporary...
in the Mornings, even through the format altering in 2003.
Switch to rock (and later talk)
In late 2004, there were plans for KRWP to switch frequencies from 97.5 to 103.7 or otherwise have a simulcast with the objective of providing better coverage in Houston. At the same time, Houston's heritage rockAlbum-oriented rock
Album-oriented rock is an American FM radio format focusing on album tracks by rock artists.-Music played:Most radio formats are based on a select, tight rotation of hit singles...
station, KLOL, dumped its rock format after 34 years in favor of a Hurban
Hurban
Hurban is a relatively new radio programming format from radio chain giant Clear Channel Communications and Senior VP Alfredo Alonso. Hurban radio stations target young Hispanics in the United States, primarily consisting of reggaeton, hip-hop, and dance music...
(Hispanic Urban) format. In January 2005, under new management, KRWP inherited the former KLOL format of AOR rock
Album-oriented rock
Album-oriented rock is an American FM radio format focusing on album tracks by rock artists.-Music played:Most radio formats are based on a select, tight rotation of hit singles...
and flipped to KIOL as Rock 97.5. The format change was headed by former KLOL personality Jim Pruett and program director/jock Pat Fant (who assumed market manager for Cumulus Houston as a result) in response to heavy outcry from misplaced KLOL listeners. When the 103.7 signal signed on in May 2005, Cumulus moved KIOL to the new frequency and simulcast on 97.5 under the new calls KFNC for the next few weeks.
On May 24, 2005, at 6am, 97.5 broke the simulcast and launched Houston's third attempt at an FM news station, KFNC FM News Channel 97-5 (102.1 KLYX—now KMJQ—was the first in 1975 as an affiliate of NBC Radio's now-defunct 24 hour News & Information Service. 97.1 was the second FM News/Talk station, and is now classic country
Classic country
Classic country is a music radio format that specializes in playing mainstream country hits from past decades.This genre generally follows one of two formats: those specializing in hits from the 1920s through the early 1970s, and focus primarily on innovators and artists from country music's Golden...
.) Adopting a News
News
News is the communication of selected information on current events which is presented by print, broadcast, Internet, or word of mouth to a third party or mass audience.- Etymology :...
/Talk radio
Talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
format, the station consisted of former KLOL morning personalities Jim Pruett and Brian Shannon (the voice of Eddie "The Boner" Sanchez), who reunited to host the afternoon talk show "Back Talk", which was later moved to mornings. Other KLOL alumni on board for the station's news department were Laurie Kendrick and Martha Martinez. Non-KLOL personalities included former KILT newsman Jim Carolla, former KRBE and "NewsRadio 740" staffer Michael Shiloh as morning host/anchor. Former "Newsradio 740" reporter and editor Belinda Babinec, and former KPRC-TV
KPRC-TV
KPRC-TV is the NBC affiliated television station based in Houston, Texas, and serving the Greater Houston television market. It has studios located in the Sharpstown district on the Southwest portion of the city, and has a transmitter site in unincorporated Fort Bend County near Missouri City...
sports director Craig Roberts.
KFNC went through format tweaks and house cleaning, and the FM News Channel moniker was dropped around spring of 2006 for Supertalk 97.5. However, the station's ratings failed to keep the talk format afloat, and on the morning of December 22, 2006, after tearful goodbyes from Pruett and Shannon along with Kendrick, Martinez and news/traffic/producer Julie Takahashi, the talk format left the airwaves for its current sports format that officially launched in mid-January 2007. KFNC's on-air branding, ESPN 97.5 The Ticket, is similar to that of its sister AM sports station in Dallas, KTCK
KTCK
KTCK , is a sports talk radio station based in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. The station, currently owned by Cumulus Media, has been made popular by the incorporation of humor alongside the sports talk....
. It has become the Greater Houston
Greater Houston
Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown is a 10-county metropolitan area defined by the Office of Management and Budget. It is located along the Gulf Coast region in the U.S. state of Texas...
FM radio affiliate for ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
, which began moving its programming from Clear Channel
Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications, Inc. is an American media conglomerate company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1972 by Lowry Mays and Red McCombs, and was taken private by Bain Capital LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP in a leveraged buyout in 2008...
's KBME-AM
KBME (AM)
KBME AM is a sports-talk radio station in the Houston, Texas metropolitan area. It is currently owned by Clear Channel Communications. The station airs local sports-talk every weekday from 6am until 9pm and carries nationally syndicated Fox Sports Radio programming.-History:The station first went...
.
In 2007, Cumulus Media moved KFNC, along with KIOL
KIOL
KIOL is a radio station broadcasting an News/Talk format. The station's previous call letters were KALN, prior to August 12, 2008. Licensed to Iola, Kansas, USA, the station serves the Pittsburg area. The station is currently owned by Iola Broadcasting, Inc. and features programing from Fox News...
, to its new Houston headquarters with sister station KRBE in the Chase Building at 9801 Westheimer Road in Houston, home to KRBE since the mid-80s.
Programming
KFNC serves as the Houston affiliate for ESPN, which has been looking to add FM radio affiliates to its nationwide radio network. Various ESPN RadioESPN Radio
ESPN Radio is an American sports radio network. It was launched on January 1, 1992 under the original banner of "SportsRadio ESPN." ESPN Radio is located at ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Connecticut...
programs, most notably Mike & Mike in the Morning and The Herd with Colin Cowherd
The Herd with Colin Cowherd
The Herd with Colin Cowherd is a sports talk radio show hosted by Colin Cowherd and broadcast on ESPN Radio from Bristol, Connecticut. The show is heard Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. ET until 1 p.m. ET on most ESPN Radio stations and is simulcasted on ESPNews...
, air on KFNC's schedule.
To compete with KBME and the market's long-time leading sports station, KILT-AM
KILT (AM)
KILT is a Sports/Talk formatted radio station in the Houston, Texas, metropolitan area. The station is currently owned by CBS Radio. KILT shares its call letters with sister station 100.3 FM, a country music station....
, KFNC brought on long-time Houston sports guru, Carl Dukes, to host "Put Up Your Dukes" on weekday mid-afternoons. Dukes' role expanded to drive-time (The Drive 5-7pm) with program director Dave Tepper and assistant program director Julie Takahashi.
KFNC also brought in a mid-day show, "The Blitz" (Weekdays 12-2pm), with Fred Faour
Fred Faour
Fred Faour is a sports radio talk show host in Houston, Texas. He hosted The Front Page with Matt Dean until mid 2009 when they were moved to a daily show, "The Blitz"...
, Matt Dean and Jong Lee in October 2009. In May 2010, Dean left for business school and was replaced by AJ Hoffman, from Austin's 1300 The Zone.
Houston Rockets
Houston Rockets
The Houston Rockets are an American professional basketball team based in Houston, Texas. The team plays in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association . The team was established in 1967, and played in San Diego, California for four years, before being...
hall of famer
Basketball Hall of Fame
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, located in Springfield, Massachusetts, United States, honors exceptional basketball players, coaches, referees, executives, and other major contributors to the game of basketball worldwide...
Calvin Murphy used to host a two-hour sports talk show that aired weekday evenings. This is Murphy's first broadcasting job in Houston since his unceremonious departure in 2004 from his position as the Rockets' television analyst alongside longtime Rockets play-by-play announcer Bill Worrell. Saturday mornings are filled with the extreme automobile ramblings of John Clay Wolfe
John Clay Wolfe
John Clay Wolfe is an American radio personality and entrepreneur, who resides in Fort Worth, Texas.Wolfe also hosts syndicated radio car show The Real Deal, broadcast each Saturday morning in Dallas Rock station , Houston's ESPN , Amarillo JackFM , Wichita Falls both , Austin, Texas The big...
.
Callsign & moniker history
- KAYD -
- KAYD-FM - 10/06/1995 (KD 97)
- KKTT - 01/01/2002 (Power 97-5)
- KRWP - 01/18/2002 (Power 97-5)
- KIOL - 01/26/2005 (Rock 97.5)
- KFNC - 05/23/2005 (FM News Channel 97.5, Supertalk 97.5, ESPN 97.5 The Ticket)