KLQB
Encyclopedia
KLQB is a regional Mexican radio station
serving the Austin, Texas
, area. The Univision Radio outlet broadcasts at 104.3 MHz with an ERP of 48,000 Watts and is licensed
to Taylor, Texas
. Its transmitter is located in Coupland, Texas
.
) in 1998 after the frequency would be moved southward to the Austin area after previously serving Temple-Killeen market as KKIK. Soon enough, KQBT began targeting Austin in 1998 as a Rhythmic Contemporary Hits station, playing Hip Hop
, R&B, some Pop
, and some Dance
. At the time, the station served as a rhythmic version of a younger Urban formatted radio station alternative to then co-owned Urban AC station KJCE "K-Juice 1370" (now a talk radio station). This would eventually propel KQBT as one of Austin's Top 5 radio stations (sometimes #1) according to Arbitron ratings. By 2001, the station dropped Dance music and eventually Pop music from the playlist and has gone straight Hip Hop and R&B.
But in 2004, Howard Stern
was expected back on the radio due in several markets due to Clear Channel
firing him for indecency. And KQBT, along with five other replacement radio stations owned by what was then called Infinity Broadcasting (which owned Stern's show through syndication), was selected to carry the morning drive. As a result, there would be uncertainty that the Hip Hop/R&B format would even survive with Howard Stern on the air, so the frequency flipped to talk radio
, changed calls to KOYT and called itself 104.3 The Coyote. The FM Talk format did not do well at all; because of this, the ratings tanked. So the frequency returned to Rhythmic Contemporary Hits format five months later under the former branding Beat 104.3 but with new call letters KXBT because KQBT was already assigned to a radio station in Llano, Texas
, and later, a radio station in Albuquerque, New Mexico
now. Even though it is a Rhythmic, this time KXBT skewed slightly towards an unofficial Mainstream Urban format, unusual for the market's demographics given the fact less than 10% of the Austin radio market's population is African American
. To accommodate the return, the station held a campaign in early 2005 to "Make The Big Switch Back to the Beat," with the slogan at the time being "The People's Station" before finally settling on the current one, "The Beat of the ATX." It became home for a short time to the controversial Star and Buc Wild Morning Show from December 2005 to May 2006.
The station is currently in a battle with Rhythmic rival KDHT
, Mainstream rival KHFI and Rhythmic Adult Contemporary
rival KFMK-FM in Austin's Top 40 battle. Soon after the return to the format, KXBT has reintroduced Freestyle Dance
music and added more Reggaeton
music to the charts.
In 2006, CBS Radio
divested its assets and sold the Austin radio cluster (also includes KAMX
, KKMJ
and KJCE
) to Entercom. On February 21, 2007, Entercom announced that the 104.3 frequency and KXBT calls would be sold to Univision
and change to a Spanish format on February 26. The staff was already told of this stunning news before it was made public in the trades and was expecting to leave prior to the flip. Albeit that Univision owns Hip Hop music stations in San Antonio
, Houston
, Rio Grande Valley
and Albuquerque
, the Austin cluster of Univision did not want the format this time. After the announcement was made, Border Media flipped KXXS-FM Digital 104.9 to a Rhythmic Top 40 format, hired the former KXBT staff, and relaunced as "The Beat 104.9", thus leaving the station virtually intact. The Digital 104.9 format was relaunched on 92.5.
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...
serving the Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, area. The Univision Radio outlet broadcasts at 104.3 MHz with an ERP of 48,000 Watts and is licensed
City of license
A city of license or community of license, in American and Canadian broadcasting, is the community that a radio station or television station is officially licensed to serve by that country's broadcast regulator....
to Taylor, Texas
Taylor, Texas
Taylor is a city in Williamson County, Texas, United States. The population was 13,575 at the 2000 census; it was 15,191 in the 2010 census estimate. Taylors largest employers include the Electric Reliability Council of Texas , Durcon Inc, and the T. Don Hutto Residential Center, an immigration...
. Its transmitter is located in Coupland, Texas
Coupland, Texas
Coupland is an unincorporated community in Williamson County, Texas, United States. The population of the area is approximately 1000.Coupland is home to the famed , an eatery, bed and breakfast, and dancehall which has been in the community for nearly 100 years.Couplands athletic teams are the...
.
History
KLQB was launched as KQBT on 104.3 FM (licensed to Taylor, TexasTaylor, Texas
Taylor is a city in Williamson County, Texas, United States. The population was 13,575 at the 2000 census; it was 15,191 in the 2010 census estimate. Taylors largest employers include the Electric Reliability Council of Texas , Durcon Inc, and the T. Don Hutto Residential Center, an immigration...
) in 1998 after the frequency would be moved southward to the Austin area after previously serving Temple-Killeen market as KKIK. Soon enough, KQBT began targeting Austin in 1998 as a Rhythmic Contemporary Hits station, playing Hip Hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
, R&B, some Pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
, and some Dance
Dance
Dance is an art form that generally refers to movement of the body, usually rhythmic and to music, used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting....
. At the time, the station served as a rhythmic version of a younger Urban formatted radio station alternative to then co-owned Urban AC station KJCE "K-Juice 1370" (now a talk radio station). This would eventually propel KQBT as one of Austin's Top 5 radio stations (sometimes #1) according to Arbitron ratings. By 2001, the station dropped Dance music and eventually Pop music from the playlist and has gone straight Hip Hop and R&B.
But in 2004, Howard Stern
Howard Stern
Howard Allan Stern is an American radio personality, television host, author, and actor best known for his radio show, which was nationally syndicated from 1986 to 2005. He gained wide recognition in the 1990s where he was labeled a "shock jock" for his outspoken and sometimes controversial style...
was expected back on the radio due in several markets due to Clear Channel
Clear channel
A clear-channel station is an AM band Radio station in North America that has the highest protection from interference from other stations, particularly concerning night-time skywave propagation. Usually known as class A stations since 1982, they are occasionally still referred to by their former...
firing him for indecency. And KQBT, along with five other replacement radio stations owned by what was then called Infinity Broadcasting (which owned Stern's show through syndication), was selected to carry the morning drive. As a result, there would be uncertainty that the Hip Hop/R&B format would even survive with Howard Stern on the air, so the frequency flipped to 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...
, changed calls to KOYT and called itself 104.3 The Coyote. The FM Talk format did not do well at all; because of this, the ratings tanked. So the frequency returned to Rhythmic Contemporary Hits format five months later under the former branding Beat 104.3 but with new call letters KXBT because KQBT was already assigned to a radio station in Llano, Texas
Llano, Texas
-History:Llano County was established in compliance with a February 1, 1856, state legislative act. The Llano River location was chosen in an election held on June 14, 1856, under a live oak on the south bank of the river, near the present site of Roy Inks Bridge in Llano...
, and later, a radio station in Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Albuquerque is the largest city in the state of New Mexico, United States. It is the county seat of Bernalillo County and is situated in the central part of the state, straddling the Rio Grande. The city population was 545,852 as of the 2010 Census and ranks as the 32nd-largest city in the U.S. As...
now. Even though it is a Rhythmic, this time KXBT skewed slightly towards an unofficial Mainstream Urban format, unusual for the market's demographics given the fact less than 10% of the Austin radio market's population is African American
African American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
. To accommodate the return, the station held a campaign in early 2005 to "Make The Big Switch Back to the Beat," with the slogan at the time being "The People's Station" before finally settling on the current one, "The Beat of the ATX." It became home for a short time to the controversial Star and Buc Wild Morning Show from December 2005 to May 2006.
The station is currently in a battle with Rhythmic rival KDHT
KDHT-FM
KGSR is an Adult Album Alternative formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Cedar Park, Texas, serving the Austin-Round Rock metropolitan area. KGSR is owned and operated by Emmis Communications and has undergone changes over time in its music selection and signal...
, Mainstream rival KHFI and Rhythmic Adult Contemporary
Rhythmic Adult Contemporary
Rhythmic adult contemporary is a format used on stations in the United States and Canada. It usually gears toward an older audience, ages 25 to 54. Stations using this format play disco from the 1970s and early 1980s, dance/pop music, adult-friendly hip hop/old school tracks, R&B, dance/freestyle...
rival KFMK-FM in Austin's Top 40 battle. Soon after the return to the format, KXBT has reintroduced Freestyle Dance
Freestyle music
Freestyle or Latin freestyle, sometimes referred to as Latin hip hop, is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in the early 1980s. Mostly popular during the mid 80s to the early 90s...
music and added more Reggaeton
Reggaeton
Reggaeton is a form of Puerto Rican and Latin American urban and Caribbean music. After its mainstream exposure in 2004, it spread to North American, European and Asian audiences. Reggaeton originated in Puerto Rico but is also has roots from Reggae en Español from Panama and Puerto Rico and...
music to the charts.
In 2006, CBS Radio
CBS Radio
CBS Radio, Inc., formerly known as Infinity Broadcasting Corporation, is one of the largest owners and operators of radio stations in the United States, third behind main rival Clear Channel Communications and Cumulus Media. CBS Radio owns around 130 radio stations across the country...
divested its assets and sold the Austin radio cluster (also includes KAMX
KAMX
KAMX is a commercial radio station licensed to Luling, Texas, United States, broadcasting to the Austin, Texas area from studios and transmitter in West Lake Hills, Texas...
, KKMJ
KKMJ
KKMJ-FM is an Austin, Texas radio station operating an Adult Contemporary format playing music from mainly the 1970s through today. Better known as "Majic 95.5," is licensed to the city with an ERP of 50,000 Watts at 95.5 MHz from a transmitter site near West Lake Hills, Texas, and is owned by...
and KJCE
KJCE
KJCE is a radio station in Austin, Texas. The station operates on 1370 kHz under the ownership of Entercom Communications. KJCE has maintained its talk format since 2002. Previously, KJCE was an Urban AC station branded as 'K-Juice 1370'. The current program director is Stephen Michael Kerr...
) to Entercom. On February 21, 2007, Entercom announced that the 104.3 frequency and KXBT calls would be sold to Univision
Univision
Univision is a Spanish-language television network in the United States. It has the largest audience of Spanish language television viewers according to Nielsen ratings. Randy Falco, COO, has been in charge of the company since the departure of Univision Communications president and CEO Joe Uva...
and change to a Spanish format on February 26. The staff was already told of this stunning news before it was made public in the trades and was expecting to leave prior to the flip. Albeit that Univision owns Hip Hop music stations in San Antonio
KBBT
KBBT is a successful Rhythmic Contemporary radio station owned by Univision in the San Antonio, Texas area. The city of license is Schertz, Texas and operates at 98.5 MHz.- History :...
, Houston
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...
, Rio Grande Valley
KBTQ
KBTQ is a radio station broadcasting a Spanish Adult Hits format. Licensed to Harlingen, Texas, USA, the station serves the McAllen area. The station is currently owned by Tichenor License Corporation.-History:...
and Albuquerque
KKSS
KKSS is a commercial radio station located in Santa Fe, New Mexico, broadcasting to the Santa Fe and Albuquerque, New Mexico, area. KKSS airs a rhythmic Top 40 music format branded as "Kiss 97.3".-History:...
, the Austin cluster of Univision did not want the format this time. After the announcement was made, Border Media flipped KXXS-FM Digital 104.9 to a Rhythmic Top 40 format, hired the former KXBT staff, and relaunced as "The Beat 104.9", thus leaving the station virtually intact. The Digital 104.9 format was relaunched on 92.5.