KTXT-FM
Encyclopedia
KTXT-FM is a non-commercial educational
college radio station licensed to Texas Tech University
in Lubbock, Texas
, USA
. KTXT-FM is licensed to broadcast 35,000 watt
s of power to Lubbock and the surrounding South Plains
of West Texas
.
band radio broadcast station. The following year, KTTC applied to the FCC
to become a 10-watt, non-commercial educational FM
station. The request was granted and the station began broadcasting at 91.9 megahertz. The call letters were changed to KTXT since KTTC were for marine operation.
The original transmitter, antenna, and studios were located in the speech building and after the late seventies in the journalism building. The antenna and transmitter moved to the channel five KTXT-TV at the west end of the campus sometime after TV's inception in 1962. Though power remained low, the antenna stood at a height of 272 feet (82.9 m).
In the late 1960s or early 1970s, the station applied for and received a construction permit for an increase to 18,500 watts at 340 feet (103.6 m), proposing the KTXT tower. This was extended a number of times, because of changes in plans, changes in budgets (which mostly the station did not have) and the discovery (after the big Lubbock Tornado of 5-11-70) or realization that the tower was too light and too damaged to carry the additional weight and wind load of the bigger FM station antenna. In late 1978 the station relocated to the 98th and University tower owned by Ray Moran interests (101.1 KTEZ in those days, now ch 34 KJTV).
In the early 1980s ,KTXT-FM offered an eclectic mix of alternative programming ranging from oldies, new wave-80s, Reggae to house/trance, rock, country and indie. The 1980s led the way to the introduction of Reggae music to the South Plains area. Reggae bands were booked in local clubs as a result and Lubbock experienced a boom in world music influence locally. As with all college radio during the 1980s, KTXT-FM was responsible for expanding the minds and opening the ears to the sounds of up in coming bands like REM, U2 and The Clash. Whilst other stations in Lubbock stuck with the Chart Hits Radio (CHR) radio format
, KTXT-FM drew many listeners away from commercial radio with their alternative programming thus forcing the commercial stations to pay attention to KTXT's playlists and DJs. Many veteran DJs can claim KTXT-FM as their first home on the air and are currently employed throughout the US as a result.
In February 1999, 88.1 became the first Lubbock FM station to broadcast on the Internet via a live audio feed.
Among the earliest broadcast equipment used included a 5,000 Watt Gates FM-5H2 transmitter donated by Pat Patillo (old and long time chief engineer of KTXT-TV), new feed line, and an eight bay antenna. The old frequency of 91.9 could not be used for a very high power level because it would conflict with the use of another channel assigned to Lubbock (102.5) that was open for applications in those days. The new frequency used was 88.1. This proved to be a good news/bad news combination. Sister station KTXT-TV was carried on cable tV on channel 6 where the sound frequency is about 87.7 MHz. At some locations near the new FM tower there was KTXT-FM audio heard where the KTXT-TV sound should have been. The FM operated at reduced power for a time as negotiations between the sister stations went on.
In the early 1980s, the owner of KAMR-TV in Amarillo, TX, a Texas Tech alumnus, donated their old broadcast tower to Texas Tech. This used (albeit newer and taller) tower replaced KTXT-TV's old tower and the KTXT-FM antenna was moved back to the Tech campus. When Texas Tech assumed control of the KOHM-FM broadcast license from the Lubbock Independent School District, it too moved to the campus.
Until 2001, KTXT-FM had been run under the auspices of the School of Mass Communications at Texas Tech University. At the time, Mass Comm was redirecting its media efforts from radio to various multimedia platforms. KTXT-FM's faculty adviser, Dr. Clive Kinghorn, retired in the Fall of 2001, and control of the station was transferred to Student Media that September.
The broadcast transmitters of all three stations, KTXT-TV, KTXT-FM and KOHM-FM, were housed in the same transmitter building until July 2003 when a new transmitter building for the radio stations was completed. The conversion of KTXT-TV to a digital television station required this new facility. At some point, the Gates transmitter KTXT-FM had been using was replaced by a Broadcast Electronics FM10B, rated to 12 kW. The BE transmitter was moved into the new facility and was eventually replaced in 2007 by a new, state-of-the-art solid-state Nautel Q10 transmitter.
Around 2007, a tower crew was welding stiffeners to the cross-members of the KTXT-TV tower in order to strengthen it for the heavier load an added digital TV antenna would require. It was during this work that the KTXT-FM antenna was significantly damaged. The antenna was eventually replaced by an antenna donated by Clear Channel Communications of Lubbock. The donated antenna was formerly used by 98 Kool (KCCL-FM), and was sent to the factory, refurbished and re-tuned for 88.1.
Some of the one-liners used by many of KTXT's DJs include: "Lubbock's Only Alternative", "The Couch", "Keep it locked to the left" and "Music your parents warned you about!" Or one from the 1980s, "You're all the way to the left at 88.1 KTXT-FM".
Control of KTXT-FM was transferred to KOHM-FM in January 2009. Relocation of the microwave
studio/transmitter link
s to the KOHM studios were completed in early May 2009, and test broadcasts were conducted. KTXT-FM returned to the air in late May with a broadcast schedule consisting mainly of network programming via satellite. The lack of proper studio facilities has been cited by KOHM management as the reason for KTXT-FM's automated/unattended operation
.
KOHM station management has expressed a long-term goal of returning students to the operation of KTXT-FM. There is currently no studio for KTXT-FM, and Texas Tech has announced that KOHM is to be relocated by August 2010 so that its current studios can be renovated into administrative offices. No formal word has been made as to where KOHM's future home will be, and the current space is too small to house a separate studio for KTXT.
While there is a small amount of underwriting
being aired on KTXT-FM, the acquisition of a new audio server will allow greater local insertion
and reliability of the programming.
KTXT-FM is owned and licensed to Texas Tech University and is run in conjunction with KOHM-FM. Both stations report to the Texas Tech University Office of the Provost. KTXT-FM is not affiliated with the College of Mass Communications
., nor Texas Tech Student Media.
s of power. As a college radio station with an Alternative music format, KTXT-FM broadcast a wide range of music genres, including dance
, modern rock
, R&B
/hip hop
, and Texas country music.
As of October 2009, KTXT's programming was all via satellite, consisting of PRI's "The TakeAway" during weekday morning drivetime, BBC World Service programming during the mid-day and afternoon, and music from the Jazz Satellite Network during overnights.
Non-commercial educational
The term non-commercial educational applies to a radio station or TV station that does not accept on air advertisements , as defined in the United States by the Federal Communications Commission . NCE stations do not pay broadcast license fees for their non-profit uses of the radio spectrum...
college radio station licensed to Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University
Texas Tech University, often referred to as Texas Tech or TTU, is a public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and originally known as Texas Technological College, it is the leading institution of the Texas Tech University System and has the...
in Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock, Texas
Lubbock is a city in and the county seat of Lubbock County, Texas, United States. The city is located in the northwestern part of the state, a region known historically as the Llano Estacado, and the home of Texas Tech University and Lubbock Christian University...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. KTXT-FM is licensed to broadcast 35,000 watt
Watt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
s of power to Lubbock and the surrounding South Plains
South Plains
South Plains is a vernacular term that refers to a region in West Texas consisting of the portion of the Llano Estacado extending south of the Texas Panhandle, centered at Lubbock. While prominent in the area of petroleum production, the South Plains is mainly an agricultural region, producing a...
of West Texas
West Texas
West Texas is a vernacular term applied to a region in the southwestern quadrant of the United States that primarily encompasses the arid and semi-arid lands in the western portion of the state of Texas....
.
History
The first station operated at Texas Tech University began as a carrier current station in 1951. It was called MD-2 until permission was obtained to use the call letters KTTC. In 1959, it became an AMAM broadcasting
AM broadcasting is the process of radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation. AM was the first method of impressing sound on a radio signal and is still widely used today. Commercial and public AM broadcasting is carried out in the medium wave band world wide, and on long wave and short wave...
band radio broadcast station. The following year, KTTC applied to the FCC
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission is an independent agency of the United States government, created, Congressional statute , and with the majority of its commissioners appointed by the current President. The FCC works towards six goals in the areas of broadband, competition, the spectrum, the...
to become a 10-watt, non-commercial educational FM
FM broadcasting
FM broadcasting is a broadcasting technology pioneered by Edwin Howard Armstrong which uses frequency modulation to provide high-fidelity sound over broadcast radio. The term "FM band" describes the "frequency band in which FM is used for broadcasting"...
station. The request was granted and the station began broadcasting at 91.9 megahertz. The call letters were changed to KTXT since KTTC were for marine operation.
The original transmitter, antenna, and studios were located in the speech building and after the late seventies in the journalism building. The antenna and transmitter moved to the channel five KTXT-TV at the west end of the campus sometime after TV's inception in 1962. Though power remained low, the antenna stood at a height of 272 feet (82.9 m).
In the late 1960s or early 1970s, the station applied for and received a construction permit for an increase to 18,500 watts at 340 feet (103.6 m), proposing the KTXT tower. This was extended a number of times, because of changes in plans, changes in budgets (which mostly the station did not have) and the discovery (after the big Lubbock Tornado of 5-11-70) or realization that the tower was too light and too damaged to carry the additional weight and wind load of the bigger FM station antenna. In late 1978 the station relocated to the 98th and University tower owned by Ray Moran interests (101.1 KTEZ in those days, now ch 34 KJTV).
Radio format
A radio format or programming format not to be confused with broadcast programming describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. Radio formats are frequently employed as a marketing tool, and constantly evolve...
, KTXT-FM drew many listeners away from commercial radio with their alternative programming thus forcing the commercial stations to pay attention to KTXT's playlists and DJs. Many veteran DJs can claim KTXT-FM as their first home on the air and are currently employed throughout the US as a result.
In February 1999, 88.1 became the first Lubbock FM station to broadcast on the Internet via a live audio feed.
Among the earliest broadcast equipment used included a 5,000 Watt Gates FM-5H2 transmitter donated by Pat Patillo (old and long time chief engineer of KTXT-TV), new feed line, and an eight bay antenna. The old frequency of 91.9 could not be used for a very high power level because it would conflict with the use of another channel assigned to Lubbock (102.5) that was open for applications in those days. The new frequency used was 88.1. This proved to be a good news/bad news combination. Sister station KTXT-TV was carried on cable tV on channel 6 where the sound frequency is about 87.7 MHz. At some locations near the new FM tower there was KTXT-FM audio heard where the KTXT-TV sound should have been. The FM operated at reduced power for a time as negotiations between the sister stations went on.
In the early 1980s, the owner of KAMR-TV in Amarillo, TX, a Texas Tech alumnus, donated their old broadcast tower to Texas Tech. This used (albeit newer and taller) tower replaced KTXT-TV's old tower and the KTXT-FM antenna was moved back to the Tech campus. When Texas Tech assumed control of the KOHM-FM broadcast license from the Lubbock Independent School District, it too moved to the campus.
Until 2001, KTXT-FM had been run under the auspices of the School of Mass Communications at Texas Tech University. At the time, Mass Comm was redirecting its media efforts from radio to various multimedia platforms. KTXT-FM's faculty adviser, Dr. Clive Kinghorn, retired in the Fall of 2001, and control of the station was transferred to Student Media that September.
The broadcast transmitters of all three stations, KTXT-TV, KTXT-FM and KOHM-FM, were housed in the same transmitter building until July 2003 when a new transmitter building for the radio stations was completed. The conversion of KTXT-TV to a digital television station required this new facility. At some point, the Gates transmitter KTXT-FM had been using was replaced by a Broadcast Electronics FM10B, rated to 12 kW. The BE transmitter was moved into the new facility and was eventually replaced in 2007 by a new, state-of-the-art solid-state Nautel Q10 transmitter.
Around 2007, a tower crew was welding stiffeners to the cross-members of the KTXT-TV tower in order to strengthen it for the heavier load an added digital TV antenna would require. It was during this work that the KTXT-FM antenna was significantly damaged. The antenna was eventually replaced by an antenna donated by Clear Channel Communications of Lubbock. The donated antenna was formerly used by 98 Kool (KCCL-FM), and was sent to the factory, refurbished and re-tuned for 88.1.
Some of the one-liners used by many of KTXT's DJs include: "Lubbock's Only Alternative", "The Couch", "Keep it locked to the left" and "Music your parents warned you about!" Or one from the 1980s, "You're all the way to the left at 88.1 KTXT-FM".
Cessation and return
KTXT-FM abruptly stopped broadcasting 2:35 PM CST on December 10, 2008. Student Media cited budget constraints as the reason behind the station closure. Student Media retained control of the studios, using them as offices, while the bulk of the broadcast equipment would be transferred to Texas Tech's other FM radio station, KOHM. Broadcasts from the former studios were no longer possible after December 10, and KTXT-FM was off the air.Control of KTXT-FM was transferred to KOHM-FM in January 2009. Relocation of the microwave
Microwave
Microwaves, a subset of radio waves, have wavelengths ranging from as long as one meter to as short as one millimeter, or equivalently, with frequencies between 300 MHz and 300 GHz. This broad definition includes both UHF and EHF , and various sources use different boundaries...
studio/transmitter link
Studio/transmitter link
A studio-transmitter link sends a radio station's or television station's audio and video from the broadcast studio to a radio transmitter or television transmitter in another location....
s to the KOHM studios were completed in early May 2009, and test broadcasts were conducted. KTXT-FM returned to the air in late May with a broadcast schedule consisting mainly of network programming via satellite. The lack of proper studio facilities has been cited by KOHM management as the reason for KTXT-FM's automated/unattended operation
Broadcast automation
Broadcast automation incorporates the use of broadcast programming technology to automate broadcasting operations. Used either at a broadcast network, radio station or a television station, it can run a facility in the absence of a human operator...
.
KOHM station management has expressed a long-term goal of returning students to the operation of KTXT-FM. There is currently no studio for KTXT-FM, and Texas Tech has announced that KOHM is to be relocated by August 2010 so that its current studios can be renovated into administrative offices. No formal word has been made as to where KOHM's future home will be, and the current space is too small to house a separate studio for KTXT.
While there is a small amount of underwriting
Underwriting
Underwriting refers to the process that a large financial service provider uses to assess the eligibility of a customer to receive their products . The name derives from the Lloyd's of London insurance market...
being aired on KTXT-FM, the acquisition of a new audio server will allow greater local insertion
Local insertion
In broadcasting, local insertion is the act or capability of a broadcast television station, radio station, or cable TV system to insert or replace part of a broadcast network feed with content unique to the local station or system...
and reliability of the programming.
Ownership
Texas Tech University College of Mass Communications
Texas Tech University College of Mass Communications is the college of mass communications at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas. Prior to 2004, the mass communications program at Texas Tech was a School within the College of Arts and Sciences....
., nor Texas Tech Student Media.
Format
In its heyday, KTXT-FM was one of the most powerful college radio stations in the United States, operating with 35,000 wattWatt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
s of power. As a college radio station with an Alternative music format, KTXT-FM broadcast a wide range of music genres, including dance
Dance music
Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...
, modern rock
Modern rock
Modern rock is a rock format commonly found on commercial radio; the format consists primarily of the alternative rock genre...
, R&B
Rhythm and blues
Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...
/hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
, and Texas country music.
As of October 2009, KTXT's programming was all via satellite, consisting of PRI's "The TakeAway" during weekday morning drivetime, BBC World Service programming during the mid-day and afternoon, and music from the Jazz Satellite Network during overnights.