KVET-FM
Encyclopedia
KVET-FM is an Austin
, Texas
radio station operating a Country
format. It is licensed to Austin, Texas
with an ERP of 49,800 watts from a transmitter
site near West Lake Hills, TX, and is owned by Clear Channel
Radio.
Rockin' Country
can also be heard on 98.1 HD-2 (HD Radio
needed).
Shortly after the end of World War II, a group of young men pooled their resources to start a radio station in Austin, Texas. All of them were veterans of the conflict, hence K-VET AM-1300 signed on October 1st, 1946. These men included future Texas Governor John Connally
, and future United States Representative Jake Pickle.
As was common in the 1940s and 1950s, KVET offered "full service" radio, block programming of music, news, talk, cooking shows, even soap operas. As was not common, KVET also included programming for Austin's minority community. Spanish language news and music on "Noche De Fiesta"; music and news for the African-American community on "The Elmer Akins Gospel Train".
In the 1950s, even more diversity was added to the lineup when Lavada Durst introduced Austin to R&B and "Jive Talk" on KVET's nighttime "Dr. Hepcat Show".
Noche de Fiesta and Dr. Hepcat were phased out in the 1960s, but Gospel Train is on the air on KVET to this day. KVET-FM keeps the tradition alive with a Country Gospel
show hosted by Sammy Allred and Bob Cole.
During most of the 60's, KVET featured the popular music of the day, plus a strong emphasis on news and sports block programming. The music of Frank Sinatra, Perry Como and Dianah Shore...Paul Harvey commentary, the Joe Pyne show, and Houston Astros baseball were all part of the mix.
KVET switched formats on April 14th, 1969 to country music, and the Country Giant was born. Popular celebrity DJ's including Arleigh Duff, Penny Reeves, Jerry Gee and Sammy Allred quickly took KVET to the top of the local ratings during the 70's.
Despite increased competition, KVET continued to prosper in the 1980s by featuring a traditional mix of country music, news and sports, including Houston Oiler and Dallas Cowboy
football.
In 1990, KVET began to also broadcast on 98.1 FM. With the new signal came the creation of the Sammy Allred and Bob Cole Morning Call-In Show. The show was a consistent ratings winner until Allred was fired in October 2007 for using profanity on the air. Through the 90's, KVET has evolved to a sports and talk station, the flagship station of the Longhorn
Radio Network.
In August 2008, KVET's evening show was modified into "The Roadhouse", a hybrid format consisting of Texas/Red Dirt, Classic Outlaw and Americana/Alt-Country, programmed and hosted by Chris Mosser.
To the befuddlement of many in Clear Channel management, KVET's lineup of traditional country mixed with alternative Texas music has frequently beaten sister station KASE 101 in the quarterly ratings war.
Frequency
98.3 MHz went on the air in 1950 under the call letters KHFI-FM, becoming Austin's second FM station. Prior to acquisition by KVET/KASE Broadcasting in 1991, the frequency was changed to 98.1, and the branding was changed to K-98.1. After the acquisition, the call letters were changed to match the company's AM station, KVET. The KHFI
call letters were then moved to the separately-owned 96.7 frequency. In 2000, the KVET/KVET-FM/KASE
combo which by then included KFMK-FM and owned by AMFM/Capstar merged with Clear Channel Radio which already included 96.7 KHFI-FM
and KPEZ-FM
again uniting the two stations involved in the "KHFI frequency swap" of 1990.
Controversy
In May 2007, morning show host Sammy Allred was suspended after calling presidential candidate Barack Obama
a "clean darky", in response to Sen. Joseph Biden's comments about Obama.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jackson-williams/racism-on-the-radio-towar_b_42545.html He was fired on October 30, 2007, for apparently swearing on-air, calling a listener an "a-hole." http://www.austin360.com/music/content/music/stories/2007/11/1101allred.html
Allred's firing came just three days after afternoon host Janice Williams was terminated for budgetary reasons.
Austin, TX 78704
The Clear Channel Radio Austin studios are in an industrial, yet trendy business complex in "SoCo" south central Austin within walking distance of St. Edwards University. The complex, Penn Field, was Austin's first military air base. The Clear Channel Radio studios are located in the former hangar building.
KVET-FM shares a building with sister stations KASE-FM
, KHFI-FM
, KPEZ-FM
, and KVET.
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...
, 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...
radio station operating a Country
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...
format. It is licensed to 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...
with an ERP of 49,800 watts from a transmitter
Transmitter
In electronics and telecommunications a transmitter or radio transmitter is an electronic device which, with the aid of an antenna, produces radio waves. The transmitter itself generates a radio frequency alternating current, which is applied to the antenna. When excited by this alternating...
site near West Lake Hills, TX, and is owned by 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...
Radio.
Rockin' Country
Country rock
Country rock is sub-genre of popular music, formed from the fusion of rock with country. The term is generally used to refer to the wave of rock musicians who began to record country-flavored records in the late 1960s and early 1970s, beginning with Bob Dylan and The Byrds; reaching its greatest...
can also be heard on 98.1 HD-2 (HD Radio
HD Radio
HD Radio, which originally stood for "Hybrid Digital", is the trademark for iBiquity's in-band on-channel digital radio technology used by AM and FM radio stations to transmit audio and data via a digital signal in conjunction with their analog signals...
needed).
Personalities
Current:- The Talk of Austin
- Bob Cole
- Jamie Ivey
- Eric Raines, Show Producer
- David Anderson, Sports
- Don Miller, Traffic Reports
- Eric Raines
- Chris Mosser and "The Roadhouse"
- Anne HudsonAnne HudsonAnne Hudson is a television host on Music and Entertainment Television, the afternoon traffic reporter for Clear Channel Austin Cluster , and the Mid-Day show host on Gap Broadcasting station KIXS 108 in Victoria, Texas. Anne hosted Music Fest Host in 2007, 2008, and 2009 in Steamboat Springs, CO...
, traffic reporter
- Anne Hudson
- Weekends
- Bob Cole and The Sunday Morning Gospel Show
- Chris Mosser and The Sunday Night Texas Show
- Anne HudsonAnne HudsonAnne Hudson is a television host on Music and Entertainment Television, the afternoon traffic reporter for Clear Channel Austin Cluster , and the Mid-Day show host on Gap Broadcasting station KIXS 108 in Victoria, Texas. Anne hosted Music Fest Host in 2007, 2008, and 2009 in Steamboat Springs, CO...
- Don Miller
- Image Voice: John Willyard
History
Call Lettershttp://web.archive.org/web/19991013110504/http://kvet.net/Shortly after the end of World War II, a group of young men pooled their resources to start a radio station in Austin, Texas. All of them were veterans of the conflict, hence K-VET AM-1300 signed on October 1st, 1946. These men included future Texas Governor John Connally
John Connally
John Bowden Connally, Jr. , was an influential American politician, serving as the 39th governor of Texas, Secretary of the Navy under President John F. Kennedy, and as Secretary of the Treasury under President Richard M. Nixon. While he was Governor in 1963, Connally was a passenger in the car in...
, and future United States Representative Jake Pickle.
As was common in the 1940s and 1950s, KVET offered "full service" radio, block programming of music, news, talk, cooking shows, even soap operas. As was not common, KVET also included programming for Austin's minority community. Spanish language news and music on "Noche De Fiesta"; music and news for the African-American community on "The Elmer Akins Gospel Train".
In the 1950s, even more diversity was added to the lineup when Lavada Durst introduced Austin to R&B and "Jive Talk" on KVET's nighttime "Dr. Hepcat Show".
Noche de Fiesta and Dr. Hepcat were phased out in the 1960s, but Gospel Train is on the air on KVET to this day. KVET-FM keeps the tradition alive with a Country Gospel
Country gospel
Christian country music is music that is written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music...
show hosted by Sammy Allred and Bob Cole.
During most of the 60's, KVET featured the popular music of the day, plus a strong emphasis on news and sports block programming. The music of Frank Sinatra, Perry Como and Dianah Shore...Paul Harvey commentary, the Joe Pyne show, and Houston Astros baseball were all part of the mix.
KVET switched formats on April 14th, 1969 to country music, and the Country Giant was born. Popular celebrity DJ's including Arleigh Duff, Penny Reeves, Jerry Gee and Sammy Allred quickly took KVET to the top of the local ratings during the 70's.
Despite increased competition, KVET continued to prosper in the 1980s by featuring a traditional mix of country music, news and sports, including Houston Oiler and Dallas Cowboy
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
football.
In 1990, KVET began to also broadcast on 98.1 FM. With the new signal came the creation of the Sammy Allred and Bob Cole Morning Call-In Show. The show was a consistent ratings winner until Allred was fired in October 2007 for using profanity on the air. Through the 90's, KVET has evolved to a sports and talk station, the flagship station of the Longhorn
Texas Longhorn Athletics
Texas Longhorns athletics programs include the extramural and intramural sports teams of The University of Texas at Austin. These teams are referred to as the Texas Longhorns , taking their name from the Longhorn cattle that were an important part of the development of Texas, and are now the...
Radio Network.
In August 2008, KVET's evening show was modified into "The Roadhouse", a hybrid format consisting of Texas/Red Dirt, Classic Outlaw and Americana/Alt-Country, programmed and hosted by Chris Mosser.
To the befuddlement of many in Clear Channel management, KVET's lineup of traditional country mixed with alternative Texas music has frequently beaten sister station KASE 101 in the quarterly ratings war.
Frequency
98.3 MHz went on the air in 1950 under the call letters KHFI-FM, becoming Austin's second FM station. Prior to acquisition by KVET/KASE Broadcasting in 1991, the frequency was changed to 98.1, and the branding was changed to K-98.1. After the acquisition, the call letters were changed to match the company's AM station, KVET. The KHFI
KHFI-FM
KHFI-FM is an Austin, Texas radio station playing Top 40 and licensed to Georgetown, Texas, with an ERP of 100,000 Watts from a transmitter site near West Lake Hills, Texas.-History:...
call letters were then moved to the separately-owned 96.7 frequency. In 2000, the KVET/KVET-FM/KASE
KASE-FM
KASE-FM is an Austin, Texas radio station operating a Country format. It is licensed to Austin, Texas with an ERP of 100,000 Watts at 100.7 MHz from a transmitter site near West Lake Hills, TX, and is owned by Clear Channel Radio....
combo which by then included KFMK-FM and owned by AMFM/Capstar merged with Clear Channel Radio which already included 96.7 KHFI-FM
KHFI-FM
KHFI-FM is an Austin, Texas radio station playing Top 40 and licensed to Georgetown, Texas, with an ERP of 100,000 Watts from a transmitter site near West Lake Hills, Texas.-History:...
and KPEZ-FM
KPEZ-FM
KPEZ, known on-air as "102.3 The Beat", is a radio station licensed to and serving Austin, Texas, operating a Hip Hop format. The station broadcasts with an ERP of 26,000 watts from a transmitter site near Sunset Valley, TX and is owned by Clear Channel Radio....
again uniting the two stations involved in the "KHFI frequency swap" of 1990.
Controversy
In May 2007, morning show host Sammy Allred was suspended after calling presidential candidate Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
a "clean darky", in response to Sen. Joseph Biden's comments about Obama.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jackson-williams/racism-on-the-radio-towar_b_42545.html He was fired on October 30, 2007, for apparently swearing on-air, calling a listener an "a-hole." http://www.austin360.com/music/content/music/stories/2007/11/1101allred.html
Allred's firing came just three days after afternoon host Janice Williams was terminated for budgetary reasons.
Station management
- Program Director - Joel Burke
- Assistant PD / Music Director - Eric Raines
Studio location
3601 S. Congress Ave.Austin, TX 78704
The Clear Channel Radio Austin studios are in an industrial, yet trendy business complex in "SoCo" south central Austin within walking distance of St. Edwards University. The complex, Penn Field, was Austin's first military air base. The Clear Channel Radio studios are located in the former hangar building.
KVET-FM shares a building with sister stations KASE-FM
KASE-FM
KASE-FM is an Austin, Texas radio station operating a Country format. It is licensed to Austin, Texas with an ERP of 100,000 Watts at 100.7 MHz from a transmitter site near West Lake Hills, TX, and is owned by Clear Channel Radio....
, KHFI-FM
KHFI-FM
KHFI-FM is an Austin, Texas radio station playing Top 40 and licensed to Georgetown, Texas, with an ERP of 100,000 Watts from a transmitter site near West Lake Hills, Texas.-History:...
, KPEZ-FM
KPEZ-FM
KPEZ, known on-air as "102.3 The Beat", is a radio station licensed to and serving Austin, Texas, operating a Hip Hop format. The station broadcasts with an ERP of 26,000 watts from a transmitter site near Sunset Valley, TX and is owned by Clear Channel Radio....
, and KVET.