KQBT

Last updated
KQBT
KQBT 93.7TheBeat logo.png
Broadcast area Greater Houston
Frequency 93.7 MHz (HD Radio)
Branding93.7 The Beat
Programming
Language(s) English
Format Urban contemporary
Subchannels HD2: Pride Radio
Affiliations Premiere Networks
Ownership
Owner
KBME, KODA, KPRC, KTBZ-FM, KTRH, KXYZ
History
FoundedDecember 13, 1963(60 years ago) (1963-12-13)
First air date
April 7, 1964(60 years ago) (1964-04-07)
Former call signs
KBNO (1963–71)
KRLY (1971–84)
KLTR-FM (1984–86)
KLTR (1986–93)
KKRW (1993–2014)
Call sign meaning
KQBeaT
Technical information
Facility ID 9625
Class C
ERP 100,000 watts
HAAT 524 meters (1,719 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
 29°34′27″N95°29′37″W / 29.57417°N 95.49361°W / 29.57417; -95.49361
Links
Webcast Listen live (via iHeartRadio)
Website 937thebeathouston.iheart.com

KQBT (93.7 FM) is an urban contemporary radio station in Houston, Texas. It is owned by iHeartMedia. The station's studios are located along the West Loop Freeway in the city's Uptown district, and the transmitter site is near Missouri City, Texas.

Contents

KQBT carries Pride Radio on the HD Radio sub-channel.

History

Early years

KQBT was initially signed on by Joel S., Donald J., and James A. Kaufman on December 13, 1963, at 18,460 watts ERP, from an elevation at 457 feet height above average terrain. The facility received a call set of KBNO. The station featured "popular music of the time and show tunes". The KBNO studios and RCA BTF 5B transmitter were located on the 34th floor of the Gulf Building, and the corner of Main and Rusk Streets in downtown Houston. KBNO received its initial License to Cover on April 7, 1964.

In 1970, the station was noted in the movie Brewster McCloud, which featured a station advertisement on the side of a passing bus.

In the Fall of 1971, the station changed formats to top 40 as KRLY, but took on various format shifts and identities throughout the decade, such as album oriented rock "Y-94", "Disco 94", then "KRLY 94", a top 40/urban hybrid. By mid-1981, the station had rebranded as "Love 94." During its time as “Disco 94,” radio/television personality turned 2018 congressional political candidate Dayna Steele was among its air staffers.

In March 1984, the station switched to adult contemporary as "Lite Rock 93.7" and changed calls to KLTR (adopted on March 20, 1984). The station rebranded to "K-Lite 93.7" in the late 1980s.

The Arrow

On November 25, 1993, at 2 p.m., the station flipped to Classic Hits, branded as "Arrow 93.7", and launched with Bob Seger's "Old Time Rock and Roll". [1] The KKRW call letters were adopted on December 20, 1993.

Over the next decade, the station evolved to straightforward classic rock. In the early 2000s, KKRW was home of the "Dean & Rog" morning show until they left in early 2009 (currently at KGLK/KHPT).

In early 2009, the station began airing (in syndication) former KLOL morning hosts "Walton & Johnson", who host a politically-oriented morning show that leans right. The show was dropped from KKRW in December 2012 (they're now at sister station KPRC). Afternoon personality Steve Fixx filled in with a music-heavy show for several months called the "Morning Classic Rock Fixx" until the arrival of veteran St. Louis personality JC Corcoran with "JC and the Morning Showgram" in March 2013.

KKRW enjoyed ratings success for a number of years, both in Arbitron's diary and Portable People Meter ratings measurement systems. KKRW took an initial ratings hit when Dean and Rog left for KGLK, but rebounded to beat the new challenger for roughly a year and a half because of the addition of longtime Houston-based radio shock jocks Walton & Johnson, who helped make KKRW their flagship station.

The Beat

Ratings remained strong until KGLK, which played a slightly lighter classic rock format (identifying as classic hits), began simulcasting on 106.9 and 107.5 in June 2011. In its last full book with classic rock, KKRW was ranked #17 with a 2.4 share of the market according to Arbitron's Houston market ratings.

On December 31, 2013, at 10 a.m., after playing Thin Lizzy's "The Boys are Back in Town", the station began stunting with music from many genres. [2] [3] At Noon, after playing Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'," KKRW flipped to Urban Contemporary, branded as "93.7 The Beat." The first song on "The Beat" was "Drunk in Love" by Houston native Beyoncé. [4] The move gives Houston a straight-ahead, core-based R&B/Hip-Hop outlet and new competition for KBXX, whose direction focuses on hit-driven R&B/Hip-Hop material, as well as KBXX's sister Urban AC KMJQ, both of which are owned by Radio One, and are usually the two dominant stations in the market. [5] It was the first time in 14 years iHeartMedia (then known as Clear Channel Communications) attempted an urban outlet in Houston, as it once owned KBXX and KMJQ from 1994 to 2000, when both were spun off to Radio One.

On January 15, 2014, KKRW changed call letters to KQBT to match the "Beat" moniker. [6]

HD Radio

On September 7, 2017, KQBT-HD2 launched a new urban adult contemporary format as 104.5 Kiss FM, simulcasting on the leased translator 104.5 K283CH (which was previously fed by sister station KTBZ-FM HD2's regional Mexican format). The station primarily competed with KMJQ. [7]

On February 18, 2019, the analog simulcast of Kiss FM ended after iHeartMedia's lease of the translator expired. The station continued to operate on KQBT as Kiss 93.7 HD2. [8] On June 26, 2019, KQBT-HD2 flipped to iHeart's "Pride Radio" format of Top 40/Dance music targeting the LGBTQ community. This marks the second such format to air in Houston, the other being Entercom's "Channel Q" network airing on KKHH-HD2. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KZEP-FM</span> Radio station in San Antonio, Texas

KZEP-FM is a Spanish CHR radio station broadcasting in and around San Antonio, Texas, United States. The station is owned by iHeartMedia,. Its studios are located in the Stone Oak neighborhood in Far North San Antonio, and the transmitter site is atop Tower of the Americas downtown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WBZY</span> Radio station in Canton–Atlanta, Georgia

WBZY – branded Z105.7 – is a commercial radio station licensed to Canton, Georgia, broadcasting a Spanish CHR format. Owned by iHeartMedia, WBZY serves the Atlanta metropolitan area. The WBZY studios are located in Atlanta, while the station transmitter resides in the nearby suburb of Marietta. Besides a standard analog transmission, WBZY broadcasts over two HD Radio channels, and is available online via iHeartRadio. WBZY formerly repeated over the 32.25 digital subchannel of Atlanta television station WANN-CD and previously did so on a number of occasions with sister station WBZW, the most recent lasting until November 5, 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KDWB-FM</span> Radio station in Richfield–Minneapolis–St. Paul, Minnesota

KDWB-FM is an American commercial radio station broadcasting in the Twin Cities region of Minnesota, licensed to suburban Richfield. The station is owned by iHeartMedia, and airs a Top 40/CHR radio format.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WTKS-FM</span> Talk/alternative rock radio station in Cocoa Beach–Orlando, Florida

WTKS-FM is a commercial radio station licensed to Cocoa Beach, Florida, and serving Central Florida and Greater Orlando. It broadcasts a hybrid hot talk and alternative rock radio format. The station is owned and operated by iHeartMedia, Inc., with studios and offices is in Maitland, Florida).

KTLK-FM is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Columbia, Illinois, and serving Greater St. Louis. Owned and operated by iHeartMedia, the station airs a conservative talk radio format known as "104.9 The Patriot". Studios and offices are on Highlands Plaza Drive in St. Louis just south of Forest Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KBXX</span> Rhythmic contemporary hit radio station in Houston

KBXX is a commercial radio station in Houston, Texas. It airs an urban-leaning rhythmic contemporary radio format, mostly made up of hip-hop music and R&B. It is owned by Urban One as part of a five station cluster with KMJQ, KKBQ, KHPT, and KGLK. The studios and offices are located in the Greenway Plaza district.

KMJQ is a commercial radio station in Houston, Texas. Owned by Urban One, "Majic 102" has an urban adult contemporary radio format. KMJQ is co-owned with 97.9 KBXX, 92.9 KKBQ, 106.9 KHPT, and 107.5 KGLK, with studios and offices located in the Greenway Plaza district. KMJQ is one of the high-ranking stations in Greater Houston, sometimes reaching number-one. It is also one of the most honored UAC stations in the U.S, according to radio trade publications. The station carries the Rickey Smiley Morning Show, a local weekday afternoon show called The Madd Hatta Show, and a Quiet Storm program in the nighttime.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KYRV</span> Radio station in Roseville, California

KYRV is a commercial radio station that is licensed to Roseville, California and broadcasts to the Sacramento metropolitan area. The station is owned by iHeartMedia and airs a classic rock radio format. The KYRV studios are located in North Sacramento near Arden Fair Mall, and its transmitter is in Granite Bay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KKHH</span> Radio station in Houston, Texas

KKHH is a radio station in Houston, Texas broadcasting a adult hits format to Greater Houston called 95.7 the Spot, and KKHH is owned and operated by Audacy, Inc. The studios and offices are located in the Audacy Houston office at Greenway Plaza district of Houston.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KGLK</span> Radio station in Lake Jackson, Texas

KGLK is a classic rock-formatted radio station licensed to Lake Jackson, Texas, and also simulcasts on KHPT in Conroe. The facility is owned by Urban One, and is part of a five station cluster that also includes KHPT, KBXX, KMJQ and KKBQ, in the surveyed Houston metropolitan area. "The Eagle" is headquartered in Suite 2300 at 1990 Post Oak Blvd in the Uptown district of Houston. KGLK's main transmitter facilities are located near Liverpool, Texas, with a backup transmitter site co-located at the KKBQ backup site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KHPT</span> Radio station in Conroe, Texas

KHPT is a classic rock-formatted radio station licensed to Conroe, Texas, which simulcasts KGLK. It is owned by Urban One, and is part of a five station Houston cluster that also includes KGLK, KBXX, KKBQ and KMJQ. It is headquartered in Suite 2300 at 3 Post Oak Central in the Uptown district in Houston, Texas. KHPT's transmitter is located in Splendora, Texas, once shared with KSBJ.

WDMK; is a commercial FM radio station in Detroit, Michigan. Owned by Beasley Broadcast Group, it broadcasts an urban adult contemporary format. The studios and offices are on Radio Plaza in Ferndale.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KROI</span> Radio station in Seabrook–Houston, Texas

KROI is a radio station serving the Greater Houston market. Licensed to Seabrook, Texas and owned by the Sugarland Station Trust, LLC., the station broadcasts an urban contemporary gospel format. The station's studios are located in Greenway Plaza and the transmitter is based near Rosharon in unincorporated Brazoria County. Prior to its transfer to the divestiture trust in 2023, it was one of three Radio One-owned stations serving Houston, alongside KBXX and KMJQ.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WNDX</span> Mainstream rock radio station in Lawrence, Indiana, United States

WNDX is a commercial radio station, licensed to Lawrence, Indiana, and serving the Indianapolis metropolitan area. It is owned by Cumulus Media and airs a mainstream rock radio format, using the moniker 93-9X. The studios and offices are located on North Shadeland Avenue on the east side of Indianapolis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WMTX</span> Radio station in Tampa, Florida

WMTX is a commercial radio station in Tampa, Florida, known as "Mix 100.7". It has an adult contemporary radio format, switching to Christmas music for much of November and December. It is owned by iHeartMedia, with its studios and offices on Gandy Boulevard in Tampa. WMTX serves as the primary Emergency Alert System station for the Tampa Bay area.

Dance radio is a format that consists of current and recent dance and electronic music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KFFF (FM)</span> Radio station in Bennington, Nebraska

KFFF is a radio station with a classic country format. Licensed to Bennington, Nebraska, United States, the station serves the Omaha area. The station is currently owned by iHeartMedia and licensed as iHM Licenses, LLC. The station's studios are located on Underwood Avenue in Omaha, while their transmitter is located on Farnam Avenue in Midtown Omaha.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KKMY</span> Radio station in Orange, Texas

KKMY, is a Rhythmic Top 40 formatted radio station in Orange, Texas. It serves the entire Golden Triangle and is owned by iHeartMedia. Its studios are located southeast of the I-10/US 69 interchange in Beaumont, and its transmitter is located in Vidor, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WBZW</span> Radio station in Union City–Atlanta, Georgia

WBZW is an Atlanta radio station broadcasting a Regional Mexican radio format. It is owned by iHeartMedia and is licensed to serve Union City, Georgia. It operates from studios located at the Peachtree Palisades building in the Brookwood Hills district of Atlanta, and the transmitter is located in Tyrone.

K283CH is an American terrestrial FM radio translator licensed to and operating in Houston, Texas.

References

  1. ↑ http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1990s/1993/RR-1993-11-26.pdf [ bare URL PDF ]
  2. ↑ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine : "93.7 The Arrow KKRW starting format flip". YouTube .
  3. ↑ Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine : "KKRW 93.7 The Arrow stunts & flips to 93.7 The Beat (2013)". YouTube .
  4. ↑ "93.7 the Beat Debuts". 31 December 2013.
  5. ↑ "93.7 THE BEAT HOUSTON LAUNCHES" from Radio Insight (December 31, 2013)
  6. ↑ "Call Sign History".
  7. ↑ "Urban AC 104.5 Kiss-FM Debuts In Houston". RadioInsight. 2017-09-07. Retrieved 2019-02-21.
  8. ↑ "iHeart Ceases Operations Of 104.5 Kiss-FM Houston". RadioInsight. 2019-02-18. Retrieved 2019-02-21.
  9. ↑ iHeartMedia Expands Pride Radio to 12 Additional Markets
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.