KJFK (AM)

Last updated
KJFK
WCJK.jpg
Broadcast area Austin-San Marcos-Round Rock metropolitan area
Frequency 1490 kHz (HD Radio)
Branding96.3 Jack FM
Programming
Format Adult hits
Affiliations Jack FM network
Ownership
OwnerTownship Media, LLC
KTSN, KCTI-FM
History
First air date
 1926 (as KGDR at 1500 KHz)
Former call signs
KGDR (1926-1929)
KUT (1929-1932)
KNOW (1932-1988)
KEYU (1988-1989)
KMOW (1989-1993)
KFON (1993-2012)
KLGO (2012-2014)
KTAE (2014-2017)
KTSN (2017-2022)
KFIT (2022)
Former frequencies
1500 kHz (1926-1941)
Call sign meaning
John Fitzgerald Kennedy (former President of the United States of America)
Technical information
Facility ID 41211
Class C
Power 1,000 watts unlimited
Translator(s) 96.3 K242DE (Austin)
Links
Webcast Listen Live
Website jack963fm.com
Satellite station
KJFK-FM
Broadcast areaLlano, Texas-Texas Hill Country area
Frequency 96.3 MHz
Branding96.3 Jack FM
Programming
Format Adult hits
AffiliationsJack FM network
Ownership
OwnerTownship Media, LLC
History
First air date
June 17, 2019 (as KTHE)
Former call signs
KTHE (2016-2022)
Call sign meaning
John Fitzgerald Kennedy (former President of the United States of America)
Technical information
Facility ID 198631
Class C3
Power 8,000 watts

KJFK (1490 kHz) and KJFK-FM (96.3 MHz) are a pair of terrestrial radio stations, which serve Austin, Texas, and Llano, Texas, United States respectively. Both facilities are owned by Township Media and broadcast an adult hits format as "96.3 Jack FM", utilizing the nationally syndicated Jack FM licensing. KJFK can also be heard in Austin proper on translator K242DE and in Giddings, Texas on KGID, both of which also operate on 96.3 FM.

Contents

1490 AM is the oldest continuously licensed radio station serving Austin. The facility broadcasts at 1,000 watts from a transmitter located on Tillery Street at East 4th Street near downtown Austin. The studios and offices for Township Media are in the Hill Country Galleria Mall on Hill Country Boulevard at State Highway 71 in Bee Cave.

History

On December 7, 1926, the station's first license was granted, with the sequentially issued call sign of KGDR. It was owned by a company named "Radio Engineers" and broadcast from San Antonio, Texas. [1] In December 1929, the station was renamed KUT and moved to Austin. [2] Call letters were changed to KNOW on January 26, 1932. [3]

KNOW was owned by the KUT Broadcasting Company [4] and broadcast at 100 watts on 1,000 kilocycles.

In the 1940s, KNOW moved to its current frequency 1490 kHz, with power at 250 watts. [5] It served as Austin's ABC Radio Network affiliate, carrying ABC's schedule of dramas, comedies, news and sports during the "Golden Age of Radio".

In 1949, KNOW was acquired by Pioneer Broadcasting Company, owned and operated by radio executive Wendell Mayes. His son, Wendell Wise Mayes, Jr, would go on to earn KNOW a George Foster Peabody Award in 1973 for an editorial Mayes, Jr. wrote entitled "Marijuana and the Law," a series of documentaries and editorials to "separate facts about marijuana from fiction." In the 1950s, daytime power increased to 1,000 watts, but remained at 250 watts at night. In the 1960s, KNOW switched to Top 40. In the 1970s, airstaff included P.D. Dave Jarrott, Randall McKee, Jason Wayne. Bill Mayne, Gil Garcia, Jim Gossett, David Gayle, and Bill Moss. Chief Engineers during the 60s and 70s where Wayne Hardin and Gil Garcia. As contemporary music listening shifted to the FM band in the 1980s, KNOW began to serve Austin's growing African American community with an urban contemporary format. This was concurrent with Hicks Communications acquiring the station in 1981. [6]

In 1989, the now-KMOW was sold to Degree Communications, which switched the format to Oldies. [7] In 1996, the station was sold to San Antonio-based Clear Channel Communications and the format became talk radio. In 1997, the format shifted to sports talk as SportsFan 1490 and was the first full-time all-sports station in Austin.

In 2005, the station was acquired by Border Media Partners, which owned other stations in Texas, several serving the Latino community. Border Media switched the then-KFON to a Regional Mexican music format. [8] The 2010s saw additional call letter changes to KLGO and KTAE before the current owner, Township Media, changed the call sign to KTSN and operating as "Sun Radio". Sun Radio aired an adult album alternative/Americana format.

On May 29, 2022, KTSN changed its format to adult hits, branded as "96.3 Jack FM", feeding new translator K242DE. The Sun Radio intellectual unit moved to 1060 AM (now KTSN), feeding Sun Radio's existing FM rebroadcasters including 100.1 FM. [9] The two stations swapped call signs on June 3, 2022.

On November 4, 2022, Township Media was granted a second call sign change to KJFK, in order to match the station identification of both facilities; the call sign was changed officially by the FCC on December 7, 2022.

Related Research Articles

WBOB is a commercial AM radio station in Jacksonville, Florida. The station airs a talk radio format and is owned by Chesapeake-Portsmouth Broadcasting Corporation. Weekdays begin with a local news and information show, followed by mostly syndicated programming, including shows from Mark Levin, Mike Gallagher, Dennis Prager, Jay Sekulow and Red Eye Radio. Most hours begin with Townhall News. Some hours are paid brokered programming. The station calls itself "Talkradio AM 600 & FM 101.1 WBOB".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KPRR</span> Radio station in El Paso, Texas

KPRR, is a commercial radio station in El Paso, Texas. The station is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. and airs a rhythmic contemporary radio format. It offers a more broad-based direction in its playlist than most other rhythmic stations, with a mix of R&B/Hip-Hop, Dance, Hurban and Rhythmic Pop fare. KPRR has its studios and offices on North Mesa Street.

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

KBPA is a commercial radio station licensed to Austin, Texas, United States. Owned by Sinclair Telecable and operated under the name Waterloo Media, it broadcasts an adult hits radio format. Its radio studios and offices are located along Interstate 35 in North Austin.

KLBJ is a commercial AM radio station in Austin, Texas, airing a news/talk radio format. It is owned by Sinclair Telecable Inc. and operates under the name Waterloo Media. It is Central Texas' primary entry point station for the Emergency Alert System.

WTAR is a commercial radio station licensed to Norfolk, Virginia, and serving the Hampton Roads radio market. WTAR is owned and operated by Sinclair Telecable, Inc. It broadcasts an adult album alternative format as "96.5 The Coast". WTAR's studios and offices are on Waterside Drive in Norfolk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KKMJ-FM</span> Radio station in Austin, Texas

KKMJ-FM is a commercial radio station in Austin, Texas. It is owned by Audacy, Inc. and airs an adult contemporary radio format. The station has studios and offices on Westbank Drive, off Loop 360, near Westlake High School. The transmitter is off Buckman Mountain Road in Austin, amid numerous towers for other FM and TV stations. Like many AC stations, KKMJ flips to all-Christmas music from mid-November to Christmas Day. It uses the slogan "The Majic of Christmas."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KTRH</span> News/talk radio station in Houston

KTRH is a commercial radio station licensed to Houston, Texas. It airs a news/talk radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. Its studios are along the West Loop Freeway (I-610) in the city's Uptown district. The transmitter site, a four-tower array, is in unincorporated Liberty County, off Cox Road in Dayton. KTRH is one of the oldest radio stations in the United States, first licensed to Austin on April 22, 1922. Programming is also heard on co-owned KODA's HD 2 subchannel at 99.1MHz, and on the iHeartRadio platform. KTRH is Southeast Texas' primary entry point station for the Emergency Alert System.

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

KZNX is a radio station licensed to Creedmoor, Texas. It airs a Spanish regional Mexican radio format, simulcast on two FM frequencies. The station's transmitter is off Dale Overton Road in the Thoroughbred Estates neighborhood of Del Valle, Texas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KHEY-FM</span> Radio station in El Paso, Texas

KHEY-FM is a commercial radio station in El Paso, Texas. It airs a country music radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. The station carries the syndicated Bobby Bones Show on Monday through Saturday mornings, and After Midnight with Granger Smith overnight. The rest of the weekday schedule features local DJs. The studios and offices are on North Mesa Street in West Central El Paso.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KTSM-FM</span> Radio station in El Paso, Texas

KTSM-FM is a commercial radio station in El Paso, Texas. It airs an adult contemporary radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. The studios and offices are on North Mesa Street in West Central El Paso. Evenings feature the syndicated Delilah call-in and request show. On Sunday mornings, Dave Koz hosts a smooth jazz show. The rest of the schedule features local DJs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KYSE</span> Radio station in El Paso, Texas

KYSE is a commercial radio station in El Paso, Texas. It airs the "La Tricolor" Regional Mexican radio format from its owner, Entravision Communications. The studio and offices are located on North Mesa Street in northwest El Paso.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KROX-FM</span> Radio station in Buda, Texas

KROX-FM is a commercial radio station licensed to Buda, Texas, and serving the Austin-Round Rock metropolitan area. It is owned by Sinclair Telecable Inc. and broadcasts an alternative rock format. The station has studios along Interstate 35 in North Austin, and the transmitter site is located off Waymaker Way at the West Austin Antenna Farm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WZAN</span> Radio station in Portland, Maine

WZAN is a commercial AM radio station broadcasting a classic country radio format. Licensed to Portland, it is owned by Saga Communications. The studios and offices are on Western Avenue in South Portland, Maine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KFH (AM)</span> Sports radio station in Wichita, Kansas

KFH is a commercial AM radio station in Wichita, Kansas. The station is owned by Audacy, Inc. It airs a sports radio format. The station's studios and offices are located on East Douglas Avenue.

KZTQ is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Reno, Nevada. The station is owned by Americom Limited Partnership. The station airs an alternative rock format known as "96.1 The Zone", after its translator in Reno on 96.1 FM.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KIBM</span> Oldies radio station in Omaha, Nebraska, United States

KIBM is a commercial AM radio station in Omaha, Nebraska, serving the Omaha–Council Bluffs metropolitan area. KIBM airs an oldies radio format known as "Boomer Radio." It is owned and operated by Steven Seline, through licensee Walnut Radio, LLC. The studios and offices are on Burt Street in Omaha.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WXJC (AM)</span> Radio station in Birmingham, Alabama

WXJC is an AM radio station licensed to serve Birmingham, Alabama. The station is licensed to Kimtron, Inc., and is owned by Crawford Broadcasting Company. It airs a Southern Gospel music and Talk radio format.

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

WJGL is a commercial FM radio station in Jacksonville, Florida. The station is owned by Cox Radio, a division of the Cox Media Group. WJGL airs a classic hits radio format that leans towards classic rock, playing primarily rock songs from the 1970s, 80s and some 90s, while avoiding pop/dance artists such as Michael Jackson, Prince and Madonna.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KTSN (AM)</span> Radio station in Texas, United States

KTSN is a daytimer AM radio station licensed to Lockhart, Texas, and serving the Austin metropolitan area. It is owned by Township Media, LLC, a non-profit organization. KTSN broadcasts a hybrid radio format of adult album alternative and Americana, branded as "Sun Radio". The studios and offices are on Manchaca Road in Austin. Sun Radio seeks listener donations on the air and on its website.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KLTG</span> Radio station in Corpus Christi, Texas

KLTG is a commercial FM radio station broadcasting an adult top 40 music format. Licensed to Corpus Christi, Texas, it is owned by Starlite Broadcasting. Its studios for KLTG and sister station KLHB Wild 105.5 are on Gordon Street in the Six Points district south of downtown Corpus Christi.

References

  1. ↑ "New Stations: Broadcasting Stations", Radio Service Bulletin, December 31, 1926, page 4.
  2. ↑ "Alterations and Corrections: Broadcasting Stations", Radio Service Bulletin, page 8. At the same time, the original KUT in Austin was renamed KTRH and moved to Houston, Texas.
  3. ↑ "Alterations and Corrections: Broadcasting Stations", Radio Service Bulletin, January 30, 1932, page 21.
  4. ↑ Broadcasting Yearbook 1935 page 58
  5. ↑ Broadcasting Yearbook 1950 page 285
  6. ↑ Broadcasting Yearbook 1985 page B-256
  7. ↑ Broadcasting Yearbook 1990 page B-295
  8. ↑ Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 2010 page D-514
  9. ↑ "Jack Arrives To Challenge Bob In Austin". RadioInsight. Retrieved 2022-05-29.

30°15′13″N97°42′25″W / 30.25361°N 97.70694°W / 30.25361; -97.70694

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.