The glory years as "Keener Country"
The station signed on the air on January 17, 1968, as KENR. [3] In its early years, it served as a full service country music station. It was a 5,000-watt daytimer, required to go off the air at night. It was owned by Bill Edwards of Saginaw, Michigan.
In 1971, the station began broadcasting 24 hours a day and increased its power to 10,000 watts daytime and 5,000 watts at night. Disc jockeys on "Keener" Country in the early days included Eddie Kilroy, who went on to become a prominent country music record producer in Nashville, and Jacky Ward, who subsequently scored country hits of his own with songs such as "Fools Fall In Love" and "Big Blue Diamond."
When KENR started broadcasting around the clock, Leroy J. Gloger, then-owner of 650 KIKK, sold his station to Sonderling Broadcasting. In the meantime, KNUZ's owner, Dave Morris, who felt his station was losing a Top 40 turf war with KILT and was also being hurt by KULF, so he flipped the station's format to "Country Fresh Kay-News" in 1973.
By 1973, KENR was a big success, becoming the first major-market country station to be ranked #1 in all demographic groups 12 years old and older. DJ and music director "Dr. Bruce" Nelson Stratton had a hand in this and, accordingly, was named "Gavin Music Director of the Year" in 1974. The station reportedly helped boost the careers of country stars Mickey Gilley, Freddy Fender, Johnny Lee and Gene Watson. Gilley was essentially a local Houston-area artist when, in 1974, he cut a single, "She Called Me Baby", to be distributed in jukeboxes around the adjacent city of Pasadena, Texas. Nelson found the record, flipped it over and played the B-side on the air. The song, "Room Full Of Roses", became a hit, Playboy Records picked it up and it became the first of sixteen #1 country chart hits for Gilley. Nelson also started, on KENR, the first live broadcast from Gilley's Nightclub, the "Saturday Night Special", which evolved into the syndicated Live at Gilley's show that was popular during the "Urban Cowboy" craze.
The liner notes of Watson's 1975 album "Love In the Hot Afternoon" includes the statement, "We at Capitol Records owe a debt of gratitude to radio stations KENR, KIKK and KNUS (sic; this should read KNUZ) in Houston for their part in exposing the talents of Gene Watson ..." The album included three country hits, including "You Could Know As Much About A Stranger."
Around 1976-77, KENR's DJ lineup included morning man "Buffalo Bill" Bailey (whose act included appearances by Ezra Brooks and other denizens of the Let It Pour Lounge); late-morning DJ Hal McClain (whose schtick included call-in sessions by "Granny"); early-afternoon DJ Dick Martin followed by Bruce Nelson in afternoon drive and DJ Mike Cannon evening drive. Bailey later became a Harris County constable. Mike Cannon went on to become director of communications for The Houston Astros baseball organization and was referred to affectionately on the game broadcasts by legendary announcer, Milo Hamilton, as "Mike, the loose Cannon".
Other DJs during KENR's tenure included Howard Reynolds (1980) and Jim Rose (1981). Additionally, helicopter traffic reporter "Chopper Bill" Waldrop worked there in 1981 as well. Another Jock of note was Sonny Ray Stolz (1977–1981) who was Houston's first FM Country DJ, having signed on KIKK-FM in September 1966 and had a 14-point rating share. Sonny became the voice of Big Tex for The State Fair of Texas after statewide announcer competition in 2001. While at KENR, Sonny Ray Stolz produced 'The Original Home Grown Show' which featured strictly Texas music and Texas artists, a ground-breaking concept which spawned several imitators across the state. However, KENR was the first to provide this forum.
Circa 1979-80, KENR management brought in Joe Formicolla to be the new program director. At times he also filled in on-air. Although his distinct northern accent was a handicap for being on-air in Texas country music, Formicolla did bring the concept of dropping interesting trivia into the course of an air shift, requiring all DJs to do likewise. They actually read items from sources such as The National Enquirer, etc. Formicolla left KENR circa 1981 and later was awarded Country Music DJ of the Year by the Country Music Association and recognized during its annual awards TV program from Nashville.
KENR Drops Country; Becomes "The Radio Magazine"
In 1982, the new management of Lake Huron flipped KENR's format to news/talk as "The Radio Magazine, KENR." Former KNUZ air personality Joe Ford became morning man, Chuck Scott from channel 39 KHTV (now KIAH) did news and former WABC New York host Peggy Crone handled entertainment news. John Greer and Mark Seegers did sports. Mike Shiloh was also on the staff as well. The station also carried Houston Astros play-by-play. And Bob Stephenson aired an outdoors show at 4 a.m.
Aside from news, talk and sports, the station also programmed adult standards music. Former KNUZ air personality Chuck Tiller was on the afternoon shift 2 p.m.-6 p.m. By November 1982, the station's music changed to soft adult contemporary. The call letters were switched to KRBE on January 1, 1983, and the station became the Radio Magazine KRBE. By spring, Houston Astros ballgames were simulcast on KRBE-FM. The radio magazine ceased in June 1983.
