 |
| Type | Radio network |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Texas State Networks |
| History | |
| Launch date | 1938 |
| Coverage | |
| Availability | In Texas through its radio affiliates |
| Links | |
| Website | tsnradio.com |
The Texas State Network is the largest of the 30 state radio networks in the United States. TSN mainly distributes news and agriculture business to more than 130 AM and FM radio affiliates across Texas.
The Texas State Network was founded in 1938 by presidential son Elliott Roosevelt, who was loaned money by the oil magnate Sid Richardson to eventually buy a dozen stations (many are still affiliates) that formed the Texas State Network.
TSN began transmitting five weeks after its incorporation date, with a broadcast originating from the old Casa Mañana in Fort Worth, and featured such personalities as Bob Hope and Texas Governor James V. Allred, along with a 300-voice choir.
The network’s original programming included soap operas such as Uncle Jeremiah and The Adventures of Gary and Jill. As is the case today, most of TSN's early programming was devoted to news and sports. Nearly 30 network announcers, production personnel and control room operators produced Highlights in the World News daily.
The first baseball broadcasts on TSN were of the Fort Worth Cats, with announcer Zack Hurt, calling the play-by-play.
TSN studios have moved around over the years. It began at 1308 Lancaster in Fort Worth. It moved in the mid-1950s to 4801 West Freeway (same as KFJZ AM/-TV/later -FM). TSN was sold to Metromedia and moved to 8585 Stemmons Freeway in Dallas. Later sites included periods where the network broadcast from facilities on John W. Carpenter Freeway in Dallas and at Rangers Ballpark in Arlington, Texas. In summer 2005, the station moved to a fifth floor office at the southwest corner of Fitzhugh and Central Expressway, in Dallas.
Today, the focus of TSN is news, sports, business, weather, agriculture and talk programming to more than 100 affiliated radio stations in Texas, including the network’s flagship station KRLD which is located at the same facility north of downtown. Seven affiliates that carried TSN's premiere broadcast are still carrying the network’s programming.
The tradition of sports broadcasts continues into the present as the network is also known as the Texas Rangers Radio Network, uplinking both home and road broadcasts for the Major League Baseball team to affiliates in Texas and in other states.
WFAA is a television station licensed to Dallas, Texas, United States, serving the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex as an affiliate of ABC. It is owned by Tegna Inc. alongside Decatur-licensed Estrella TV affiliate KMPX, which provides a full-market high definition simulcast of WFAA's main channel on its UHF physical channel assigned to channel 8.8, due to long-term issues involving WFAA's digital VHF signal.
KXAS-TV is a television station licensed to Fort Worth, Texas, United States, serving as the NBC outlet for the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is owned and operated by the network's NBC Owned Television Stations division alongside Dallas-licensed Telemundo station KXTX-TV. Both stations share studios at the CentrePort Business Park in eastern Fort Worth, while KXAS-TV's transmitter is located in Cedar Hill, Texas.
KDFW is a television station licensed to Dallas, Texas, United States, serving as the Fox network outlet for the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is owned and operated by the network's Fox Television Stations division alongside MyNetworkTV station KDFI. The stations share studios on North Griffin Street in downtown Dallas, while KDFW's transmitter is located in Cedar Hill, Texas.
KTVT is a television station licensed to Fort Worth, Texas, United States, serving as the CBS outlet for the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is owned by the network's CBS News and Stations division alongside independent outlet KTXA. Both stations share primary studio facilities on Bridge Street east of downtown Fort Worth; KTVT operates a secondary studio and newsroom—which also houses advertising sales offices for the stations, as well as the Dallas bureau for CBS News—at the CBS Tower on North Central Expressway in Dallas. KTVT's transmitter is located in Cedar Hill, Texas.
KRLD is a commercial AM radio station in Dallas, Texas. Owned and operated by Audacy, Inc., the station carries an all news radio format on weekdays, switching to mostly non-political talk radio nights and weekends. Syndicated shows include The Dave Ramsey Show, Our American Stories with Lee Habeeb and America in the Morning with John Trout. Some weekends hours carry paid brokered programming. Most hours begin with CBS News Radio. The studios and offices are in Uptown Dallas.
KXTX-TV is a television station licensed to Dallas, Texas, United States, serving as the Dallas–Fort Worth market's outlet for the Spanish-language network Telemundo. It is owned and operated by NBCUniversal's Telemundo Station Group alongside Fort Worth–licensed NBC outlet KXAS-TV. Both stations share studios at the CentrePort Business Park in Fort Worth, while KXTX-TV's transmitter is located in Cedar Hill, Texas.
WBAP is an AM news/talk radio station licensed to Fort Worth, Texas, and serving the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. WBAP is owned by Cumulus Media and broadcasts with 50,000 watts from a transmitter site in the northwest corner of Mansfield.
KRLD-FM is a commercial radio station licensed to Dallas, Texas, and serving the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. KRLD-FM is owned by Audacy, Inc., and airs a sports radio format. The station's studios and offices are located along North Central Expressway in Uptown Dallas, and the transmitter site is in Cedar Hill.
KTNO is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Plano, Texas, and serving the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. The station airs a Spanish Christian radio format known as "Radio Luz" and is owned by the Salem Media Group. Studios and offices are on North Belt Line Road in Irving. The transmitter is located on County Road 409 in McKinney.
KVDT is a non-commercial FM radio station licensed to Allen, Texas, and serving the greater Dallas-Fort Worth radio market. It is owned by VCY America, Inc., and it airs a Christian radio format. Most programming comes from studios at VCY America's headquarters in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. KVDT schedules Christian talk and teaching shows in the daytime, while Christian music is heard at night. SRN News provides hourly news updates.
KTCK-FM is a commercial radio station licensed to Flower Mound, Texas, and serving the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. It simulcasts a sports radio format, along with sister station KTCK 1310 AM. KTCK-AM-FM are owned by Cumulus Media with studios on East Lamar Boulevard in Arlington. Weekdays feature local Dallas-based sports shows, while Fox Sports Radio is heard late nights and weekends. KTCK-AM-FM are the flagship stations for the Dallas Stars Radio Network.
KTRH is a commercial radio station licensed to Houston, Texas. It airs a 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 the Southern Texas primary entry point station for the Emergency Alert System.
There are currently 31 state radio networks in the National Association of State Radio Networks. Each network operates on a similar premise but ownership of each network varies. In principle, each individual network provides live satellite fed radio programs to radio stations in their respective state. The networks rarely charge each individual radio station for these programs, but rather barters with each affiliate for commercial radio time. The network subsequently sells this bartered commercial time to local, regional and national advertisers.
KFLC is a commercial radio station licensed to Benbrook, Texas and broadcasting to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. The station is owned by Latino Media Network, and operated by Uforia Audio Network under a programming service agreement, with studios located in the Univision 23 studios in the Arts District in Downtown Dallas. KFLC airs a Spanish language sports radio format, primarily airing programming from Univision's TUDN Radio Network, and also carries Spanish language play by play featuring Texas Rangers, Dallas Mavericks, and FC Dallas.
KFCD is a commercial radio station in Farmersville, Texas. It is owned by Linda Hammond, through licensee Farmersville Investments, LLC, and airs a Spanish-language Christian radio format. Blocks of time are sold to hosts who may use their shows to appeal for donations to their ministries. The system is known as brokered programming.
KBME is a sports-talk AM radio station in the Houston, Texas metropolitan area. It is currently owned by iHeartMedia. The station airs local sports-talk and carries nationally syndicated Fox Sports Radio programming. KBME is also the flagship radio station for the Houston Rockets, Houston Astros and Texas Longhorns. The station's studios are located along the West Loop Freeway in the city's Uptown district. The transmitter site is located at what is now the southwest corner of Fallbrook Drive and T.C. Jester Boulevard, near Greenspoint in unincorporated Harris County.
KAMM is a commercial AM radio station licensed to University Park, Texas, serving the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. It is owned by Richard Witkovski, through licensee North Texas Radio Group, L.P., and is currently silent under authority of the Federal Communications Commission.
KCLE is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Burleson, Texas, which serves the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. It is owned by Tron Dinh Do, through licensee Intelli, LLC., and broadcasts Vietnamese language music and talk from a network based in California. First licensed in July 1922, it is one of Texas' oldest radio stations.
Bally Sports Southwest is a Texas-based regional sports network owned by Diamond Sports Group, and operates as an affiliate of Bally Sports. The channel broadcasts regional coverage of professional, collegiate and high school sports events throughout the South Central United States. The network is headquartered in the Dallas-Fort Worth suburb of Irving, Texas, with master control hubbed at Bally Sports Networks' operations center in Atlanta, which houses master control operations for its regional networks in the Southeastern United States.
William A. Mercer is an American sportscaster, educator and author. Originally from Muskogee, Oklahoma, he has retired to Durham, North Carolina after a long residence in Richardson, Texas. In 2002, he was inducted into the Texas Radio Hall of Fame.
