KGBC

KGBC
City Galveston
Broadcast area Greater Houston
Branding Puro Tejano 101.7 FM & 1540 AM
Frequency 1540 kHz
Translator(s) 101.7 K269GS (Houston)
First air date

1540: February 1, 1947 (1947-02-01)[1]

101.7: April 3, 2007 (2007-04-03) (in Woodville; as 96.3 K262BG)

November 18, 2016 (2016-11-18) (in Galveston; as 101.5 K268DE)
Format Tejano (brokered)
Language(s) English & Spanish
Power 1540: 2,500 watts (day)
250 watts (night)
ERP 101.7: 100 watts
HAAT 101.7: 107 meters (351 ft)
Class 1540: B
101.7: D
Facility ID 1540: 26002
101.7: 147268
Transmitter coordinates 29°18′55″N 94°48′19″W / 29.31528°N 94.80528°W / 29.31528; -94.80528
Callsign meaning K Galveston Broadcasting Company[2]
or Keep Galveston Beaches Clean (as formerly promoted on air)
Owner SIGA Broadcasting, Inc.
(Gabriel Arango)
Sister stations KAML, KFJZ, KHFX, KLVL, KTMR

KGBC (1540 AM, 101.7 FM) is a terrestrial American brokered time AM radio facility, paired with an FM relay translator. KGBC is licensed to serve the City of Galveston, Texas. K269GS is licensed to serve Houston, broadcasting from a location near Baytown, off of W Baker Road & Texas Highway 330. Established in 1947, KGBC Radio is wholly owned by SIGA Broadcasting, Inc., of Houston, Texas.[3][4][5]

In 2016, after 69 years of broadcasting as "1540 KGBC", Siga changed the station's image to reflect the new 101.5 translator dial position attached to the heritage AM. In October 2017, 1540 imaging was changed to "KGBC Radio" omitting mention of either the AM or FM dial position altogether. In February 2018, KGBC began simulcasting KLVL fulltime in order to expand the Synergy Radio Network onto the Island and surrounding coastal communities. This proved to be short lived as Siga leased out KGBC and K269GS in April, which both began to air Tejano, branded as Puro Tejano 101.7 FM & 1540 AM.

KGBC's Texas sister stations with SIGA Broadcasting include KTMR (1130 AM, Converse), KLVL (1480 AM, Pasadena), KAML (990 AM, Kenedy-Karnes City), KHFX (1140 AM, Cleburne), and KFJZ (870 AM, Fort Worth).

Programming

In the early 2000s, the station carried a Catholic radio format.[2] It later shifted to non-English programming until being forced off the air by Hurricane Ike in September 2008. The station resumed full-power broadcasting in February 2009 with a mix of local talk radio and classic hits.[4][6][7]

History

Galveston Broadcasting Company Signs On KGBC

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) granted a construction permit in August 1946 for a new station to broadcast on 1540 kilohertz and serve the community of Galveston, Texas. The station began broadcasting under program test authority on February 1, 1947, and received its original broadcast license in May 1947. Chosen to represent original owner James W. Bradner's Galveston Broadcasting Company, the "KGBC" call sign was assigned by the FCC.[1][2][8] The station has served the Galveston area since 1947.[6][9] At its launch, the station broadcast with 1,000 watts of power and only during daylight hours.[1] In 1950, the station added nighttime service, but in a directional array and at just 250 watts.[10] The station powers down at night to protect clear-channel station KXEL in Waterloo, Iowa, from skywave interference.[11]

KGBC-FM Launches

After 17 years of continuous operation by Galveston Broadcasting Company, KGBC was sold to Harbor Broadcasting Company, Inc., effective December 20, 1964. On February 11, 1968, KGBC's new owners launched an FM sister station as "KGBC-FM" (106.1 FM).[12] In 1974, the FM station was sold, moved to 106.5 FM, and re-licensed as "KUFO".[13] With shifting ownership and declining fortunes, the station became "KXKX" in 1979 and "KQQK" in 1986 before signing off forever and having its license cancelled by the FCC in March 1989.[14] As of December 2011, the 106.5 frequency is occupied by an unrelated Spanish-language religious station licensed as "KOVE-FM".

In the '70s, KGBC's studios were handed over on Saturday mornings to students in Ball High School's Radio and TV Production class, taught by Rosalind "Roz" K. Dricks. The high schoolers wrote and produced a three-hour program, complete with news and advertising. Several students went on to careers in journalism and entertainment after starting at the local radio station.

Listeners from the 70s and 80s will never forget Sports Director Woody Carson, the society reporter Francis Kay Harris, or the "Galveston Talking" ladies.

Cathy Cundiff was KGBC News Director from 1973 until 1978, when she moved to Houston's KHOU, Channel 11, where she remained until 2000. She's now a manager with the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

Siga Purchases KGBC

On February 20, 2002, Prets/Blum Media Company, Inc., contracted to sell KGBC to SIGA Broadcasting Corporation. The sale was approved by the FCC on April 25, 2002, and the transaction was completed on May 9, 2002.[15]

On September 13, 2008, Hurricane Ike made landfall on the upper Texas coast causing flooding and widespread damage. The KGBC broadcast facilities suffered both flooding and damage, knocking the station off the air and keeping it dark for several weeks.[16] The station resumed broadcasting (albeit with low power) on October 6, 2008, and returned to full power operation on February 3, 2009.[4] After spending all of 2009 as a "live and local" broadcaster, the station began leasing all of its airtime,starting January 1, 2010.[17] The station then changed formats again to Classic hits.

KGBC stands for more than "Galveston Broadcasting Company". The calls sign was created by Mary Sullivan in 1946, and stands for "Keep Galveston Beaches Clean".Sullivan worked as receptionist and book keeper at KGBC for many years. Owners and partners over the years were Pete Miller, Senator A.R. "Babe" Schwartz, and Vandy Anderson.Anderson earned the title of “The Voice of Galveston" and was the General Manager and leader. Miller, Schwartz, and Anderson were known as Harbor broadcasting Co. The company was later sold to Prets and Blum Broadcasting and then sold after a short while to SIGA Broadcasting.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Directory of Standard Broadcasting Stations of the United States". 1948 Broadcasting Yearbook. Washington, DC: Broadcasting Publications, Inc. 1948. p. 232.
  2. 1 2 3 Cousins, Rick (September 3, 2005). "Historic KGBC part of growing Catholic radio". The Daily News. Galveston, TX. Retrieved December 29, 2011.
  3. ↑ "KGBC Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division. Retrieved December 12, 2009.
  4. 1 2 3 Stanton, Robert (January 5, 2010). "Galveston After Ike: Radio station back on the air". Houston Chronicle. Houston, TX. p. 3. Retrieved May 2, 2010.
  5. ↑ "Galveston's Own KGBC Radio". kgbcradio.com.
  6. 1 2 Jones, Leigh (March 10, 2009). "Island radio station making a comeback". The Daily News. Galveston, TX. Archived from the original on February 9, 2010. Retrieved December 29, 2011.
  7. ↑ "Station Information Profile". Arbitron. Retrieved December 29, 2011.
  8. ↑ "Call Sign History". CDBS Public Access Database. U.S. Federal Communications Commission Media Bureau. Retrieved December 29, 2011.
  9. ↑ Long, Steven (September 26, 1989). "KGBC: tuned in to danger; Galveston's only radio station offers quirky mix". Houston Chronicle. Houston, TX. p. 1. Retrieved December 29, 2011.
  10. ↑ "Directory of AM, FM, and TV Stations of the United States". 1950 Broadcasting Yearbook. Washington, DC: Broadcasting Publications, Inc. 1950. p. 292.
  11. ↑ "AM Station Classes: Clear, Regional, and Local Channels". Federal Communications Commission, Audio Division. Retrieved December 29, 2011.
  12. ↑ "Directory of AM and FM Radio Stations in the U.S.". 1971 Broadcasting Yearbook. Washington, DC: Broadcasting Publications, Inc. 1971. p. B-202.
  13. ↑ "The Facilities of Radio". 1979 Broadcasting Yearbook. Washington, DC: Broadcasting Publications, Inc. 1979. p. C-215.
  14. ↑ "Station Search Details (40427)". FCC Media Bureau. August 1, 1983. Retrieved December 29, 2011.
  15. ↑ "Application Search Details (BAL-20020228ACR)". FCC Media Bureau. May 9, 2002. Retrieved December 29, 2011.
  16. ↑ "Application Search Details (BLSTA-20080923ACO)". FCC Media Bureau. January 8, 2009. Retrieved December 29, 2011.
  17. ↑ Radio Info. January 5, 2010 http://www.radio-info.com/news/kgbc-1540-in-galveston-texas-is-leased-to-a-chinese-media-company. Retrieved December 29, 2011. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  • Query the FCC's AM station database for KGBC
  • Radio-Locator Information on KGBC
  • Query Nielsen Audio's AM station database for KGBC
  • "Jay Allen in the Morning, 1540 KGBC Galveston TX". AirChexx. April 30, 2002.
  • Query the FCC's FM station database for K269GS
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