KIKK

KIKK
City Pasadena, Texas
Broadcast area Greater Houston
Branding CBS Sports Radio 650
Frequency 650 kHz
Repeater(s) 95.7 HD-3
First air date October 2, 1957 (1957-10-02)
Format Sports
Language(s) English
Power 250 watts
Class D (Daytime only)
Facility ID 25450
Transmitter coordinates 29°41′18″N 95°10′29″W / 29.68833°N 95.17472°W / 29.68833; -95.17472
Callsign meaning KIcK (former country format branding)
Former callsigns KRCT (1957-1961)
KIKK (1961-present)
Affiliations CBS Sports Radio
Owner Entercom
(CBS Radio Texas, LLC)
Sister stations KHMX, KILT (AM), KILT-FM, KKHH, KLOL
Webcast Listen Live
Website sportsradio610.radio.com/cbs-sports-radio-650/

KIKK (650 AM) is a daytime-only station in the Houston, Texas area and broadcasts a sports radio format under ownership of Entercom. Despite different owners, KIKK and KHOU-TV maintain a strong partnership (as KHOU is the local CBS television affiliate). Its studios are located in the Greenway Plaza district, and its transmitter is located in Pasadena, Texas.

History

KIKK started as KRCT in 1947, licensed to Baytown. The Bay Broadcasting Company built the station and sold it to the Industrial Broadcasting Company in 1958, not long after moving it from Baytown. On May 1, 1961, KRCT changed call letters to the current KIKK.

For most of its history, KIKK has only operated from local sunrise to local sunset in order to protect clear-channel WSM in Nashville. For a time in the 1960s, Industrial attempted to operate the station earlier than sunrise in Houston and Nashville and begin operations at 6:00 am each day. This was denied at district court and appeals court, and the station's prior operation at such times was sanctioned with a $10,000 fine from the Federal Communications Commission.

For many years in the 1970s and 1980s, 650 was a country music station. It often simulcasted with its FM sister station, the former KIKK-FM (now KKHH). In the late 1990s, 650 AM flipped to business news as "Business Radio 650".

Former CNN 650 logo used 2005-2010

KIKK changed formats in July 2004 to Hot Talk under the moniker KickAss 650, which became the Houston home for The Howard Stern Show.[1] After Stern's move to Sirius Satellite Radio in December 2005, KIKK switched to a news format and was affiliated with CNN Headline News.[2] Their early evening schedule was composed of Adult Standards music until 2008, when Headline News completely took over the rest of the schedule, but that network's continuous move away from rolling news to focus more on personality talk caused the station to seek other programming such as the Clark Howard Show, which then took up most of the station's schedule. In 2010, the station flipped to a local personality-emphasizing talk format (branded simply as "Talk 650"); however, it switched to an all-syndicated lineup in July 2011.[3]

KIKK dropped its talk format on January 2, 2013, and became a sports radio station affiliated with CBS Sports Radio. The network's national programming compliments the locally focused sports format on sister station KILT.[4]

On February 2, 2017, CBS Radio announced it would merge with Entercom.[5] The merger was approved on November 9, 2017, and was consummated on the 17th.[6][7]

Programming

KIKK begins daily broadcasts at local sunrise (typical of daytime only AMs) but usually is on the air by 6AM Central in most cases. The station carries the entire daytime lineup of CBS Sports Radio. It signs off at sunset to protect WSM.

References

  1. ↑ Clifford Pugh, "Houston mornings get a shock; Stern's show gives KIKK listeners a rude awakening", The Houston Chronicle, July 1, 2004.
  2. ↑ Larry McShane; Associated Press, "Assorted radio-network hosts replacing Stern", The Houston Chronicle, October 26, 2005.
  3. ↑ "Talk 650 KIKK announces new programming lineup", mikemcguff.com, July 1, 2011
  4. ↑ Barron, David (June 21, 2012). "KIKK (650 AM) to become city's fifth all-sports station as part of new CBS network". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved June 22, 2012.
  5. ↑ CBS Radio to Merge with Entercom
  6. ↑ "Entercom Receives FCC Approval for Merger with CBS Radio". Entercom. November 9, 2017. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  7. ↑ Venta, Lance (November 17, 2017). "Entercom Completes CBS Radio Merger". Radio Insight. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
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