KQQK

Beaumont's "K-Jet" signs on FM sister

KJET-FM signed on the air in 1967, licensed as a 57 kilowatt FM radio station on Channel 299 (107.7 MHz) as the FM counterpart to "K-Jet" 1380 KJET. It originally served only the Golden Triangle (Beaumont, Port Arthur, Orange) from a transmit site at 4945 Fannett Rd. near Tyrrell Park in Beaumont.

KJET-FM's "Quick" flip to rock

After 6 years as the FM side to "K-Jet", KJET-FM changed its call set to KWIC on March 5, 1973, and took on the album oriented rock format that many young FM's of the day had begun to program. The station rebranded as "Quick 108", a play on the new calls of KWIC. Even though "108" was not an actual part of the licensed band (channel 300/107.9 MHz is the highest allocation allowed by law), most stations of the time period rounded up their setting to the next full number as it appeared on the older analog radio dials. This change corresponded with KJET, Inc. also filing to change its corporate name to Gibson Broadcasting Company, which was granted and finalized on October 23, 1973.

In 1986, KWIC was proposed, granted, and licensed a significant upgrade to Class C1 @ 100 kilowatts from the Fannett site; moving its operating channel up one to 300 (107.9 MHz). This was done in conjunction with then KGOL at 107.3 in Lake Jackson, Texas also moving up one channel to 298 (107.5 MHz), in order for that station to compete in the Houston area as a secular classic rock station.

It would ultimately be a precursor of things to come for KWIC.

A "Quick" Move West

In 1993, after 20 years as Beaumont's album rock station, by this time known as "Rock 108", the facility was sold and moved to its current transmit location in Devers, Texas in order to establish its new owners own desire to provide service into the Houston area.

Now licensed as KXTJ, and still broadcasting on Channel 300 (107.9 MHz), the station dropped the rock format and "Rock 108" branding, and began stunting with a wheel of formats, a new one each day. Instead of an entire format though, KXTJ aired only one song from each genre, such as the Spin Doctors' "Two Princes" and Garth Brooks' "Low Places". and played the song over and over in a loop. Interspersed between the repeated song was a pre-recorded disc jockey with a heavy Mexican accent alerting listeners that the station was taking suggestions for the new format and gave a Houston telephone number for listeners to call and make format suggestions. After 2 weeks of this type of stunting, a format was finally settled upon, launching as the second Tejano signal within the Houston market as "Super Tejano 108" in an attempt to rival longtime fellow bi-lingual Tejano station powerhouse KQQK Galveston.

La Nueva "Z"

In 1995, the owners of KQQK, El Dorado Communications, outright purchased KXTJ, resulting in the two Tejano stations simulcasting one another. Within a year, KXTJ was split off of the simulcast and resulted in another format change to Regional Mexican, branded as "La Nueva Z".

KQQK Moves From 106.5

In 2001, KQQK was moved to 107.9 after 106.5 was purchased by Hispanic Broadcasting Corporation (predecessor to Univision), As a part of this format shuffle, HBC moved its highly successful "K-Love" format from the two rimshot signals of 93.3 & 104.9 FM to the superior 106.5 signal.

"XO" and "El Norte"

On January 3, 2010, KQQK and sister station KXGJ Bay City began simulcasting together as "XO". In 2012, the two began simulcasting the programming of KNTE-FM El Campo as "El Norte". This occurred in anticipation of KNTE-FM's pending sale to the KSBJ Foundation. Once 96.9 was divested, 107.9 and 101.7 remained in simulcast, with 101.7 assuming the KNTE call letters.

The simulcast lasted until 2014, when 101.7 broke from the simulcast to relaunch independently as "Baila 101.7". At this point, 101.7 changed partners to simulcast its AM sister station KEYH Houston, which it remains doing so currently, as Regional Mexican formatted "La Ranchera".

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  KQQK 107.9
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  XO Radio