KTJM
 | |
| City | Port Arthur |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area |
Greater Houston Golden Triangle |
| Branding | La Raza Radio |
| Frequency | 98.5 MHz (also on HD Radio) |
| Repeater(s) | KJOJ-FM (Freeport) |
| First air date | May 14, 1963 (as KPAC-FM) |
| Format | Regional Mexican |
| Language(s) | Spanish |
| ERP | 100 kW |
| HAAT | 596 m (1,955 ft) |
| Class | C |
| Facility ID | 20489 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 30°1′2.2″N 94°32′47.9″W / 30.017278°N 94.546639°W |
| Callsign meaning | The JaM (From previous rhythmic oldies format) |
| Former callsigns |
KHYS (January 30, 1978-January 22, 1999) KPAC-FM (May 14, 1963-January 30, 1978) |
| Owner |
Liberman Broadcasting (Liberman Broadcasting of Houston License LLC) |
| Sister stations |
Radio: KJOJ-FM, KQQK, KEYH, KNTE TV: KZJL |
| Website | http://www.laraza.fm |
KTJM (98.5 FM) is a terrestrial radio station, utilizing a regional Mexican format under the branding "La Raza". KTJM is licensed to Port Arthur, Texas, and serves the Houston-Galveston area. KTJM is currently owned by Liberman Broadcasting.
History
The station signed on in 1963 as KPAC-FM, owned by Port Arthur College as sister to 1250 AM KPAC. Afterwards, the station became an automated Beautiful Music format with a 3000-watt signal on a 500-foot tower it shared with 1250 AM.
The station changed its call sign to KHYS in 1978 with an album rock format after the AM and FM pair were bought by then-Clear Channel Communications. In the mid 1980s, the format changed to Urban Adult Contemporary as "Y98.5, The Best Variety Of Hits and Dusties."
In 1988, a 2000-foot tower was built near Devers for the station. The format changed to Urban Contemporary as "Kiss 98.5" going head to head with KMJQ, "Majic 102".
KYOK 1590 AM flipped from Gospel to Rap as "Yo 1590 Raps!" in February 1991, leading KHYS to change back to "Y98.5", with the slogan "Y98.5 Is Back, playing the best variety of Hits and Dusties."
In 1993, 103.3 KJOJ-FM and 1590 KYOK began simulcasting "Y98.5". KJOJ-FM has continued to simulcast with 98.5 ever since. The station would play Smooth Jazz on Sundays.
On March 8, 1995, the simulcast flipped to Smooth Jazz, known as "Smooth FM 98.5 and 103.3".[1]
On February 24, 1997, after stunting with a loop of the song Kiss by Prince, the format changed to Rhythmic CHR as "Kiss 98-5, Kiss Again 103-3", targeting the Hispanic teenage market playing heavy doses of Freestyle and House music, mimicking the style of Power 96 in Miami.
In June 1998, the "Kiss 98-5, Kiss Again 103-3" format was tweaked again to rival "104 KRBE", by playing a Rock/Pop based Top 40 playlist. This was also done in an effort to capture the audience that Modern Adult Contemporary KKPN has lost when it flipped to Regional Mexican in May.
On January 1, 1999, the station jumped on the Rhythmic Oldies bandwagon as "98.5 The Jam". The call letters were changed to KTJM to match the new branding, retiring the calls used for 2 decades, and becoming only the third set of calls assigned to the facility since its sign on.
From 1999 to 2001, the station's moniker would change to "Houston's Jammin' Oldies" then to "Houston's Jammin' Hits", accompanied by a slight tweak in the playlist each time.
In July 2001, the station would make its flip to the current Regional Mexican "La Raza" format after being bought by Liberman Broadcasting.