KHMX

KXYZ-FM first signed on February 1, 1948. It would stay on the air for five years and six months before being silent for about eight years.[1] As typical of FM radio stations in the mid-20th century, the FM station usually was a simulcast of its AM parent. During the 1960s, it simulcasted its AM parent KXYZ, which played beautiful music. In the late 1960s, the format changed to automated progressive rock, branded as "Love ​96 ¹⁄₂ FM". "Love" was formulated by then-owner ABC Radio, and was syndicated to other sister stations around the country, including WABC-FM in New York City, KABC-FM in Los Angeles, WLS-FM in Chicago, KGO-FM in San Francisco, WXYZ-FM in Detroit and WDVE in Pittsburgh, with the calls changing to KAUM in January 1971. When the "Love" format ceased later in 1971, KXYZ-FM continued in the progressive rock format, but with a local focus, and changed monikers to "KAUM ​96 ¹⁄₂ FM". In the late 1970s, KAUM had drifted to a more generic Top 40 format to compete against KRBE and the long established AM top 40 leader, KILT (AM).

From July 24, 1980 through late 1986, the station operated as KSRR, first as "97 Star FM", and then again as "97 Rock" with an AOR format along with their infamous slogan "Kick Ass Rock 'N' Roll!", and a logo similar to WABB in Mobile.[2] The new station featured morning radio host and KEGL alum James Paul "Moby" Carney and Matthew, with Hannah Storm as the sports announcer. The station competed against the album rock format of KLOL (and for a short period, KILT-FM, and KZFX). In mid-1985, due to the merger of ABC Radio and Capital Cities Communications, KSRR was spun off to Malrite Communications in order to meet the FCC's ownership limits at the time.[3]

On October 15, 1986, the station changed call letters to KKHT, and the AOR format was replaced by a Top 40/CHR format known as "Hit 96.5 KKHT".[4][5] By mid-1987, heavy competition from top 40 powerhouses KKBQ-FM and KRBE prompted the station to morph to adult contemporary. The station rebranded as "96.5 KKHT". In late 1988, Emmis Broadcasting bought the station.

On February 10, 1989, at 6 p.m., the station flipped to the then-new Rhythmic CHR format, with a focus on dance-oriented music, branded as "Energy 96.5".[6][7] The station adopted the new KNRJ call letters on September 4. This format was a competitive response to two other local stations, KKBQ and KRBE, whose Top 40 formats reflected the increasing presence of dance club-oriented tracks (catering to a then-lucrative target audience drawn to the flourishing night club scenes along Richmond Avenue and inner Westheimer Road). These competitors featured late-night, weekend live-to-air broadcasts from local dance clubs (e.g., Club 6400, The Ocean Club), where in-house DJs drew heavily from libraries of imported and small-label, extended-length modern tracks (which otherwise were seldom, if ever, heard on most commercial stations); by early 1990, KNRJ had partnered with the Tower Theater's Decadance to host its own weekend, late-night live broadcast. In May 1990, Nationwide Communications bought the station. The station's ratings during this time were low. In the station's latter months, KNRJ began adding more new wave tracks to improve ratings.

On June 25, 1990, at 7:15 a.m., after playing "Please Don't Go Girl" by New Kids on the Block, and a bit featuring DJ Jeff Scott announcing his discontent for the format, KNRJ flipped to an alternative rock format, which started with "I Eat Cannibals" by Toto Coelo and a "Top 100 Best Alternative Songs of All Time" countdown.[8] The Alternative 96.5 re-brand was a transitional format, lasting roughly 5 weeks, and was promoted while a forthcoming format—under a strategic decision by the station's new owners, Nationwide Communications, Inc.—was under preparation. A weekly playlist, under a makeshift Alternative 96.5 letterhead, was distributed to local retail and media outlets.

That July 18th, KNRJ began stunting with a 48-hour ticking clock countdown sequence; with a series of disjointed song samples eventually interspersed into the sequence within the last 12 hours.[9] After the countdown concluded, a fictitious "teacher" conducted a "roll call" calling out the names of program directors from competing radio stations, asking the "class" to start their tape recorders and take notes as this "lecture" was to begin. At that moment, Nationwide KNRJ's call letters to KHMX; changed formats to hot adult contemporary; and changed branding to "Mix 96.5"; the first two songs on "Mix" were Steve Winwood's "Roll With It" and Taylor Dayne's "I'll Be Your Shelter".[10][11][12][13]

Previous logo under Clear Channel ownership

For Nationwide Communications, GM Clancy Woods & National PD Guy Zapoleon launched a new Hot AC format (branded as the "Mix" format), and was the first Pop/Rock Hot AC and a forerunner of most Hot ACs today. The Mix brand tagline, "More Music, More Variety, A Better Mix", was commercially successful, and the formula for the Mix format was replicated through the 1990s and early 2000s in several other radio markets across North America and in cities as far away as Sydney, Australia by KHMX consultant Alan Burns. Around the same time, research guru John Parikhal, who also worked with KHMX, was helping PD Greg Strassell of Steve Dodge's American Radio Systems in Boston launch another Mix station known as "Mix 98.5", WBMX-FM. This station was more of a Rhythmic AC and an early example of today's MOViN format. The first true Mix station, which was more of a Pop Adult Top 40, was launched a few months earlier in the Summer of 1989 at WOMX/Orlando by Nationwide Communications GM Rick Weinkoff and PD Brian Thomas, with help from Guy Zapoleon.

Nationwide sold all of their radio stations, including KHMX, to Jacor in October 1997.[14] After a series of mergers, KHMX became a Clear Channel Communications station in early 1999.[15][16] KHMX was broadcast nationwide on XM Satellite Radio from 2001 to the end of 2003, when all XM music channels went commercial free and a unique-to-XM Mix channel debuted.

On December 15, 2008, Clear Channel and CBS Radio announced a multi-station swap: KHMX and sister station KLOL would go to CBS Radio, while CBS Radio-owned stations WQSR in Baltimore, KBKS in Seattle, KLTH and KXJM in Portland and KQJK in Sacramento would go to Clear Channel. The sale was approved on March 31, 2009, and was consummated on April 1.[17] Since the sale of the station to CBS in 2009, KHMX has tweaked its sound to include more Top 40/CHR currents.

On February 2, 2017, CBS Radio announced it would merge with Entercom.[18] The merger was approved on November 9, 2017, and was consummated on the 17th.[19][20]

During its tenure as "Mix", the station has rotated through several morning shows, including Roula & Ryan from 2003-2005 (and now currently on KRBE since 2006), Sam Malone 2005-2007 (formerly of KRBE), Maria Todd 2009-2011 (also formerly of KRBE), The Kidd Kraddick Morning Show 2011-2012 (the show is now on KROI since 2020), Atom Smasher 2013-2015 (also a KRBE alum) and Dave, Mahoney & DK 2015-2016 (formerly of sister KXTE/Las Vegas). Dave, Mahoney & DK were let go from the station in December 2016. On April 5, 2017, it was announced that "The Morning Mix" would become the new morning show on KHMX consisting of former KKHH host Sarah Pepper, along with afternoon host Lauren Kelly and Geoff Sheen, formerly of KTKR in San Antonio, which began on April 10, 2017.[21] Lauren Kelly however has left in 2019.