KJJF

KJJF (88.9 MHz) is a non-commercial FM radio station in Harlingen, Texas. KHID (88.1 MHz) is also a non-commercial FM radio station in McAllen, Texas. Both stations are owned by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brownsville and serve the Rio Grande Valley.

KJJF
CityHarlingen, Texas
Broadcast areaRio Grande Valley
BrandingPublic Radio 88FM
Frequency88.9 (MHz)
First air dateApril 1991 (1991-04)
FormatPublic radio
ERP3,000 Watts
HAAT91 meters (299 ft)
ClassA
Facility ID56081
Transmitter coordinates26°10′46″N 97°30′06″W
Call sign meaningJohn Jacob Fitzpatrick (station founder and bishop)
Former call signsKMBH-FM (1989–2015)
AffiliationsNational Public Radio
OwnerRoman Catholic Diocese of Brownsville
(RGV Educational Broadcasting, Inc.)
WebcastListen Live
Websitehttp://www.88fm.org/
KHID
CityMcAllen, Texas
Broadcast areaRio Grande Valley
BrandingPublic Radio 88FM
Frequency88.1 (MHz)
First air dateJuly 1992
FormatPublic radio
ERP2,100 watts
HAAT78 meters (256 ft)
ClassA
Facility ID56081
Transmitter coordinates26.361957, -98.321487
Call sign meaningHIDalgo County, Texas
AffiliationsNational Public Radio
OwnerRoman Catholic Diocese of Brownsville
(RGV Educational Broadcasting, Inc.)
WebcastListen Live
Websitehttp://www.88fm.org/

KJJF's transmitter is located on Fresnal Road in San Benito.[1] KHID's transmitter is off West Monte Cristo Road in La Homa.[2]

The two stations simulcast a mix of NPR news and talk programs, with some hours of classical music and jazz. Both stations are being bought by Immaculate Heart Media, Inc. for $1.25 million.[3] The Catholic radio network "Relevant Radio" is expected to air on both stations when the purchase is finalized.

History

88.9 FM signed on the air in April 30, 1991, as KMBH-FM.[4] It began airing NPR programming in June of the same year. KMBH-FM has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 3,000 watts, while some of the commercial FM stations in the air run 100,000 watts, so KMBH-FM's signal was limited mainly to Cameron County, Texas.

Then in July 1992, 88.1 FM signed on as KHID.[5] While KHID is also limited in power, the combination of the two stations give coverage to most areas of the McAllen-Brownsville-Harligen radio market. Both stations were owned by Rio Grande Valley Educational Broadcasting, a subsidiary of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Brownsville. The two stations began simulcasting news and talk programming from NPR with some hours devoted to classical music and jazz.

On April 3, 2015, RGV Educational Broadcasting announced that it would change KMBH-FM's call letters to KJJF effective April 7th. The new call sign honors RGV Educational Broadcasting founder Bishop John Jacob Fitzpatrick. It also distinguishes the radio station from former sister station Channel 38 KMBH television, which was sold to R Communications several months earlier.[6]

In early 2019, the diocese announced that both stations would be bought by Immaculate Heart Media, Inc. for $1.25 million.[7] The Catholic radio network "Relevant Radio" is expected to air on both stations when the purchase is finalized. Many NPR listeners in the area are upset that the Rio Grande Valley will be losing its only NPR member stations. In a written statement, Bishop Daniel E. Flores said “While we wish we could continue, we recognize that as a growing diocese we must be prudent with our resources and make sure they are in line with the mission of the church.”

See also
  • KMBH (TV)

References
  1. Radio-Locator.com/KJJF
  2. Radio-Locator.com/KHID
  3. Inside Radio "Rio Grande Public Radio" Feb. 22, 2019 (Retrieved 3/19/19)
  4. Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 1993 page B-349
  5. Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 1993 page B-354
  6. Mosbrucker, Kristen (April 3, 2015). "RGV public radio call sign changes after KMBH-TV sale". The Monitor. Retrieved April 4, 2015.
  7. Inside Radio "Rio Grande Public Radio" Feb. 22, 2019 (Retrieved 3/19/19)


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.