KXYZ

KXYZ is an AM radio station in Greater Houston, which broadcasts on 1320 kHz under ownership of Multicultural Broadcasting. KXYZ features brokered programming, in which station management sells airtime by the hour to interested third parties wishing to broadcast over the air. The transmitter is in Pasadena, Texas.

KXYZ
CityHouston, Texas
Broadcast areaGreater Houston
BrandingKXYZ 1320
Frequency1320 kHz
First air dateAugust 24, 1926 (1926-08-24)
FormatBrokered
Language(s)Spanish
Arabic
Vietnamese
English
Hindi
Chinese
Power10,000 watts (day)
5,000 watts (night)
Directional, 2 patterns
ClassB
Facility ID234009
Transmitter coordinates29°42′39″N 95°10′30″W
Call sign meaningXYZ, last three letters of the alphabet
Former call signsKTUE (1926-1930)
OwnerMulticultural Broadcasting
(Multicultural Radio Broadcasting Licensee, LLC)
Sister stationsKCHN
Websitekxyzradio.com

History

KTUE went on the air in 1926 under the auspices of Uhalt Electric. It broadcast with just 5 watts on 1140, 1410 and 1420 kHz. In 1930, Uhalt sold the station to the Harris County Broadcasting Company, which changed the call letters to KXYZ and built a new 100-watt facility. In 1932, KXYZ absorbed another station, KTLC, and moved to 1440 kHz at 250 watts. Further increases to 500 watts, then 1,000, soon followed. NARBA relocated the station to 1470 kHz in 1941. When KTRH moved to 710 kHz, KXYZ took over the former KTRH antenna and began broadcasting with 5,000 watts on 1320.

On June 17, 1948, the Federal Communications Commission approved the purchase of Harris County Broadcasting Company by Shamrock Broadcasting Company, owned by Glenn H. McCarthy.[1] The Houston Broadcasting Corporation bought KXYZ in 1957.

During the 1960s, KXYZ was owned by ABC and played beautiful music. The station was well known in the 1960s for its vividly descriptive station identification promos, such as:

"In Houston's downtown area, lifeless mannequins draped in the latest attire stand stiff and silent in the shops, which a few hours ago buzzed with the excitement of bargain-hunting shoppers... now relaxing at home to Beautiful KXYZ Music."
"The almost-deserted parking garage is lonely and unfamiliar to a late-staying office worker, whose footsteps echo as he walks to his car and turns on the radio. And the lonely feeling is dispelled by Beautiful KXYZ Music."

In the mid-1970s, the format changed to pop music. Around 1980, it changed over to a Christian station after KXYZ was acquired by Slater Broadcasting the year prior.

In 1983, Infinity Broadcasting absorbed KXYZ. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, it was a Spanish language contemporary music station known as "Radio 13"; During this period, KXYZ carried Houston Astros and Houston Rockets games in Spanish. KXYZ then carried the Spanish talk format of satellite network Radio Unica. In July 1998, Multicultural Broadcasting bought KXYZ from Infinity/CBS, and Biz Radio made its debut in the early years of the 2000s.

Biz Radio left KXYZ for KTEK in Alvin, Texas. It purchased KTEK and began signal testing in November 2007 simulcasting with KXYZ until December 11, 2007. The only drawback of the move to KTEK is that its signal is only licensed to broadcast during the daytime, while KXYZ has nighttime authorization.

As of November 4, 2019, KXYZ is broadcasting in four different language Texas Chinese Radio (Mandarin Chinese); DTHT Radio (Vietnamese); Radio Gracia (Spanish); DATT Performing Arts (Hindi); Geetanjali Radio (Hindi); and Radio Me Hang Cuu Giup (Vietnamese).

References
  1. "McCarthy Completes Purchase of KXYZ" (PDF). Broadcasting. June 28, 1948. Retrieved 21 December 2014.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.