KHFI-FM
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| Broadcast area | Austin/Georgetown, Texas |
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| Branding | 96-7 KISS-FM |
| Slogan | All The Hits |
| First air date | March 18, 1980 at 98.3 MHz |
| Frequency | 96.7 MHz |
| Format | Top 40 Mainstream |
| ERP | 100,000 watts |
| Class | C1 |
| Callsign meaning | K Hi-Fi |
| Owner | Clear Channel |
| Website | www.967kissfm.com/ |
KHFI-FM (96-7 KISS-FM) is an Austin, Texas radio station playing Top 40 and licensed to Georgetown, Texas with an ERP of 100,000 watts from a transmitter site near West Lake Hills, Texas.
Now owned by Clear Channel Radio, the KHFI call letters have a heritage history in the Austin radio market and legendary status among the industry as an award winning station and training platform for many successful major and large market personalities and programmers.
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[edit] Personalities
Current:
- 5:30–10:00 a.m.: The Bobby Bones Show
- Bobby Bones
- Lunchbox (aka Daniel Chappell)
- Amy Moffett
- Carlos Tapia
- 10:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.: Micki Gamez (VoiceTracked; based at WKQI)
- 3:00 p.m.–7:00 p.m.: Tony Cortez
- 7:00 p.m.–12:00 a.m.: Cruz
Former:
- Tracy Austin (K-98)
- Tommy Austin (also program director)
- Leslie B.
- Johnnie Blaze (a.k.a. Michael Yo[1])
- Karen Clauss
- Brotha Fred [2]
- Jill Clowdis
- Tone E. Fly [3]
- Blair Garner (K-98)
- Jana Hart
- Beverly Hills (a.k.a. Prebble McLaughlin)
- Krash Kelly (also program director)[4]
- Ginny Lane
- Len Lawler
- Patti Mann
- Mike McKay
- J.J. Medina
- Bo Nasty
- Joe B. Nasty
- Steve Nikazy (K-98 news director)
- Sara Osburn
- Pebbles
- Allen Price
- Bobby Smith
- Jay Shannon (current program director)
- Fernando Ventura (also music director)
- Jake Watson
[edit] Station management
- Program director: Jay Shannon
- Music director: Tony Cortez
[edit] Studio location
3601 S. Congress Ave - Bldg. F Austin, TX 78704
The Clear Channel Radio Austin studios are in an industrial, yet trendy business complex in "SoCo" south central Austin within walking distance of St. Edwards University.
KHFI shares a building with sister stations KASE-FM, KFMK-FM, KPEZ-FM, KVET-AM, and KVET-FM.
In 2002, the KHFI-FM studio and offices were moved to Penn Field along with the other five Clear Channel Austin stations from two separate locations. KHFI-FM then shared a ninth-floor facility with KPEZ-FM in a downtown Austin office building off of Barton Springs Road.
[edit] History
KHFI's current 96.7 transmitter originally began operation as 96.7 KGTN Georgetown in the early '80s. KGTN was originally a low power "rim-shot" station north of Austin licensed to Georgetown, hence the "GTN" in the call letters. The FCC approved a power upgrade and a new transmitter site was constructed near Sandy Creek at Lake Travis and the frequency was changed to 96.5 becoming "96.5, The Fox" (KQFX Georgetown). Later the station changed to an oldies format, moved frequencies to 96.7 MHz at 100,000 watts and moved its tower to its current location near West Lake Hills, Texas.
In September 1990, the struggling Oldies 96.7 signed off the air to make room for the new (K-96.7 KHFI) KHFI-FM Georgetown call letters and its Top 40 format, which was moved from 98.1 MHz then known as the popular "K-98.1." K-98.1 became dislocated when the owners of KVET/KASE took the frequency for KVET-FM, which began simulcasting of KVET-AM. The Austin 98.1 frequency is now occupied by Clear Channel Austin sister station, KVET-FM Austin ("98.1 KVET, The Genuine Austin Original"), playing Classic Texas and Nashville Country, news, University of Texas sports, and Paul Harvey. K-98 KHFI was originally on 98.3 MHz at a much lower power. 98.3 KHFI was in fact the very first FM station licensed to Austin in 1956 and was a classical-music station taking advantage of the new hi-fi technology called FM radio hence the KHFI callsign. A decade later KHFI-FM began its long and well known existence as a Top 40 station. Shortly after, some of the people who had managed the station's classical format got together and founded non-commercial KMFA 89.5 FM which is still on the air today.
In 1992 KHFI dropped the K-96.7 moniker and just identified as 96.7 KHFI. By this time, KHFI-FM is one of the first large market stations purchased by Clear Channel Communications outside of San Antonio, Texas, then only a small company.
Of note, local Austin Television station KXAN TV-36 started operation as KHFI-TV in 1965 then on channel 42. KHFI-TV was co-owned with 98.3 KHFI-FM and KHFI 970 AM. The AM license was later sold and is now 970 KIXL Del Valle, TX. (KXAN-TV is Austin's NBC affiliate and is now operated by LIN Television. Austin's Channel 42 is now occupied by CBS Television's KEYE-TV. KEYE-TV legally has no historical relationship to KXAN-TV.)
[edit] Today
In August 2001 KHFI re-launched as "The New 96-7 KISS-FM." Today, 96-7 KISS-FM (KHFI-FM) is a popular Austin Top 40 station that goes head to head with market competitors KDHT-FM and KXBT and leads in its target 18–34 female demographic with its successful Bobby Bones Morning Show with polarizing co-host and stunt man “Lunchbox” aka Dan Chappell whose claim to fame is a short appearance on The Jerry Springer Show while in high school and for making national news after being arrested by Austin Police for entering a local convenience store wearing a ski mask as part of an on-air stunt. The entire morning show was subsequently removed from the air for two weeks while station management sorted out legal issues with local authorities.
Show host Bobby Bones is a visible, hip twenty-something who also writes for local publications and hosts a daily cable television show.
In May 2005, KHFI-FM became the third commercial Austin radio station to begin broadcasting using HD Radio technology. Now all five Clear Channel Austin FM stations offer this service.
[edit] External links
| Austin, Texas FM radio stations (Arbitron #42) KNLE 88.1 | KMHF 88.5/104.7 | KAZI 88.7 | KMFA 89.5 | KTSW 89.9 | KUT 90.5 | KOOP 91.7/KVRX 91.7 (Share-time) | KQJZ 92.1/KQOT 106.3 | KKLB 92.5 | KDHT 93.3/99.7 | KLBJ 93.7 | KAMX 94.7 | KKMJ 95.5 | KHFI 96.7 | KVET 98.1 | KRXT 98.5 | KHHL 98.9 | KASE 100.7 | KROX 101.5 | KPEZ 102.3 | KBPA 103.5 | KXBT 104.3 | KXXS 104.9 | KFMK 105.9 | KGSR 107.1 | KINV 107.7 |
| Clear Channel Communications, Inc. |
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Corporate officers: Lowry Mays | Mark Mays | Randall Mays | Tom Hicks |
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Radio / Television stations: (See List of broadcast stations owned by Clear Channel) |
