KFXR (AM)

KFXR
City of license Dallas, Texas
Broadcast area Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex
Branding Talk Radio 1190
Slogan Dallas News Talk
Frequency 1190 kHz
First air date 1947 (as KLIF)
Format News/Talk
Power 50,000 watts day
(directional; 4 towers)
5,000 watts night
(directional; 12 towers)
Class B
Facility ID 25375
Transmitter coordinates 32°47′10″N 96°57′00″W / 32.78611°N 96.95000°W (day)
32°53′57″N 96°24′47″W / 32.89917°N 96.41306°W (night)
Callsign meaning FoX Sports Radio (former station format)
Former callsigns KLIF (1947-1991)
KLAF (1990)
KYII (1990-1991)
KUII (1991-1992)
KGBS (1992-1995)
KDFX (1995-1997)
KOOO (1997-1998)
KLUV (1998-2000)
KJOI (2000-2001)
KTRA (2001)
Affiliations HLN
Owner iHeartMedia, Inc.
(Capstar TX, LLC)
Sister stations KDGE, KDMX, KEGL, KHKS, KZPS
Webcast Listen Live (via iHeartRadio)
Website dfw1190.com

KFXR (1190 AM) is a radio station in Dallas, Texas, programing talk shows such as Jerry Doyle and Glenn Beck when it is not airing brokered programming. It began broadcasting November 9, 1947,[1] as KLIF,[2] with studios in the 12th floor penthouse of Cliff Towers.[1] With a night array consisting of twelve (12) towers, this is one of the most directional AM broadcast stations in the United States and likely the world.[3] Its studios are located along Dallas Parkway in Farmers Branch (with a Dallas address), and has separate transmitter sites for day and night operation, respectively located in Irving and Rockwall.

History

KLIF-AM 1190

The call letters KLIF achieved recognition in radio broadcasting through the efforts of Gordon McLendon. The station which formerly broadcast music and talk on 1190 AM, was Dallas' and one of the nation's biggest Top 40 radio stations. It virtually defined 1950s and 1960s Top 40 radio. Playing Top 40 music during the 1950s and 1960s, it achieved an over 50 share, an unparalleled ratings success.

The station saw success in music and talk radio broadcasting. In 1954 1190 KLIF switched from a more varied music programming approach to one that focused on hit music with periodic news. McLendon collected the names of local leaders in business and government working them into news on the station. McLendon said there were only two things that radio could compete with television on "music and news".[4] KLIF-AM was headquartered at KLIF Triangle Point Studios from 1964 to 1980. It is a street front building with large windows where pedestrians and Downtown Dallas shoppers could look in the studio and see the action of live broadcasts. KLIF-AM was known for its promotions which included top 40 surveys with photo shoots of the broadcasters. Other types of photos were of the broadcast staff at live promotion events. KLIF-AM did live shows in different parts of Dallas. The announcers often toured the city in the KLIF radio vehicles. When FM radio took over Top 40 music during the late 1970s, the station lost its dominance in Top 40 music and later switched to talk radio. The KLIF call letters and format were moved to 570 AM in 1990. The frequency KLIF formerly occupied now hosts competitor news station KFXR.

A season of change

After a long and storied history on 1190, the owners of KLIF sold this station to Greystone Broadcasting in 1990 and moved KLIF call letters and format to 570. A temporary automated format of CNN Headline News was put in place along with the call letters KLAF while Greystone built new studios. Greystone added local news in the morning and afternoon drive and other syndicated talk shows (including Bruce Williams and Larry King) to the Headline News format and changed the calls to KYII - "Keeping You Instantly Informed." A popular top 40 station at the time, KHYI-FM, protested the call letters as being too similar to their own and Greystone agreed to change them to KUII in 1991. That same year, KUII added the Rush Limbaugh show to their lineup live from 11am-2pm. It had previously aired on the weekend afternoons on KLIF. Limbaugh quickly became the sole ratings hit on KUII. In the summer of 1992, the station hired a local psychologist to do a talk show in the morning and added an afternoon sports talk show with former Dallas Cowboys great Tony Hill from 3-6pm.

Former KLIF 1190 announcers

Gordon McLendon, Jimmy Rabbitt, Paxton Mills, Ralph Baker Jr., Charlie Van Dyke, Michael O'Shea, Dick Heatherton, Chuck Murphy, Dave Ambrose, Jim Tabor, Mike Selden, Ron Chapman, Johnny Dark, Hal Martin, Ken Dowe, Rod Roddy, Cuzzin Lennie, Wes Wise, Bob McCord, Brant Miller, John London, Randy Robbins, Russ Knight, Jim O'Brian, Chuck Dunaway, Ken Knox, Dick Kemp, Dick McCurdy, Jack Woods, Don Keys, Barry Kaye, Bill Stewart, Don Keyes, Buddy McGregor, George Michael, Deano Day, Gary Mack, Don Berns, Ken Reed, Stan Richards, Larry Wilson, Rex Miller, Mike Scott, Don McGregor, Lee Douglas, Jay Lawrence, Bill Ennis, Don Robertson, Bill Robbins, Gary Hamilton, Van Winkle, Coyote, Tony Booth, Gary Owens, Rex Jones, and Brice Armstrong

As KGBS

In the latter part of 1992, the station lost Limbaugh's program to WBAP. To make up for the loss, the station hired Ron Engelman to do a midday talk show. Larry King's syndicated talk show moved to afternoons. It was about this time that Morton Downey Jr. brought his syndicated radio show to Dallas and hosted it out of the station. He took a stake in station ownership for a time as well. It changed call letters to KGBS "Great B-S" and called itself "Hot Talk 1190 - KGBS."

Ron Engelman's show gained a little traction and he developed a devoted, but small, following. Among the people listening were the Branch Davidians in Waco. When the standoff with the Davidians took place, Engelman found out they were listening and got them to put banners out the window. His show was devoted to the standoff almost every day until the fiery end. He had calls from all over the world from family members of people still in the compound. At least 2 sect members came out of the compound and gave up after family members were interviewed on Engelman's show. At one point Engelman tried to get into the compound, but was turned back by the FBI. Engelman continued to devote most of his show to the Davidians and the aftermath of the fire for weeks after it happened. Station management was not happy with this and Engelman ultimately announced his departure - to the surprise of management - at the end of a show.

Downey lasted at the station for another year or so before moving on.

As KDFX

Greystone sold the station to Salem Broadcasting—a religious broadcaster. They changed the call letters to KDFX and programmed a conservative talk format including the Alan Keyes show. Salem bought 94.9 from CBS in early 1997 and gave CBS the 1190 frequency as part of the deal.

As KOOO

Talk 1190 logo used 1997-1998.

When the switch to CBS took place, the station's call letters were changed to KOOO. First airing October 30, 1996, CBS programmed "Talk 1190" with a syndicated talk radio format including Don Imus, Dr. Joy Browne, Tom Leykis, and Opie & Anthony anchoring the lineup.[5][6] This lasted for about a year until CBS decided to try a music format on the station.

As KLUV

From September 1998 through 2000, it was "Smokin' Oldies" KLUV, a sister station for KLUV-FM, playing pop oldies from the 1960s as well as music from the 1950s that was dropped from FM station's format.[7][8] In 2000, Radio One acquired this station from Infinity/CBS and the callsign changed to KJOI. It was to become a Christian Talk station, but the format change never took place.

As KTRA

The station was acquired by Clear Channel Broadcasting (now known as iHeartMedia, Inc. as of September 2014) from Radio One in January 2001 for $13 million, and the license was transferred by Clear Channel to Capstar TX, Limited Partnership (a subsidiary of Clear Channel) the same day.[9][10] After a short "stunt" of the same song 24/7 for 2 weeks, the format was changed to a Fox Sports Radio and local sports talk format as KTRA ("Xtra Sports 1190").[11] It has been through many format changes since then (with none of them ever really doing well in the ratings). As of December, 2014, it was flipped again to a "talk" format [12]

As KFXR

"CNN 1190" logo prior to 2010.

Fox Sports Radio programming continued until late-March 2004 (hence the current call sign), when switching to an all-Beatles station. Shortly thereafter in late-May 2004, it returned to its oldies format as "Mighty 1190" just two months later.[13][14] In 2005, the station switched to a country music format as "Lone Star 1190" and shifted to classic country as "Cowboy 1190" in February 2006.[15] After four years of music, it once again switched formats and became news/talk "CNN 1190" on March 30, 2008;[16] programming included a simulcast of the audio of HLN.

KFXR today

KFXR's format nominally changed from the HLN simulcast back to classic country in December 2009.[17] However, by this time the station's programming had been, and continues to be, more-or-less dominated by brokered talk shows. In January 2010, this was to include a weekday evening show hosted by Jack E. Jett but it was cancelled before it even aired, reportedly for Jett's choice of language while being interviewed by Robert Wilonsky for the Dallas Observer.[18][19]

Initially retaining the "CNN 1190" branding, in early 2010 KFXR rebranded as simply "1190 AM" to reflect on the current format and affiliation. In July 2012, KFXR added Glenn Beck to the midday slot. Today's programming is an array of news, financial, lifestyle, and entertainment talk shows (mostly brokered) with syndicated talk programs from Glenn Beck and Jerry Doyle plus Coast to Coast AM with George Noory.

It was announced on November 14, 2014 that KFXR will jettison its brokered "DFW 1190 AM" programming and return to talk as "Talk Radio 1190" on November 17. This time, the station will air repurposed content from within iHeartMedia's portfolio. In the mornings from 7 to 11 a.m. (Central), KFXR will air previous afternoon episodes of The Russ Martin Show from Dallas/Fort Worth sister rock station KEGL 97.1 The Eagle. Matt Patrick of KPRC 950 AM in Houston takes the 2 to 5 p.m. timeslot. Michael Berry from KTRH 740 AM also in Houston will be heard from 5 to 7 p.m. Tom Sullivan from Fox in NYC is 7pm to 10 pm. The rest of the lineup is yet to be determined at this time.[20]

Formats

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "KLIF Gets the Bird" (PDF). Broadcasting. November 11, 1947. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
  2. ↑ "KLIF-AM radio owner acquires new AM frequency". Dallas Morning News. November 29, 1990.
  3. ↑ http://www.fybush.com/site-021107.html
  4. ↑ Fisher, Marc. Something in the Air. Random House. p. 24. ISBN 978-0-375-50907-0.
  5. ↑ Austin, John (June 29, 1997). "They just won't stop talking". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. p. 6. Starting at 5 a.m. tomorrow, the station goes all talk, all the time.
  6. ↑ Austin, John (April 19, 1998). "Liddy's back, why not Stern?". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. p. 8.
  7. ↑ Austin, John (July 26, 1998). "Talk shows step aside for oldies on KOOO/1190". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. p. 6.
  8. ↑ Austin, John (September 13, 1998). "Two good radio stations, one spot on the dial". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. p. 6.
  9. ↑ http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/app_det.pl?Application_id=552292
  10. ↑ http://fjallfoss.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/app_det.pl?Application_id=556614
  11. ↑ Philpot, Robert (February 4, 2001). "Clear Channel kills KJOI, adds Xtra Sports to airwaves". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. p. 10.
  12. ↑ http://www.radiodiscussions.com/showthread.php?681133-We-get-a-new-radio-station-Monday-on-a-famous-frequency-(Talk-Radio-1190)
  13. ↑ "Radio changes". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. April 1, 2005. p. 2B. After months of speculation and curiosity, First Broadcasting pulled the plug at midnight Thursday on the Fox Sports Radio format on KFXR/1190 AM, and resurrected "The Mighty 1190." -- The slogan was used by seminal Top 40 station KLIF when it was a 1950s-'70s giant.
  14. ↑ "Dialing in the oldies". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. June 10, 2004. p. 2B.
  15. ↑ "Familiar voices". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. April 6, 2006. p. B2.
  16. ↑ Philpot, Robert (April 1, 2008). "Changes afoot at two area radio stations". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. p. B14.
  17. ↑ "Dallas’ KFXR Goes Classic Country". Radio-Info.com. December 22, 2009. Retrieved June 26, 2010.
  18. ↑ Wilonsky, Robert (January 19, 2010). "Jack E. Jett Now On Actual Radio, More or Less: Clear Channel-Owned CNN 1190". Dallas Observer.
  19. ↑ Wilonsky, Robert (January 20, 2010). "Before He Even Started, Clear Channel Fires Jack E. Jett, Who's Ready to Fire Back". Dallas Observer. Retrieved January 21, 2010.
  20. ↑ iHeartMedia to Revamp 1190 KFXR Dallas Yet Again - Radio Insight (Published November 14, 2014)

External links