KUTX

KUTX
Belo Center for New Media - KUTX / KUT offices
Broadcast areaAustin-Round Rock metropolitan area
Frequency98.9 MHz (HD Radio)
BrandingKUTX 98.9
Programming
FormatAdult album alternative (Public)
AffiliationsNPR
Ownership
OwnerThe University of Texas at Austin
KUT, KVRX
History
First air date
1988; 36 years ago (1988)
Former call signs
  • KLTD (1988–1993)
  • KUTZ (1993–1996)
  • KJFK (1996–2000)
  • KHHL (2000–2009)
  • KXBT (2009–2013)
[1]
Call sign meaning
University of Texas
Technical information[2]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID59982
ClassC3
ERP1,600 watts
HAAT390 meters (1,280 ft)
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen live
Website

KUTX (98.9 FM) is a non-commercial radio station licensed to Leander, Texas and serving the greater Austin, Texas area with an adult album alternative format.[3] The station is owned by University of Texas at Austin with headquarters at the Belo Center for New Media (A0704) on the University of Texas at Austin campus.[4]

History

[edit]

98.9 signed on in 1988 on 99.1 MHz as KLTD, "Kool 99 FM" with the Satellite Music Network's "Kool Gold" format by Adams Broadcasting, which eventually spun off the Kool Gold format to Dial Global. On July 3, 1993, KLTD changed calls to KUTZ and format to hard rock as part of the Satellite Music Network-Z Rock Network.

In 1996, 98.9 FM changed to news/talk as KJFK, which lasted until September 2000 when Border Media Partners acquired the station and changed formats to Rock AC as "The Hill", KHHL. Later, 98.9 FM became Spanish CHR, "Exitos 98.9", and then "La Ley 98.9" with a Regional Mexican format.

The Regional Mexican format lasted until November 29, 2009, when Bain Capital took over most of the assets of the Austin, Texas cluster of Border Media Partners, and KHHL changed formats to talk radio as "98.9 The Big Talker" and new calls KXBT.

As "98.9 The Big Talker", the station's weekday line-up included The Sean Rima Show during morning rush hour/drive time hours, The Glenn Beck Program during late-morning and early-afternoon hours (often referred to in radio station lingo as the Rush Limbaugh time slot), The Dave Ramsey Show during mid-afternoon hours, "Tabu" (a male-oriented sex and relationships show) Saturdays and Sundays 9pm-Midnight with Rachael Wax, The Schnitt Show during late-afternoon hours, and The Mark Levin Show during late-rush hour and early-evening hours. The weekends included The Jesus Christ Show, The Otherside with Steve Godfrey, Leo Laporte The Tech Guy, John Clay Wolfe, and The Weekend. The station was also the Houston Texans affiliate for the Austin, Texas market.

On August 15, 2011, after a listener survey and facing stagnant ratings, BMP Radio dropped the news/talk format in favor of Classic Hits. From August 15, 2011, to September 3, 2011, KXBT simulcasted KXXS ("True Oldies 92.5"). The True Oldies Channel programming moved permanently to 98.9 FM on September 3 as "98.9 Austin's Greatest Hits", and KXXS dropped the oldies format in favor of ESPN Deportes, formerly located on KWNX.

As of January 23, 2012, KXBT began airing local programming Monday-Friday 6am-7pm and added a local morning show from 6am-10am with Bo Chase in the Morning as well as syndicated host Tom Kent weekdays from 7pm-12am. Scott Shannon's satellite-fed True Oldies Channel continued to air overnights and Sundays at 7 pm. On Saturdays, KXBT aired Saturday Night Dance Fever live at the Iron Cactus North on Stonelake Boulevard in Austin. The program featured dance classics of the 1970s, 1980s, and early-1990s.

On July 7, 2012, as part of Border Media's Austin selloff, the Board of Regents at the University of Texas announced their intention to vote on their acquisition of KXBT for $6 million; while questions about the proposal tabled the vote for some time, it was approved on August 23, and UT shortly after announced their intention to move KUT's music programming to 98.9 under new calls KUTX by the start of 2013. On November 26, KXBT announced that their classic hits format would end the following Friday, the 30th.[5] At 2 p.m. that day, Austin's Greatest Hits signed off with Don McLean's "American Pie", and 98.9 began playing Christmas music while promoting the upcoming launch of KUTX, starting with "Here Comes Santa Claus" by Elvis Presley from the 1957 album Elvis' Christmas Album.[6] On December 26, at Midnight, after playing "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" by Burl Ives & the Videocraft Chorus, 98.9, finishing out the entire soundtrack to the television special of the same name, began its "Music Preview", with the first song as KUTX being "We Can Work It Out" by The Beatles. The jockless preview gave way to the fully staffed version of the format on January 2.[7] KUTX is marketed as "The Austin Music Experience." Music shows moved from KUT include Eklektikos, hosted by John Aielli (with KUT since 1966); Left of the Dial with Jeff McCord; and shows hosted by Jay Trachtenberg, and Jody Denberg. Specialty shows based at KUTX include Global Grooves (world music), Horizontes (Latin American music), Soundfounder (electronic music), and Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child (family music).[8]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Call Sign History". FCC Media Bureau CDBS Public Access Database. Retrieved April 16, 2010.
  2. ^ "Facility Technical Data for KUTX". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  3. ^ "Station Information Profile". Arbitron. Retrieved April 16, 2010.
  4. ^ "Contact Directions." KUTX. Retrieved December 18, 2014. See image "KUT Public Media Studios 300 W. Dean Keeton (A0704) Austin, TX 78712-1061"
  5. ^ "radio insight". Retrieved November 30, 2012.
  6. ^ Austin's Greatest Hits Signs Off
  7. ^ 98.9 KUTX Austin Begins Preview Mode (Accessed December 31, 2012)
  8. ^ "Shows". KUTX. Retrieved September 10, 2024.
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30°23′28″N 97°50′13″W / 30.391°N 97.837°W / 30.391; -97.837

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