KKXT

KKXT (91.7 FM) is a public radio music station broadcasting to the greater Dallas, Fort Worth and Denton metropolitan area and worldwide on kxt.org. KXT has a Triple A (adult album alternative) music format with a mix of acoustic, alt-country, indie rock, alternative and world music. The listener supported station has a weekly audience of up to 300,000 listeners. KXT hosts and promotes many musical events including KXT Sun Sets and "KXT 91.7 Presents" concerts. KXT regularly brings in local and national artists to their studios for KXT's Live Sessions and contributes video content from the sessions to VuHaus, a non-profit digital music video service that introduces emerging and established artists to new audiences. KXT was named "Best Music Radio Station" by the Dallas Observer in 2016.[1]

KKXT
CityDallas, Texas
Broadcast areaDallas/Fort Worth Metroplex
Frequency91.7 MHz (HD Radio)
BrandingKXT 91.7
Slogan"Go Public."
"The Republic Of Music."
Programming
Language(s)English
FormatAdult album alternative (AAA) (Public)
AffiliationsNPR
American Public Media
Native Voice One
Ownership
OwnerNorth Texas Public Broadcasting
Sister stationsKERA, KERA-TV
History
Former call signsKVTT (1950-2009)
Former frequencies88.5 MHz (1950-late 1960s)
Technical information
Facility ID55768
ClassC
ERP100,000 watts
HAAT335 meters
Links
WebcastListen Live
Websitekxt.org
Site of KKXT's studios and offices, located just north of downtown Dallas. (Its co-owned stations KERA-TV and KERA-FM are also located here.)
KKXT 91.7 broadcasting in HD.

Programming

KXT broadcasts an adult album alternative music format featuring a mix of local and national programming.[2][3] KXT's on-air hosts include program director Amy Miller,[4] assistant program director Brad Dolbeer,[5] music coordinator Gini Mascorro, Jackson Wisdorf, Eric Bright, Nilufer Arsala, Jeff Penfield, and Paul Slavens. KXT's weekly New Music Monday series introduces listeners to music on the air and online at KXT's blog.

Muddy Magnolias perform a live session at the KXT studios in Dallas.

Live Sessions

KXT has hosted hundreds of in-studio performances since its inception, welcoming the likes of Chrissie Hynde, Violent Femmes, Lucinda Williams, Steve Earle, Pete Yorn, Sondre Lerche, Guy Clark and Rogue Wave. These sessions have been archived at kxt.org.

Programs

KXT airs World Cafe, a nightly radio show from WXPN in Philadelphia hosted and produced by Talia Schlanger and syndicated by NPR, on weeknights with an overnight encore. The station also airs UnderCurrents nightly. Other special programs aired on KXT include: eTown, Acoustic Café, American Routes and The Latin Alternative.[6]

Local Dallas-Fort Worth area musician Paul Slavens hosts the award-winning program The Paul Slavens Show that airs Sunday nights on KXT. The show features a diverse and eclectic playlist created from audience suggestions. Suggestions are accepted weekly on KXT's blog.

View from the stage at KXT Sun Sets in 2016.

Concerts

KXT hosts several signature concert series including Summer Cut, KXT Sun Sets, the annual KXT anniversary concert (KXT Turns __) and the annual KXT Holiday Concert. Summer Cut is a summer music festival hosted by KXT since 2012 featuring regional and national acts.[7]

KXT Sun Sets is a summer concert series featuring local and national bands in an intimate setting. KXT Sun Sets had its inaugural season in 2016.[8] Performing artists at KXT Sun Sets have included Charley Crockett, Gaston Light, Fantastic Negrito and The Wind + The Wave.[9] The 2017 KXT Sun Sets lineup includes Matisyahu, Beth Ditto, Alejandro Escovedo, Muddy Magnolias, Lolo, Nikki Lane and The Wild Reeds.

KXT Turns __ is an annual anniversary concert celebrating the station's anniversary of broadcasting on the air. KXT also hosts the annual KXT Holiday Concert series. The station also presents many other concerts in the Dallas-Fort Worth area throughout the year. These concerts are branded as "KXT 91.7 Presents".

KXT online

Blog

The KXT blog features a variety of music-focused content, including concert alerts, ticket giveaways, artist interviews and festival coverage.

Live stream

KXT reaches listeners all over the world via a live stream on kxt.org.

Concert calendar

KXT's concert calendar offers a list of upcoming shows and events in North Texas of interest to KXT listeners.

Twin Peaks performed a live session at the KXT studios in September 2016.[10]

History

Early beginnings

KKXT was founded in 1950 by the Elkins Institute, at the time known as Texas Trade School, as KVTT 88.5 FM ("The Voice of Texas Trade School"). The school used it as a training ground for students including Rush Limbaugh and moved to 91.7 FM in the late 1960s to early 1970s.[11]

Transition to a Christian format

In 1976, Eldred Thomas, the founder of Covenant Educational Media, bought KVTT and turned it into a Christian music and teaching station. Thomas took KVTT's original call letters and created the "Keep Voicing The Truth" tagline.[12] From its studios in North Dallas, it carried a variety of teaching programs, talk-format programs, and Praise and Worship music, along with their long-running and highest rated program for 20 years, The Journey hosted by Tom Dooley, who died on November 9, 2010.

Logo used from 1986 until 2004 sale to Covenant Educational Media

In July 2001, KVTT license holder Research Educational Foundation, Inc., applied to transfer the broadcast license for this station to The Learning Foundation, Inc.[13] The reported $5 million sale price would have also included the station's donor list for the preceding two years.[13] The transfer was approved by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on August 24, 2001, but the deal ultimately fell through. The license remained with the Research Educational Foundation.[14]

Logo used following sale to Covenant Educational Media

In July 2004, Research Educational Foundation, Inc., again applied to transfer the license for KVTT, this time to Covenant Educational Media, Inc.[15] The sale price for this single non-commercial station was reported as $16.5 million.[15] The transfer was approved by the FCC on September 21, 2004, and the transaction was consummated on November 16, 2004.[16]

KVTT's failed swap bid

In June 2006, KVTT's owners tried to broker a frequency swap with WRR (101.1 FM), a commercial radio station owned by the City of Dallas.[17] The swap would allow the relocated KVTT to sell commercial advertising to increase its revenue stream. Even though one official estimated the deal "could be worth up to $50 million" to the city of Dallas, the swap was ultimately rejected by the city.[18][19]

Sale to KERA

It was announced on June 9, 2009, that Covenant Educational Media would be selling this station to North Texas Public Broadcasting (owners of KERA (90.1 FM) and KERA-TV) for $18 million.[2][20] The deal was approved by the FCC on July 30, 2009, and the transaction was consummated on September 28, 2009.[3][21] It was said to be the biggest single radio station sale to that point in 2009.[22]

The 2008 economic downturn, coupled by a shortfall of donations from its "share-a-thon" and an "urgent" fundraiser, led to the sale of KVTT.[23] The station's now-previous owners have vowed to keep the Christian format in operation in some capacity.[24] The final broadcasting day for the Christian format on 91.7 FM was September 28; on that date, the station moved its programming to a daytime-only station, KJSA (1110 AM).[25] In addition, the station also provided its programming via the internet from its website, kvtt.org. The KVTT call sign was then transferred to Covenant's sister station in Palisade, Colorado, KAAI, on October 1, 2009. On October 14, 2009, the KVTT call sign returned to the D/FW area on the AM station formerly licensed as KJSA, which was transferred to the Colorado station (that station has since reverted to KAAI).

91.7 today
KXT 91.7 logo from 2009 launch until January 2016.

On October 1, 2009, the 91.7 frequency became "KKXT", and the station temporarily went silent; programming, under the moniker "KXT 91.7", began on November 9.[26] The format flip to adult album alternative also occurred on that date.[22][27] The station carried national and locally produced music programming. Music programs formerly heard on KERA FM moved to 91.7, including 90.1 at Night, which was renamed as The Paul Slavens Show .[26][28] With the format change of long-time alternative station KDGE to adult contemporary in November 16, 2016, KKXT was considered the de facto alternative station for the market until November 17, 2017 (almost one year later after KDGE's flip) when Entercom purchased CBS Radio and flipped KVIL to alternative as "Alt 103.7."

As of early February 2017, KKXT also broadcasts a digital signal using the iBiquity "HD Radio" system.

On October 2, 2017, KXT relaunched its positioning statement as "The Republic of Music", with a greater emphasis on local artists, and revamped their daily schedule.[29]

gollark: Falling back to them if there's no other one might make sense, though.
gollark: You could at least make it fallback to the switchcraft ones.
gollark: https://faq.switchcraft.pw
gollark: You should look at integrating them.
gollark: You know, Switchcraft has its own FAQ system *too*.

References
  1. "Best Music Radio Station: 91.7 KXT | Best of Dallas® 2016: Your Key to the City". Dallas Observer. Retrieved 2016-10-05.
  2. Wilonsky, Robert (June 9, 2009). ""Local Programs, Local Musicians, Local Talent": KERA's Singing a New Tune". Dallas Observer. Retrieved September 6, 2009.
  3. Wilonsky, Robert (August 31, 2009). ""The Process": Wanna Know When KERA's Debuting That New Music Station? Stay Tuned". Dallas Observer. Retrieved September 6, 2009.
  4. "KXT/91.7 FM names Amy Miller program director". Retrieved 2016-10-05.
  5. "KXT/91.7 FM adds Brad Dolbeer as assistant program director". Retrieved 2016-10-05.
  6. "KXT On-Air Schedule". Kxt.org. Retrieved 30 July 2015.
  7. "Who's Playing KXT's Summer Cut? Glad You Asked…". Retrieved 2016-10-05.
  8. "Photos from KXT Sun Sets". KXT 91.7. Retrieved 2016-10-05.
  9. "Photos from KXT Sun Sets". KXT 91.7. Retrieved 2017-05-03.
  10. "Twin Peaks". KXT 91.7. Retrieved 2016-10-13.
  11. "Contact". Knus99.com. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  12. "Station Information Profile". Arbitron. Retrieved September 5, 2009.
  13. Rathbun, Elizabeth A. (July 29, 2001). "Changing Hands - 2001-07-30". Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved September 6, 2009.
  14. "Application Search Details (BALED-20010705AAM)". FCC Media Bureau. August 24, 2001.
  15. "Changing Hands - 2004-07-19". Broadcasting & Cable. July 18, 2004. Retrieved September 6, 2009.
  16. "Application Search Details (BALED-20040712AAN)". FCC Media Bureau. November 16, 2004.
  17. Levinthal, Dave (June 1, 2006). "WRR signal may be traded: Swap could turn station noncommercial but earn millions for Dallas". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved September 6, 2009.
  18. Levinthal, Dave (June 7, 2006). "Several officials lean against WRR swap: Dallas: Panel considers trade, but mayor has no interest in deal". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved September 6, 2009.
  19. Levinthal, Dave (August 29, 2006). "Committee rejects WRR signal swap". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved September 9, 2009.
  20. "Deals - 2009-06-20". Broadcasting & Cable. June 22, 2009. Retrieved September 6, 2009.
  21. "Application Search Details (BALED-20090609AAQ)". FCC Media Bureau. July 30, 2009.
  22. "2009's biggest radio deal is for Dallas non-com KVTT – it sells for $18 million". Radio-Info.com. June 9, 2009. Archived from the original on August 14, 2011. Retrieved June 2, 2011.
  23. "KVTT's Future?". 917thetruth.org. June 9, 2009. Archived from the original on October 7, 2011.
  24. "KVTT's Future? (Part 2)". 917thetruth.org. August 15, 2009. Archived from the original on July 24, 2011.
  25. KVTT: "Will we be silenced?", 9/9/2009. Archived July 24, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  26. Wilonsky, Robert (September 16, 2009). "It's Official: KERA's All-Music Station, KXT, Will Make Noise Starting November 9". Dallas Observer. Retrieved September 24, 2009.
  27. Venta, Lance (June 9, 2009). "KVTT Dallas Sold; To Go AAA". Radio Insight. Archived from the original on August 21, 2009. Retrieved September 6, 2009.
  28. Crisman, Sarah (September 13, 2009). "New KERA station puts focus on North Texas music scene". Pegasus News. Archived from the original on February 26, 2012. Retrieved September 17, 2009.
  29. KXT Dallas Relaunches As “The Republic Of Music” - RadioInsight (published October 2, 2017)

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