KBXX

KBXX (97.9 MHz "97.9 The Box") is a commercial FM radio station in Houston, Texas. It airs a Rhythmic Contemporary radio format, mostly made up of hip-hop music and R&B. It is owned by Urban One as part of the three-station cluster with 102.1 KMJQ Houston and 92.1 KROI Seabrook. The studios and offices are located in the Greenway Plaza district.

KBXX
CityHouston, Texas
Broadcast areaGreater Houston
Frequency97.9 MHz (HD Radio)
Branding"97.9 The Box"
SloganInteractive Hip-Hop and R&B
Programming
Language(s)FM/HD1: English
HD-2: Vietnamese
Format
  • FM/HD-1: Rhythmic Contemporary
  • HD-2: Asian
Ownership
OwnerUrban One
(Radio One Licenses, LLC)
Sister stationsKMJQ, KROI
History
First air date97.9: 1958 (1958)
98.7: July 25, 2016 (2016-07-25)
101.7: December 5, 2016 (2016-12-05) as 101.3 K267CJ
Former call signsKFMK (1958-1991)
Call sign meaningKrank It Out The BoXX! (former slogan)
Technical information
Facility ID97.9: 11969
98.7: 145065
101.7: 141207
Class97.9: C
98.7: D
101.7: D
ERP97.9: 100,000 watts
98.7: 250 watts
101.7: 50 watts
HAAT97.9: 585 m (1,919 ft)
98.7: 500 m (1,640 ft)
101.7: 335 m (1,099 ft)
Transmitter coordinates29°34′34″N 95°30′36″W
Translator(s)HD-2: 101.7 K269GT (Humble)
HD-2: 98.7 K254BZ (Fairbanks)
Links
WebcastListen Live
WebsiteTheBoxHouston.com

The morning show has been hosted by Madd Hatta since March 2001. He has been on KBXX since 1995, starting off in afternoons, before switching to morning drive time.

KBXX has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 100,000 watts, the highest permitted for non-grandfathered FM stations. The transmitter is on Farm to Market Road, near Fort Bend Parkway in Southwest Houston. It broadcasts in the HD Radio hybrid format. The HD2 subchannel airs Vietnamese language programming, both talk and pop music. KBXX-HD2 provides the primary feed for two FM translators: 98.7 K254BZ in Fairbanks, through a lease management agreement between Radio One Licenses, LLC. and Hispanic Family Christian Network, Inc., owner of the translator facility. The other translator is 101.7 K269GT in Humble, Texas.[1]

History

KFMK

The station originally signed on in 1958 with a popular music format as KFMK,[2] but later migrated to a classical music format. By 1967, KFMK moved to a Top 40 format, competing against KRBE and had a slight advantage over KRBE because it was in stereo, although the latter had a stronger signal at the time.

By May 1968, KFMK transitioned to become Houston's first progressive rock station, known as "Mother Radio" (a name later referenced by KLOL, which was known as "Mother's Family"). In early 1969, KFMK abruptly changed to a Christian format. The station reverted to Top 40 in the late 1970s, which would then transition to an oldies-heavy adult contemporary format in the 1980s. This format lasted until the station's abrupt 1991 flip to what was then coined as "Contemporary Crossover".

"The Box"

On April 2, 1991, after a period of stunting, the station flipped to "The Box" with a new rhythmic contemporary format. The new KBXX callsign was implemented on April 22, 1991.[3] It fiercely competed with longtime heritage urban station KMJQ until Clear Channel Communications bought KBXX in late 1994, then paired it with KMJQ the year after.

Despite being rhythmic, KBXX's music selection moved more toward a mainstream urban direction, intense with hip hop and R&B music. Clear Channel spun off KBXX and KMJQ to Radio One in 2000.

Programming

KBXX was moved to R&R's Urban Contemporary Airplay panel in 2006, however it still remains on Mediabase's Rhythmic Airplay Panel. In spite of having an urban-driven playlist, the station retains its rhythmic format in order to target a multicultural audience in the Houston market.[4]

References
  1. Radio-Locator.com/K269GT
  2. "Houston Radio History"
  3. Louis B. Parks, "'Box' lowers the boom on KFMK", The Houston Chronicle, April 3, 1991.
  4. "Part of a Rhythm Nation" from Radio-Info (November 12, 2012)
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