Old B93 and KHFI Airchecks 1991

[2Son]

Was perusing through this site and found these old airchecks from Dec. '91

KBTS 93.3 Killeen Austin, TX 3 December 1991 : Robert Zerwekh : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

KHFI 96.7 Georgetown Austin, TX 3 December 1991 : Robert Zerwekh : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

 

[RayDOhman]

Right around that time (1990), I used to pick up B93 pretty clear in Sugar Land. Have it recorded somewhere on a cassette tape. Brings back memories!

 

[RayDOhman]

And I could also pick up 103.5 in SL. I think it was called Key 103 at the time. I’ll try to dig up the tapes.

 

[2Son]

Right around that time (1990), I used to pick up B93 pretty clear in Sugar Land. Have it recorded somewhere on a cassette tape. Brings back memories!

Would love to hear those recordings!

 

[Mediafrog+]

Right around that time (1990), I used to pick up B93 pretty clear in Sugar Land.

That would have been right before what was then KYKR in B/PA upgraded to become a Houston rimshot on 93.3.

The KBTS (and successors) 2000' stick near Bertram had awesome coverage over Central Texas. Unfortunately reception in Austin proper was no better than the western hills transmitters.

And I could also pick up 103.5 in SL. I think it was called Key 103 at the time. I’ll try to dig up the tapes.

That would have been KEYI at the time, now KBPA Their tower near Buda was always a blowtorch and regularly made it into Houston. Must have been some lucky quirk of terrain.

 

[Kent]

And I could also pick up 103.5 in SL. I think it was called Key 103 at the time. I’ll try to dig up the tapes.

As Mediafrog notes, that was KEYI, and it was indeed “Key 103.” It used that name at least from 1990 until it went oldies in ’94. It seemed to suffer a bit of an identity crisis in its final few months, though, as I remember it switching back-and-forth between “The New Mix, Key 103” and “Key 103, The New Mix.”

In 1994, it and KFGI “Froggy 94” essentially swapped formats with Froggy dropping its oldies format to become KPTY ”Party 94.7,” which quickly became KAMX “Mix 94.7.” I'm not sure if that was intended to be a swap, or if one pulled the trigger first.

 

[dlf1]

94.7 definitely dropped Oldies first. Whether then KEYI picked up the Oldies format because of the format hole in the market or it was an outright swap, I do not know.

Several years later 103.5 was going to be sold and flipped to a Spanish Language format. Have to wonder if someone else would have gone the “Bob” route had the 103.5 sale not been nixed.

 

[RayDOhman]

It has been 20+ years since I played those tapes, but I want to say Key103 was doing a soft AC format. But, I may be wrong. I do remember visiting Austin in the mid 90s and 103.5 was oldies.

 

[Kent]

It has been 20+ years since I played those tapes, but I want to say Key103 was doing a soft AC format. But, I may be wrong. I do remember visiting Austin in the mid 90s and 103.5 was oldies.

I don't ever remember Key 103 doing a soft AC format, though I remember it doing straight-ahead AC, gold-based AC, and hot AC. Of course, it adjusted its format enough times it very well could've done soft AC for a brief period, though I always remember Majic 95.5 as being softer than Key 103. Someone told me 94.7 Capitol FM was soft at one time, but the only aircheck I ever heard of it was a pretty upbeat AC. I don't think Capitol FM lasted very long on 94.7 as it was KATG "Kat Country 95" by the summer of 1990.

94.7 definitely dropped Oldies first. Whether then KEYI picked up the Oldies format because of the format hole in the market or it was an outright swap, I do not know.

Kind of odd that Froggy 94 would just drop oldies after running Kool 98.9 out of the format just a few months earlier, but programming decisions over there didn't always make sense. I always remember Key 103 being fairly low-rated. It never sounded bad to me, but it never seemed to do much against KKMJ and, to a lesser degree, K 98 and B 93.3. It had a couple books where it did somewhat okay, but, if Key 103 ever broke 50% of KKMJ's share, it was time to break out the champagne! I always thought the KKMJ of the early 90's was terrible, but it clearly was what its target audience, of which I have never been a part, wanted to hear.