Austin's KIXL returns to AM Radio... sort of

[fredcantu]

Years ago KIXL AM 970 moved its Christian talk programming to rim shot FM 99.3 licensed to Thorndale and added a translator on 98.5 licensed to Sunset Valley. KIXL was sold to Catholic formatted Relevant Radio. Most recently 99.3/98.5 has been known as "The Word." Now The Word has returned to AM on KFON AM 1490, a station it acquired from Border Media and had been programming as Spanish Christian "La Palabra." Apparently "La Palabra" didn't pan out.

The Word is simulcasting on AM 1490, FM 99.3 and FM 98.5. But their web site and on air announcements indicate it will soon be an AM only operation on 1490. Can anyone shed light on what will happen to the FM side?

 

[KMRD]

My guess would be a Christian music format of some sort, but I could be wrong.

 

[Ryan Williams]

My guess would be a Christian music format of some sort, but I could be wrong.

I wouldn't bet on that, unless they sell sell or lease it to EMF for Air1, which is very unlikely.

 

[Mediafrog+]

There's a bit of odd irony in these programming moves.

In the early 1970's, the then KTAP 970 was an upstart Top 40 competitor to market leader KNOW 1490. KTAP lost that battle; its daytimer status pretty much doomed it from the start, although I thought it had a good variety of music.

Now the lineal descendant of KTAP has taken over the lineal descendant of KNOW, four decades later.

Of course, AM radio is a totally different world these days.

 

[tsaldana3]

And just to further expand what happened with the programming on "LA PALABRA" Dick Oppeinheimer and Joe Garcia made an agreement to transfer over the programming and pastors to 1440 AM.

KELG which was "Radio Vida" 1440AM is Now "La Palabra" 1440AM.

 

[fredcantu]

Dick Oppenheimer is still running KIXL... I mean The Word?
I remember when he used to run KHFI in its class A 98.3 K98 days.