KEYI

[jd]

Actually, the KMXX calls went away in early '94, being replaced by KHHT.

You're right. It was late when I posted that and failed to notice the omission of KHHT. For some reason it's not listed on sites that derive info from the FCC database like FCCInfo.com or RecNetworks.

 

[LiveLocal]

Wow, I remember that original KEYI tower between Buda and Niederwald, it was a short tower on a small hill. Building that huge stick near Buda was a big deal at the time. KEYI had some great years and a very good sound, seemed much like the mighty KVIL in DFW (Highland Park for all the old KVIL fans).

 

[willdav713]

And while Mix 93.3 was fairly successful, IIRC Clear Channel didn't want that station to potentially hurt their recently purchased KHFI so part of the deal was to make it change formats so it went country before CC/Capstar owned KVET/KASE.

And back to KEYI at the time - there seemed to be many moving parts, and 'gentleman’s agreements' in these transactions. At one time I believe Heftel/Univision was going to pick up the KEYI signal but that didn't work out. Also, I believe CC had to divest it because WOAI counted against their market caps in Austin because of the 50k signal being city-grade here. I could be wrong, but that is what I remember from the time.

The Heftel/Univison proposed takeover was talked about in 2000, I remember reading that about a 1 year, but they couldn't buy it because Clear Channel had some shares in Univison or Heftel. That was when they had to spin off 107.5 Lake Jackson to Cox, and long story short began the switch of The Buzz 107.5/97.1 to Cox which Clear Channel kept 94.5 and took over The Buzz format, and 93.7, along with 99.1, and 101.1. Also ended up a year back spinning off 97.9, 98.5, and 103.3 to Radio One.

 

[Kent]

The Heftel/Univison proposed takeover was talked about in 2000, I remember reading that about a 1 year, but they couldn't buy it because Clear Channel had some shares in Univison or Heftel.

Clear Channel owned a stake a Heftel, which was called Hispanic Broadcasting Corporation by 2000. Clear Channel bought Heftel in '96 shortly after the Telecommunications Act. Then, they struck a deal to merge the Heftel stations with Tichenor Media. The result was a company that Tichenor operated with Clear Channel owning a substantial portion of its stock. That company became known as Hispanic Broadcasting Corporation (HBC).

 

[fredcantu]

Wow, I remember that original KEYI tower between Buda and Niederwald, it was a short tower on a small hill.

I never got to see it, but I was told the KRMH turntables at the transmitter site were mounted in granite blocks to minimize rumble. Imagine that. We worried about turntable rumble in an age before subwoofers. THAT was attention to quality.

 

[grantchester]

Not granite; it was Texas limestone.
The processing was rather soft... better fidelity but not the sharp loudness of other stations. There was a 10 foot wire from the limiter to the transmitter, and quadrophonic studio monitors in each corner of the control room (for when you played quad-encoded records and tapes).

 

[willdav713]

Not granite; it was Texas limestone.
The processing was rather soft... better fidelity but not the sharp loudness of other stations. There was a 10 foot wire from the limiter to the transmitter, and quadrophonic studio monitors in each corner of the control room (for when you played quad-encoded records and tapes).

Wow they played quad-encoded records and tapes at that station? I wonder if anyone has a aircheck of that?

 

[fredcantu]

I recall back in that era (the 70s) 93.7 in Houston's legal ID said "KRLY Houston... (DJ name)... Rocks in Quad!"

 

[willdav713]

I recall back in that era (the 70s) 93.7 in Houston's legal ID said "KRLY Houston... (DJ name)... Rocks in Quad!"

I wonder what matrix they used (QS, or SQ)

 

[bgrn198]

yes, the good old days. i do remember, keyi key 103 back in the 80's, kmxx mix 93.3 , also 93.3 was a all seventies station for a while, kgtn 97.7 country and then to the kqfx fox 96.7, was kqfx classic rock or oldies(96.5 before changing to 96.7), 107.7,kahk 1077 the hawk, also remember dave jarrot and j r in the morning, debra duncan bo and bama. bob cole on koke-fm 95.5.

You also had 107.7 KNNC and 98.9 KJFK that were both Rock then 98.9 was Adult Contemporary at one time 98.9 "The Hill" KHHL

 

[fredcantu]

IIRC-- 98.9 Was one of the last Z-Rock affiliates using the calls KUTZ. Interestingly UT wants their new calls to be KUTX.

 

[willdav713]

IIRC-- 98.9 Was one of the last Z-Rock affiliates using the calls KUTZ. Interestingly UT wants their new calls to be KUTX.

and, they won't be able to use the X branding, unless the call themselves X98.9, Emmis would have a fit.

 

[Kent]

and, they won't be able to use the X branding, unless the call themselves X98.9, Emmis would have a fit.

True. Of course, they're really more after tying the branding with KUT than trying to create anything new.

 

[Mike Renck]

I don't recall the turntables being mounted on granite blocks, but perhaps they weren't able to be seen. After I moved from the air talent department to the engineering department, my chief engineer, Gil Garcia, never mentioned anything like that to me.

 

[Mike Renck]

Wow they played quad-encoded records and tapes at that station? I wonder if anyone has a aircheck of that?

Back in the KRMH days they did, and even after the studio moved to Austin under the Arizona Waiver clause, the quad speakers were still in the old control room. Key 103 never played anything in quad though.

 

[Mike Renck]

KCSW became KEYI early in 1982. I was hired originally as a part-time (fill-in and weekends) air personality in May, 1982. We had our first book results in July, 1982, and our ratings and numbers were where they expected it would take five years to reach. I remember the celebration we had at an Italian restaurant (can't recall the name, but it was once Stelfox Body Shop) on Barton Springs Road. It was on my birthday, July 20th. During our first book were weren't allowed to say much, just front-sell or back-sell, and come out of every stop-set with "Key 103, K-E-Y". The Program Director at the time was "Mike Patrick", he hired me. The studio at the transmitter was spooky at night. There was a window at the back of the studio that looked out over a pasture. A barbed wire fence kept the cows away from the building. One night a black cow got through the fence and I turned around to see a big pair of eyes staring at me through the window! I don't recall the month, but sometime between February and April (I think) of 1983 we took a big lightning strike to the antenna array and tower. It burned up the antenna, transmission coax, switcher (which could change from the main 20K transmitter to a back-up 5K one), and the main 20K transmitter. This is when I was able to change over to engineering, and it was a good move as a bad book had DJs disappearing. There was a big realignment of frequencies happening in central and south Texas at the time to make room for another station somewhere. The new station was paying big bucks for other stations to move over on the frequencies. The timing was good for us, as we had to have a new antenna and transmitter anyway, they were tuned to 103.5 instead of the former 103.7. We were off-air for just three days, but it seemed like forever. "BJ Adams" had taken over as PD from "Mike Patrick" after numbers dropped (I blame the consultant the company hired), and when we came back on-air the first song he played was Lou Christie's "Lightnin' Strikes". We gave away black t-shirts with the Key 103 logo and "I survived the lightning strike" in silver on them even. Ah, those were the days! Amazing times with amazing people!

 

[Smittian]

There was a big realignment of frequencies happening in central and south Texas at the time to make room for another station somewhere. The new station was paying big bucks for other stations to move over on the frequencies. The timing was good for us, as we had to have a new antenna and transmitter anyway, they were tuned to 103.5 instead of the former 103.7. We were off-air for just three days, but it seemed like forever. "BJ Adams" had taken over as PD from "Mike Patrick" after numbers dropped (I blame the consultant the company hired), and when we came back on-air the first song he played was Lou Christie's "Lightnin' Strikes". We gave away black t-shirts with the Key 103 logo and "I survived the lightning strike" in silver on them even. Ah, those were the days! Amazing times with amazing people!

That was around the time when KOUL in Corpus Christi moved from 103.3 to 103.7

 

[bentheredonethat]

Actually, the KMXX calls went away in early '94, being replaced by KHHT. The country format started as "Lone Star 93," which kept the KMXX calls, and became "Hot Country 93.3" after getting rid of most, if not all, of the local staff and going satellite. Those calls lasted another couple of years until "Hits 93.3" switched to smooth jazz as "K-Jazz."

Actually, KHHT Hot 93.3 stayed local with live talent 6a-12a daily until the switch to Hits 93.3. At that, Mid-dayer Jay Kendall stayed on at Hits for a while.

For your amusement:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jdJevZfH2AU

 

[Kent]

I remember Jay from Hits. Seems like he stayed after the format change to Smooth Jazz, too. Didn't know he was on Hot 93.3, though.

 

[Mike Renck]

Sad to say I went down the road a few days ago where the old studio and tower on the hill were located. The building is still there, looks like the local water company has it now, but the tower is gone.