KVIC just keeps getting Weaker and Weaker

[jras20]

Whats the deal with this. KVIC use to be the strongest station in Victoria. Now one of the weakest. I remember back in the day KVIC use to be a powerhouse station. Sad that it is only 6.5 kw now.

 

[wxman76]

Yeah, quite sad. I remember back in (I think) 1999 picking them up clearly on the north side of Austin with a good tropo bend. At the time I think they were at 93.3 before what is now KDHT 93.3 had a signal upgrade/move-in to better serve Austin. Then KVIC moved to 95.1 around 2001. It was about this time when what is now KGSX 95.1 did a signal upgrade to better serve San Antonio. So it seems that they reduced their power to give way to San Antonio and Austin signals. Thats how I remember it, but someone else may be able to provide better details.

 

[billyg]

I felt the same way about KPXI 100.7 in Overton. Once a powerhouse 100K Class C in Mount Pleasant that could be heard from Dallas to Shreveport, it was neutered into a 8.1K and moved south so Salem could wedge another rimshot into Dallas.

 

[txchipk]

Other than one year, KVIC has been on 95.1 in Victoria. 93.3 Port Lavaca/Victoria has gone through a number of formats over the years. In the late 80s, as KPLV, it was classic rock, then rock "V93", then classic country. It was during this time the owners of KVIC and KAMG 1340 began LMAing the 93.3 facility (back in days when you couldn't own so many signals). The KVIC hot AC format moved from 95.1 to 93.3 in January 2000; 95.1 became classic country (ABC's Real Country) KRNX. A year later, they swapped formats again, with 95.1 going back to KVIC. Right after that, the KRNX format was moved from 93.3 to KAMG and 93.3 became oldies KITE.

93.3 has maintained the same weak class C1 facilties (300' 100 kw; a full class C can max out at 981' 100 kw) over this time; so, it hasn't gotten weaker. KVIC was a similarly weak C1 (500' 100 kw). It downgraded to a C3 to make way for 95.1 Comfort/San Antonio. When I went to A&M, 95.1 was blank...so KZZB-FM 95.1 Beaumont and KVIC were easy catches and would fade in and out pretty much all day long.


As for 93.3 in the Austin market, they moved in in late 1986, not 1999. Previously, it was top KIXS "Kicks 93" Killeen/Temple. The move to the new 2000' tower NW of Austin was around December 1986; they changed calls to KBTS and began targeting Austin as top 40 "B93." Once the 1990s began, it became a constant set of format and call changes. B93 had shifted towards dance "B93 Jamz" in 1991. In 1992, they went to hot AC KMXX "Mix 93.3." That led to country KHHT "Hot 93." In 1994, KHHT became classic hits "Hits 93.3." That soon became smooth jazz KAJZ "K-Jazz." In 1998, KAJZ became country KLNC "Lone Star 93." The city of license change from Killeen to Cedar Park took place in 2001. Also in 2001, KLNC became dance KXMG "Mega 93-3/99-7." In 2003, KXMG became the present day KDHT.


Chip

 

[wxman76]

Thanks for providing the history Chip. I guess when I picked up KVIC at Austin in 1999, they were at 95.1, not 93.3. Yes, I do remember that they were at 93.3 during most of 2000, before they went to 95.1 sometime around late 2000/early '01.

 

[jras20]

I'm not sure if I still have the recording on tape or not, but I have it somewhere if I didn't record over it of KVIC going to the Ranch on 95.1.

 

[wxman76]

I'm not sure if I still have the recording on tape or not, but I have it somewhere if I didn't record over it of KVIC going to the Ranch on 95.1.

If you can find that, I would love to hear it. I used to live in Victoria in the early 2000s and have a few scoped clips of KVIC during that time.

 

[jras20]

I'm not sure if I still have the recording on tape or not, but I have it somewhere if I didn't record over it of KVIC going to the Ranch on 95.1.

If you can find that, I would love to hear it. I used to live in Victoria in the early 2000s and have a few scoped clips of KVIC during that time.

It'll be a miracle if I can...

 

[Willis1000]

I felt the same way about KPXI 100.7 in Overton. Once a powerhouse 100K Class C in Mount Pleasant that could be heard from Dallas to Shreveport, it was neutered into a 8.1K and moved south so Salem could wedge another rimshot into Dallas.

And it couldn't send too much signal to the south because of Salem's 100.7 rimshot into Houston.

 

[Kent]

I felt the same way about KPXI 100.7 in Overton. Once a powerhouse 100K Class C in Mount Pleasant that could be heard from Dallas to Shreveport, it was neutered into a 8.1K and moved south so Salem could wedge another rimshot into Dallas.

One quick correction: Salem didn't move KPXI from Mount Pleasant to Overton. Sunburst did. It was actually Sunburst who bought KRJT-FM in Bowie and moved into the Metroplex. Salem and Radio One essentially ended up dividing Sunburst's properties up after they were basically forced out of the market. After Sunburst traded KLTY for KDGE, Clear Channel threatened to flip KTXQ 102.1 to the same modern rock format The Edge was running. So, Sunburst dealt the KDGE format to Clear Channel and flipped the 94.5 signal to Radio One.

I agree with you about the old X-100. It was definitely a powerhouse. The problem was that, while audible on top notch radios, it was never viable in Dallas or Shreveport and covered a whole lot of nothing with its best signal. During the last of its CHR years, it never could have been successful in Dallas anyway. Y-95 and KEGL were too good. I used to be able to get KPXI on my home stereo in west Ft. Worth, but they were doing classic country as K-101 at that time. So, I never really found much of a reason to listen to them. I understand the classic country format moved to 95.9/96.9 after KPXI flipped, but those signals aren't much.

 

[billyg]

I agree with you about the old X-100. It was definitely a powerhouse. The problem was that, while audible on top notch radios, it was never viable in Dallas or Shreveport and covered a whole lot of nothing with its best signal. During the last of its CHR years, it never could have been successful in Dallas anyway. Y-95 and KEGL were too good. I used to be able to get KPXI on my home stereo in west Ft. Worth, but they were doing classic country as K-101 at that time. So, I never really found much of a reason to listen to them. I understand the classic country format moved to 95.9/96.9 after KPXI flipped, but those signals aren't much.

Same here, I visited KPXI-KIMP in 1991 job hunting right before X-100 became K-101 and wasn't impressed. They were another small town station with a huge stick. I never worked for them because it was such a long drive from Kilgore to Mt Pleasant.

About the only time I really listened to X-100 was in 1988-90 when Paul Kyser and Mick Fulgham (former 96-X jocks and both later at KDOK in Tyler) were in charge and running a hybrid CHR-Alternative format. They were playing bands like the (pre "Girl Like You") Smithereens, Go Betweens and Voice of the Beehive that the Eagle, Y-95 and even Tux-99 wouldn't touch. For a few months they played around with adding hip-hop and R&B but that didn't last long.

Country K-101 never posed a challenge to KNUE and KYKX so it wasn't a surprise that they downgraded when they were offered big money to do it.Had they had the foresight to attempt to move the stick a little south to Gilmer or even Gladewater for better coverage of Tyler and tried something other than country it might have done something.

 

[Kent]

Same here, I visited KPXI-KIMP in 1991 job hunting right before X-100 became K-101 and wasn't impressed. They were another small town station with a huge stick. I never worked for them because it was such a long drive from Kilgore to Mt Pleasant.

I can't blame you there. It's quite-a-drive, and it probably wasn't worth it for what they would have wanted to pay you. Of course, gas prices were a lot cheaper than they are now, but it still would have been a lot out of a radio person's budget!

About the only time I really listened to X-100 was in 1988-90 when Paul Kyser and Mick Fulgham (former 96-X jocks and both later at KDOK in Tyler) were in charge and running a hybrid CHR-Alternative format. They were playing bands like the (pre "Girl Like You") Smithereens, Go Betweens and Voice of the Beehive that the Eagle, Y-95 and even Tux-99 wouldn't touch. For a few months they played around with adding hip-hop and R&B but that didn't last long.

You're correct that Y-95 and The Eagle didn't play those artists. Of course, in mid-'89, Z-Rock became 94.5 The Edge and took any incentive they had to add alternative acts away. I always got the impression X-100 got trapped in the same trap so many stations, including Y-95, The Eagle and Tux-99, got into. They were caught up in being CHR's when no one wanted to be a CHR. So, X-100 took the easy route and switched to country while Y-95 went oldies and KEGL and KTUX went to rock. About the only time I ever listened to X-100 on the road between Dallas and Tulsa. For some odd reason, you usually lost Y-95 and The Eagle at the Oklahoma line, but X-100 was still good at least up to Durant. It was a lot better than KDSQ out of Denison-Sherman, which was running "The Heat" from SMN. I actually liked the AC and classic rock formats KDSQ ran a few years later before becoming The Dove, but that's another story...

Country K-101 never posed a challenge to KNUE and KYKX so it wasn't a surprise that they downgraded when they were offered big money to do it.Had they had the foresight to attempt to move the stick a little south to Gilmer or even Gladewater for better coverage of Tyler and tried something other than country it might have done something.

If I remember correctly, Sunburst actually bought KPXI with the idea of moving it closer into Tyler, which is what enabled the whole move of KRJT to Dallas. At the time, they had a pretty good cluster of stations in and around the area. They eventually sold all of them. I think most of them went to Waller. I agree that it's no surprise the owners sold 100.7. They had the opportunity to cash out, and they had some extra stations that could run the classic country format.

 

[DXER24]

Same here, I visited KPXI-KIMP in 1991 job hunting right before X-100 became K-101 and wasn't impressed. They were another small town station with a huge stick. I never worked for them because it was such a long drive from Kilgore to Mt Pleasant.

I can't blame you there. It's quite-a-drive, and it probably wasn't worth it for what they would have wanted to pay you. Of course, gas prices were a lot cheaper than they are now, but it still would have been a lot out of a radio person's budget!

About the only time I really listened to X-100 was in 1988-90 when Paul Kyser and Mick Fulgham (former 96-X jocks and both later at KDOK in Tyler) were in charge and running a hybrid CHR-Alternative format. They were playing bands like the (pre "Girl Like You") Smithereens, Go Betweens and Voice of the Beehive that the Eagle, Y-95 and even Tux-99 wouldn't touch. For a few months they played around with adding hip-hop and R&B but that didn't last long.

You're correct that Y-95 and The Eagle didn't play those artists. Of course, in mid-'89, Z-Rock became 94.5 The Edge and took any incentive they had to add alternative acts away. I always got the impression X-100 got trapped in the same trap so many stations, including Y-95, The Eagle and Tux-99, got into. They were caught up in being CHR's when no one wanted to be a CHR. So, X-100 took the easy route and switched to country while Y-95 went oldies and KEGL and KTUX went to rock. About the only time I ever listened to X-100 on the road between Dallas and Tulsa. For some odd reason, you usually lost Y-95 and The Eagle at the Oklahoma line, but X-100 was still good at least up to Durant. It was a lot better than KDSQ out of Denison-Sherman, which was running "The Heat" from SMN. I actually liked the AC and classic rock formats KDSQ ran a few years later before becoming The Dove, but that's another story...

Well remember Sherman Denison is about 80 or so miles from the Cedar hill sticks putting them barely within range along with co channells I remember in the early ninetys, my family made a trip up to Oklahoma, This was back a year before I started getting into radio, He lost some of the Dallas stations right at the state line while others came in clear as day and never understood why. And wasn't Y95s transmitter north of Dallas?

 

[wxman76]

Well remember Sherman Denison is about 80 or so miles from the Cedar hill sticks putting them barely within range along with co channells I remember in the early ninetys, my family made a trip up to Oklahoma, This was back a year before I started getting into radio, He lost some of the Dallas stations right at the state line while others came in clear as day and never understood why. And wasn't Y95s transmitter north of Dallas?

Not sure how accurate this is....but on Wikipedia, it says that 94.9 used to broadcast from Lillian (just south of Mansfield) at over 30,000 watts. I don't know when 94.9 upgraded to Class C at Cedar Hill, but when I lived there in 1988, they always seemed to have just a good a signal as most of the others. I remember picking up Y95 fairly well in Sherman/Denison before it faded out pretty quickly when you dropped into the Red River Valley.

The transmitter for 95.3 (acquired Y95's calls of KHYI after they flipped) is north of Dallas.

 

[DXER24]

Well remember Sherman Denison is about 80 or so miles from the Cedar hill sticks putting them barely within range along with co channells I remember in the early ninetys, my family made a trip up to Oklahoma, This was back a year before I started getting into radio, He lost some of the Dallas stations right at the state line while others came in clear as day and never understood why. And wasn't Y95s transmitter north of Dallas?

Not sure how accurate this is....but on Wikipedia, it says that 94.9 used to broadcast from Lillian (just south of Mansfield) at over 30,000 watts. I don't know when 94.9 upgraded to Class C at Cedar Hill, but when I lived there in 1988, they always seemed to have just a good a signal as most of the others. I remember picking up Y95 fairly well in Sherman/Denison before it faded out pretty quickly when you dropped into the Red River Valley.

The transmitter for 95.3 (acquired Y95's calls of KHYI after they flipped) is north of Dallas.

Thats right I forgot that 95.3 took over thier calls, I was thinking that 95.3's " NOW" transmitter use to be 94.9s Sorry for being off the topic on hand but thanks much for the information ! !