Prior formats - 106.9

[johndavis]

Today's test CD in the lab is a Smooth Jazz Sampler from 106.9 The Oasis. Judging from the tracks, it sounds like it's from the early 90's. But if I hear Patrice Rushen at my desk, then I know that the Audio over IP network is working.

I know that Jimmy Swaggert used to own the station (and I've heard Kenny Miles' war stories of doing business with Swaggert and getting it upgraded), and I think that it also ran Z Rock years ago... what are some of the former formats and call signs of that station's past? Fill in the blanks in between the Joy of Jesus and The Point, if you can.

 

[ChuckTiller]

I'm not sure of the date but, it signed on as KNRO, Conroe. It was a Top 40 station. The late Royce Edward Guinn, (the original Mighty Guinn from KRBE in the late 1960s and brother to Mat Guinn who went by the name Mat Quinn, the Mighty Quinn.) was the operations manager in 1974. Bill Moffitt did the 7PM-Midnight shift as Bill Woher, "WARR Till Midnight!" KNRO was owned by the Conroe Courier which was owned by the Owens family. They Bought AM 900 KMCO and flipped it's call letters to KIKR. KNRO was sold to Swaggert sometime in the 1970s. They used that money to move KIKR to AM 880, with 25,000 watts. Brilliant! When I came to KKHT in 1998, it was on 106.9. Salem owned it by that time and sold it to COX for $80 million plus 5 of COX's station in other markets. Somebody else will have to fill in the blanks.

 

[jd]

Well, here's a template that contains a few clues to their recent history, including the disaster of "U (You) 106.9," and the Z-Rock era:

Call Sign History
KHPT from 10/17/2000
KZJZ from 10/04/2000
KKHT-FM from 09/07/2000
KKHT from 03/07/1995
KKZR from 09/04/1992
KKHU from 03/06/1992

 

[rbrucecarter5]

I remember their ads prior to the Swaggart flip - "can a radio station get saved?". Yeah - when it finally got away from Swaggart years later!
Swaggart on a Christian station = no Christian rock type CCM = boring music / just him talking = ratings death.

 

[jd]

Also add to the previous list:

KJZS from 12/1990
Prior to that, as Chuck mentioned were KJOJ and KNRO...

 

[foursider]

It actually started out as a typical FM Easy-Listening station for about the first year it was on the air. Then, a progressive GM by the name of Bobby Brown, who had worked over in the Beaumont area, transformed it into a multi-formatted station that catered to the housewives during the day, went into rock between six and nine, then finished the evening with country music for the small crowds in the local beer joints. Eventually, they went 24-hours; playing country all night until six the next morning.

Being owned by the local newspaper, local news and sports were a big deal. Just about any event in Conroe was covered; including a staged shoot-out (produced by the station and newspaper staff) and rodeo parade; kicking off the trailride to Houston each year.

As a thirteen year old kid, I started hanging out at that place right after it signed on the air, as KNRO, in 1964. I saw all of the licenses hanging on the wall, and thought to myself "Gee, if I could just get one of those things I could be a real, live radio announcer". Fame. Fortune. Girls falling all over me at school... all that neat stuff. I was right; except for the fame and fortune part, and the girls falling all over me. The girls never had a chance. I was always working sign-ons, nights, weekends, holidays. Not much time for a social life.

The Owens family was always eager to hire young people; especially since they could pay them minimum wage and get away with it. But, the learning experience was priceless. I spent almost eight years at that place. Did just about everything you could do in this business. Announcing, production, news, sales, remotes, football play-by-play, cleaning the toilets; and, right down there at the bottom, some serious radio engineering. Somewhere along in there I did a short stint at the AM; but went back to the FM after only a few months. But, working at the AM (which was directional) made me have to go and get my first-phone. Once I went back to the FM, I began taking on more and more of the transmitter maintenance duties; since I only lived about two miles from the transmitter site. I was also on the air and, at one point, had to fill in as a temporary manager while the real guy was out on medical leave. That foundation is what I came to lean on for a living as I grew older and had a family. Although not the best money in the world, the business has been good to me and taken care of my family.

 

[johndavis]

Well, here's a template that contains a few clues to their recent history, including the disaster of "U (You) 106.9," and the Z-Rock era:

Call Sign History
KHPT from 10/17/2000
KZJZ from 10/04/2000
KKHT-FM from 09/07/2000
KKHT from 03/07/1995
KKZR from 09/04/1992
KKHU from 03/06/1992

I know the KZJZ calls was part of the smokescreen that Cox put up to hide the Point. After stunting for a week, they ID'd as "KZJZ Conroe, Jazzy 106-9", started Kenny G's Songbird, and 15 seconds later kicked off the Point.

I used to listen to the station that inspired KKHU. Not a surprise that it didn't fly here... I think the only place that New Jersey 101.5 could ever work is New Jersey.

My guess is that the disc must have come from the KJZS days.

 

[johndavis]

It actually started out as a typical FM Easy-Listening station for about the first year it was on the air. Then, a progressive GM by the name of Bobby Brown, who had worked over in the Beaumont area, transformed it into a multi-formatted station that catered to the housewives during the day, went into rock between six and nine, then finished the evening with country music for the small crowds in the local beer joints. Eventually, they went 24-hours; playing country all night until six the next morning.

Sounds like a smart small-town GM.

The Owens family was always eager to hire young people; especially since they could pay them minimum wage and get away with it. But, the learning experience was priceless. I spent almost eight years at that place. Did just about everything you could do in this business. Announcing, production, news, sales, remotes, football play-by-play, cleaning the toilets; and, right down there at the bottom, some serious radio engineering. Somewhere along in there I did a short stint at the AM; but went back to the FM after only a few months. But, working at the AM (which was directional) made me have to go and get my first-phone. Once I went back to the FM, I began taking on more and more of the transmitter maintenance duties; since I only lived about two miles from the transmitter site. I was also on the air and, at one point, had to fill in as a temporary manager while the real guy was out on medical leave. That foundation is what I came to lean on for a living as I grew older and had a family. Although not the best money in the world, the business has been good to me and taken care of my family.

Don't you just love radio?

 

[smartestguyintheroom]

The calls were, in fact, KJZS beginning in late 1990. Mike Ryan was the PD who launched Smooth Jazz on 106.9 just a few months after Guy Zapoleon launched Mix (September 1990), and a few months before Dave Dillon launched Sunny (February 1991). Don Peterson was GM at Smooth Jazz, he'd later be GM at Mix. The station was owned by Regan Henry. At the time of launch, KJZS had the largest billboard showing ever for one client in Houston. I don't know if that was actual board count or the traffic count used by board companies. But I remember Ryan and Peterson talking about it.

The format only lasted a couple of years. Their signal was one of their major limitations. Smooth Jazz was followed by KKHU "You 106.9". As another poster noted, a fabulously successful concept which worked in New Jersey but failed miserably here. There were some extrapolated months KKHU had a 0.0 in demo. That format didn't last very long.

 

[cowboybud]

A T-shirt from the Z-Rock era:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v199/bhayes1016/zrockshirt.jpg

 

[Mediafrog+]

The calls were, in fact, KJZS beginning in late 1990.(snip) The format only lasted a couple of years.

Lasted 15 months, from December 1990 to March of 1992. I really enjoyed it for the first few months, but the playlist grew stale...seems they never did anything to refresh it. As I recall the station showed initial ratings growth, then the audience quickly drifted away.

Their signal was one of their major limitations.

Although I recall the signal seemed to improve somewhat around the time of the flip from KJOJ to KJZS. Wasn't there some sort of transmitter move around 1990 (this a number of years before the big upgrade to the Splendora stick in 1998) ?

Smooth Jazz was followed by KKHU "You 106.9". That format didn't last very long.

Six months, to be exact. Z-Rock launched in September, 1992.

 

[jd]

Wasn't there some sort of transmitter move around 1990 (this a number of years before the big upgrade to the Splendora stick in 1998) ?

I'm not sure but I think it was late 1990 when they switched to a tower that was a little over 1100 feet. It was off Highway 105 about 15 miles east of Conroe, basically north of Splendora.

 

[C Murder]

Wasn't there some sort of transmitter move around 1990 (this a number of years before the big upgrade to the Splendora stick in 1998) ?

I'm not sure but I think it was late 1990 when they switched to a tower that was a little over 1100 feet. It was off Highway 105 about 15 miles east of Conroe, basically north of Splendora.

I remember catching 106.9 in Lafayette, LA one day around 1991 or 1992. I was about ten years old at the time and wondering what the hell this "U106.9" was that I was catching, then I heard a "Texas Time" check and a spot for "Your Houston area Stop & Go stores."

Nowadays, the Point is a frequent visitor to the area, when it can sneak in over 106.7/KKOO.

 

[RADIOGM]

Ahhhh yes, the days of U 106.9 - I loved when they did "Bitch" Tuesdays! And remember when they got no phone calls to air, they aired a Motown song. I believe the format played about 90 Motown songs that aired over the weekend as regular programming. U - 106.9 - Another brilliant format brought to you by Walter Sabo!


RGM

 

[DToTheJ]

Call Sign History
KHPT from 10/17/2000
KZJZ from 10/04/2000
KKHT-FM from 09/07/2000...

I know the KZJZ calls was part of the smokescreen that Cox put up to hide the Point. After stunting for a week, they ID'd as "KZJZ Conroe, Jazzy 106-9", started Kenny G's Songbird, and 15 seconds later kicked off the Point.[/quote]

They technically went through three different callsigns in a six-week period... wow!

 

[bigtom101]

Ahhhh yes, the days of U 106.9 - I loved when they did "Bitch" Tuesdays! And remember when they got no phone calls to air, they aired a Motown song. I believe the format played about 90 Motown songs that aired over the weekend as regular programming. U - 106.9 - Another brilliant format brought to you by Walter Sabo!


RGM

Just goes to show not every format will work everywhere. Sabo is a genius for formulating New Jersey 101.5 (and the people like Jay Sorensen who helped get it off the ground), but that's New Jersey.

Wish they would do Bitch Tuesdays up here on WKXW....

 

[ChuckTiller]

I did not like it all. The imaging was terrible. Hence: You'llllllllll 106 point 9. You'll? Maybe that's why I couldn't stand the station. The letter "U" is NOT pronounced "you'll."