Will The beat in Austin ever change call letters?

[jras20]

I was wondering if The beat in Austin will ever change call letters? KPEZ just doesn't seem to fit a hip hop station to me...

 

[dallasboyz]

I was wondering if The beat in Austin will ever change call letters? KPEZ just doesn't seem to fit a hip hop station to me...

call letters mean zero these days. why would they? whats the benefit to anyone?

 

[intx]

True they don't mean much but, even today, a format flip still entails a change of call letters more often than not.

 

[Mediafrog+]

102.3 in Austin has had the same KPEZ call since 1981, when it flipped to an Easy Listening format (after KASE dropped that format in favor of Country.) That call has stuck around through the various formats that have been on that frequency since then. I wouldn't rule out a call change, but in a PPM world, it's just not important.

Only time you see call letters changed these days is if a station was primarily branded with them (as opposed to a name or slogan) and management feels that a complete image overhaul is needed for a format flip or sale.

102.3 was originally KMXX when it launched in 1976. Spanish language programming 16 hours a day, with some African-American targeted programming late in the evening (station operated 5a-1a in the early days.)

 

[fredcantu]

102.3 was originally KMXX when it launched in 1976. Spanish language programming 16 hours a day, with some African-American targeted programming late in the eveninghe early days.)

I was in Austin in 1975 and recall KUT having a late night block targeting the urban audience. There were a lot fewer FM signals on the air back then:
89.5 KMFA Classical as always
90.5? KUT (IIRC it was either 90.3 or 90.7 back then)
93.7 KLBJ-FM had been rocking only a couple of years
95.5 KOKE-FM Legendary Progressive Country except Spanish in AM drive
98.3 KHFI automated Top 40 K-98
100.7 KASE Beautiful Music
103.7 KRMH "Karma" was a rim shot before it was cool, allocated to San Marcos but trying to reach Austin.

 

[Mediafrog+]

There were a lot fewer FM signals on the air back then:
89.5 KMFA Classical as always
90.5? KUT (IIRC it was either 90.3 or 90.7 back then)
93.7 KLBJ-FM had been rocking only a couple of years
95.5 KOKE-FM Legendary Progressive Country except Spanish in AM drive
98.3 KHFI automated Top 40 K-98
100.7 KASE Beautiful Music
103.7 KRMH "Karma" was a rim shot before it was cool, allocated to San Marcos but trying to reach Austin.

KUT was on 90.7 then, with 4kw atop the UT tower. The frequency change to 90.5 (and power increase to 100kw) came around 1983.

The KRMH tower was near Buda, on the east side of I-35, not really far enough to be a rimshot. I would have to go digging for the tower height, but I seem to recall 500-600 feet. The 100kw signal actually did quite well over Austin...I recall solid reception in north Austin on a small pocket radio, as well as a basic bookshelf FM receiver.

 

[fredcantu]

The KRMH tower was near Buda, on the east side of I-35, not really far enough to be a rimshot. I would have to go digging for the tower height, but I seem to recall 500-600 feet. The 100kw signal actually did quite well over Austin...I recall solid reception in north Austin on a small pocket radio, as well as a basic bookshelf FM receiver.

"Over Austin" may be a good description of their signal. You may have been in a high spot on the north side. But the short tower caused a number of reception issues in low spots. Their new stick fixed that and produced one of the most widely heard signals in Texas.

 

[Anonymouse]

KPEZ / The Beat needs to stop speeding up their music. Seriously.

 

[purpledevil]

I was wondering if The beat in Austin will ever change call letters? KPEZ just doesn't seem to fit a hip hop station to me...

I doubt there will be a change at KPEZ, but I'm willing to bet KLTO changes calls to KPTY at some point in the near future. The KPTY calls have been parked by Univision on Crystal Beach's 105.3 since Party 93.3 flipped to Regional Mexican.

 

[Blacknight]

KPEZ / The Beat needs to stop speeding up their music. Seriously.

They remind me of the old Beat 104.3 from '98 to 2001 when they used to speed up all of the music they was playing except during the mixshows. After '01, they slowed it down to normal speeds.

 

[Anonymouse]

KPEZ / The Beat needs to stop speeding up their music. Seriously.

They remind me of the old Beat 104.3 from '98 to 2001 when they used to speed up all of the music they was playing except during the mixshows. After '01, they slowed it down to normal speeds.

I bet they got a new Program Director or a new Music Director.

Stupid Program Directors and Music Directors speed up the music. They think speeding it up makes the station sound better but I disagree.

 

[willdav713]

No they probally do it due to arrangements the have concering Royalties. Also by doing that they can play more music and commercials to maximize profits. If speeding up their music gets to you, then record it on a medium and use pitch control. This has been done for years, for example KSMG in San Antonio when they were oldies would speed up Sugarloaf's Green Eyed Lady and the Billboard Charts 1970 CD would sound a bit slower (I used to think my CD Player was defective, but then discovered they change the pitch) Another example is KSAQ Q96 when they played Dee-Lites Grooves in The Heart (LP Version) back in Nov 1990 they speed up that song, but in January of 1991 when they played the 12" Version they played it slower than normal. I remember not having that complete song and I ended up taking the first part of the song recorded on Scotch Chrome 90 (1970s) cassette and playing the rest of the song recorded on a TDK MA 110 (1988) tape transfering that song on a Scotch (1970s) Highlander Blue Shell Cassette.

Another thing stations would do that bothered me was they would skip 20 seconds of a song, and shorten a over 5 minutes in length song down to right under 5 minutes. KTFM was notorious for doing that, so I listened to KSAQ.

I think the Beat 102.3 sucks they don't play Juvenille's Back that Ass Up, they play Back that thing up.

KTFM in 1999 played Back that ass up, 979 the Box played Back that thing up. So I quit listening to the Box, and listened to Satelite Dish Network Music Choices Rap, and Urban Beat channels.

 

[fredcantu]

Speeded up music is not done to allow more commercials. It is done to make your station sound brighter and more energetic and your competeitor sound more lethargic by comparison.

 

[JDawg512]

I also wonder if they do it because Hip Hop these days is just lame and they want to sound as Fred mentioned more energetic especially with Top 40 leaning heavily in Dance. Several Hip Hop/R&B artists have already produced some very Dance leaning tracks themselves.