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KFXR (AM)
Encyclopedia
KFXR is a radio station
in Dallas, Texas
, programing classic country when it is not airing brokered programming
. It began broadcasting in 1947
as KLIF. With a night array consisting of twelve (12) towers, this is one of the most directional AM broadcast stations in the country and the world.
sold this frequency to Greystone Broadcasting in 1990 and moved KLIF to 570. A temporary automated format of CNN Headline News
was put in place along with the call letters KLAF while Greystone built new studios. Greystone added local news in the morning and afternoon drive and other syndicated talk shows (including Bruce Williams and Larry King
) to the Headline News format and changed the calls to KYII - "Keeping You Instantly Informed." A popular top 40 station at the time, KHYI-FM, protested the call letters as being too similar to their own and Greystone agreed to change them to KUII in 1991. That same year, KUII added the Rush Limbaugh
show to their lineup live from 11am-2pm. It had previously aired on the weekend afternoons on KLIF. Limbaugh quickly became the sole ratings hit on KUII. In the summer of 1992, the station hired a local psychologist to do a talk show in the morning and added an afternoon sports talk show with former Dallas Cowboys
great Tony Hill
from 3-6pm.
Ron Engelman's show gained a little traction and he developed a devoted, but small, following. Among the people listening were the Branch Davidians in Waco. When the standoff with the Davidians took place, Engelman found out they were listening and got them to put banners out the window. His show was devoted to the standoff almost every day until the fiery end. He had calls from all over the world from family members of people still in the compound. At least 2 sect members came out of the compound and gave up after family members were interviewed on Engelman's show. At one point Engelman tried to get into the compound, but was turned back by the FBI. Engelman continued to devote most of his show to the Davidians and the aftermath of the fire for weeks after it happened. Station management was not happy with this and Engelman ultimately announced his departure - to the surprise of management - at the end of a show.
Downey lasted at the station for another year or so before moving on.
When the switch to CBS took place, the station's call letters were changed to KOOO. First airing October 30, 1996, CBS programmed "Talk 1190" with a syndicated talk radio
format including Don Imus
, Dr. Joy Browne, Tom Leykis
, and Opie & Anthony anchoring the lineup. This lasted for about a year until CBS decided to try a music format on the station.
for KLUV-FM
, playing pop oldies
from the 1960s as well as music from the 1950s that was dropped from FM station's format. In 2000
, Radio One acquired this station from Infinity/CBS
and the callsign changed to KJOI. It was to become a Christian
Talk
station, but the format change never took place.
for $16 million, and the license was transferred by Clear Channel to Capstar TX, Limited Partnership (a subsidiary of Clear Channel) the same day. The format was changed to a Fox Sports Radio
format as KTRA ("Xtra Sports 1190").
Fox Sports Radio programming continued until late-March 2004 (hence the current call sign), when switching to an all-Beatles station. Shortly thereafter in late-May 2004, it returned to its oldies format as "Mighty 1190" just two months later. In 2005, the station switched to a country music
format as "Lone Star 1190" and shifted to classic country
as "Cowboy 1190" in February 2006. After four years of music, it once again switched formats and became news/talk
"CNN
1190" on March 30, 2008; programming included a simulcast of the audio of HLN.
talk shows. In January 2010, this was to include a weekday evening show hosted by Jack E. Jett
but it was cancelled before it even aired, reportedly for Jett's choice of language while being interviewed by Robert Wilonsky
for the Dallas Observer
.
Initially retaining the "CNN 1190" branding, in early 2010 KFXR rebranded as simply "1190 AM" to reflect on the current format and affiliation. Today's programming is an array of news, financial, lifestyle, and entertainment talk shows (mostly brokered). John Pugs, formerly morning drive host on now KLIF-FM and KRLD-FM as (Pugs & Company) anchors KFXR 9A-12P with modest success. Learning from broadcasting greats such as Billy Swaggart and Jim Baker, Pugs interrupts each radio segment with an announcement (plea) to his listeners to send donations to the show via his personal website. Mr. Pugs has been ridiculed viciously by other entertainers, but he continues his shameless plugs for donations. He has even taken the position that he will allow listeners to be a part of the program for a fee. Pugs opens for John Clay Wolfe
, with his lunch hour show, 'The Daily Nooner'.
In July 2011, KFXR added The Michael Savage Show to its evening lineup.
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
in Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas
Dallas is the third-largest city in Texas and the ninth-largest in the United States. The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is the largest metropolitan area in the South and fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States...
, programing classic country when it is not airing brokered programming
Brokered programming
Brokered programming is a form of broadcast content in which the show's producer pays a radio or television station for air time, rather than exchanging programming for pay or the opportunity to play spot commercials...
. It began broadcasting in 1947
1947 in radio
The year 1947 in radio involved some significant events.-Events:*10 February: The Nederlandse Radio Unie is established.*19 February: CBS Radio premiere of Villa-Lobos' "Bachianas Brasilieras No. 3"...
as KLIF. With a night array consisting of twelve (12) towers, this is one of the most directional AM broadcast stations in the country and the world.
A season of change
After a long and storied history on 1190, the owners of KLIFKLIF
KLIF is a commercial radio station licensed to serve Dallas, Texas, USA. The station is owned by Cumulus Media. KLIF broadcasts a conservative-leaning news/talk radio format to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.-Call sign history:...
sold this frequency to Greystone Broadcasting in 1990 and moved KLIF to 570. A temporary automated format of CNN Headline News
CNN Headline News
HLN, formerly known as CNN Headline News and CNN2, is a cable television news channel based in the United States and a spinoff of the cable news television channel, CNN. Initially airing tightly-formatted 30-minute newscasts around the clock, since 2005, the channel has increasingly aired long-form...
was put in place along with the call letters KLAF while Greystone built new studios. Greystone added local news in the morning and afternoon drive and other syndicated talk shows (including Bruce Williams and Larry King
Larry King
Lawrence Harvey "Larry" King is an American television and radio host whose work has been recognized with awards including two Peabodys and ten Cable ACE Awards....
) to the Headline News format and changed the calls to KYII - "Keeping You Instantly Informed." A popular top 40 station at the time, KHYI-FM, protested the call letters as being too similar to their own and Greystone agreed to change them to KUII in 1991. That same year, KUII added the Rush Limbaugh
Rush Limbaugh
Rush Hudson Limbaugh III is an American radio talk show host, conservative political commentator, and an opinion leader in American conservatism. He hosts The Rush Limbaugh Show which is aired throughout the U.S. on Premiere Radio Networks and is the highest-rated talk-radio program in the United...
show to their lineup live from 11am-2pm. It had previously aired on the weekend afternoons on KLIF. Limbaugh quickly became the sole ratings hit on KUII. In the summer of 1992, the station hired a local psychologist to do a talk show in the morning and added an afternoon sports talk show with former Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
great Tony Hill
Tony Hill (American football)
Leroy Anthony Hill, Jr. is a former professional American football wide receiver who played ten seasons in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys from 1977 to 1986...
from 3-6pm.
As KGBS
In the latter part of 1992, the station lost Limbaugh's program to WBAP. To make up for the loss, the station hired Ron Engelman to do a midday talk show. Larry King's syndicated talk show moved to afternoons. It was about this time that Morton Downey Jr. brought his syndicated radio show to Dallas and hosted it out of the station. He took a stake in station ownership for a time as well. It changed call letters to KGBS "Great B-S" and called itself "Hot Talk 1190 - KGBS."Ron Engelman's show gained a little traction and he developed a devoted, but small, following. Among the people listening were the Branch Davidians in Waco. When the standoff with the Davidians took place, Engelman found out they were listening and got them to put banners out the window. His show was devoted to the standoff almost every day until the fiery end. He had calls from all over the world from family members of people still in the compound. At least 2 sect members came out of the compound and gave up after family members were interviewed on Engelman's show. At one point Engelman tried to get into the compound, but was turned back by the FBI. Engelman continued to devote most of his show to the Davidians and the aftermath of the fire for weeks after it happened. Station management was not happy with this and Engelman ultimately announced his departure - to the surprise of management - at the end of a show.
Downey lasted at the station for another year or so before moving on.
As KDFX
Greystone sold the station to Salem Broadcasting—a religious broadcaster. They changed the call letters to KDFX and programmed a conservative talk format including the Alan Keyes show. Salem bought 94.9 from CBS in early 1997 and gave CBS the 1190 frequency as part of the deal.As KOOO
Talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
format including Don Imus
Don Imus
John Donald "Don" Imus, Jr. is an American radio host, humorist, philanthropist and writer. His nationally-syndicated talk show, Imus in the Morning, is broadcast throughout the United States by Citadel Media and relayed on television by the Fox Business Network.-Personal life:Imus was born in...
, Dr. Joy Browne, Tom Leykis
Tom Leykis
Thomas Joseph Leykis is an American radio personality. He currently hosts The Tasting Room with Tom Leykis, a weekly lifestyle program dealing with fine food and drink, airing weekends mainly in West Coast markets...
, and Opie & Anthony anchoring the lineup. This lasted for about a year until CBS decided to try a music format on the station.
As KLUV
From September 1998 through 2000, it was "Smokin' Oldies" KLUV, a sister stationSister station
In broadcasting, sister stations or sister channels are radio and/or television stations operated by the same ownership....
for KLUV-FM
KLUV-FM
KLUV, branded as "K-LUV" , is a radio station transmitting on 98.7 FM, serving the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex in Texas with an Oldies format, however KLUV has slowly leaned into more of a Classic Hits format with some music from the early 1980s mixed in their playlist since late 2006. KLUV is...
, playing pop oldies
Oldies
Oldies is a term commonly used to describe a radio format that concentrates on music from a period of about 15 to 55 years before the present day....
from the 1960s as well as music from the 1950s that was dropped from FM station's format. In 2000
2000 in radio
The year 2000 in radio involved some significant events.-Events:*The Real Radio & Century Radio networks become active on - air, through the United Kingdom....
, Radio One acquired this station from Infinity/CBS
CBS Radio
CBS Radio, Inc., formerly known as Infinity Broadcasting Corporation, is one of the largest owners and operators of radio stations in the United States, third behind main rival Clear Channel Communications and Cumulus Media. CBS Radio owns around 130 radio stations across the country...
and the callsign changed to KJOI. It was to become a Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
Talk
Talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
station, but the format change never took place.
As KTRA
The station was acquired by Clear Channel Broadcasting from Radio One in 20012001 in radio
The year 2001 in radio involved some significant events.-Events:*12 January: Jammin 103.5 becomes Kiss 103.5 in Chicago.*29 January: The 80s Channel WXXY and WWYX becomes Viva! 103.1...
for $16 million, and the license was transferred by Clear Channel to Capstar TX, Limited Partnership (a subsidiary of Clear Channel) the same day. The format was changed to a Fox Sports Radio
Fox Sports Radio
Fox Sports Radio, abbreviated FSR, is an international radio network consisting of sports talk programming. The network is a service of Premiere Networks...
format as KTRA ("Xtra Sports 1190").
As KFXR
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
format as "Lone Star 1190" and shifted to classic country
Classic country
Classic country is a music radio format that specializes in playing mainstream country hits from past decades.This genre generally follows one of two formats: those specializing in hits from the 1920s through the early 1970s, and focus primarily on innovators and artists from country music's Golden...
as "Cowboy 1190" in February 2006. After four years of music, it once again switched formats and became news/talk
Talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
"CNN
CNN
Cable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
1190" on March 30, 2008; programming included a simulcast of the audio of HLN.
KFXR today
KFXR's format nominally changed from the HLN simulcast back to classic country in December 2009. However, by this time the station's programming had been, and continues to be, more-or-less dominated by brokeredBrokered programming
Brokered programming is a form of broadcast content in which the show's producer pays a radio or television station for air time, rather than exchanging programming for pay or the opportunity to play spot commercials...
talk shows. In January 2010, this was to include a weekday evening show hosted by Jack E. Jett
Jack E. Jett
Jack E. Jett is the first openly gay American talk show host.- Early life and career :Jack E. Jett grew up in Dallas, Texas and moved to Los Angeles at the age of 21. He held various jobs in the entertainment industry while in Los Angeles; among them, he was the Talent Agency Representative for...
but it was cancelled before it even aired, reportedly for Jett's choice of language while being interviewed by Robert Wilonsky
Robert Wilonsky
Robert Elliott Wilonsky is an American journalist and the former host of Higher Definition, an interview program on the cable television network HDNet.-Early life:Wilonsky was born in Dallas, Texas to Margaret and Herschel Wilonsky...
for the Dallas Observer
Dallas Observer
The Dallas Observer is a free alternative weekly newspaper distributed around the Dallas, Texas . At its inception, it was conceived as a weekly local arts and cinema review publication, with the credo "Advocate for Excellence in the Arts" on the cover. For a time during the early years, the paper...
.
Initially retaining the "CNN 1190" branding, in early 2010 KFXR rebranded as simply "1190 AM" to reflect on the current format and affiliation. Today's programming is an array of news, financial, lifestyle, and entertainment talk shows (mostly brokered). John Pugs, formerly morning drive host on now KLIF-FM and KRLD-FM as (Pugs & Company) anchors KFXR 9A-12P with modest success. Learning from broadcasting greats such as Billy Swaggart and Jim Baker, Pugs interrupts each radio segment with an announcement (plea) to his listeners to send donations to the show via his personal website. Mr. Pugs has been ridiculed viciously by other entertainers, but he continues his shameless plugs for donations. He has even taken the position that he will allow listeners to be a part of the program for a fee. Pugs opens for John Clay Wolfe
John Clay Wolfe
John Clay Wolfe is an American radio personality and entrepreneur, who resides in Fort Worth, Texas.Wolfe also hosts syndicated radio car show The Real Deal, broadcast each Saturday morning in Dallas Rock station , Houston's ESPN , Amarillo JackFM , Wichita Falls both , Austin, Texas The big...
, with his lunch hour show, 'The Daily Nooner'.
In July 2011, KFXR added The Michael Savage Show to its evening lineup.