KFZX
Encyclopedia
KFZX is a radio station
located in the Midland
/Odessa
, Texas
market which plays a classic rock
music format.
The CP was obtained by two Houston disk jockies Bruce Nelson Stratton and Ladd Joe Macha. They formed a company partly funded by the owners of KTRH and KLOL Houston (The Jones family d/b/a the Rusk Corporation). The project was overseen by Bill Cordell, P.E. of Houston. He supervised construction of studios in a double wide trailer, and of a transmitter in another large prefab. The studios were dropped into place in Monahans and hooked up and tested by Don Hackler (then KLLL chief engineer, now KCSM FM/TV) and Paul Easter (then KOYL/KUFO, now at Houston Christian Broadcasters and Fort Bend Broadcast Services).
KWES raided 1410 KRIG of much of it's air staff. KWES was a great success in it's early years. The Midland/Odessa area is notoriously cyclical. During the mid and late 80s recession, format was changed to a more buyer friendly soft AC as KMGP (Magisc in the Permian). Studios began in Monahans, additional studios were built in Odessa. After 1986 the Monahans studios were discontinued (change in FCC rules). Call letters changed to KCDQ in 1990 playing mainly a classic rock
format. In 1998, KCDQ (along with sister stations KMRK, KCRS (AM and FM), and KCHX were bought by Clear Channel Communications
and its call letters were changed to the present KFZX. Along with the purchase of the station came an affiliation agreement with The Bob and Tom Show and a change in format to a mix of more contemporary and alternative rock with a mix of classic fare and (for many years) going by the slogan "The Basin's Absolute Rock. 102.1 FZX" (similar to sister station KFMX. The city oflicense was changed to Gardendale in the early 2000s.
In December 2007, the station's format began another overhaul with its format being changed back to a classic rock format shortly after being purchased by Gap Broadcasting that August. (Its slogan basically remained the same except for a slight change from "absolute rock" to "classic rock" FZX.
On March 1, 2008, KFZX began another format change to the current Jack FM without much warning. With the change also drew an end to the affiliation deal with The Bob & Tom Show
. On March 1, 2010, the station returned to a classic rock
format.
On October 11, 2009; it was announced that Gap Broadcasting was planning to sell its entire Midland-Odessa cluster to ICA Broadcasting for $3 Million, a sale finalized in February 2010.
of the NJCAA had signed a deal with them transferring the Western Junior College Athletic Conference
men's and women's basketball road broadcasts and the home game against Midland College
from KCRS (AM)
to Jack FM. All games would also be broadcast with their online player found at http://www.1021jackfm.com/common/gap_streamer.php. The first matches on that agreement were broadcast December 6, 2008, when the OC teams visited South Plains College
. The road game against Clarendon College
was later moved off of the broadcast schedule due to broadcast difficulties during the previous two seasons. In 2009 Jack FM also acquired the right to air select NCAA
Division II UTPB
men's home conference basketball games. UTPB plays as part of the Heartland Conference
. The first of these games was broadcast January 11, 2009. Home games against Lincoln University and Oklahoma Panhandle State University
were not broadcast due to times clashing with the preexisting OC schedule.
For the 2009-10 season Jack FM decided to drop the UTPB broadcasts and the OC road game against New Mexico Military Institute
due to contractual obligations with Jack FM nationally. However they broadcast all other Wrangler road games, except for the previously mentioned game against Clarendon College.
Oakland Athletics
affiliate Midland Rockhounds
radio network games to KFZX, a move which was criticized by some as News Talk 550 KCRS
had been the broadcast home of the Midland franchise since their debut in 1972. Despite the move, the broadcasts would essentially remain the same. Bob Hards remains the play-by-play voice, a position he has currently held for 18 years, and sponsorships remain intact. Regular Jack FM broadcasts were not heard during the games, as the games were broadcast live with a pre-game usually 15 to 30 minutes before the opening pitch and then a post-game show, which usually lasted 10 to 20 minutes. The Jack FM feed resumed immediately after the post-game show. The contract lasted for one season, at which time the Rockhounds home games were moved to sister station KMRK.
. The broadcast rights also allowed them to take over the Monday night talk show Hockey Talk.
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...
located in the Midland
Midland, Texas
Midland is a city in and the county seat of Midland County, Texas, United States, on the Southern Plains of the state's western area. A small portion of the city extends into Martin County. As of 2010, the population of Midland was 111,147. It is the principal city of the Midland, Texas...
/Odessa
Odessa, Texas
Odessa is a city in and the county seat of Ector County, Texas, United States. It is located primarily in Ector County, although a small portion of the city extends into Midland County. Odessa's population was 99,940 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Odessa, Texas Metropolitan...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
market which plays a classic rock
Classic rock
Classic rock is a radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format features music ranging generally from the late 1960s to the late 1980s, primarily focusing on the hard rock genre that peaked in popularity in the...
music format.
History
102.1 went on air in 1983 as "K-WES the HOT 102 FM". City of license was Monahans, Texas. The station went on air from a thousand foot tower near Notrees, Texas.The CP was obtained by two Houston disk jockies Bruce Nelson Stratton and Ladd Joe Macha. They formed a company partly funded by the owners of KTRH and KLOL Houston (The Jones family d/b/a the Rusk Corporation). The project was overseen by Bill Cordell, P.E. of Houston. He supervised construction of studios in a double wide trailer, and of a transmitter in another large prefab. The studios were dropped into place in Monahans and hooked up and tested by Don Hackler (then KLLL chief engineer, now KCSM FM/TV) and Paul Easter (then KOYL/KUFO, now at Houston Christian Broadcasters and Fort Bend Broadcast Services).
KWES raided 1410 KRIG of much of it's air staff. KWES was a great success in it's early years. The Midland/Odessa area is notoriously cyclical. During the mid and late 80s recession, format was changed to a more buyer friendly soft AC as KMGP (Magisc in the Permian). Studios began in Monahans, additional studios were built in Odessa. After 1986 the Monahans studios were discontinued (change in FCC rules). Call letters changed to KCDQ in 1990 playing mainly a classic rock
Classic rock
Classic rock is a radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format features music ranging generally from the late 1960s to the late 1980s, primarily focusing on the hard rock genre that peaked in popularity in the...
format. In 1998, KCDQ (along with sister stations KMRK, KCRS (AM and FM), and KCHX were bought by Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications, Inc. is an American media conglomerate company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1972 by Lowry Mays and Red McCombs, and was taken private by Bain Capital LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP in a leveraged buyout in 2008...
and its call letters were changed to the present KFZX. Along with the purchase of the station came an affiliation agreement with The Bob and Tom Show and a change in format to a mix of more contemporary and alternative rock with a mix of classic fare and (for many years) going by the slogan "The Basin's Absolute Rock. 102.1 FZX" (similar to sister station KFMX. The city oflicense was changed to Gardendale in the early 2000s.
In December 2007, the station's format began another overhaul with its format being changed back to a classic rock format shortly after being purchased by Gap Broadcasting that August. (Its slogan basically remained the same except for a slight change from "absolute rock" to "classic rock" FZX.
On March 1, 2008, KFZX began another format change to the current Jack FM without much warning. With the change also drew an end to the affiliation deal with The Bob & Tom Show
The Bob & Tom Show
The Bob & Tom Show is a syndicated US radio program established by Bob Kevoian and Tom Griswold at radio station WFBQ in Indianapolis, Indiana, March 7, 1983, and syndicated nationally since January 6, 1995....
. On March 1, 2010, the station returned to a classic rock
Classic rock
Classic rock is a radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format features music ranging generally from the late 1960s to the late 1980s, primarily focusing on the hard rock genre that peaked in popularity in the...
format.
On October 11, 2009; it was announced that Gap Broadcasting was planning to sell its entire Midland-Odessa cluster to ICA Broadcasting for $3 Million, a sale finalized in February 2010.
College Basketball on Jack FM
In October 2008, Jack FM announced that Odessa CollegeOdessa College
Odessa College is a public two-year junior college based in Odessa, Texas, USA serving the people of Ector County and the Permian Basin. It opened in 1952 and currently enrolls about 5,000 annually in its university-parallel and occupational/technical courses, and 11,000 students annually in its...
of the NJCAA had signed a deal with them transferring the Western Junior College Athletic Conference
Western Junior College Athletic Conference
Also known as '. Hosted by the National Junior College Athletic Association, also known as Region IV is a junior college conference for many Tech and Community Colleges...
men's and women's basketball road broadcasts and the home game against Midland College
Midland College
Midland College was established as an independent junior college in 1972 and held its first classes on campus in 1975. Since that time, the campus has expanded to a main campus on in Midland, Texas, United States - a county seat of over 100,000 people in the Permian Basin region of west Texas...
from KCRS (AM)
KCRS (AM)
KCRS , commonly called Newstalk 550 KCRS, is a radio station broadcasting a News Talk Information format. Licensed to Midland, Texas, USA, the station serves the Odessa-Midland area. The station is currently owned by ICA Radio Midland-Odessa License, LLC and features programing from Fox News...
to Jack FM. All games would also be broadcast with their online player found at http://www.1021jackfm.com/common/gap_streamer.php. The first matches on that agreement were broadcast December 6, 2008, when the OC teams visited South Plains College
South Plains College
South Plains College is a community college located in Levelland, Texas. It operates satellite branches in Plainview and at the Reese Technology Center, formerly Reese Air Force Base, in Lubbock. SPC also has many classes in the Byron Martin Advanced Technology Center in Lubbock, as part of a...
. The road game against Clarendon College
Clarendon College (Texas)
Clarendon College is a community college located in Clarendon, the seat of Donley County in the Texas Panhandle. The college operates branch campuses in Pampa and Childress....
was later moved off of the broadcast schedule due to broadcast difficulties during the previous two seasons. In 2009 Jack FM also acquired the right to air select NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
Division II UTPB
University of Texas of the Permian Basin
The University of Texas of the Permian Basin is located in Odessa, Texas. It was authorized by the Texas Legislature in 1969 and founded in 1973...
men's home conference basketball games. UTPB plays as part of the Heartland Conference
Heartland Conference
The Heartland Conference is an NCAA Division II college athletic conference founded in 1999. The majority of members are in Texas, with additional members in Arkansas, Kansas, and Oklahoma.-Member schools:...
. The first of these games was broadcast January 11, 2009. Home games against Lincoln University and Oklahoma Panhandle State University
Oklahoma Panhandle State University
Oklahoma Panhandle State University is a university in Goodwell, Oklahoma. OPSU is a baccalaureate degree granting institution. General governance of the institution is provided by the Board of Regents of the Oklahoma Agricultural and Mechanical Colleges...
were not broadcast due to times clashing with the preexisting OC schedule.
For the 2009-10 season Jack FM decided to drop the UTPB broadcasts and the OC road game against New Mexico Military Institute
New Mexico Military Institute
New Mexico Military Institute is a state-supported educational institution. NMMI is located in Roswell, New Mexico, United States. It is sometimes referred to as the West Point of the West and it is the only state-supported military college located in the western United States. NMMI includes a...
due to contractual obligations with Jack FM nationally. However they broadcast all other Wrangler road games, except for the previously mentioned game against Clarendon College.
Midland Rockhounds on Jack FM
After a successful debut with basketball, Gap Broadcasting decided to move the 2009 Texas LeagueTexas League
The Texas League is a minor league baseball league which operates in the South Central United States. It is classified a Double-A league. The league was founded in 1888 and ran through 1892...
Oakland Athletics
Oakland Athletics
The Oakland Athletics are a Major League Baseball team based in Oakland, California. The Athletics are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. From to the present, the Athletics have played in the O.co Coliseum....
affiliate Midland Rockhounds
Midland RockHounds
The Midland RockHounds are a minor league baseball team based in Midland, Texas, USA. The team, which plays in the Texas League, is the Double-A affiliate of the Oakland Athletics major league club. The RockHounds play in Citibank Ballpark, located in Midland. Opened in 2002, the stadium seats...
radio network games to KFZX, a move which was criticized by some as News Talk 550 KCRS
KCRS (AM)
KCRS , commonly called Newstalk 550 KCRS, is a radio station broadcasting a News Talk Information format. Licensed to Midland, Texas, USA, the station serves the Odessa-Midland area. The station is currently owned by ICA Radio Midland-Odessa License, LLC and features programing from Fox News...
had been the broadcast home of the Midland franchise since their debut in 1972. Despite the move, the broadcasts would essentially remain the same. Bob Hards remains the play-by-play voice, a position he has currently held for 18 years, and sponsorships remain intact. Regular Jack FM broadcasts were not heard during the games, as the games were broadcast live with a pre-game usually 15 to 30 minutes before the opening pitch and then a post-game show, which usually lasted 10 to 20 minutes. The Jack FM feed resumed immediately after the post-game show. The contract lasted for one season, at which time the Rockhounds home games were moved to sister station KMRK.
Odessa Jackalopes on Jack FM
During the 2009 Texas High School baseball playoffs, TSRN (the Texas Sports Radio Network) asked Jack FM if they would be interested in broadcasting the OHS baseball team playoff games. They replied that they had no interest in broadcasting high school sports at this time, but they announced that there sports programming would continue to increase as they began broadcasting the 2009-2010 Odessa Jackalopes CHL Hockey games. This marked the first time that Jack FM didn't get a sports broadcast from a current contract, instead acquiring the Jackalopes contract from rival station KMCMKMCM
KMCM , branded as "KMCM 97 Gold Oldies", is a radio station that serves the Midland–Odessa metropolitan area with oldies by broadcasting the Classic Hits satellite feed from ABC Radio Networks...
. The broadcast rights also allowed them to take over the Monday night talk show Hockey Talk.