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KNIT (AM)
Encyclopedia
KNIT is a licensed but silent radio station].
, playing pop music
and jazz
. In 1958
, KGKO changed calls to KBOX and adopted a Top 40 format to compete with Gordon McLendon
's top-rated 1190 KLIF
. Future WABC
staple Dan Ingram
was an early voice on KBOX. Within a year, the station, known variously as "Wonderful K-Box in Dallas," "Big Top Radio," and "Tiger Radio," had rocketed from the bottom of the ratings to a near-tie with KLIF, and remained highly rated through the coming decade. K-Box was also notable for being the only radio station covering President John F. Kennedy
's motorcade live when he was assassinated
on November 22, 1963 (although KLIF was widely acclaimed for its later coverage of the President's death and the ensuing events, it was not broadcasting live from the motorcade route).
Group One Broadcasting of Texas acquired KBOX from Balaban Broadcasting in 1967 for $2 million dollars.
, KBOX changed direction and went to a country
format. The first song played on the new country KBOX was "I've Got a Tiger By the Tail
" by Buck Owens
(a nod to the station's former "Tiger Radio" moniker).
KPCN-730 AM was the first country station in the area, having started in 1962, but broadcast during the daytime only. KBOX quickly became the ratings leader for country music in Dallas. In its first ratings book, they moved from a 10.0 share Q3 1966 to a 12.1 share in Q1 1967.
KBOX-AM had six years of solid ratings, posting a high of 14.4 in the Q3 1967 book. In 1972, WBAP-AM began giving them stiff competition as a country-formatted 50 kilowatt powerhouse. WBAP gained listeners from KBOX.
In the year 1973, the Arbitron markets for Dallas and Fort Worth were combined into one book, to reflect the merging of the two cities into one metropolitan area. KBOX like other smaller stations were hurt by this redefinition. Some like KBOX did not even appear in the new ratings book. WBAP-AM became the clear country winner at that point, as KBOX barely reached the Ft. Worth half of the newly defined market.
In 1976, Group One applied for a nighttime power increase from 500 watts to 1 kilowatt. The Federal Communications Commission approved it. This gave them a less marginal signal, which is probably what allowed them to struggle into the 1980s providing a decidedly more local service to the Dallas area. But by 1980, FM radio was growing in dominance and their ability to compete with a music format was waning.
On November 14, 1982, the KBOX call letters were dropped by Group One. KBOX became KMEZ and switched from its country format to a simulcast of the easy listening
format of sister station KMEZ-FM (the former KBOX-FM and KTLC).
, KMEZ-AM broke away from the FM station to adopt a Business News/Talk format as KDBN. This was followed in 1991
by satellite-fed Adult Standards
from the Unistar radio network (later Westwood One
) as KCMZ.
Marcos Rodriguez purchased the station and changed the format to Banda
with call sign KMRT (1993-1998). Marcos Rodriguez picked the calls to connote the retailer K-Mart
and imply good value for advertisers. KMRT was first in America to air Banda with an automated Audio Server delivery.
Eventually the calls changed to KDXX (1998-2002), and KHCK-AM (1998-2005), a simulcast of Tejano
KHCK-FM "Kick FM" until the FM changed format to cumbia
music as KFZO
and the AM continued as a standalone Tejano station for a few months). The current KNIT calls and a Southern Gospel
format were adopted in March 2005 when it was briefly owned by Salem Communications
.
In June 2007, the station joined the Spanish language sports network ESPN Deportes, and it is the first ESPN Deportes station to be managed and operated by ESPN.http://www.hispanicbusiness.com/news/newsbyid.asp?id=69117 It is however reported that KZMP-AM
will pick up the ESPN Deportes format starting June 1, 2009; almost 2 years after the format was first aired in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. The Deportes format was dropped in August of 2009.
Wonderful K-Box
The station now known as KNIT signed on as KGKO in 19531953 in radio
The year 1953 saw a number of significant happenings in radio broadcasting history.-Events:*January 15: Harry Truman becomes the first US president to broadcast his farewell address on radio and television....
, playing pop music
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
. In 1958
1958 in radio
The year 1958 saw a number of significant events in radio broadcasting history.-Events:*24 February – In Cuba, Radio Rebelde, the radio station of Fidel Castro's rebels, begins broadcasting from Sierra Maestra....
, KGKO changed calls to KBOX and adopted a Top 40 format to compete with Gordon McLendon
Gordon McLendon
Gordon Barton McLendon was a radio pioneer and pirate radio broadcaster. He has been coined the Maverick of Radio. McLendon is widely credited for perfecting, with great commercial success, the Top 40 radio format during the 1950s and 1960s which was first invented by Todd Storz and for developing...
's top-rated 1190 KLIF
KLIF
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:...
. Future WABC
WABC (AM)
WABC , known as "NewsTalkRadio 77 WABC" is a radio station in New York City. Owned by the broadcasting division of Cumulus Media, the station broadcasts on a clear channel and is the flagship station of Cumulus Media Networks...
staple Dan Ingram
Dan Ingram
Daniel Trombley "Dan" Ingram is an American Top 40 radio disc jockey with a forty-year career on radio stations such as WABC and WCBS-FM in New York...
was an early voice on KBOX. Within a year, the station, known variously as "Wonderful K-Box in Dallas," "Big Top Radio," and "Tiger Radio," had rocketed from the bottom of the ratings to a near-tie with KLIF, and remained highly rated through the coming decade. K-Box was also notable for being the only radio station covering President John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
's motorcade live when he was assassinated
John F. Kennedy assassination
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the thirty-fifth President of the United States, was assassinated at 12:30 p.m. Central Standard Time on Friday, November 22, 1963, in Dealey Plaza, Dallas, Texas...
on November 22, 1963 (although KLIF was widely acclaimed for its later coverage of the President's death and the ensuing events, it was not broadcasting live from the motorcade route).
Group One Broadcasting of Texas acquired KBOX from Balaban Broadcasting in 1967 for $2 million dollars.
KBOX Goes Country
KBOX had never been able to defeat KLIF in the Top 40 arena, and so on January 24, 19671967 in radio
The year 1967 saw a number of significant happenings in radio broadcasting history.-Events:*Fall: St. Louis radio station KSHE flips from female-oriented rock to progressive rock, becoming the first progressive rock radio station in the US....
, KBOX changed direction and went to a country
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. The first song played on the new country KBOX was "I've Got a Tiger By the Tail
I've Got a Tiger By the Tail
"I've Got a Tiger By the Tail" is a song made famous by country music band Buck Owens and the Buckaroos. Released in December 1964, the song became one of Owens' signature songs and showcases of the Bakersfield sound in the genre.-About the song:...
" by Buck Owens
Buck Owens
Alvis Edgar Owens, Jr. , better known as Buck Owens, was an American singer and guitarist who had 21 No. 1 hits on the Billboard country music charts with his band, the Buckaroos...
(a nod to the station's former "Tiger Radio" moniker).
KPCN-730 AM was the first country station in the area, having started in 1962, but broadcast during the daytime only. KBOX quickly became the ratings leader for country music in Dallas. In its first ratings book, they moved from a 10.0 share Q3 1966 to a 12.1 share in Q1 1967.
KBOX-AM had six years of solid ratings, posting a high of 14.4 in the Q3 1967 book. In 1972, WBAP-AM began giving them stiff competition as a country-formatted 50 kilowatt powerhouse. WBAP gained listeners from KBOX.
In the year 1973, the Arbitron markets for Dallas and Fort Worth were combined into one book, to reflect the merging of the two cities into one metropolitan area. KBOX like other smaller stations were hurt by this redefinition. Some like KBOX did not even appear in the new ratings book. WBAP-AM became the clear country winner at that point, as KBOX barely reached the Ft. Worth half of the newly defined market.
In 1976, Group One applied for a nighttime power increase from 500 watts to 1 kilowatt. The Federal Communications Commission approved it. This gave them a less marginal signal, which is probably what allowed them to struggle into the 1980s providing a decidedly more local service to the Dallas area. But by 1980, FM radio was growing in dominance and their ability to compete with a music format was waning.
On November 14, 1982, the KBOX call letters were dropped by Group One. KBOX became KMEZ and switched from its country format to a simulcast of the easy listening
Easy listening
Easy listening is a broad style of popular music and radio format that emerged in the 1950s, evolving out of big band music, and related to MOR music as played on many AM radio stations. It encompasses the exotica, beautiful music, light music, lounge music, ambient music, and space age pop genres...
format of sister station KMEZ-FM (the former KBOX-FM and KTLC).
Into the 1990s and 2000s: More Changes
In 19891989 in radio
The year 1989 saw a number of significant events in radio broadcasting.-Events:*KMEZ breaks away from its FM sister station to adopt a business-oriented news/talk format as KDBN.*ABC Radio has acquired Satellite Music Network...
, KMEZ-AM broke away from the FM station to adopt a Business News/Talk format as KDBN. This was followed in 1991
1991 in radio
The year 1991 in radio involved some significant events.-Events:* January 18 - Brian Beirne became one of the few celebrities from radio to get a "star" on the Hollywood Walk of Fame....
by satellite-fed Adult Standards
Adult standards
Adult standards is a North American radio format heard primarily on AM or class A FM stations.Adult standards is aimed at "mature" adults, meaning mainly those persons over 50 years of age, but it is mostly targeted for senior citizens...
from the Unistar radio network (later Westwood One
Westwood One
Westwood One was an American radio network and was based in New York City. At one time, it was managed by CBS Radio, the radio arm of CBS Corporation, and Viacom and was later purchased by the private equity firm The Gores Group...
) as KCMZ.
Marcos Rodriguez purchased the station and changed the format to Banda
Banda music
Banda is a brass-based form of traditional music. Bandas play a wide variety of songs, including rancheras, corridos, cumbias, baladas, and boleros. Bandas are most widely known for their rancheras, but they also play modern Mexican pop, rock, and cumbias...
with call sign KMRT (1993-1998). Marcos Rodriguez picked the calls to connote the retailer K-Mart
Kmart
Kmart, sometimes styled as "K-Mart," is a chain of discount department stores. The chain acquired Sears in 2005, forming a new corporation under the name Sears Holdings Corporation. The company was founded in 1962 and is the third largest discount store chain in the world, behind Wal-Mart and...
and imply good value for advertisers. KMRT was first in America to air Banda with an automated Audio Server delivery.
Eventually the calls changed to KDXX (1998-2002), and KHCK-AM (1998-2005), a simulcast of Tejano
Tejano
Tejano or Texano is a term used to identify a Texan of Mexican heritage.Historically, the Spanish term Tejano has been used to identify different groups of people...
KHCK-FM "Kick FM" until the FM changed format to cumbia
Cumbia
Cumbia is a music genre popular across Latin America. The cumbia originated in the Caribbean coast of Colombia, where it is associated with an eponymous dance and has since spread as far as Mexico and Argentina...
music as KFZO
KFZO
KFZO , branded as "La Jefa 99.1", is a Regional Mexican formatted radio station. This station serves the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex, and is owned and operated by Univision Radio.-History:...
and the AM continued as a standalone Tejano station for a few months). The current KNIT calls and a Southern Gospel
Southern Gospel
Southern Gospel music—at one time also known as "quartet music"—is music whose lyrics are written to express either personal or a communal faith regarding biblical teachings and Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music...
format were adopted in March 2005 when it was briefly owned by Salem Communications
Salem Communications
Salem Communications is a U.S. radio broadcaster, Internet content provider, and magazine and book publisher specializing in evangelical Christian and conservative political talk radio. It owns 99 commercial radio stations, 65 of which are in the top 25 markets. Salem is the fifth largest U.S....
.
KZMP (AM)
KZMP is a radio station that serves the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. It is owned by Liberman Broadcasting however it is managed and operated by The Walt Disney Company's ESPN under a local marketing agreement.-History:...
will pick up the ESPN Deportes format starting June 1, 2009; almost 2 years after the format was first aired in the Dallas/Fort Worth area. The Deportes format was dropped in August of 2009.