KRBE-FM
Encyclopedia
KRBE is a Top 40 (CHR)
Contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts...
radio station based in Houston, 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...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The studios located in Suite 700 of the Chase
Chase (bank)
JPMorgan Chase Bank, N.A., doing business as Chase, is a national bank that constitutes the consumer and commercial banking subsidiary of financial services firm JPMorgan Chase. The bank was known as Chase Manhattan Bank until it merged with J.P. Morgan & Co. in 2000...
building at 9801 Westheimer Road
Westheimer Road
Westheimer Road is an arterial road in the western half of Houston, Texas, United States. It runs from Bagby Street west to the Westpark Tollway. Westheimer Road runs roughly parallel to and south of Buffalo Bayou throughout its course. The street was named after Michael Louis Westheimer, a...
in the Westchase District in western Houston. The transmitter facilities located in Missouri City
Missouri City, Texas
Missouri City is a city located in the U.S. state of Texas within the metropolitan area. The city is mostly in Fort Bend County with a small portion within Harris County. As of the 2000 U.S...
. The call letters are a reference to the station's former studio location on Kirby Drive, but were at one point expanded to mean "the Keys to Radio Broadcast Excellence." KRBE is owned and operated by Cumulus Media
Cumulus Media
Cumulus Media, Inc. is the second largest Owner and Operator of AM and FM radio stations in the United States, behind Clear Channel Communications, operating 570 stations in 150 markets as of September 16, 2011. The company also owns Cumulus Media Networks...
.
Early days
At 6pm, November 8, 1959, KRBE signed on at 104.1 FM as a classical station and continued as such into the late 1960s when it flipped for the first time to top 40. The call letters are from the acronym "Key to Radio Broadcast Excellence."KRBE Beats KILT & Flips Houston to FM
In the mid 1970s 104 KRBE took on the moniker of "Bump & Boogie" and developed a danceable Rock 40 format. The studios were located on Kirby Lane above the ACCA recording studios. It was a General Cinema Corporation (GCC) station. Bob Fauser (Sales Manager WNBC NYC) became the General Manager. Clay Gish became the program director and launched a legendary run. Mike Krehel (KSAQ San Antonio & KBEQ Kansas City) became the Chief Engineer during that time and gave KRBE its "Flame Thrower" Signature Sound. 104 KRBE's disc jockeys during the mid to late 1970s included, Kenny Miles "Miles in the Morning", Matt "The Man the Mighty" Quinn (KILT & KCBQ during the Last Contest), Roger W.W.W. Garrett, July 12, 1972- early 1980s(currently at KORA in Bryan, Tx), Dwight "Shotgun" Cook(now at Soundworks.com), The Original Rock'n Roll Wizard (Ron Haney now in El Paso), Tom Rivers(Tom Yarbrough now at Tom Yarbrough Productions). During this period 104 KRBE became the first American FM top-40 station in a Super Market to flip the market from "am" to "fm" beating the legendary McLendon KILT 12+ in Arbitron. KRBE was ranked "station of the year" by Bobby Poe magazine. 104 KRBE moved from Kirby Lane to showcase state-of-the-art studios in the Caldwell Banker Building overlooked loop 610 at Westheimer across from the Galleria Mall. 104 KRBE was purchased by Lake Huron Broadcasting.In the late 1970s, KRBE billed itself under one of two nicknames, "Super Rock 104 KRBE" or "Houston's Super Rock", playing a mixture of top 40 and rock hits. Disc jockeys included Barry Kaye (KILT & KHJ), CC McCartney, Roger W.W.W. Garrett, Matt "The Man the Mighty" Quinn, Catfish (Jim Prewitt), Jon Kelly(Jeff Low currently a paramedic in Katy), Dayna Steele (now a speaker and author at www.daynasteele.com) and Bunny Taylor (KRBE's first female DJ who is now an artist living in Pasadena, California using her real name, Faith Taylor). In 1981, KRBE flipped to an Adult Contemporary format as "FM 104 KRBE".
Rivalry with KKBQ
In late 1982 top 40/KKBQ AM (which had signed on in July of that year) moved to FM with great success. To counter KKBQ in the Arbitron ratings books, KRBE relaunched as "Hot Hits 104 KRBE" with a contemporary hits radio (CHR) format in the mid-summer of 1985. Not too long after, KRBE dropped the "Hot Hits" slogan to become "Power" 104. Both stations remained head to head throughout the remainder of the 1980s. In November 1986, Dallas-based Susquehanna Radio purchased KRBE as well as another Houston station broadcasting at 1070 AM, now known as KNTH.In 1987, KRBE took a lean towards a dance friendly/top 40 format with evening weekend studio mixshows, from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m, known as "The Friday & Saturday Night Power Mix". KKBQ matched it with its own mixshows aptly titled "Club 93Q". By the end of 1987, DJ Scott Sparks had been hired from Y-95 in Dallas to prop up the night show with a Dance/Pop heavy sound. The new dance lean had built so much momentum that KRBE had to top 93Q again and it did on the night of January 9, 1988 when it launched "The Saturday Night Power Mix Live from The Ocean Club , which was billed as Houston's first live four-hour (and later, six-hour) mixshow from a nightclub. On Sunday May 29, 1988, KKBQ launched its first live nightclub broadcast "93Q Live On The Cutting Edge" from Club 6400, a club that played a mix of industrial, new wave and goth music; no top 40 was allowed. While KRBE's show was a little more radio friendly, it was first to play some of the music 6400 was spinning, and turned out to be an instant success.
KRBE responded to KKBQ's 6400 Sunday nights with an in-studio mixshow called "Sunday Night Power Tracks", that specialized in "rare and obscure" imported dance music, mixed by the Ocean Club's Tim Flanigan.
"Hits Without the Hype"
KRBE and KKBQ continued their top 40 rivalry (including mix-shows from various Houston nightclubs) until 1991, when the top 40 format was showing signs of wear. Under Program Director Steve Wyrostok, who was recruited from Susquehanna Radio sister station WAPW "Power 99" in Atlanta, KRBE stripped to a generic "no frills" top 40 format, in which the station dropped "lazer fx" sound effects, and did away with voice announcers. In addition, DJs were asked to stop screaming and rapHip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
was pulled from its playlists. Even the "POWER" moniker of the 1980s era was gone.
KRBE was rebranded as 104 KRBE "Hits Without the Hype", using liners like "No Rap, No Screaming DJs". KKBQ remained on its same course for a short time after but eventually flipped to an "easy country" format on September 19, 1991, after a brief period in which it programmed a rock-oriented top 40 mix as a stunt.
"the Beat"
Despite its new "no frills" approach, KRBE continued to offer dance music through its live club mixshows with the launch of "the Beat" started by DJ Rich, which aired from 1994–2002 and was mixed by some of the top local DJs in the Houston area, such as DJ Rich (now DJ RIDDLERDJ Riddler
DJ Riddler is a Filipino-American dance DJ, Producer, Remixer on the air in New York City WKTU 103.5FM, WHTZ 100.3FM and on KKHH "Hot 95.7 FM" in Houston. He became the First Asian-American Mixshow DJ to be on Commercial radio in Houston, Austin, San Antonio, and New York City...
), and DJ Mark D (Delange). The mixshows were broadcast from premier nightclub venues in Houston such as Shelter from 1994 to 1995, Kaboom from 1995 to 1996, and The Roxy from 1996 until its last broadcast in 2002. "the Beat" enabled KRBE to gain a worldwide audience when the station began streaming the on-air audio through its website in the late 1990s, thus billing itself "The World Famous 104 KRBE". The name "the Beat" was chosen to derail 106.5 KQQK's widely-speculated plans to change format from Regional Mexican to Top 40 as "106.5 the Beat", which would have put them in direct competition with KRBE. (It is also speculated KRBE used the "Wild" and "Channel" monikers on its Friday night mixshows for the same reason)
"The New Music Zone"
From 1992-1994, the station aired "The New Music Zone", an alternative music show that typically aired weeknights from 7 p.m. to midnight. In the mid-1990s, around 1995-1996, the station's playlist as a whole had a pronounced alternative lean, but it eventually drifted back towards mainstream CHR. In 1996, program director Tom Poleman and air talents Paul "Cubby" BryantCubby Bryant
Paul "Cubby" Bryant is a radio personality, currently working as the morning host at WKTU in New York City 106.7 The Beat Of Detroit WDTW and as of Monday, September 12th, 2011 he can be heard weekday afternoons on Movin' 107.7 WMOV-FM in Norfolk/ Virginia Beach, VA...
and Ryan Chase left KRBE for similar positions with CHR/pop Z100 WHTZ New York, which had also leaned in an alternative direction for a time. Ryan Chase would eventually come back to KRBE ten years later.
KRBE today
On October 31, 2005, Susquehanna announced it had reached an agreement to sell its radio assets, including KRBE, to a partnership including Cumulus Media (which also owns Houston radio stations KIOL-FM (103.7) and KFNC-FM (97.5)) as well as Bain Capital, Blackstone Group and Thomas H. Lee Partners. The deal was expected to be completed in the first half of 2006. After the purchase, KRBE quietly changed its logo from "104 KRBE" to "104.1 KRBE", a technically more accurate description of the station.KRBE has evolved to an adult-oriented Top 40
Contemporary hit radio
Contemporary hit radio is a radio format that is common in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top 40 music charts...
(similar to co-owned station WWWQ in Atlanta) under Cumulus ownership. In late January 2006, KRBE launched its digital HD
High-definition television
High-definition television is video that has resolution substantially higher than that of traditional television systems . HDTV has one or two million pixels per frame, roughly five times that of SD...
signal. Its HD2 signal began simulcasting sister KHJK in late 2007. The HD3 signal is still undetermined, but it's speculated to be either a Contemporary Christian station or an Urban Contemporary station.
Morning show shake-up
On July 7, 2006, morning radio show personalities Atom Smasher and Maria Todd were let go immediately following the Friday show. Cumulus Media said it was taking the morning show (as well as the station) in a new direction and needed a show that widely appealed to the entire Houston market and a team that knew the city and its people. The same day, longtime DJ Scott Sparks exited KRBE after nearly 20 years to begin mornings at classic hits station KLDE (now KGLK) (107.5 FM), reuniting Sparks with former KRBE program director and morning show DJ Paul Christy. Atom Smasher is now at CHUM-FMCHUM-FM
CHUM-FM is a Canadian radio station licensed to Toronto, Ontario and operated by Bell Media. It broadcasts at 104.5 MHz with a hot adult contemporary format that leans towards rhythmic adult contemporary...
in Toronto, Ontario. Maria Todd moved to do the morning show, 5-9:30am, at KMVQ a rhythmic station in San Francisco, but as of February 22, 2010, Maria moved back to Houston for a morning show with KHMX "Mix 965" with KKHH "Hot 957's" Brad Booker, who had been previously been doing a morning show Hot 95.7.
On July 13, 2006, it was announced that "The Roula and Ryan Show", which previously aired on hot adult contemporary rival KHMX
KHMX-FM
KHMX , is an Adult Top 40 music formatted radio station in Houston, Texas, United States. Its transmitter is located in nearby Missouri City, Texas. The station was acquired by CBS Radio from Clear Channel Communications on April 1, 2009.-Call frequency history:KXYZ-FM first signed on February 1,...
, would return to Houston airwaves on KRBE. The team, which relaunched their show on July 24, 2006, is Roula Christie and Ryan Chase, the latter of whom returned to KRBE after a ten-year absence, along with Eric Rowe, who goes by the name "Producer Eric". Ironically, Roula also returned to KRBE after a six-year absence. She was paired with the aforementioned Atom Smasher from 1998-2000 on the 6-10pm shift.
Competitors
KRBE has spawned numerous competitors over the years. Currently, its main competitors are CBS RadioCBS 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...
's rhythmic contemporary
Rhythmic Contemporary
Rhythmic contemporary, also known as rhythmic top 40, rhythmic contemporary hit radio or rhythmic crossover, is a music radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip-hop and R&B hits. Rhythmic contemporary rarely uses rock music or country music in its airplay, but it may...
KKHH HOT 95-7 and adult top 40 KHMX
KHMX-FM
KHMX , is an Adult Top 40 music formatted radio station in Houston, Texas, United States. Its transmitter is located in nearby Missouri City, Texas. The station was acquired by CBS Radio from Clear Channel Communications on April 1, 2009.-Call frequency history:KXYZ-FM first signed on February 1,...
Mix 96.5. Other competitor is Urban
Urban contemporary
Urban contemporary is a music radio format. The term was coined by the late New York DJ Frankie Crocker in the mid 1970s. Urban contemporary radio stations feature a playlist made up entirely of hip hop/rap, contemporary R&B, pop, electronica such as dubstep and drum and bass and Caribbean music...
KBXX 97-9 The Box, and Modern Rock
Modern rock
Modern rock is a rock format commonly found on commercial radio; the format consists primarily of the alternative rock genre...
KTBZ
KTBZ-FM
KTBZ-FM, also known as 94.5 The Buzz, is an alternative rock radio station licensed to Houston, Texas with studios located in Houston at 2000 West Loop South, Suite 300, and with transmitter facilities located in Missouri City, Texas.- History :...
94.5 The Buzz to a lesser extent.
Moniker history
- Super Rock 104 KRBE (mid 1970s)
- 104 KRBE (late 1970s)
- FM 104 KRBE (1980–1985)
- Hot Hits 104 KRBE (1985)
- Power 104 KRBE (1986–1991)
- Club 104 KRBE (1991)
- 104 KRBE (1991–1999)
- Station 104 KRBE (1999–2001)
- 104 KRBE (2001–2006)
- 104.1 KRBE (2006–present)
Former Personalities & DJs
- Mornings
- Kenny Miles (Miles in the Morning)
- Weaver Morrow
- Roger W. W. W. Garrett (Currently Program Director at KORAKoraKora may refer to:* Kora , a stringed musical instrument of West African origin* Kora , a New Zealand reggae band** Kora , Kora album released in 2007* Kora , a type of pilgrimage in the Buddhist tradition...
/Bryan, Texas) - Tom Rivers (currently in the Virgin Islands) Tom Yarbrough Productions &WVIQWVIQWVIQ is a radio station licensed to serve Christiansted, U. S. Virgin Islands. The station is owned by JKC Communications of the Virgin Islands, Inc...
& WMNGWMNGWMNG is a radio station licensed to serve Christiansted, U.S. Virgin Islands. The station is owned by Clara Communications Corporation. It airs a classic hits music format....
) - Paul Christy (Previously at KRBE-AMKNTHKNTH AM is a news/talk radio station serving the Houston, Texas metropolitan area. It is owned by Salem Communications....
, later KHMX, KLDE/KHTC, currently at Retro Top40 networks) - (Dates unknown - 1987-1988) - Debbie Somers (co-host 1987-1988)
- Glenn BeckGlenn BeckGlenn Edward Lee Beck is an American conservative radio host, vlogger, author, entrepreneur, political commentator and former television host. He hosts the Glenn Beck Program, a nationally syndicated talk-radio show that airs throughout the United States on Premiere Radio Networks...
and Clydie Clyde (1988–1990) - Mark Waldi (1985–1991) Nights, Afternoons, Mornings.
- The Barsky Show, with Paul BarskyPaul BarskyPaul Barsky was a Philadelphia, Pennsylvania talk radio personality. Last featured on WYSP, Barsky has previously been a fixture on other Philadelphia radio stations, including the now defunct Y100....
- September 23, 1991 - March 15, 1993 - Sam Malone and the Morning Show, with Maria Todd and Psycho Robbie - March 31, 1993 - September 8, 2004
- Sam Malone and the Morning Show, with Maria Todd and Johnny Bravo - September 9, 2004 - March 4, 2005
- Atom Smasher and Maria Todd in the Morning, with Johnny Bravo and Josh Reno - March 28, 2005 - July 7, 2006
- Middays
- Mark Waldi (currently at KRSP)
- Chris Kelly
- Matt "The Mighty" Quinn
- Jon Kelly
- Ernie Brown (currently with America's Radio News Network)
- Eric Leikam (currently at KGSR/Austin)
- Lori Bradley (currently at WMVX/Cleveland)
- Larry Davis (currently at KBIG Los Angeles) 1995-1999
- Michele Fisher (currently at Cox Radio Houston, on KKBQ & KHPT) September 2, 1992 - June 21, 2005
- Scott Sparks (currently on KGLK) October 4, 1987 - July 7, 2006
- Nights
- Shotgun Cook (currently at Soundworks, Houston) (1970–1977)
- CC McCartney
- The Catfish
- Dayna Steele (1979–1981)
- Bunny Taylor (currently and artist "Faith Taylor" living in Pasadena, CA)
- Mark Waldi (1985–1986)
- Kimberly Fullilove aka "Kasi Love" (1986- d.1988)
- Elvis DuranElvis DuranElvis Duran is the host of the Elvis Duran and the Morning Show in New York on Z100 and in syndication on Premiere Radio Networks.Duran's show is now heard live in over 40 markets including New York, Philadelphia, Miami, Cleveland, Tampa, Syracuse, Atlanta, & Des Moines.Before his current job at...
(1986–1988)(currently at WHTZWHTZWHTZ — branded Z100 — is a commercial pop/contemporary hit radio radio station licensed to Newark, New Jersey serving the New York metropolitan area. The station is currently owned by Clear Channel Communications...
/Newark) - Robert O'Quinn
- Craig Chambers
- Chuck Contreras
- Susie Wad (1989–1990)
- Adam Cook (New Music Zone)
- Ryan Chase (New Music Zone)
- Paul "Cubby" Bryant (1990–1996)
- Larry Davis (1995–1999) (currently at Studio Center and KBIG, Los Angeles)
- Atom Smasher (currently at CHUM-FMCHUM-FMCHUM-FM is a Canadian radio station licensed to Toronto, Ontario and operated by Bell Media. It broadcasts at 104.5 MHz with a hot adult contemporary format that leans towards rhythmic adult contemporary...
in Toronto, Ontario) and Roula Christie - November 18, 1998 - October 24, 2003 - Joel Davis (1989–1993)
- Overnights
- Steve Vidal
- Jennifer Wyld
- Dave Andrews (1988–1989) now known as Outlaw Dave (recently of KLOL & KIOL, now at KPRCKPRC (AM)KPRC is a talk radio station in Houston, Texas, branded as "The 950 - Radio MOJO". Started in 1925, it is the oldest station in the market...
) - John Leach
- Brian Christopher (national voiceover talent BC Audioboy Soundworks / BC KRBE Legal ID)
- Louis Cruise (formerly of KHMX)
- Past Mixshow DJs
- Tim Flanigan (former Ocean Club DJ, in Mount Isa, Australia)
- DJ Rich (now DJ RiddlerDJ RiddlerDJ Riddler is a Filipino-American dance DJ, Producer, Remixer on the air in New York City WKTU 103.5FM, WHTZ 100.3FM and on KKHH "Hot 95.7 FM" in Houston. He became the First Asian-American Mixshow DJ to be on Commercial radio in Houston, Austin, San Antonio, and New York City...
currently at KKHH and at Sirius Satellite RadioSirius Satellite RadioSirius Satellite Radio is a satellite radio service operating in North America, owned by Sirius XM Radio.Headquartered in New York City, with smaller studios in Los Angeles and Memphis, Sirius was officially launched on July 1, 2002 and currently provides 69 streams of music and 65 streams of...
) - Mark D (currently spinning at Rich's nightclub and produces mixes for XM Satellite Radio's BPM Channel 81
- DJ Penetrate (2006–2010, currently spinning for KKHH)