KBBT (98.5
FM, "98.5 The Beat") is a
rhythmic contemporary
Rhythmic contemporary, also known as Rhythmic Top 40, Rhythmic CHR or rhythmic crossover, is a primarily American music-radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip hop and upbeat R&B hits. Rhythmic contemporary never uses ...
radio station
Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radio ...
serving the
San Antonio, Texas
("Cradle of Freedom")
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, map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = United States
, subdivision_type1= State
, subdivision_name1 = Texas
, subdivision_t ...
area, but is licensed to
Schertz
Schertz ( ) is a city in Guadalupe, Bexar, and Comal counties in the U.S. state of Texas, within the metropolitan area. The population was 42,002 at the 2020 census, up from 31,465 at the 2010 census. Schertz was settled by Alsatian emigrants ...
. This station is owned by
Uforia Audio Network
Uforia Audio Network () is the radio broadcasting and music events division of TelevisaUnivision USA. Formerly known as Hispanic Broadcasting Corporation and Univision Radio, it is the eighth-largest radio broadcaster in the United States, and ...
under licensee Univision Radio Illinois, Inc. The station's studios are located in Northwest San Antonio and the transmitter site located in the unincorporated
Bexar County
Bexar County ( or ; es, Béxar ) is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. It is in South Texas and its county seat is San Antonio.
As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,009,324. Bexar County is included in the San Antonio–New Bra ...
near Government Canyon Park.
Station history
KBBT originally launched as country outlet KBOP-FM at 98.3 and licensed to Pleasanton, Texas, in 1968. They later changed call letters to KBUC in 1993 but kept the Country format intact. In 1998 Univision, seeking to tap into a unique Hispanic audience that was non-Spanish speaking, very contemporary and influenced by present-day trends, acquired KBUC and applied for a city of license change to Schertz and a frequency switch to 98.5 to cover the San Antonio Metropolitan area, which was approved in early April 2000.
On September 29, 2000, Univision officially launched KBBT, the company's first non-Spanish formatted outlet in San Antonio (outside of bilingual-speaking
Tejano
Tejanos (, ; singular: ''Tejano/a''; Spanish for "Texan", originally borrowed from the Caddo ''tayshas'') are the residents of the state of Texas who are culturally descended from the Mexican population of Tejas and Coahuila that lived in the ...
sister station
KXTN-FM
KVBH (107.5 FM) is a commercial radio station in San Antonio, Texas. The station is owned by Univision and it airs a rhythmic adult contemporary radio format. Studios and offices are located on Network Boulevard in Northwest San Antonio. The trans ...
and later on, Active Rock turned Top 40
KLTO), where it shot up to number one in the ratings and has retained that position since its inception. From the beginning, KBBT's musical formula, which started under its first program director J. D. Gonzalez, has centered on Hip-Hop/R&B hits, tailor-made for San Antonio, and in particular its large mix of teens, females, young adults, and bilingual Hispanic audiences. This formula has also served as the catalyst for the demise of the first
KTFM
KTFM (94.1 FM, "San Antonio's Sports Star: ESPN AM 1250 and 94.1 FM") is a radio station serving the San Antonio area. The Alpha Media outlet operates with an effective radiated power of 10.5 kw and its city of license is Floresville, Texas. ...
, and later on,
KCJZ/KPWT. Another defunct station, KSJL-FM, played hip-hop and R&B under the urban contemporary format throughout the 1990s until it switched frequencies in 1998 and took a more adult direction as KSJL-AM.
In 2010, KBBT phased in Rhythmic pop tracks, but at the same time continued to stick to its hip-hop/R&B formula as it faces competition from Top 40/CHR rivals
KXXM
KXXM (96.1 FM, "96.1 NOW") is a Top 40 (CHR) station based in San Antonio, Texas, owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. Its studios are located in the Stone Oak neighborhood in Far North San Antonio, and the transmitter site is in Frederich Wilderness Pa ...
and a new version of
KTFM
KTFM (94.1 FM, "San Antonio's Sports Star: ESPN AM 1250 and 94.1 FM") is a radio station serving the San Antonio area. The Alpha Media outlet operates with an effective radiated power of 10.5 kw and its city of license is Floresville, Texas. ...
. It also embraced
EDM
EDM or E-DM may refer to:
Music
* Electronic dance music
* Early Day Miners, American band
Science and technology
* Electric dipole moment
* Electrical discharge machining
* Electronic distance measurement
*Entry, Descent, and landing demonstrat ...
as well, launching a weekly program that aired late Saturday nights/Sunday mornings.
Morning shows
Before 2002, KBBT had a morning show involving Danny B, Rude Dogg and others. In 2002, KBBT launched ''The Morning Mess'', hosted by Xavier 'The Freakin' Rican' Garcia, Castro and Biggie Paul. The show was renamed to ''Xavier's World'' around 2008.
On October 20, 2015, ''Xavier's World Morning Show'' was taken off the air due to corporate-wide budget cuts, ending their 13-year run. On November 9, 2015, a new morning show debuted on KBBT titled ''The Dana Cortez Show'', hosted by Dana Cortez and Anthony A. On August 20, 2018, the show moved to rival
KTFM
KTFM (94.1 FM, "San Antonio's Sports Star: ESPN AM 1250 and 94.1 FM") is a radio station serving the San Antonio area. The Alpha Media outlet operates with an effective radiated power of 10.5 kw and its city of license is Floresville, Texas. ...
; on August 23, KBBT became the San Antonio affiliate of the syndicated
Breakfast Club. The show would be dropped on August 3, 2020; after a period of mornings running jockless, KBBT added ''Wake Up with Rico & Carmen'', hosted by Raul 'Rico' Colindres and his alter-ego Carmen (the voice behind the syndicated feature "Carmen's Calls"), in January 2021. The show was dropped in September 2021; in January 2022, ''The Dana Cortez Show'' returned to mornings.
Morning Shows on KBBT
*Danny B and others in the morning, (2000-2002)
*The Morning Mess, later renamed to The Xavier's World Morning Show (2002-2015) (moved to
KVBH
KVBH (107.5 FM) is a commercial radio station in San Antonio, Texas. The station is owned by Univision and it airs a rhythmic adult contemporary radio format. Studios and offices are located on Network Boulevard in Northwest San Antonio. The trans ...
)
*The Dana Cortez Show (2015-2018) (moved to
KTFM
KTFM (94.1 FM, "San Antonio's Sports Star: ESPN AM 1250 and 94.1 FM") is a radio station serving the San Antonio area. The Alpha Media outlet operates with an effective radiated power of 10.5 kw and its city of license is Floresville, Texas. ...
)
*The Breakfast Club (2018-2020)
*Wake Up with Rico & Carmen (2021–2022)
*The Dana Cortez Show (2022–present)
Current On-Air Staff
*Val Santos (formerly from
KPEZ
KPEZ (102.3 FM "102.3 The Beat") is a commercial radio station in Austin, Texas. It is owned by iHeartMedia and airs a rhythmic contemporary radio format. It shares studios with four other iHeart stations in the Penn Field complex in the So ...
)
*Hamm "Hammburger" (Music Director / DJ)
Former On-Air Staff
*Danny B
*Xavier Castro (now at
KVBH
KVBH (107.5 FM) is a commercial radio station in San Antonio, Texas. The station is owned by Univision and it airs a rhythmic adult contemporary radio format. Studios and offices are located on Network Boulevard in Northwest San Antonio. The trans ...
)
*Biggie Paul
*Rude Dogg
*Lady K
*Romeo
Tejano Nation
*Dionna in La Manana
*Valencia
*Robbie Rob
*Anthony Almanzar (now at
KTFM
KTFM (94.1 FM, "San Antonio's Sports Star: ESPN AM 1250 and 94.1 FM") is a radio station serving the San Antonio area. The Alpha Media outlet operates with an effective radiated power of 10.5 kw and its city of license is Floresville, Texas. ...
)
*Brandi Garcia
*DJ Ocean
KBBT-HD2
In 2008, KBBT-HD2 simulcasted KLTO-FM (
now KZAR) broadcasting an active rock format on 97.7.
In early 2011, KLTO changed the format to a Top 40/Dance station, branded as "Party 97.7".
This would last until KZAR was sold in the latter half of 2011, then KBBT HD2 went dark and hasn't returned.
References
External links
98.5 The Beat
{{coord, 29.524, N, 98.724, W, type:landmark_region:US_source:FCC, display=title
BBT
Rhythmic contemporary radio stations in the United States
Univision Radio Network stations
Radio stations established in 1980