KGBT (1530
kHz
The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose expression in terms of SI base units is s−1, meaning that on ...
, "TUDN Radio McAllen 1530 AM") is a
Spanish-language
Spanish ( or , Castilian) is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European language family that evolved from colloquial Latin spoken on the Iberian peninsula. Today, it is a world language, global language with more than 500 millio ...
AM 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 ...
,
licensed
A license (or licence) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit).
A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another party (licensee) as an element of an agreeme ...
to
Harlingen, Texas
Harlingen ( ) is a city in Cameron County in the central region of the Rio Grande Valley of the southern part of the U.S. state of Texas, about from the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. The city covers more than and is the second-largest city in ...
, and serving the
Rio Grande Valley
The Lower Rio Grande Valley ( es, Valle del Río Grande), commonly known as the Rio Grande Valley or locally as the Valley or RGV, is a region spanning the border of Texas and Mexico located in a floodplain of the Rio Grande near its mouth. Th ...
border area. It is owned by Latino Media Network and airs a
sports radio
Sports radio (or sports talk radio) is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcasting of sporting events. A widespread programming genre that has a narrow audience appeal, sports radio is characterized by an often- boisterous on-ai ...
format
Format may refer to:
Printing and visual media
* Text formatting, the typesetting of text elements
* Paper formats, or paper size standards
* Newspaper format, the size of the paper page
Computing
* File format, particular way that informatio ...
, supplied by the
TUDN Radio
TUDN Radio (formerly Univision Deportes Radio) is a U.S. Spanish-language sports radio network operated by Uforia Audio Network, a division of TelevisaUnivision. It launched on March 15, 2017 on ten AM and FM radio stations, most of which previ ...
Network.
By day, KGBT is powered at 50,000
watt
The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named after James Wa ...
s
non-directional, the maximum for American commercial AM radio stations. But
1530 AM is a
clear channel frequency reserved for
KFBK Sacramento
)
, image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg
, mapsize = 250x200px
, map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...
and
WCKY Cincinnati
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...
. So to avoid interference, KGBT reduces power at night to 10,000 watts. After sunset and during
critical hours Critical hours for radio stations is the time from sunrise to two hours after sunrise, and from two hours before sunset until sunset, local time. During this time, certain American radio stations may be operating with reduced power as a result of S ...
, it uses a
directional antenna
A directional antenna or beam antenna is an antenna which radiates or receives greater power in specific directions allowing increased performance and reduced interference from unwanted sources. Directional antennas provide increased performance ...
with a six-
tower array
A tower array is an arrangement of multiple radio towers which are mast radiators in a phased array. They were originally developed as ground-based tracking radars. Tower arrays can consist of free-standing or guyed towers or a mix of them. Tower a ...
. The
transmitter
In electronics and telecommunications, a radio transmitter or just transmitter is an electronic device which produces radio waves with an antenna (radio), antenna. The transmitter itself generates a radio frequency alternating current, which i ...
is on Route 491 in Stockholm, Texas.
History
Early years of KGBS and KSOX
In 1941, McHenry Tichenor, former publisher of the ''
Valley Morning Star
The ''Valley Morning Star'', established in 1909 as the ''Harlingen Star'', is an American newspaper published in Harlingen in the U.S. state of Texas. In 1938, ''The New York Times'' reported on a printer's strike at the newspaper that was organ ...
'' newspaper, broke ground on a new radio station at a site known as Harbenito, between Harlingen and
San Benito. The "Harbenito station", KGBS on 1240 kHz,
signed on
Signing may refer to:
* Using sign language
* Signature
A signature (; from la, signare, "to sign") is a handwritten (and often stylized) depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on do ...
the air at dawn on August 20, 1941. It was the third radio station in the Valley. The station obtained a
CBS radio
CBS Radio was a radio broadcasting company and radio network operator owned by CBS Corporation and founded in 1928, with consolidated radio station groups owned by CBS and Westinghouse Broadcasting/Group W since the 1920s, and Infinity Broadc ...
affiliation in 1943, just two years after signing on.
Meanwhile, after several years of protests from the
1530 AM station in
Cincinnati
Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...
, the FCC approved the application of
Roy Hofheinz
Roy Mark Hofheinz (April 10, 1912 – November 22, 1982), popularly known as Judge Hofheinz or "The Judge", was a Texas state representative from 1934 to 1936, county judge of Harris County, Texas from 1936 to 1944, and mayor of the city ...
to build a new station in Harlingen. The city would become the smallest in the country to host a 50,000-watt radio station, which finally went on air on December 1, 1951. KSOX was a
Mutual Broadcasting System
The Mutual Broadcasting System (commonly referred to simply as Mutual; sometimes referred to as MBS, Mutual Radio or the Mutual Radio Network) was an American commercial radio network in operation from 1934 to 1999. In the Old-time radio, golden ...
affiliate. Three thousand residents attended the station's open house to see a modern studio facility, a scaled-down version of his
KTHT
KTHT (97.1 FM "Country Legends 97.1") is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland, Texas, and serves the northern section of Greater Houston. The station airs a classic country radio format and is owned by Cox Radio, along with KGLK, K ...
in
Houston
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
.
KGBS moves to 1530 and becomes KGBT
Two years later, effective September 1, 1953, KGBS bought the KSOX facilities and moved its entire intellectual unit there, including its
CBS Radio
CBS Radio was a radio broadcasting company and radio network operator owned by CBS Corporation and founded in 1928, with consolidated radio station groups owned by CBS and Westinghouse Broadcasting/Group W since the 1920s, and Infinity Broadc ...
affiliation.
(The 1240 license was surrendered; the frequency was revived in 1957 using the
KSOX call letters.) The Harbenito facilities were converted to television station
KGBS-TV, which launched on October 4. On New Year's Day 1954, KGBS became KGBT, matching the TV station, which changed its call letters on December 9, 1953. The Tichenor group in the Valley was completed with
KELT KELT may refer to:
*A Salmonid that has spawned and did not die as a result
*An alternative spelling of Celt
* KELT (FM), call letters of an FM radio station located in Encinal, Texas
* KELT, the former call letters of an FM radio station located i ...
FM 96.9.
Into the 1960s, KGBT became a highly successful station in the market, particularly once it flipped to Spanish-language programming. In 1967, it commanded more than a 60 percent share of local radio listening just on the United States side of the border. In 1991, it still rated third in the market despite being on AM.
Univision ownership
The Tichenor family's media holdings, later renamed the Hispanic Broadcasting Corporation, were acquired by Univision in 2003 in a $3 billion merger, ending 62 years of Tichenor ownership of KGBS/KGBT.
KGBT was affiliated with the
Univision America
Univision America (stylized as Univision AMerica) was a Spanish-language talk radio network produced and distributed by Univision Communications. It was launched on July 4, 2012 on 9 U.S. AM radio stations in California, Texas, Illinois, Nevad ...
network from 2012 until its demise in mid-2015, when KGBT and several other former Univision America stations changed to a Spanish Christian format known as "Amor Celestial".
On December 20, 2016, Univision announced that KGBT would be one of the charter affiliates of their new Spanish-language sports network, Univision Deportes Radio; the launch occurred in March 2017.
The network became known as
TUDN Radio
TUDN Radio (formerly Univision Deportes Radio) is a U.S. Spanish-language sports radio network operated by Uforia Audio Network, a division of TelevisaUnivision. It launched on March 15, 2017 on ten AM and FM radio stations, most of which previ ...
in 2019.
Latino Media Network sale
On June 3, 2022, Univision announced it would sell a package of 18 radio stations across 10 of its markets, primarily AM outlets in large cities (including KGBT) and entire clusters in smaller markets such as
McAllen, Texas
McAllen is the largest city in Hidalgo County, Texas, United States, and the 22nd-most populous city in Texas. It is located at the southern tip of the state in the Rio Grande Valley, on the Mexico–United States border. The city limits extend ...
, and
Fresno, California
Fresno () is a major city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley region. It covers about and had a population of 542,107 in 2020, makin ...
. The price tag is $60 million, and the owner will be a new company known as Latino Media Network (LMN). Univision proposes to handle operations for a year under agreement before turning over operational control to LMN in the fourth quarter of 2023.
References
External links
FCC History Cards for KGBT
{{coord, 26, 22, 33, N, 97, 53, 43, W, type:landmark_region:US_source:FCC, display=title
GBT GBT may refer to:
Transport
* Gambat railway station, in Pakistan
* Gorgan Airport, in Iran
* Gotthard Base Tunnel, in Switzerland
* Greater Bridgeport Transit Authority, in Connecticut
Other uses
* Gelora Bung Tomo Stadium, in Surabaya, Indo ...
Sports radio stations in the United States
GBT GBT may refer to:
Transport
* Gambat railway station, in Pakistan
* Gorgan Airport, in Iran
* Gotthard Base Tunnel, in Switzerland
* Greater Bridgeport Transit Authority, in Connecticut
Other uses
* Gelora Bung Tomo Stadium, in Surabaya, Indo ...