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KKMJ-FM (95.5
MHz 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 one he ...
"Majic 95.5") is a
commercial Commercial may refer to: * a dose of advertising conveyed through media (such as - for example - radio or television) ** Radio advertisement ** Television advertisement * (adjective for:) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and s ...
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 ...
in
Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...
. It is owned by
Audacy, Inc. Audacy, Inc. is an American broadcasting company based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1968 as Entercom Communications Corporation, it is the second largest radio company in the United States, owning 235 radio stations across 48 media ...
and airs an
adult contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quie ...
radio format A radio format or programming format (not to be confused with broadcast programming) describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. The radio format emerged mainly in the United States in the 1950s, at a time when Radio broadcasting, ...
. The station has studios and offices on Westbank Drive, off Loop 360, near Westlake High School. 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 off Buckman Mountain Road in Austin, amid numerous towers for other FM and TV stations. Like many AC stations, KKMJ flips to all-
Christmas music Christmas music comprises a variety of genres of music regularly performed or heard around the Christmas season. Music associated with Christmas may be purely instrumental, or, in the case of carols or songs, may employ lyrics whose subject ma ...
from mid-November to
Christmas Day Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year, ...
. It uses the slogan "The Majic of Christmas."


History


KAZZ

On October 30, 1957, 95.5 KAZZ first
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. It was owned by Audioland Broadcasting, powered at only 340
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. The
call sign In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally assigne ...
KAZZ was supposed to rhyme with "
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...
." The station played jazz, adult standards and
big band music A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s and ...
. At a time when few people owned FM radios, this was a rare "stand-alone" FM outlet, not co-owned with an
AM radio AM broadcasting is radio broadcasting using amplitude modulation (AM) transmissions. It was the first method developed for making audio radio transmissions, and is still used worldwide, primarily for medium wave (also known as "AM band") transm ...
station, TV station or newspaper. The station was purchased in 1963 by Monroe Lopez, owner of several Mexican restaurants in the Austin area. Under Lopez' ownership, KAZZ adopted a block-programming format featuring various types of music throughout the broadcast day. They included
easy listening Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to 1970s. It is related to middle-of-the-road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit songs, n ...
, jazz,
country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
, show tunes, R&B, and, starting in 1964,
Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or " con ...
. That made KAZZ (now known as "Kay-Zee" or "Alive 95" on the air) the first FM station in Austin to play
rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock 'n' roll, or rock 'n roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from Africa ...
. During this time, the station also expanded its broadcast day from 6am-1am to 24 hours.


KOKE-FM

In November 1967, Lopez sold KAZZ to the owners of
AM 1370 The following radio stations broadcast on AM frequency 1370 kHz: 1370 AM is a regional broadcast frequency, on which Class B and D stations broadcast. Argentina * LRA 54 in Ingeniero Jacobacci, Rio Negro * Trece 70 in Isidro Casanova, Buen ...
KOKE (now
KJCE KJCE (1370 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Rollingwood, Texas, and serving the Greater Austin radio market. The station airs a talk radio format and is owned by Audacy, Inc. The radio studios and offices are on Westbank Drive, ...
). On January 5, 1968, the station began
simulcast Simulcast (a portmanteau of simultaneous broadcast) is the broadcasting of programmes/programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simultane ...
ing KOKE 1370's country format as KOKE-FM. (There is currently a KOKE-FM on the air at 99.3 MHz and 98.5 MHz, playing
progressive country Progressive country is a subgenre of country music developed in the early 1970s.''Cosmic Cowboys and New Hicks: The Countercultural Sounds of Austin's Progressive Country Music Scene'', Stimeling, Travis David. History In the late 1960s and earl ...
, but it is not related to this station.) Because KOKE 1370 was a
daytimer A clear-channel station is an AM radio station in North America that has the highest protection from interference from other stations, particularly concerning night-time skywave propagation. The system exists to ensure the viability of cross-coun ...
, 95.5 KOKE-FM allowed listeners with FM radios to continue hearing the station after sunset. The station called itself "The People's Choice, KOKE." At this point, KOKE-FM's power was 10,000 watts, able to cover Austin and its close-in suburbs, but still just a fraction of its current power.


Soft AC

In the early 1980s, the owners of KOKE-AM-FM decided to make a change. KOKE 1370 became KMMM, a
Regional Mexican music Regional styles of Mexican music vary greatly from state to state. Norteño, banda, duranguense, Son mexicano and other Mexican country music genres are often known as regional Mexican music because each state produces different musical sounds ...
station, while KOKE-FM switched to
soft adult contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quiet sto ...
music as KLQT. The
call sign In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally assigne ...
stood for "Light 95," as in light music. In the mid-1980s, the station got a boost to 100,000 watts, the maximum power permitted for non-
grandfathered A grandfather clause, also known as grandfather policy, grandfathering, or grandfathered in, is a provision in which an old rule continues to apply to some existing situations while a new rule will apply to all future cases. Those exempt from t ...
FM stations. (The current power has been reduced to 49,000 watts, but the tower height is now 1,306 feet (309 meters) in
height above average terrain Height above average terrain (HAAT), or (less popularly) effective height above average terrain (EHAAT), is the vertical position of an antenna site is above the surrounding landscape. HAAT is used extensively in FM radio and television, as it is ...
(HAAT), making KKMJ's signal equal to Austin's other major FM stations, heard from the suburbs of
San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , s ...
to
Temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...
and Killeen.) In 1990, The Tremont Group bought AM 1370 and FM 95.5. It switched the FM station's call letters to KKMJ, calling it "Majic 95.5." The soft AC format remained the same. The AM station went back to the KOKE call letters, this time airing an
easy listening Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to 1970s. It is related to middle-of-the-road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit songs, n ...
/ adult standards format. In 1998,
Infinity Broadcasting Infinity Broadcasting Corporation was a radio company that existed from 1972 until 2005. It was founded by Michael A. Wiener and Gerald Carrus. It became associated with popular radio personalities like Howard Stern, Opie and Anthony, Don Imus an ...
, which would later merge into
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 ...
, bought KKMJ and its AM station, which became
KJCE KJCE (1370 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Rollingwood, Texas, and serving the Greater Austin radio market. The station airs a talk radio format and is owned by Audacy, Inc. The radio studios and offices are on Westbank Drive, ...
, airing a
talk radio Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often featur ...
format. In 2004, KKMJ was named the " R&R Station of The Year" for
radio market A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area (DMA), television market area, or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same (or similar) television station, television and radio broadcasting, ra ...
s between #26 and #100. KKMJ has a consistent history of being a top 5 rated station in the Austin Arbitron and
Nielsen ratings Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...
.


Mainstream AC

In the 2000s, KKMJ began shifting from mostly Soft AC to a more uptempo adult contemporary sound. In late 2013, it dropped the "Continuous Soft Rock" description and began using the slogan "Better Music for a Better Workday." The syndicated
Delilah Delilah ( ; , meaning "delicate";Gesenius's ''Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon'' ar, دليلة, Dalīlah; grc, label=Greek, Δαλιδά, Dalidá) is a woman mentioned in the sixteenth chapter of the Book of Judges in the Hebrew Bible. She is loved b ...
evening show was discontinued in August 2014, with the 7 p.m. to midnight hours being programmed similarly to other dayparts. In 2007, KKMJ and KJCE, along with
Hot AC Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quiet s ...
94.7
KAMX KAMX (94.7 FM "Mix 94.7") is a commercial radio station licensed to Luling, Texas, and serving the Greater Austin radio market. It is owned by Audacy, Inc. and airs a hot adult contemporary radio format. The station has studios and offices o ...
were acquired by
Entercom Audacy, Inc. is an American broadcasting company based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1968 as Entercom Communications Corporation, it is the second largest radio company in the United States, owning 235 radio stations across 48 media ...
, when CBS Radio decided to leave the Austin radio market. (Coincidentally, CBS Radio merged into Entercom in 2017.) In 2014 KKMJ began occasionally airing "The Great '80s Weekend," similar to the previous '70s weekends.


Past programming

From 2008 to 2011, KKMJ aired a mix of adult contemporary and 1970s hits, called the "Super Songs of The '70s." On Fridays, from 3 to 7 p.m., the station would play only 1970s hits followed by Adult Contemporary music with Delilah, and from midnight until 7:00 p.m. on Saturdays, '70s Oldies were heard, followed by Delilah again. Then back to '70s Oldies from midnight until 7:00 PM. On some Monday holidays, the '70s Oldies weekends were extended into the holiday. Around 2011, the "Super Songs of the '70s" stopped airing on weekends. KKMJ began calling its music "Continuous Soft Rock."


HD Radio

KKMJ-FM broadcasts in the
HD Radio HD Radio (HDR) is a trademark for an in-band on-channel (IBOC) digital radio broadcast technology. It generally simulcasts an existing analog radio station in digital format with less noise and with additional text information. HD Radio is used ...
format. A simulcast of sister station
KJCE KJCE (1370 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Rollingwood, Texas, and serving the Greater Austin radio market. The station airs a talk radio format and is owned by Audacy, Inc. The radio studios and offices are on Westbank Drive, ...
can be heard on the HD2 subchannel, and
Classic hip hop Classic hip hop is a music radio format focusing primarily on hip hop music from the 1980s, 1990s, and the early to mid-2000s. Although stations with such a format date back as far as 2004, the format was first popularized in October 2014, after ...
"Hot 95.9" is heard on the HD3 subchannel. Hot 95.9 also airs on
translator station A broadcast relay station, also known as a satellite station, relay transmitter, broadcast translator (U.S.), re-broadcaster (Canada), repeater (two-way radio) or complementary station (Mexico), is a broadcast transmitter which repeats (or tran ...
K240EL on 95.9 MHz in Austin.Radio-Locator.com/K240EL
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Translator


References


External links

* * * {{Authority control KMJ Radio stations established in 1957 Mainstream adult contemporary radio stations in the United States 1957 establishments in Texas Audacy, Inc. radio stations