KONE (101.1 MHz), known as "Rock 101", is a

classic rock Classic rock is a US radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the mid 1990s, prim ...

formatted FM

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

Lubbock, Texas Lubbock ( ) is the 10th-most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and the seat of government of Lubbock County. With a population of 260,993 in 2021, the city is also the 85th-most populous in the United States. The city is in the nort ...

, and South Plains Area. Owned by

Alpha Media Alpha (uppercase , lowercase ; grc, ἄλφα, ''álpha'', or ell, άλφα, álfa) is the first letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of one. Alpha is derived from the Phoenician letter aleph , whic ...

Group, through licensee Alpha Media Licensee LLC, its studios are located in south Lubbock on Avenue Q west of I-27, and its transmitter is located south of the city.

History

This station previously held the call letters KTEZ when it aired 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, ...

format. It was founded in December 1974 by Troy Raymond "Ray" Moran (who'd later found Ramar Communications.) It began with studios and transmitter in the former transmitter shack of KKBC-TV/KMXN-TV (predecessor of KJTV, FOX34.) Moran had worked in Lubbock in the 1950 and 1960s. He was part owner of radio stations in Roswell, NM and Albuquerque, NM. Moran had engineer Guy D. Smith generate the technical filings for a new station on 101.1 (at the same time 102.5 was available; Moran sent a copy of his engineering to fellow broadcaster Jim Slone in Tucson, AZ...years later that led to establishment of KRUX (FM) now known as KZII). Studios moved to Suite 276 of the Plains National Bank building (Tower of the Plains) at 50th and University in 1977. KTEZ was sold in 1983 to Lotus Communications for $1,050,000. The proceeds helped Moran continue development of KJAA, now KJTV-TV FOX34 in Lubbock. Lotus sold the station to Nextmedia, Nextmedia sold it to Wilkes Group. Previous formats included "The Music of Your Life" (ABC Stardust), soft AC, and country. The call letters were changed to KONE in 1996 when KTEZ (K-LITE 101.1) changed formats to country. The format changed to

on November 21, 1999 under the Name "Rock 101.1". The "Rock 101.1" moniker changed to "101 The Beard" on the morning of March 12, 2020; the last song played under the old format was " Hey You" by

Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philosophical lyrics an ...

while the first song played under the "101 The Beard" name was "

Even Flow "Even Flow" is a song by the American rock band Pearl Jam. Featuring lyrics written by vocalist Eddie Vedder and music written by guitarist Stone Gossard, "Even Flow" was released in 1992 as the second single from the band's debut album, '' Te ...

" by

Pearl Jam Pearl Jam is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington, in 1990. The band's lineup consists of founding members Jeff Ament (bass guitar), Stone Gossard (rhythm guitar), Mike McCready (lead guitar), and Eddie Vedder (lead vocals, guita ...

. On March 11, 2022, KONE rebranded as "Rock 101".KONE Trims Its Beard And Returns To Rock 101 Branding
Radioinsight - March 11, 2022

Programming

''The Billy Madison Show'' is Rock 101's syndicated morning show. Local air talent includes ''The Man Made Radio Show'' (Afternoons 2-7p), and Dave Fernandez (Weekends). The syndicated evening show is ''

Nights with Alice Cooper ''Nights with Alice Cooper'' is a radio show hosted by Detroit born rock and roll artist and shock rock pioneer Alice Cooper. It is syndicated by United Stations Radio Networks and broadcast on a wide variety of affiliate radio stations in the ...

''.

Community involvement

Rock 101.1 teams up with KBTE-FM every year to put together the Freedom Blood Drive which has happened since 2004. Rock 101.1 also partners up with charities around the South Plains to give donations. They have also worked with Parents of Soldiers around the world to give care packages.

References

External links

FCC Coverage Map
{{coord, 33.4420, N, 101.8782, W, type:landmark_region:US_source:FCC, display=title ONE Classic rock radio stations in the United States Alpha Media radio stations