KPRR (102.1 FM "Power 102 FM"), is a commercial

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 ...

El Paso, Texas El Paso (; "the pass") is a city in and the county seat, seat of El Paso County, Texas, El Paso County in the western corner of the U.S. state of Texas. The 2020 population of the city from the United States Census Bureau, U.S. Census Bureau w ...

. The station is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. and airs 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 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, ...

. It offers a more broad-based direction in its

playlist A playlist is a list of video or audio files that can be played back on a media player either sequentially or in a shuffled order. In its most general form, an audio playlist is simply a list of songs, but sometimes a loop. The term has sever ...

than most other rhythmic stations, with a mix of R&B/ Hip-Hop,

Dance Dance is a performing art form consisting of sequences of movement, either improvised or purposefully selected. This movement has aesthetic and often symbolic value. Dance can be categorized and described by its choreography, by its repertoir ...

, Hurban and Rhythmic Pop fare. KPRR has its studios and offices on North Mesa Street ( Texas State Highway 20). KPRR broadcasts from a

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 ...

in the Franklin Mountains. Its signal covers parts of

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

and the

Mexican Mexican may refer to: Mexico and its culture *Being related to, from, or connected to the country of Mexico, in North America ** People *** Mexicans, inhabitants of the country Mexico and their descendants *** Mexica, ancient indigenous people ...

state of

Chihuahua Chihuahua may refer to: Places *Chihuahua (state), a Mexican state **Chihuahua (dog), a breed of dog named after the state **Chihuahua cheese, a type of cheese originating in the state **Chihuahua City, the capital city of the state **Chihuahua Mun ...

, including

Ciudad Juárez Ciudad Juárez ( ; ''Juarez City''. ) is the most populous city in the Mexican state of Chihuahua. It is commonly referred to as Juárez and was known as El Paso del Norte (''The Pass of the North'') until 1888. Juárez is the seat of the Ju� ...

. KPRR's studios are located along Mesa Drive in West Central El Paso. KPRR is one of two contemporary hit stations in the El Paso-Juárez radio market, with 104.3 XHTO-FM as the other. KPRR 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. Its HD2 signal carries a Rhythmic Oldies/ Classic Hip Hop

known as "Hot 93.5." It is also heard on 99 watt FM translator K228FH at 93.5 MHz.

History

The station signed on as KIZZ-FM on December 5, 1969. It was owned by Sunland Broadcasting Company and was the FM counterpart to AM 1150 KIZZ (now

KHRO KHRO (1150 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station in El Paso, Texas. This station is owned by Entravision Communications. Its studio facilities are located on North Mesa Street/Highway 20 in northwest El Paso. The transmitter is located east ...

). KIZZ-FM was powered at 27,000

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, a third of its current output. In 1972, 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 ...

was changed to KLOZ. It called itself "K102," and offered a

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, ...

format. Mesa Radio bought it in 1975, followed by Jalapeno Broadcasting Company in 1979. In 1986, the station was acquired by Continental Broadcasting. In September of that year, it switched its call letters to become KPRR with a format patterned after popular

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

rhythmic station KPWR. The move proved successful, with "Power 102" often leading the El Paso radio market in the ratings.

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 ...

-based Clear Channel Communications acquired KPRR in 1996.Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 1998 page D-426
/ref> Clear Channel later became

iHeartMedia iHeartMedia, Inc., formerly CC Media Holdings, Inc., is an American mass media corporation headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It is the holding company of iHeartCommunications, Inc. (formerly Clear Channel Communications, Inc.), a company fou ...

, the current owner.

References

External links

KPRR official website
* * PRR Rhythmic contemporary radio stations in the United States Radio stations established in 1986 1986 establishments in Texas IHeartMedia radio stations {{Texas-radio-station-stub