KBME (790

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 ...

) is a

sports Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, ...

-talk 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 radi ...

in the Houston, Texas metropolitan area. It is currently owned by iHeartMedia. The station airs local sports-talk and carries nationally syndicated Fox Sports Radio programming. KBME is also the flagship radio station for the Houston Rockets, Houston Astros and

Texas Longhorns The Texas Longhorns are the athletic teams representing the University of Texas at Austin. The teams are sometimes referred to as the Horns and take their name from Longhorn cattle that were an important part of the development of Texas, and a ...

. The station's studios are located along the West Loop Freeway in the city's Uptown district. The transmitter site is located at what is now the southwest corner of Fallbrook Drive and T.C. Jester Boulevard, near

Greenspoint Greater Greenspoint, also referred to as the North Houston District, is a business district and a suburban neighborhood in northern Harris County, Texas, United States, located mostly within the city limits of Houston. Centered around the juncti ...

in unincorporated Harris County.

History

Early years

The station first went on the air as KTHT in 1944. It moved from 1230 kHz to the current 790 kHz in 1951. The frequency switch allowed KNUZ (now

KCOH KCOH (1230 AM) is a commercial radio station in Houston, Texas that airs an urban talk/urban contemporary format. It is a return to the heritage format that aired in Houston from 1953 to 2013 on 1430 KCOH, moving to this facility after 1430 wa ...

) to sign on at 1230 kHz. During the 1960s, KTHT was known as "Demand Radio 79", playing pop music. In August 1970, it became

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 ...

KULF, hosting radio personalities such as Stevens and Pruett. Stevens and Pruett had formerly been on KILT as the last Hudson and Harrigan team before KILT's switch to country. S&P brought to KULF their "Not ready for Drive time Players", and their daily short production of "Star Trots" (modeled after '' Star Trek: The Motion Picture'') with Captain James T. Shmirk, his trusted Lt. Bones, and their weird little robot, ACDC. In June 1982,

Gannett Publishing Gannett Co., Inc. () is an American mass media holding company headquartered in McLean, Virginia, in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.KEGL KEGL (97.1 FM) is a radio station licensed to Fort Worth, Texas, United States. The station broadcasts to the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. KEGL is owned and operated by iHeartMedia. The station's studios are located along Dallas Parkway in Fa ...

in the Dallas-Fort Worth market before the sale), on what was called "Black Friday" (July 2), that everyone was fired as of the following Monday, and relaunched it as

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 "cont ...

station KKBQ ("79Q") on the 2nd. Program director John Lander hosted the morning show, called the "Q-Zoo", and took the station to the top of the Houston ratings after one rating period - a feat unheard of for an AM music station in the 1980s. KKBQ would add an FM simulcast on 92.9 FM on December 29, 1982. KKBQ was among the first AM stations in the city to broadcast in AM stereo, originally using the Kahn ISB system, and then later switching to the Motorola C-QUAM system. Programming on KKBQ and

KKBQ-FM KKBQ (92.9 FM), branded as "The New 93Q", is a commercial FM radio station with a country music format. KKBQ is licensed to Pasadena, Texas, serving the Greater Houston area. The station is owned by Cox Radio and is part of its Houston radio ...

("93Q") simulcasted until January 16, 1998, when the AM station became the adult standards-formatted "Star 790 KBME" (for "Best Music Ever", although a joke among employees was "Keep Bringing Me

Ex-Lax Senna glycoside, also known as sennoside or senna, is a medication used to treat constipation and empty the large intestine before surgery. The medication is taken by mouth or via the rectum. It typically begins working in around 30 minutes whe ...

").

The Sports Animal

On January 1, 2005, the station flipped to an all sports station, as "790 ESPN Radio, the Sports Animal." Houston sports talk legend Charlie Pallilo helped launch the new sports station and remained with the station for almost 12 years. The ESPN affiliation lasted until January 2007, when the network moved its programming to

Cumulus Media Cumulus Media, Inc. is an American broadcasting company and is the third largest owner and operator of AM and FM radio stations in the United States behind Audacy and iHeartMedia. As of June 2019, Cumulus lists ownership of 428 stations in 8 ...

-owned

KFNC KFNC (97.5 FM; "ESPN Houston") is a commercial radio station licensed to Mont Belvieu, Texas. KFNC is paired with a translator, K223CW, licensed to Houston. The facilities serve the Greater Houston and Golden Triangle areas of southeast Texas. T ...

/97.5. At that point, KBME's sports talk programming shifted to a mix of local shows and programs from Fox Sports Radio, including the launch in late 2009 of "Matt & Adam in the Morning," a morning show hosted by Matt Jackson and Adam Wexler, who both moved over from

KILT A kilt ( gd, fèileadh ; Irish: ''féileadh'') is a garment resembling a wrap-around knee-length skirt, made of twill woven worsted wool with heavy pleats at the sides and back and traditionally a tartan pattern. Originating in the Scottish ...

. "Matt & Adam" became "The Big Show" in fall 2011, when Lance Zierlein joined Jackson and Wexler. Previous hosts on KBME include Brad Davies, Carl Dukes, Ted Deluca, John Lopez, David Dalati, Tom Franklin. During Hurricane Katrina's aftermath, The Sports Animal was an affiliate of

United Radio Broadcasters of New Orleans United Radio Broadcasters of New Orleans was a consortium of radio stations in Greater New Orleans, Louisiana, formed in response to the crisis of Hurricane Katrina. It began on September 1, 2005. Led by WWL-AM, the stations shared equipment, sp ...

, originating from WWL-AM, and parent company Clear Channel's New Orleans radio stations. The Sports Animal simulcasted their aftermath coverage as a public service to those who may have evacuated to the Houston area, and continued to do so until November 2005.

Live sports programming

KBME is the flagship station for Houston Rockets basketball, Houston Astros baseball, and

Houston Cougars football The Houston Cougars football program is an NCAA Division I FBS football team that represents the University of Houston. The team is commonly referred to as "Houston" or "UH" (spoken as "U of H"). The UH football program is a member of the Big ...

and basketball. It is the Houston affiliate for

Texas A&M Aggies Texas A&M Aggies refers to the students, graduates, and sports teams of Texas A&M University. The nickname " Aggie" was once common at land-grant or "ag" (agriculture) schools in many states. The teams are also referred to as "A&M" or "Texas Agg ...

football, basketball. KBME also features live national sports broadcasts from

Dial Global Westwood One is an American radio network owned by Cumulus Media. The company syndicates talk, music, and sports programming. The company takes its name from an earlier network also named Westwood One, a company founded in 1978. The company ...

and

Sports USA Radio Network Sports USA Media is the largest independent sports broadcasting radio network in the United States, specializing in live broadcasts of American football, specifically of the NCAA football Division I-A and National Football League. In 2018, more th ...

. Beginning with the 2012-2013 season, KBME became flagship station to the NBA's Houston Rockets, with iHeartMedia (then known as Clear Channel Communications) acquiring the team's radio rights from CBS Radio-owned

. In April

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...

, KBME became the flagship station to Major League Baseball's Houston Astros, with broadcasts moving from sister station

KTRH KTRH () is a commercial radio station licensed to Houston, Texas and owned by iHeartMedia that airs a talk radio format. Programming is also heard on co-owned KODA's HD 2 channel at , and the station uses the iHeartRadio platform to stream it ...

."Astros switch radio flagship to KBME,"
from ''Houston Chronicle'', 2/5/2013 For an interim period, games were simulcast on both stations. Prior to the move, KBME aired select Astros spring training games. Astros coverage is also livestreamed on iHeartRadio, however due to MLB rules, it is blacked out beyond the station's coverage area. Weekday Lineup 6 am - 10 am - The Sean Salisbury Show with Sean Salisbury & Michael Connor 10 am - 12 pm - In The Trenches with ND Kalu & Chris Gordy 12 pm - 3 pm - The Matt Thomas Show with Matt Thomas & Ross Villarreal 3 pm - 6 pm - The A-Team with Adam Clanton, & Adam Wexler

References

External links

FCC History Cards for KBME
{{IHeartMedia Sports radio stations in the United States Radio stations established in 1944 BME 1944 establishments in Texas IHeartMedia radio stations