KBTQ (96.1 FM) is a

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 ...

broadcasting a

Latin ballad Latin ballad ( es, balada romántica) is a sentimental ballad derived from bolero that originated in the early 1960s in Los Angeles, California and Southern California. Some of the best known artists of the Latin ballad are Julio Iglesias, Moceda ...

format. Licensed 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 ...

, United States, the station serves the McAllen area. The station is currently owned by Latino Media Network.

History

KMBS "Stereo 96" signed on the air in June 1975. The English-language adult contemporary station was owned by Magic Valley Broadcasting, Inc. Two years later, in July 1977, Pedro "Pete" Díaz, Jr., bought out all of Magic Valley's stockholders. In early 1977, KMBS became a Spanish contemporary radio station; On July 20, the station received new KIWW call letters. Tichenor acquired KIWW in 1988. KIWW carried a

Tejano Tejanos (, ; singular: ''Tejano/a''; Spanish for "Texan", originally borrowed from the Caddo ''tayshas'') are the residents of the state of Texas who are culturally descended from the Mexican population of Tejas and Coahuila that lived in the ...

format until 2002, when it flipped to

Rhythmic Top 40 The Rhythmic chart (also called Rhythmic Airplay, and previously named Rhythmic Songs, Rhythmic Top 40 and CHR/Rhythmic) is an airplay chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. The chart tracks and measures the airplay of songs played on ...

as KBTQ. As this flipped occurred, the call letters "KIWW" remained in radio jingles and sweepers for a brief amount of time until the switch to the call letters of KBTQ. During the time of KBTQ 96.1 The Beat, shows that were broadcast included: "The Slammin' 7 at 7:47 (PM)," "Heartbeats on Sundays," "Morning Show with Alex Q. and Nicki," "Back in the Day with Kitty," "Sexy 7 at 7 (PM)," "Bobby's Playhouse with Chatito." Two years into this format, KBTQ gained formidable competition when

KBFM KBFM (104.1 FM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Edinburg, Texas, carrying a bilingual English/Spanish language rhythmic contemporary format known as "Wild 104". Owned by iHeartMedia, the station serves the Lower Rio Grande Valley. KBFM ...

switched from Mainstream Top 40 to Rhythmic Top 40, sparking a Rhythmic war in the Valley.

Loss of Revenue 2005

As the Rhythmic War continued with rival KBFM, 96.1 The Beat KBTQ failed to capitalize on advertisement of commercial revenue due to various businesses' preference for a cleaner-sounding KBFM rather than an intense urban leaning station from KBTQ. Former personalities of KBTQ switched over to rival KBFM by this time and it was apparent that revenue was not improving thus forcing Univision to pay out its personalities through sister station advertising commercial revenues. Although the listener ratings were strong and in favor of KBTQ against rival KBFM, the incoming revenue or lack thereof said otherwise. Univision came to the terms that without business advertising commercials, there is no way to maintain a station with its format.

Format Change 2005

On October 17, 2005, KBTQ bowed out and switched to its current format to appeal to a wide range of businesses for commercial advertisement.

References

External links

BTQ BTQ Harlingen, Texas {{Texas-radio-station-stub