KJOJ-FM (103.3 MHz) was 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 ...

licensed to

Freeport, Texas Freeport is a city in Brazoria County, Texas, United States, located on the Gulf of Mexico. According to the 2020 census, the city population was 10,696, down from 12,049 in 2010. History Freeport was founded as a European-American settlement ...

, United States, operating as a rimshot into the

Greater Houston Greater Houston, designated by the Office of Management and Budget, United States Office of Management and Budget as Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land, is the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fifth-most populous metropolitan statistical ...

area. It was last owned by Estrella Media and operated in tandem with KTJM (98.5 FM) in Port Arthur, with its transmitter to the east of the Houston area. The KJOJ-FM transmitter was located off Sgt. Joe Parks Memorial Highway in

Sargent, Texas Sargent is a small unincorporated community located in the eastern corner of Matagorda County, Texas, United States. Sargent is a fishing, boating, and water sports community with a variable population, as most of its inhabitants are weekend com ...

; studios were in Bay City. The station began broadcasting in 1987. It operated for the vast majority of its history as a simulcast partner with KTJM, enabling greater coverage of the Houston area; both stations aired a

Regional Mexican Regional Mexican is a Latin music radio format encompassing the musical genres from the different parts of rural Mexico and the Southwestern United States. Genres include banda, country en español, Duranguense, grupero, mariachi, New Mex ...

format for the last 19 years of KJOJ-FM's existence. It continued in this service until December 14, 2020, when a catastrophic tower failure felled its mast at Sargent. It never returned.

History

The FCC granted a construction permit in 1985 for a new station in Freeport. Bayport Broadcasting, owned by Roy Henderson, acquired the permit from Freeport Broadcasting in 1987 and built it, but it was silent by 1989, when US Radio, a company owned by Ragan Henry, spent $2 million to purchase the then-KGLF-FM. KJOJ (106.9 FM) then merged with KGLF-FM, briefly simulcasting. KJOJ and its programming then moved exclusively to 103.3 at the start of 1991 as the 106.9 station became smooth jazz KJZS. That October, KJOJ became KJOJ-FM when the former KIKR (880 AM), an AM station in Conroe, began simulcasting it. US Radio, which owned the pair until 1996, was purchased by

Clear Channel Communications 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 ...

. In 1996, KJOJ-FM began to simulcast KHYS's smooth jazz format, dropping a Christian country music format; the two stations would be linked for the rest of KJOJ-FM's existence.

Kiss and The Jam

On February 24, 1997, after stunting with continuous play of the song ''

Kiss A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...

'' by

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. ...

, the stations' format changed to

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 ...

as "Kiss 98-5, Kiss Again 103-3". The separate name came about because KJOJ-FM aired KHYS on a 10-minute delay. In June 1998, the Kiss format was made less rhythmic. On January 1, 1999, the station jumped on the

rhythmic oldies Rhythmic oldies is a radio format that concentrates on the rhythmic, R&B, disco, or dance genres of music. Playlists can span from the 1960s through the 2000s and, depending on market conditions, may be designed for African-American or Hispan ...

bandwagon as "98.5 The Jam". The call letters on the Port Arthur station changed to KTJM. As part of sales required in Clear Channel's merger with AMFM Inc., El Dorado Communications acquired KJOJ-FM with other stations in 2000.

Switch to Regional Mexican and closure

In July 2001, the station was bought by Liberman Broadcasting of

Burbank, California Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank has a population of 107,337. The city was named after David Burbank, who ...

. Liberman flipped both stations to

as , though it initially intended to split KJOJ-FM from KTJM. In 2019, Liberman ran into financial problems and declared

Chapter 11 Chapter 11 of the United States Bankruptcy Code (Title 11 of the United States Code) permits reorganization under the bankruptcy laws of the United States. Such reorganization, known as Chapter 11 bankruptcy, is available to every business, wheth ...

. After reorganization, the corporate name changed to Estrella Media. The station's tower failed catastrophically on December 14, 2020. Liberman took it silent, but it never returned, and KNTE (101.7 FM) replaced KJOJ-FM as a rebroadcaster of KTJM. After over 12 months of silence, the FCC cancelled the license on June 22, 2022.

References

External links

LaRaza Radio of Houston
{{Liberman Broadcasting Mexican-American culture in Houston JOJ-FM Regional Mexican radio stations in the United States Brazoria County, Texas Estrella Media stations 1987 establishments in Texas Radio stations established in 1987 2022 disestablishments in Texas Radio stations disestablished in 2022 JOJ-FM Defunct radio stations in the United States