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KPEZ (102.3 FM "102.3 The Beat") is a
commercial Commercial may refer to: * a dose of advertising conveyed through media (such as - for example - radio or television) ** Radio advertisement ** Television advertisement * (adjective for:) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and s ...
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 ...
in
Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the county seat, seat and largest city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and Williamson County, Texas, Williamson co ...
. It is owned by
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 ...
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 shares studios with four other iHeart stations in the Penn Field complex in the
South Congress South Congress (abbreviated SoCo) is a neighborhood located on South Congress Avenue in Austin, Texas, United States. It is also a nationally known shopping and cultural district known for its many eclectic small retailers, restaurants, music and a ...
district (or "SoCo") of south central Austin, near
St. Edward's University St. Edward's University is a private, Catholic university in Austin, Texas. It was founded and is operated in the Holy Cross tradition. History Founding and early history St. Edward's University was founded by the Reverend Edward Sorin, CSC ...
. KPEZ has an
effective radiated power Effective radiated power (ERP), synonymous with equivalent radiated power, is an IEEE standardized definition of directional radio frequency (RF) power, such as that emitted by a radio transmitter. It is the total power in watts that would hav ...
of 26,000
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, broadcasting 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 ...
site off Brodie Lane in
Sunset Valley, Texas Sunset Valley is a city in Travis County, Texas. The population was 749 at the time of the 2010 census. An enclave, it is surrounded on all sides by the city of Austin. Geography Sunset Valley is located at (30.225631, –97.816133), 5 mile ...
. "The Beat" station brand has for many years been associated with the R&B and hip hop music genres in the Austin
radio market A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area (DMA), television market area, or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same (or similar) television station, television and radio broadcasting, ra ...
. It originated on 104.3 in 1998, first as KQBT, and later KXBT (now
KLQB KLQB (104.3 FM broadcasting, FM "Que Buena 104.3") is a Regional Mexican radio station serving the Austin, Texas, area. The Univision Radio outlet broadcasts with an ERP of 48,000 watts and is city of license, licensed to Taylor, Texas. Its trans ...
). It later moved to 104.9 (now
KTXX KTXX-FM (104.9 MHz, "The Horn") is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Bee Cave, Texas, and serving the Greater Austin radio market. The station broadcasts a sports radio format and is owned by Genuine Austin Radio. KTXX-FM's transmitter i ...
) before that station switched formats in 2008. Clear Channel Communications picked up the branding one year later and placed it on 105.9 KFMK before swapping formats with KPEZ in 2010.


History


Early years

On August 13, 1976, the 102.3 frequency first
signed on Signing may refer to: * Using sign language * Signature A signature (; from la, signare, "to sign") is a handwritten (and often stylized) depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on do ...
as KMXX It was owned by Dynamic Communications of Austin and played
Regional Mexican music Regional styles of Mexican music vary greatly from state to state. Norteño, banda, duranguense, Son mexicano and other Mexican country music genres are often known as regional Mexican music because each state produces different musical sounds ...
. KMXX was Austin's first full-time Spanish language radio station on the FM dial. The president and general manager was Roberto C. Villanueva, making it a rare FM station in a large market under the control of Hispanic management. KMXX's Spanish-language format lasted only about a year before the station switched to
urban contemporary Urban contemporary music, also known as urban music, hip hop, urban pop, or just simply urban, is a music radio format. The term was coined by New York radio DJ Frankie Crocker in the early to mid-1970s as a synonym for Black music. Urban contem ...
music. With less than 1,000 watts ERP, KMXX had a hard time competing with other stations in Austin, some of them running up to 100,000 watts ERP.


Clear Channel ownership

In 1982, the station was bought by
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, the forerunner to present day owner
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
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 KPEZ and the format switched to
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, n ...
music as "EZ 102". In the 1980s, power was increased to 3,000 watts, but the signal was still weak in parts of Austin and its suburbs. In the late 1980s, KPEZ switched formats to
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, primar ...
, becoming "Z 102." In 1989, it increased power to 26,000 watts from a new tower off Brodie Lane in Southwest Austin, providing better coverage of the city and its suburbs. In the fall of 2004, KPEZ became "Channel 102-3" airing a classic-leaning
adult album alternative Adult album alternative (also triple-A, AAA, or adult alternative) is a radio format. See pages 9 and 10Mills, Joshua. "A New Radio Music Format: Rock for Prosperous Adults" New York Times, Feb 28 1994, p. 2. ProQuest. Web. Accessed September 4, 2 ...
(AAA) format, dubbed "World Class Rock." On December 16, 2005, the AAA format was dropped, and after stunting with
Christmas music Christmas music comprises a variety of genres of music regularly performed or heard around the Christmas season. Music associated with Christmas may be purely instrumental, or, in the case of carols or songs, may employ lyrics whose subject ma ...
, KPEZ flipped to a
Christian Contemporary music Contemporary Christian music, also known as CCM, Christian pop, and occasionally inspirational music is a genre of modern popular music, and an aspect of Christian media, which is lyrically focused on matters related to the Christian faith and s ...
format as "102.3 The River."


Format switch with 105.9

In 1998, Clear Channel launched 105.9 KFMK, a new station
licensed A license (or licence) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another party (licensee) as an element of an agreeme ...
to
Round Rock, Texas Round Rock is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, in Williamson County (with a small part in Travis County), which is a part of the Greater Austin metropolitan area. Its population is 119,468 as of the 2020 census. The city straddles the Bal ...
. In 2010, as Clear Channel was going into private ownership, FCC ownership regulations required that the Austin cluster spin off one of its stations. There were plans underway to move KFMK into the Aloha Trust LLC for a future sale. On May 21, 2010, Clear Channel announced that it would move KFMK's urban format to the 102.3 frequency, taking advantage of its more powerful signal. The switch took place on May 31, 2010. The Christian Contemporary format, heard on the 102.3 frequency, moved to 105.9. KFMK was later purchased by Crista Ministries, which specializes in contemporary Christian radio stations. KFMK became Contemporary Christian "Spirit 105.9" in April 2010."Clear Channel/Austin Flips KFMK, KPEZ Frequencies"
from All Access (May 21, 2010)


KPEZ HD2

Until 2018, KPEZ's HD2 channel carried continuous rebroadcasts of
American Top 40 ''American Top 40'' (previously abbreviated to ''AT40'') is an internationally syndicated, independent song countdown radio program created by Casey Kasem, Don Bustany, Tom Rounds, and Ron Jacobs. The program is currently hosted by Ryan Seacr ...
countdown shows from the era when
Casey Kasem Kemal Amin "Casey" Kasem (April 27, 1932 – June 15, 2014) was an American disc jockey, actor, and radio personality, who created and hosted several radio countdown programs, notably '' American Top 40''. He was the first actor to voice Nor ...
was the host. The HD2 subchannel currently carries iHeart's
Pride Radio Pride Radio (stylized as PRIDE Radio) is an LGBTQ+ lifestyle and top 40 radio network launched by Clear Channel Communications Format Lab under the direction of Michael Albl, who conceived the format, on terrestrial HD2 & HD3 stations and onlin ...
, a mix of pop and
dance music Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded danc ...
and
EDM EDM or E-DM may refer to: Music * Electronic dance music * Early Day Miners, American band Science and technology * Electric dipole moment * Electrical discharge machining * Electronic distance measurement *Entry, Descent, and landing demonstrat ...
, aimed at Austin's gay community.


Personalities

Current: * Frankie V. (Afternoons) * Tino Cochino (Nights) * Mikey V (Weekends)


References


External links

* {{IHeartMedia
PEZ Pez (, ; stylised as PEZ) is the brand name of an Austrian candy and associated manual candy dispensers. The candy is a pressed, dry, straight-edged, curved-corner block 15 mm ( inch) long, 8 mm ( inch) wide and 5 mm ...
Rhythmic contemporary radio stations in the United States Radio stations established in 1976 1976 establishments in Texas IHeartMedia radio stations