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"Mix 96.5" redirects here. For the Biltmore Forest, North Carolina radio station, seeWOXL-FM.
KHMX
Broadcast areaGreater Houston
Frequency96.5MHz(HD Radio)
BrandingMix 96.5
Programming
Language(s)English
FormatHot adult contemporary
Ownership
Owner
History
First air date
February 1, 1948(76 years ago)(1948-02-01)
Former call signs
  • KXYZ-FM (1948–71)
  • KAUM (1971–80)
  • KSRR (1980–86)
  • KKHT (1986–89)
  • KNRJ (1989–90)
Call signmeaning
"Houston's Mix"
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID47749
ClassC
ERP100,000watts
HAAT585 meters (1,919 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
29°34′34″N95°30′36″W/ 29.57611°N 95.51000°W/29.57611; -95.51000
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen live(viaAudacy)
Websitewww.audacy.com/mix965houston

KHMX(96.5MHz,"Mix 96.5" ) is an American commercialhot adult contemporaryradio stationinHouston,Texas.It is owned byAudacy, Inc.and serves theGreater Houstonmetropolitan area. The KHMX studios are located in Houston'sGreenway Plazadistrict, while the stationtransmitteris located in the Houston suburb ofMissouri City.In addition to a standardanalog transmission,KHMX broadcasts usingHD Radiotechnology, and is available online viaAudacy.

History[edit]

Early years[edit]

KXYZ-FM first signed on February 1, 1948, under the ownership of Shamrock Broadcasting.[2]As typical of FM radio stations in the mid-20th century, KXYZ-FM was a simulcast of its AM parent,KXYZ.The station would stay on the air for five years and six months before being silent for about eight years,[3]resuming operations in 1961, again as a simulcast of KXYZ'sbeautiful musicformat.[4]

In 1968, KXYZ and KXYZ-FM were acquired by ABC;[5]the new ownership subsequently changed KXYZ-FM's format toautomatedprogressive rock,branded as "Love96+1⁄2FM "." Love "was formulated by ABC Radio for its FM stations around the U.S., includingWABC-FMinNew York City,KABC-FMinLos Angeles,WLS-FMinChicago,KGO-FMinSan Francisco,WXYZ-FMinDetroitandKQV-FMinPittsburgh.All seven FM stations switch call signs to distinguish from their AM counterparts on switched to KAUM in January 1971. When the national "Love" format was discontinued later in 1971, the progressive rock music continued, but with localdisc jockeys,changing its moniker to "KAUM96+1⁄2FM ". In the late 1970s, KAUM shifted fromalbum-oriented rock(AOR) toTop 40hits to compete againstKRBEandKILT.

From July 24, 1980, through late 1986, the station operated as KSRR, first as "97 Star FM", and then again as "97 Rock." It had analbum-oriented rockformat, using the infamous slogan "Kick Ass Rock 'N' Roll!", and a logo similar toWABBinMobile.[6]The new station featured morning radio host andKEGLDallasalum James Smith "Moby" Carney and Matthew, withHannah Stormas sports announcer. The station competed against the album rock format ofKLOLand for a short period,KILT-FM.

In mid-1985, due to the merger of ABC Radio andCapital Cities Communications,KSRR was spun off to Malrite Communications in order to meet the FCC's ownership limits at the time.[7]On October 15, 1986, the station changed call letters to KKHT, and the AOR format was replaced by a Top 40 format known as "Hit 96.5 KKHT".[8][9]By mid-1987, heavy competition from Top 40 powerhousesKKBQ-FMand KRBE prompted the station to morph toadult contemporary.The station rebranded as "96.5 KKHT". In late 1988,Emmis Broadcastingbought the station.

On February 10, 1989, at 6 p.m., the station flipped to a newrhythmic contemporaryformat, with a focus on dance-oriented music, branded as "Energy 96.5".[10][11]The station adopted the new KNRJ call letters on September 4. This format was a competitive response to two other local stations, KKBQ and KRBE, whose Top 40 formats reflected the increasing presence of dance club-oriented tracks (catering to a then-lucrative target audience drawn to the flourishing night club scenes along Richmond Avenue and innerWestheimer Road). These competitors featured late-night, weekend live broadcasts from local dance clubs (e.g., Club 6400, The Ocean Club), where in-house DJs drew heavily from libraries of imported and small-label, extended-length modern tracks (which otherwise were seldom heard on most commercial stations). By early 1990, KNRJ had partnered with the Tower Theater'sDecadanceto host its own weekend, late-night live broadcast.

In May 1990,Nationwide Communicationsbought the station. The station's ratings during this time were low and the new owners wanted to improve the numbers. In the station's latter months, KNRJ began adding morenew wave musictracks to improve ratings.

Mix 96.5[edit]

On June 25, 1990, at 7:15 a.m., in the middle of "Tonight"byNew Kids on the Block,DJ Jeff Scott, in a bit, abruptly cut off the song and announced his discontent for the format, with he and some fellow DJs playing brief music clips to complain about before being heard throwing the tapes away. After that, KNRJ flipped to analternative rockformat. The station kicked off with "I Eat Cannibals" byToto Coelo,starting off a "Top 100 Best Alternative Songs of All Time" countdown.[12]TheAlternative 96.5re-brand was a transitional format, lasting roughly five weeks, and was promoted while a forthcoming format was under preparation. A weeklyplaylist,under a makeshiftAlternative 96.5letterhead, was distributed to local retail and media outlets.[13]

Then, on July 18, KNRJ beganstuntingwith a 48-hour ticking clock countdown sequence. A series of disjointed song samples were eventually interspersed into the sequence within the last 12 hours, most famously the opening to the song "Let It Whip"byThe Dazz Bandplayed first normally, then again in reverse.[14]After the countdown concluded at 7 a.m. on July 20, a fictitious "teacher" conducted a "roll call" calling out the names of program directors from competing radio stations, asking the "class" to start their tape recorders and take notes as this "lecture" was to begin. At that moment, KNRJ's call letters switched to KHMX as the station changed formats tohot adult contemporary,branded as "Mix 96.5." The first two songs on "Mix" wereSteve Winwood's "Roll With It"andTaylor Dayne's "I'll Be Your Shelter".[15][16][17][18]

Previous logo under Clear Channel ownership

General Manager Clancy Woods and Nationwide National Program Director Guy Zapoleon used the roll out at KHMX to launch other new Hot AC stations, branded as the "Mix" format. The Mix brand tagline, "More Music, More Variety, A Better Mix", was commercially successful. The formula for the "Mix" format was replicated through the 1990s and early 2000s in several other radio markets across North America and in cities as far away asSydney, Australiaby KHMX consultant Alan Burns. Around the same time, research expert John Parikhal, who also worked with KHMX, was helping PD Greg Strassell ofSteve Dodge'sAmerican Radio SystemsinBostonlaunch another Mix station known as "Mix 98.5",WBMX.WBMX was more of aRhythmic ACand an early example of today'sMOViN'format. Another Mix station was launched a few months earlier in the Summer of 1989 atWOMXinOrlandoby Nationwide Communications GM Rick Weinkoff and PD Brian Thomas, with help from Guy Zapoleon.

Nationwide sold all of its radio stations, including KHMX, toJacorin October 1997.[19]After a series of mergers,Clear Channel Communicationsacquired KHMX in early 1999.[20][21]KHMX was broadcast nationwide onXM Satellite Radiofrom 2001 to the end of 2003, when a unique-to-XMMixchannel debuted.

On December 15, 2008, Clear Channel andCBS Radioannounced a multi-station swap: KHMX and sister stationKLOLwould go to CBS Radio, while CBS Radio-owned stationsWQSRinBaltimore,KBKSinSeattle,KLTHandKXJMinPortland, OregonandKQJKinSacramentowould go to Clear Channel. The sale was approved on March 31, 2009, and was consummated on April 1.[22]After the sale of the station to CBS in 2009, KHMX tweaked its sound to include more Top 40/CHR currents.

On February 2, 2017, CBS Radio announced it would merge withEntercom.[23]The merger was approved on November 9, 2017, and was consummated on November 17.[24][25]

Morning shows[edit]

During its tenure as "Mix", the station has rotated through several morning shows, including Roula & Ryan (now onKRBE) from 2003-2005, Sam Malone (formerly of KRBE) 2005-2007, Maria Todd (also formerly of KRBE) 2009-2011,The Kidd Kraddick Morning Show2011-2012, Atom Smasher (also aKRBEalum) 2013-2015, and Dave, Mahoney & DK (formerly of sisterKXTE/Las Vegas) 2015-2016.

Dave, Mahoney & DK were let go from the station in December 2016. On April 5, 2017, it was announced that "The Morning Mix" would become the new morning show on KHMX consisting of former KKHH host Sarah Pepper, along with afternoon host Lauren Kelly and Geoff Sheen, formerly ofKTKRinSan Antonio,which began on April 10, 2017.[26]Lauren Kelly, however, left the station in 2019. Mornings are currently hosted by Pepper and Jessie Watt.

HD radio[edit]

KHMX signed on HD Radio operations in 2006. 96.5 HD2 first carried arhythmic contemporary–dance musicformat, known as "Energy 96.5." Energy 96.5 was the moniker KHMX used prior to becoming "Mix" in 1990. After the sale of the station to CBS in April 2009, KHMX 96.5 HD2 andKKHH95.7 HD2 swapped formats, with KHMX-HD2 becomingsmooth jazz"The Wave", whileKKHH-HD2 taking on the dance format and "Energy 95.7" moniker. "The Wave" would eventually evolve into aSmooth AC(a hybrid of Smooth Jazz and R&B music) format with an emphasis on Smooth Jazz.

In December 2016, "The Wave" moved to KHMX-HD3. After a brief run with analbum adult alternative(AAA) format as "Third Rock Radio", and nearly a year of airing a message redirecting Smooth Jazz listeners to KHMX HD-3, the HD-2 re-launched asHard Rock-formatted "HarD Rock Radio 96-5 HD-2" on November 20, 2017.

The HD subchannels have since been turned off.

References[edit]

  1. ^"Facility Technical Data for KHMX".Licensing and Management System.Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^Informationfrom theBroadcasting Yearbook1950 page 294
  3. ^"FM Chronology - Part 5 - 1947 - 1950".RetrievedJanuary 5,2020.
  4. ^Broadcasting Yearbook 1961-1962 page B-168
  5. ^Broadcasting Yearbook 1970 page B-199
  6. ^https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1980s/1980/RR-1980-07-25.pdf[bare URL PDF]
  7. ^http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1980s/1985/RR-1985-08-09.pdf[bare URL PDF]
  8. ^Bob Grace, "'97 Rock' Becomes 'Hit 96.5'", theHouston Chronicle,October 25, 1986.
  9. ^http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1980s/1986/RR-1986-10-24.pdf[bare URL PDF]
  10. ^Louis B. Parks, "KNRJ feels like dancing, makes another format change", theHouston Chronicle,February 14, 1989.
  11. ^http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1980s/1989/RR-1989-02-17.pdf[bare URL PDF]
  12. ^"Energy 96.5 KNRJ Becomes The Alternative".Format Change Archive.June 25, 1990.RetrievedJanuary 5,2020.
  13. ^https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1990s/1990/RR-1990-06-29.pdf[bare URL PDF]
  14. ^"Clock is running on KNRJ changes", theHouston Chronicle,July 19, 1990.
  15. ^Louis B. Parks, "Radio station KNRJ changes its format and call letters", theHouston Chronicle,July 20, 1990.
  16. ^http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1990s/1990/RR-1990-07-27.pdf[bare URL PDF]
  17. ^"96.5 KNRJ becomes" Mix "KHMX".Format Change Archive.July 20, 1990.RetrievedJanuary 5,2020.
  18. ^RARE! Debut Ad for Houston's Mix 96.5 KHMX,archivedfrom the original on December 21, 2021,retrievedJanuary 5,2020
  19. ^Associated Press,"Jacor buys 17 Nationwide radio stations", theHouston Chronicle,October 29, 1997.
  20. ^Bruce Westbrook, "'The Buzz'; 'Mix' being sold; changes coming", theHouston Chronicle,June 17, 1998.
  21. ^John Nolan, "Texas-based Clear Channel gets Jacor; $3.4 billion stock deal creates third major player in radio industry", theHouston Chronicle,October 9, 1998.
  22. ^CBS Radio to Swap Five Mid-Size Market Stations for Two Large Market Stations with Clear Channel CommunicationsArchivedDecember 19, 2008, at theWayback Machine(retrieved December 15, 2008)
  23. ^CBS Radio to Merge with Entercom
  24. ^"Entercom Receives FCC Approval for Merger with CBS Radio".Entercom.November 9, 2017.RetrievedNovember 17,2017.
  25. ^"Entercom Completes CBS Radio Merger".radioinsight.com.November 17, 2017.RetrievedNovember 17,2017.
  26. ^"Welcome The Morning Mix - Houston's New Favorite Morning Show".RetrievedApril 5,2017.

External links[edit]

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=KHMX&oldid=1233112839"