KOBQ
 | |
| Broadcast area | Albuquerque metropolitan area |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 93.3MHz |
| Branding | 93-3 The Q |
| Programming | |
| Format | Top 40 (CHR) |
| Affiliations | Westwood One |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| KDRF,KKOB,KKOB-FM,KMGA,KNML,KRST,KTBL | |
| History | |
First air date | August 1,1967(as KOB-FM) |
Former call signs | |
| Technical information | |
| Facility ID | 11250 |
| Class | C |
| ERP | 21,500watts |
| HAAT | 1,265 meters (4,150 ft) |
| Links | |
| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | 933theq.com |
KOBQ(93.3FM) is acommercialradio stationinAlbuquerque, New Mexico.It is owned byCumulus Mediaand broadcasts atop 40 (CHR)radio format,brandedas "93-3 The Q". Itsradio studiosand offices are inDowntown Albuquerque.
KOBQ has aneffective radiated power(ERP) of 21,500watts.Thetransmitteris atopSandia Peak.[3]
History[edit]
Beautiful music[edit]
In 1964, Hubbard Broadcasting Inc. applied to theFederal Communications Commission(FCC) for aconstruction permitto build a new FM radio station to operate alongsideKOBandKOB-TV.The FM station was originally planned to begin broadcasting by Fall of that year with an antenna erected on the AM tower, and was slated tosimulcastthe AM programming.[4]Itsigned onthe air on August 14, 1967, as KOB-FM.
Instead of simulcasting KOB, KOB-FM featured a completelyautomatedformat, operating from 6:30 a.m. to midnight. It played "modern, stereophonic music performed by the top recording artists of the day". Selections included "bright uptempo sounds" in the morning.Jazzandlight classical musicwere heard in the evenings. KOB-FM was the first station to broadcast from atopSandia Crest.The broadcast range at the time was determined to be about 150 miles. Management stated: "The decision to program from the transmitter atop the mountain stems from the fact that stereophonic programming material relayed to a transmitter via microwave results in a reproduction of lower sound quality".[5]From the late 1960s until 1981, KOB-FM carried abeautiful musicformat, still largely automated.[6]
Adult contemporary[edit]
August 1981 saw a shift in programming, as KOB-FM changed to anadult contemporaryformat.[7]KOB-FM became one of the highest rated FM stations throughout the 1980s.[8]New FM competitors began broadcasting, but KOB-FM continued to dominate the market for many years.[9]
In October 1986, Hubbard sold KOB-AM-FM to Price Communications for $16.5 million. The call letters were changed to KKOB-FM with no changes in programming.[10]The stations were later acquired by Fairmont Communications. Fairmont sold both stations to Citadel Communications in late 1993 for $9 million.[11]Citadel would also acquireKMGA,which had aSoft ACformat, which created an FM duopoly of KKOB-FM and KMGA. The acquisition prompted KKOB-FM to pick up the tempo and become ahot adult contemporarystation.
Top 40 and 1980s hits[edit]
KKOB-FM's first shift to MainstreamTop 40came in 1999. It started using the slogan "Today's Best Music", rivaling the newly launched KCHQ-FM, "Channel 105.1", which returned the top 40 format to the market after a six-year absence. Both stations were often head-to-head in the ratings until November 2000, when KCHQ shifted to a 1980s hits format.
In January 2001, KKOB-FM also switched to a 1980s format, putting the two stations in competition once again. KKSS, which had been facing a fiercerhythmic contemporarybattle with KYLZ-FM, become the area's Mainstream Top 40 outlet a few weeks later. In November 2002, KKSS was sold to Hispanic Broadcasting and returned to Rhythmic Top 40. KCHQ had dropped the 1980s format in the fall of 2001, but the format continued to lose steam on KKOB-FM. On December 25, 2002, KKOB-FM returned to the Top 40 format and once again was using the three-letter "KOB" identification in its branding.
KOBQ[edit]
On November 15, 2019, "93.3 KOB FM" rebranded as "93.3 The Q", using a new call sign KOBQ, but with no change in format. The change was made in part to avoid confusion with sister station KKOB AM, who recently added anFM translatorat 94.5 MHz.[12]The KKOB-FM call letters were reassigned to 96.3 FM (formerlyKBZU) on January 6, 2020, when that station began simulcasting the news/talk format of KKOB.
References[edit]
- ^History Cards for KOBQ,fcc.gov. Retrieved September 7, 2017.
- ^Call Sign History,fcc.gov. Retrieved September 7, 2017.
- ^Radio-Locator.com/KOBQ
- ^"Albuquerque Journal from Albuquerque, New Mexico on May 5, 1964 · Page 12".
- ^"Albuquerque Journal from Albuquerque, New Mexico on August 14, 1967 · Page 6".
- ^"Albuquerque Journal from Albuquerque, New Mexico on August 5, 1981 · Page 12".
- ^"Albuquerque Journal from Albuquerque, New Mexico on August 5, 1981 · Page 12".
- ^"Two More Stations Seek Slice of KOB Market".Albuquerque Journal.October 25, 1985. p. 13.
- ^"Albuquerque Journal from Albuquerque, New Mexico on January 12, 1988 · Page 7".
- ^"Albuquerque Journal from Albuquerque, New Mexico on October 28, 1986 · Page 15".
- ^https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Duncan-American-Radio/Duncan-1993-Fall.pdfpage 9
- ^KKOB-FM Rebrands as 93.3 The Q
External links[edit]
- KOBQin theFCCFM station database
- KOBQinNielsen Audio's FM station database