KHVU
| Broadcast area | Greater Houston |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 91.7MHz(HD Radio) |
| Branding | Vida Unida 91.7 |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | Spanish |
| Format | Christian adult contemporary |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Hope Media Group |
| KSBJ,KEHH,KHIH,KXBJ,KUBJ,WNVU,WAY-FM Network | |
| History | |
First air date | May 20, 1971 |
Former call signs |
|
Call signmeaning | "Houston Vida Unida" |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 72685 |
| Class |
|
| ERP |
|
| HAAT |
|
Transmitter coordinates | 30°3′54″N95°16′10″W/ 30.06500°N 95.26944°W |
| Translator(s) | See§ Translators |
| Repeater(s) |
|
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Website | www |
KHVU(91.7FM,"Vida Unida 91.7" ) is a non-commercialradio stationinHouston, Texas.It is owned by Hope Media Group, which ownsChristian AC-formattedKSBJ,and airs a Spanish-languageChristian adult contemporaryradio format.Thestudiosand offices are on Treble Drive inHumble, Texas,nearBush Intercontinental Airport,and thetransmitteris located off Sorters McClellan Road inPorter.[2]
The 91.7 frequency was established by Rice University as student-run KTRU. Rice sold the station in 2010 to theUniversity of Houston,which ran it as classical music outlet KUHA. Due to chronic lack of listener support, UH sold it to KSBJ, which first installed a Christian hip-hop format, before later changing the station to its current Spanish Christian programming.
History
[edit]Rice University
[edit]On May 20, 1971, the station firstsigned onas KTRU, operated byRice University.[3]Studios were located in Sid Richardson College on the Rice campus. Initially broadcasting at 10 watts, the students engineered an increase to 340 watts in April 1974 and 650 watts in October 1980.
The broadcast day also increased from the initial evening-only hours to 10 to 12 hours a day on weekdays and most of the weekend. In 1981, the station expanded its broadcast hours to 24 hours per day. In 1987, a major expansion of the student center was completed and the station's studios were relocated to the 2nd floor of the Ley Student Center.[4]
In 1991, the station's transmitter was moved to the north of Houston, increasing in power to 50,000 watts. The station was presented with an operating endowment by Mike Stude, the owner of Houston-area radio station 92.1 KRTS (nowKROI) and an heir of the founders ofBrown & Root.This move enabled Stude's station, which airedclassical music,to increase from 3,000 watts to 50,000 watts without interfering with KTRU's signal.
Classical music - University of Houston
[edit]On August 17, 2010, theUniversity of Houstonannounced its intent to purchase KTRU's tower, frequency and license from Rice. That would give the university the ownership of two Houston FM stations. The university's main FM signal, KUHF 88.7 MHz, would go from a mix of news and classical music to all news and information. The 91.7 frequency would give classical music and fine arts programming a full-time outlet, with the proposedcall signKUHA.[5][6]The FCC approved the purchase and transfer of license to the University of Houston System on April 15, 2011.[7]At 6:00 AM on April 28, 2011, KTRU wentdark.
KUHA began broadcasting May 16, 2011. The student-run KTRU programming was transferred to the HD2 subchannel of localPacifica Radiomember station 90.1KPFT.KPFT dropped KTRU on its HD2 subchannel in October 2015, when KTRU programming began broadcasting on 96.1 KBLT-LP (nowKTRU-LP), which presently broadcasts Rice University student programming.
KUHA debuted in 2011 with a distinctive classical sound. Unlike most stations airing the format, hosts selected their own playlists from the 50,000 classical music CD library owned by the station, one of the largest in the world. Because of this freedom, each live classical program on the station had its own unique flavor.
KUHA struggled to raise enough money to pay for its staff and facilities.[8]In an effort to remain solvant, on November 7, 2013, KUHA fired nearly all its announcers and staff.[9]The station replaced nearly all of its locally produced programming withPublic Radio International's "Classical 24,"anationally syndicatedclassical music service produced inMinnesota.It also began airing nationally distributed public radio programs dealing with classical music, such asFrom the Top,Performance TodayandPipedreams(which features organ music).
KUHA was theflagshipradio home of theHouston Symphony.Its broadcasts were heard on Wednesday evenings on KUHA when in season. When the classical format moved to KUHF-HD2, the agreement with the Houston Symphony remained in place and its broadcasts are now heard on KUHF-HD2.
On March 3, 2014, Houston Public Radio's KUHA and KUHF, along with HoustonPBStelevision stationKUHTChannel 8, were all rebranded as "Houston Public Media."
KSBJ ownership
[edit]KUHA's fundraising and financial picture did not improve, despite the staff cuts. On August 20, 2015, the University of Houston System announced its intention to sell KUHA, after which the classical music format would only be heard on KUHF'sHD2 subchanneland online streaming platforms, as well as a fifth subchannel of television station KUHT. The sale was approved by the UH System Board of Regents.
On February 24, 2016, the university announced that the station was being sold for $10 million to theKSBJ Educational Foundation,which planned to flip the station to NGEN Radio—a Christian hip-hop format that began online in 2010—upon taking control. With the impending sale, KUHA dropped almost all references to the 91.7 frequency in May and rebranded itself asHouston Public Media Classical,running advertisements for the digital streams of the format to redirect listeners.
On May 20, 2016, the license reassignment for KUHA was granted by theFederal Communications Commission.With the ownership change, plans were made to change the station's call letters when the hand-off took place.
On July 1, 2016, KUHA announced that it would cease broadcasting on July 15. KSBJ planned for NGEN programming to begin broadcasting on 91.7 on August 8. On July 14, KUHA ended regular programming. It began airing prerecorded announcements that the station had ceased broadcasting and redirected listeners to the digital streams. The 91.3 translator, which was included in the sale to KSBJ, wentsilent.
At 9 o'clock the following morning, KSBJ's purchase of KUHA closed. Consequently, at that time the station stopped airing its prerecorded announcements andsigned off.KSBJ said it would replace the old transmitter that had been used since 1990 with a brand-new transmitter. KSBJ also announced that the call letters would be changed to KXNG. The translator, 91.3 K217GB, also stopped broadcastingdead airand went dark that day.
KXNG returned to the air two weeks later on August 1, 2016,stuntingwith a variedplaylistofsecular dance musicunder the brandingK-Dance.The following Friday, the K217GB translator returned to the air rebroadcasting KXNG and the dance music stunt. Unlike KXNG, K217GB's transmitter was not replaced or modified.
At 6:00 AM on August 8, 2016, the stunting ended, and the NGEN Radio format made its debut with a launch party that was simulcast on KSBJ. During its time on the air, 91.7 NGEN Radio utilized a live and local lineup: "Marcus In The Morning" in AMdrive time,the "Mid-Day Show with NeallyTime W/ Neal Hopson," the "Afternoon Show with Brant Hansen," "RaJan Monroe @Night" and the "Brant Hansen Show" in late nights.
On July 13, 2021, KYBJ's callsign was changed to KVUJ. On August 20, 2021, KXNG's callsign was changed to KHVU and KZBJ's callsign was changed to KVUD.
On September 16, 2021, Hope Media Group announced that NGEN Radio would be moved exclusively to digital distribution on its website and app on November 8, at which point a new, undisclosed format would launch on KHVU.[10]On November 1, 2021, Hope Media Group announced that a Spanish-language Christian adult contemporary format targetingHispanic Americans,branded asVida Unida,would replace the NGEN format on KHVU and all of its other stations broadcasting the format.[11]The NGEN format ceased broadcasting on KHVU on November 8, at which point the station began airing messages both redirecting NGEN's listeners to digital platforms and promoting the upcoming Vida Unida format, which debuted at 6:00 AM on November 10.
Translators and rebroadcasters
[edit]Included in the purchase of KTRU was anFM translatorthat improved reception in the area near the campus ofRice University.The translator has been relocated off-campus after the sale and moved to an adjacent frequency. This translator was also included in the sale to KSBJ.
During its ownership by the University of Houston, the translator rebroadcast KUHF-HD2, which simulcast KUHA. Upon the completion of the sale to KSBJ, the translator reverted to rebroadcasting the 91.7 feed.
On August 8, 2016, KXNG added a second translator, K258BZ, with both translators relaying the main KXNG signal; this was sold off in 2019. Since then, KHVU has added K226AE, allowing its programming to be heard over the air inCollege Station, Texas.
Two further KSBJ-owned stations, KVUD (89.5 FM) inBay Cityand KVUJ (formerly KYBJ, 91.1 FM) inLake Jackson,also simulcast Vida Unida. It is also rebroadcast on K259AH (99.7 FM) inBrenham.
| Call sign | Frequency | City of license | FID | ERP(W) | HAAT | Class | FCC info | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| K217GB | 91.3 FM | Houston, Texas | 93168 | 99 | 57m(187ft) | D | LMS | First air date: October 10, 2000 (19 years ago) as K218DA at 91.5 |
| K226AE | 93.1 FM | College Station, Texas | 65772 | 250 | 82 m (269 ft) | D | LMS | First air date: September 20, 1993 |
| K259AH | 99.7 FM | Brenham, Texas | 65768 | 115 | 123 m (404 ft) | D | LMS |
References
[edit]- ^"Facility Technical Data for KHVU".Licensing and Management System.Federal Communications Commission.
- ^Radio-Locator /KHVU
- ^Informationfrom theBroadcasting & CableYearbook 1973 page B-196
- ^Kern, Lauren (January 11, 2001)."Rice University's slow, systematic makeover of KTRU is just the latest example of a college determined to pattern itself after corporate America".Houston Press.Retrieved2008-08-31.
- ^"FCC Grants Assignment of 91.7 FM License to UH System".April 15, 2011.RetrievedApril 18,2011.
- ^"UH Moves to Purchase Radio Station".kuhf.org. 2010-08-17.Retrieved2010-08-17.
- ^FCC."Correspondence for KTRU".Retrieved18 April2011.
- ^"Bad news for classical radio in Houston".Dallas News.7 November 2013.
- ^"Houston radio station fires its main on-air talent: A classical music bloodbath?".November 7, 2013.RetrievedNovember 7,2013.
- ^NGen Radio To Move To Digital Only On November 8- Radio Insight (published September 16, 2021)
- ^"Vida Unida 91.7 to Replace NGen Radio in Houston".
External links
[edit]- NGEN Radio
- The various signal strength areas of 91.7 FM
- Facility details for Facility ID 72685 (KHVU)in theFCCLicensing and Management System
- KHVUinNielsen Audio's FM station database
- Facility details for Facility ID 18555 (KVUJ)in theFCCLicensing and Management System
- KVUJinNielsen Audio's FM station database
- Facility details for Facility ID 91535 (KVUD)in theFCCLicensing and Management System
- KVUDinNielsen Audio's FM station database