 | |
| Broadcast area | Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 90.9MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | 90.9 KCBI FM |
| Programming | |
| Format | Christian radio |
| Subchannels | HD2: “KCBI’s All Teaching Channel” (Religious) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | First Dallas Media Inc. |
| KAAM,KZBI | |
| History | |
First air date | May 1976 (1976-05) |
Call sign meaning | KCriswellBibleInstitute (nowCriswell College, the station's former owner) |
| Technical information | |
| Facility ID | 14524 |
| Class | C |
| ERP | 100,000watts |
| HAAT | 460 meters (1,510 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 32°35′24″N96°58′12″W / 32.590°N 96.970°W /32.590; -96.970 |
| Repeater | 92.9KZBIMarlin (Waco-Temple) 107.7 KCBNHico |
| Links | |
| Webcast | Listen Live Listen Live (HD2) |
| Website | kcbi.org |
KCBI (90.9FM) is a listener-supportedradio station,licensed toDallas and serving theDallas-Fort Worth Metroplex inNorth Texas. It airs aChristian radioformat and is owned by First Dallas Media Inc. (FDMI) The station playsChristian adult contemporary music duringdrive times and middays, withChristian talk and teaching programs in late mornings, evenings and overnight. Programming is largelysimulcast on 92.9KZBI inWaco-Temple and 107.7 KCBN inHico.[1] The stations arenon-commercial and seek donations on the air and on line.
KCBI has aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 100,000watts, the maximum for most FM stations. Thetransmitter is off West Belt Line Road inCedar Hill, among thetowers for other Dallas-area FM and TV stations.[2]
KCBI began with its antenna atop the First International Building in downtown Dallas. Power was 1,500 watts at 660 feet above average terrain, a fraction of its current output.
The 90.9 spot traces its beginning to KCHU, a non-commercial FM that went on air August 29, 1975. KCHU operated until September 1977 when it went off air owing to financial shortfalls. The station remained silent through 1980, license renewal year in Texas. (Radio stations then operated on a three-year license cycle.) At the same time, Criswell operated KCBI-FM from a downtown Dallas rooftop with a power of 1,500 watts on 89.3. They aspired to raise power and height by relocating to theCedar Hill, Texas, tower farm, and applied to take over the 90.9 frequency of KCHU. A legal and FCC struggle ensued. The result was a swap of frequencies, a settlement of litigation, and return of KCHU (renamed KNON) to the air as a new license.
From the early years through 2012, KCBI was generally programmed as a Christian Talk and Teaching station. It featured religious leaders with national preaching shows, such asChuck Swindoll,David Jeremiah,Tony Evans andJohn MacArthur.
With younger listeners more interested in music than preaching, KCBI began shifting to a ‘more music and personalities’ format in 2013. It plays Contemporary Christian artists such as Chris Tomlin, Mercy Me, Casting Crowns and Tobymac. The current version of KCBI's programming offers music and personalities throughout most of the day, and teaching ministries in the evening, night and late morning. Many of its original teaching programs continue to be aired on KCBI.
On September 5, 2017, the First Baptist Church in Dallas, operator of FDMI, ended a 41-year joint management of KCBI with Criswell College, and became the sole member of FDMI.
KCBI also is involved in community service, including an annual station initiative to provide Bibles to listeners, including in prisons around the DFW area. KCBI was the 2017 National Religious Broadcasters "Station of the Year," an honor awarded at the NRB convention inOrlando.
Weekday hosts include mornings with Caryn & Jeremy Cruise, middays with Donna Cruz, and afternoons with Dave Moore.
National religious leaders heard on KCBI includeChuck Swindoll,David Jeremiah,Tony Evans,June Hunt,Jim Daly andJohn MacArthur.
FDMI also owns and operates 107.7 KCBN inHico, Texas, serving communities southwest ofFort Worth. And 92.9KZBI inMarlin, serving theWaco-Templeradio markets. It also has the KCBI All-Teaching Channel, on line and on theHD2 subchannel of KCBI.
FDMI previously owned KCRN-AM-FM inSan Angelo, Texas, andKCBK inFrederick, Oklahoma, serving theLawton/Wichita Falls area. In September 2018, the San Angelo stations were sold for $205,000 toHouston Christian Broadcasters and becameKCCE AM andKSAO FM.[3] KCBK, which was silent at the time, was sold the next week to South Central Oklahoma Christian Broadcasting for $250,000.[4]
In April 2023, KBCI started fundraising as it was a demand for 24/7 religious talk programming. The days of funding was success. On April 30, 2023, KCBI added HD2 subchannel as “KCBI’s All Teaching Channel.”