   | |
| Broadcast area | Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 97.9MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | 97.9 The Beat |
| Programming | |
| Format | Rhythmic contemporary |
| Subchannels |
|
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| KZMJ | |
| History | |
First air date | 1947 (78 years ago) (1947) |
Former call signs |
|
Call sign meaning | TheB is taken from "B-97.9," former adult contemporary station |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 9627 |
| Class | C |
| ERP | 100,000 watts |
| HAAT | 574 meters (1,883 ft) |
| Translator(s) |
|
| Repeater(s) | 94.5 KZMJ-HD2 (Gainesville) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Website | |
KBFB (97.9FM) is acommercial radio station with anurban contemporary–leaningrhythmic contemporaryradio format, known as "97.9 The Beat." It islicensed toDallas, Texas and serves theDallas–Fort Worth metroplex. KBFB is owned byUrban One, its studios and offices, along withsister stationKZMJ, are in the Galleria Area inNorth Dallas.
KBFB has aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 100,000 watts. The station'stransmitter is off Plateau Street inCedar Hill, amid thetowers for other Dallas–Fort Worth area FM and TV stations. KBFB broadcasts usingHD Radio technology.
The station traces its history back to an October 5, 1946sign-on, owned by theBelo Corporation, and was the first FM radio station to go on the air in Texas.[2] It was called KERA-FM.
Even before KERA-FM's first day on the air, there was an experimental FM station "W5X1C" that began tests on October 15, 1945, and another trial dating back to 1939. By 1947, KERA-FM had moved from its original home at 94.3 FM to 97.9 FM under the WFAA-FM call sign, initially simulcasting its AM sister stationWFAA (570 AM). With FM broadcasting in its infancy, Belo decided that the FM simulcast was not worthwhile and took WFAA-FMoff the air on September 1, 1950.
The frequency remained dormant until 1958, when Belo decided to revive WFAA-FM, receiving aconstruction permit and putting WFAA-FM back on the air on January 6, 1961. After simulcasting WFAA(AM) for a few years, aBeautiful Music format was established in 1965. The station played quarter-hour sweeps of mostly instrumentalcover versions of popular songs, designed for relaxing or unobtrusive office listening.
On September 16, 1973, WFAA-FM flipped toalbum-oriented rock (AOR) as KZEW-FM, known to listeners as "The Zoo".[3] It featured disc jockeys such as John LaBella and John Rody ("LaBella and Rody"),George Gimarc, Charley Jones, Dave Lee Austin, John B. Wells, Nancy Johnson, John Dew, John Dillon, Doc Morgan and Tempie Lindsey. The station's concept and programming were initially under the direction of Ira Lipson. The FM station shared studios with WFAA on the second floor of the facility. The FM station was so popular that in several years, WFAA switched to aclassic rock format as KRQX.
In 1987, KZEW and KRQX were sold by Belo (which retained ownership of theDallas Morning News andWFAA-TV) toAtlanta-basedCox Radio. On December 11, 1989, KZEW dropped the rock format and beganstunting withChristmas music. On January 1, 1990, KZEW switched formats tosoft adult contemporary, changing itscall sign to KKWM and rebranded as "Warm 97.9".[4] A year later, the station changed its call sign again, this time to KLRX, and updated their branding to "Lite 97.9".[5]
In 1993, the station was sold toCBS Radio, and on October 15, at 7 pm, KLRX flipped to aclassic hits/classic rock format under the KRRW call letters, branded as "Arrow 97.9".[6][7]
On April 3, 1997, the station switched back to adult contemporary asB-97.9 and changed to the current KBFB call letters.[8][9]
KBFB flipped toRhythmic Contemporary as "97.9 The Beat" on September 26, 2000, after the station was sold to Radio One, a forerunner to today'sUrban One.[10] Since launch, the station has been in direct competition against longtime heritage urban stationKKDA-FM. KBFB and KKDA-FM also had a competitor with formerRhythmic Contemporary rivalKZZA until the station flipped toSpanish Oldies in 2008.
In the beginning, the morning show on the station was hosted byRuss Parr (who started his radio career atKJMZ in the Metroplex). In 2003, it was home to theSteve Harvey Morning Show through a syndicated simulcast from its sister station in Los Angeles,KKBT (also nicknamed "The Beat"). Eventually, Radio One switched KBFB's early slot to theRickey Smiley Morning Show in 2005. Smiley was dropped in fall 2017, and was replaced withThe Morning Hustle.
Since the mid 2000s, KBFB has broadcast onHD Radio, though it never had a secondary HD multicast until March 2014. Since that time, KBFB-HD2 has simulcastGainesville–based sister stationKZMJ.[11]
In February 2018, the station began broadcasting Vietnamese–language programming on HD3. This was later switched to aRegional Mexican format, also simulcasting on translators K293CM on 106.5 FM in Dallas and K225BR 92.9 FM inFort Worth.
32°35′02″N96°57′50″W / 32.584°N 96.964°W /32.584; -96.964