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| Broadcast area | Albuquerque metropolitan area |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 107.9MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | Big I 107.9 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Country music |
| Subchannels | HD2:Classic country "98.1 The Bull" |
| Affiliations | Premiere Networks |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| KABQ,KABQ-FM,KPEK,KTEG,KZRR,K251AU,K265CA | |
| History | |
First air date | April 27, 1979; 46 years ago (April 27, 1979) (as KFMG) |
Former call signs |
|
Call sign meaning | AlBuQuerque Interstate (see below) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 4706 |
| Class | C |
| ERP | 22,500watts |
| HAAT | 1,259 meters (4,131 ft) |
| Translators | 98.1K251AU (Albuquerque, relays HD2) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live HD2:The Bull Listen Live |
| Website | bigi1079.iheart.com HD2:thebullabq.iheart.com |
KBQI (107.9FM, "Big I 107.9") is acommercialradio station inAlbuquerque, New Mexico. It carries acountry musicformat and is owned byiHeartMedia, Inc. It carries twosyndicated shows on weekdays,The Bobby Bones Show in morningdrive time andAfter Midnite with Granger Smith overnight. The studios are on Masthead Street in northeast Albuquerque.
KBQI is aClass C station with aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 22,500watts. Thetransmittertower is atopSandia Crest east of the city. KBQI broadcasts usingHD Radio technology. It airs aclassic country format on its HD-2subchannel, "The Bull," which feedsFM translatorK251AU at 98.1 MHz.
This stationsigned on the air on April 27, 1979; 46 years ago (April 27, 1979). The originalcall sign was KFMG and it aired analbum oriented rock (AOR) format programmed by Frank Felix. KFMG featured a tightplaylist of about 250 titles, the most popular researched songs. Felix wanted to create a more mass appeal rock sound as proven by the success of 106.7KBPI inDenver.[2]
Rock programmer Carey Curelop later assumed program director duties. The station became the top rated station among its target audience.[3] KFMG, branded as "Rock 108", continued to be one of Albuquerque's top rock stations for much of the 1980s.[4]
In May 1985, KFMG and its AMsister station KAMX 1520 were sold to Coastal Communications for $2,125,000.[5] By the end of the 1980s, KFMG experienced declining ratings falling further behind rivalKZRR "94 Rock". In 1990, it faced a new competitor, KRBL 98.5 (nowKABG). KRBL edged past KFMG in the Fall 1990Arbitron ratings.[6]
In early March 1991, KFMG flipped to ahot adult contemporary format with most of the rock airstaff let go.[7] With the switch to Hot AC, the station changed its call letters to KAMX-FM, branded as "Mix 107.9".
Mix was not be a strong performer in the market. In June 1994, Coastal Communications sold KAMX-AM-FM to Bengal Communications for $750,000. Bengal also purchasedeasy listening outlet KKJY 100.3 (nowKPEK) for $1.5 million.[8] On October 17, 1994, KAMX-FM beganstunting with a gag format made up ofsound effects.
On October 19 at 5pm, KAMX-FM switched tomodern rock.[9] Meanwhile,KAMX 1520 discontinued its simulcast.[10] A month later, the FM station's call letters changed to KTEG and it branded as "107.9 The Edge, Albuquerque's New Rock Alternative." The new format quickly improved ratings for the station, putting in the top 10 while becoming the leading rock station in the market for a while.[11]
In March 1996, Bengal sold KTEG, KDZZ 1520 and KHTZ 100.3 to Trumper Communications for $7.4 million.[12] In June of that year, Trumper also purchased KZRR 94.1 and AM simulcast KZSS 610, along withclassic rock outlet KLSK 104.1.[13] While KTEG's modern rock sound was unchanged, KZRR shifted to a mainstream rock format. In addition, Trumper flipped 100.3 to amodern adult contemporary format. That consequentially created fragmentation in the alternative format.
In August 1999, Trumper sold its the Albuquerque cluster (which now included95.1 added earlier in the year). The buyer wasSan Antonio-basedClear Channel Communications and the price tag was $55.5 million.[14]
After entering the Albuquerqueradio market, Clear Channel decided to challenge the top-rated station country station, 92.3KRST. It launched a new country sound on 107.9 FM. In July 2000, KTEG was moved to 104.7 (recently purchased from Continental Communications) to make way for a new station on 107.9 FM, KBQI.[15]
KBQI took its branding,"Big I 107-9", from theI-40 andI-25 interchange near downtown Albuquerque that is locally known as "theBig I". At the time of the station's launch, the "Big I" was at the start of a major reconstruction project which finished in May 2002.
To kick off the country music format, former 92.3 KRST morning personalities Tony Lynn and Myles Copeland began hosting the morning shift on KBQI. This helped to make KBQI competitive with KRST, which had once dominated the country format in the Albuquerque market. Tony and Myles were the wake-up team for 11 years until they were let go in October 2011.[16] They were replaced by the syndicatedBobby Bones Show, which airs on most iHeart country stations.
In February 2006, the station began broadcasting in theHD Radio format. On its HD-2digital subchannel, it launched a country variety sound.
On June 21, 2013, the HD-2 subchannel started airing aclassic country music format. The classic country sound began re-broadcasting onFM translatorK251AU at 98.1 FM.[17][18]
| call letters | format | name | time period |
|---|---|---|---|
| KFMG | Album Oriented Rock | Rock 108 | 1979-1991 |
| KAMX | Hot AC | Mix 107.9 | 1991-1994 |
| KTEG | Modern Rock | The Edge | 1994-2000 |
35°12′43″N106°27′00″W / 35.212°N 106.450°W /35.212; -106.450