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|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Greater Houston |
| Frequency | 1230kHz |
| Branding | 1230 The Source |
| Programming | |
| Language | English |
| Format | Urban talk;urban contemporary |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
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| History | |
First air date | February 18, 1948; 77 years ago (1948-02-18) (as KNUZ) |
Former call signs |
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Call sign meaning | "Call of Houston" or "Kilocycles Over Houston" |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 65309 |
| Class | C |
| Power |
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Transmitter coordinates | |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | www |
KCOH (1230AM) is a commercial radio station inHouston, Texas that airs anurban talk andurban contemporary format. It is a return to the heritage format that aired in Houston from 1953 to 2013 onKCOH (1430 AM), moving to this facility after 1430 was sold. KCOH returned to the legendary music format on March 14, 2019, while KCOH officially relaunched on Monday April 15, 2019 as "1230 KCOH, The Source", featuring many of the long-time KCOH shows from the original station, and the return of such legendary KCOH personalities as Don Sam and Ralph Cooper.
The radio station began in 1948 when KTHT (nowKBME) vacated this frequency for a stronger signal on 790 kHz. Under the KNUZcall sign, it was aTop 40 formatted station through the 1960s, competing withKILT (AM) but eventually Houston outgrew 1230's signal coverage and KILT won the battle in the early 70s. KNUZ then switched to acountry format until the late 1980s, becoming a News/Opinion format until owner Dave Morris sold the station along with its sister FM, KQUE on 102.9, to Clear Channel in 1997.
During a period after the AM/FM pair was sold, 1230 (now KQUE) was used to continue theMORstandards format previously on their102.9 counterpart during the ownership days of SFX Broadcasting Corporation which took overABC Radio affiliateKNUZ "K-News" News/Opinion. This resulted in 1230 abandoning the KNUZ calls it had used since its inception, and took the calls out of the city that had long been associated with them. The KNUZ callsign had also been used on Channel 39 (Channel 39 frequency now occupied byKIAH).
The KNUZ callsign was quickly requested and assigned to AM 1090 inBellville, Texas.
After the longtime Standards andBig Band format was folded in May 2001, KQUE became part of a quadcast withRhythmic oldies-formattedKTJM until July 2001, along with 880 AM, and 103.3 FM. KQUE then dropped the quadcast and began asimulcast ofclassic rock-formatted KKRW (nowKQBT).
LBI acquired KQUE in June 2002. Under Liberman's control, the station began as a simulcast partner of KTJM, as "La Raza", with aRegional Mexican format.
It then continued as a Regional Mexican station under its own identity, and simulcast with 880KJOJ, as "Radio Ranchito". It has also been the home ofbrokered programming, while owned by Liberman, as it was the home ofDesi language "Hum Tum Radio" for a short period.
On March 1, 2013, KQUE would return to English-language broadcasting as it became the new home for the Urban Oldies format, continued from its long history at 1430 kHz under aLMA fromLiberman Broadcasting to the Jesse Dunn organization, which provided the programming for 1230's entire broadcast day.
As a part of the lease agreement between Liberman and the Dunn organization, theKQUE call would be retired, as the legendary KCOH calls were moved in tandem with the format from 1430 AM to this facility. KQUE's call set has since reappeared on the dial in the Houston area, where it is now located at980 AM inRosenberg, a sister station to 1230.
The station simulcasted the Regional Mexican format of then sister station 850KEYH as "La Ranchera" prior to the sale of the facility to Pueblo de Galilea, LLC.
Liberman Broadcasting filed an application to sell KCOH to Pueblo de Galilea, LLC in April 2016. It was granted by the Federal Communications Commission and consummated on May 2, 2016, resulting in KCOH becoming a member of Radio Aleluya, a localSpanish-languageChristian radio network owned by Pueblo de Galilea.
On Friday October 15, 2016 Pueblo de Galilea completed the move oftranslator K223CW fromGeorge West, Texas to atower located in north Houston. KCOH immediately dropped the simulcast with sister station 1590 KMIC Houston, and launched a newTropical format on KCOH and the new translator named "La Calle 92.5".
In September 2017,ESPN Deportes Radio moved from 1180KGOL to KCOH. With the change, KCOH also lost its FM translator 92.5 K223CW, which was moved to sister Radio Aleluya facility 880KJOZ Conroe, while the two facilities continued the Tropical "La Calle" format that KCOH had abandoned for sports programming.
On March 14, 2019, 1230 KCOH dropped "ESPN Deportes Radio" and returned to the heritage Urban format long associated with the KCOH call set. At the time of the reboot it was running with no commercial interruptions.
KCOH officially relaunched as "1230 The Source" on April 15, 2019, bringing back many of the familiar shows and voices from the station's illustrious past.
The station’s tower collapsed on October 20, 2024 after a helicopter crashed into it.[2]