 | |
| |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Greater Houston |
| Frequency | 950kHz |
| Branding | KPRC 950 AM |
| Programming | |
| Format | Talk radio |
| Network | Fox News Radio |
| Affiliations | |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
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| History | |
First air date | May 9, 1925; 100 years ago (1925-05-09) |
Call sign meaning | |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 9644 |
| Class | B |
| Power |
|
Transmitter coordinates | 29°54′55.8″N95°27′48.8″W / 29.915500°N 95.463556°W /29.915500; -95.463556 |
| Repeater | 94.5 KTBZ-FM HD3 (Houston) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live (viaiHeartRadio) |
| Website | kprcradio |
KPRC (950AM) is a broadcast radio station in the United States.Licensed toHouston, Texas, it has atalk radio format and is owned byiHeartMedia, Inc. KPRC broadcasts mostlyconservative talk radio shows and is the home base for thenationally syndicatedWalton & Johnson andThe Jesse Kelly Show. Additionally, KPRC broadcastsUniversity of Houston sports.
KPRC first signed on in 1925 as the radio station of theHouston Post-Dispatch. For much of its history, KPRC was afull service station featuring news, music, sports and entertainment. KPRC was also theflagship station for theHouston Astros baseball team from its 1962 founding to 1980 and again from 1990 to 1995, and theHouston Rockets' first five seasons in Houston from 1971 to 1976, then again from 1981 to 1985 and 1998 to 2002. Having been anMOR music station since the 1960s, KPRC switched to full-time news and talk in 1977. The station was owned by the family ofPost-Dispatch founderWilliam P. Hobby before being sold to Sunbelt Broadcasting, a company partially owned by futurelieutenant governorDan Patrick. Sunbelt then sold KPRC to Clear Channel Communications (nowiHeartMedia) in 1995.
In 1923,Houston Post-Dispatch ownerRoss S. Sterling met Alfred P. Daniel, a radio instructor at a Houston YMCA whose students included Sterling's son Ross Sterling Jr. The elder Sterling and Daniel discussed starting a new radio station affiliated with thePost-Dispatch.William P. Hobby, president and publisher of thePost-Dispatch, asked Sterling to launch the radio station.[2]
Before a500 wattWestinghouse Electric transmitter arrived in Houston, Sterling Jr. died. In 1925, when the World Advertising Convention was to be held in Houston featuring U.S. Commerce SecretaryHerbert Hoover, Daniel again talked to Sterling Sr. about the radio station idea. Sterling agreed, and the radio station was created in three weeks.[3] On May 9, 1925, their radio station KPRC signed-on on 1010 kHz with 500 watts of power, with Daniel as the station's first announcer and program director. Guests on the opening broadcast included William P. Hobby, Texas poet laureate Judd Mortimer Lewis, and the First Garrison Band of Mexico.[3] The call signs stood for "Kotton Port Rail Center", a reference to the cotton trade.[2]
Broadcasting from the "Skyline Studios" at the 22-storyHouston Post-Dispatch building in downtown Houston, KPRC featured daily live music and a daily children's storytelling show hosted by Lewis,Uncle Judd's Kiddies' Hour.[4][5]
In 1927, it interrupted its scheduled programming to give out dispatches for theHouston Police Department.[6] That year, KPRC moved from 1010 to 920 kHz.[7]: 3 [8]Tex Ritter had a Saturday show on KPRC in the late 1920s singing original country ballads.[9]
KPRC co-founded the Texas Quality Network (TQN) in 1934 with three of the other top radio stations in Texas:WBAP inFort Worth,WFAA inDallas, andWOAI inSan Antonio.[10][11] Connecting the four stations by telephone line, TQN enabled them to make simultaneous broadcasts of the same program. The four stations also provided over 100 kW of power combined at night.[10] TQN featured sports and music programs sponsored by various local businesses, for instance football games sponsored byHumble Oil andThe Light Crust Doughboys, a country music show.[12] By 1935, KPRC became a member of theNBC Radio Network.[13]
KPRC increased its power tenfold to 5 kW in 1936. Then in 1937, KPRC andKTRH co-installed what was the second transmitter in the world that could send waves from two stations at the same time.[10]
KPRC moved to its current frequency of950kHz on May 22, 1941, under the terms of theNorth American Regional Broadcasting Agreement (NARBA).[7]: 9 TheHouston Post later expanded into FM radio and television, starting with foundingKPRC-FM in 1946.[14][15] In 1950, theHouston Post purchased KLEE-TV and renamed itKPRC-TV.[16]
Construction began in 1952 for a new $400,000 facility for operating the KPRC AM, FM, and TV stations.[17]
TheHouston Post sold KPRC-FM in 1958.[18]
In the 1960s and much of the 1970s, KPRC had amiddle of the road (MOR) music format.[19][20] A 1966 advertisement claimed that the station had the largest news staff of any Houston radio station and 20 billboards that had lights connected by telephone lines to its newsroom. The billboard lights shined when KPRC had news broadcasts.[19]
DuringHurricane Carla in September 1961, KPRC AM and TV broadcast live coverage for 113 straight hours, starting three days before the hurricane reached land; KPRC AM was the flagship station among nearly 40 affiliates of the Gulf Coast Hurricane Warning Network.[21]
In 1962, KPRC broadcast the inaugural season of theHouston Colt .45s, a newMajor League Baseball team.[22] When the Colt .45s became theHouston Astros in 1965, KPRC continued broadcasting the games, withGene Elston andLoel Passe hired as announcers.[23] Other sports programming in the 1960s includedUniversity of Houston basketball,Rice University basketball, andSouthwest Conference football.[24][25]
Billboard magazine's Radio Response Ratings survey in April 1965 found that KPRC had the highest ratings among stations that playedpop standards albums, in all time slots from morning to late evening.[24] The strong ratings continued into 1966, when KPRC began adding comedy shows and jazz music.[25]
Beginning in the1971–72 season, KPRC began broadcastingHouston Rockets NBA basketball games, in the team's first season aftermoving from San Diego.[26]
The KPRC TV and AM stations moved to a new $3.2 million, 86,000 square foot facility on March 22, 1972. Former U.S. PresidentLyndon B. Johnson visited the dedication ceremony that day.[27]
In the spring 1976Arbitron survey, KPRC ranked tenth in the Houston/Galveston market with an average 15,100 listeners per week.[28] Having reduced music programming in recent years, KPRC changed its programming in 1976 to have talk shows during the day and music in evenings.[29] In another programming change, after the1975–76 season, the Rockets moved their game broadcasts from KPRC toKXYZ.[30]
Beginning in 1977, KPRC dropped music and changed to a news/talk station. KPRC showed improvement in the spring 1977 Arbitron ratings from a year ago, this time averaging 17,200 listeners per 15 minutes and ranking eighth in Houston/Galveston.[31]
In 1979, KPRC hiredAnita Martini as sports director. She was reportedly the first woman to become a radio sports director in a major media market.[32]
After the1980 season, KPRC lost the Astros broadcasting rights toKENR in1981.[33][34] However, KPRC resumed Houston Rockets broadcasts from 1981 to 1985.[35]
In 1983, the Hobby family corporation was renamedH&C Communications, and it sold theHouston Post to theToronto Sun Publishing Corporation.[36][37][38]
After decades of being affiliated with NBC, KPRC changed to theCBS Radio Network in February 1988.[39]
Ten years after the last game broadcast on KPRC, the Houston Astros signed a new contract with KPRC in November 1990 following a mutual agreement with previous stationKTRH to end their contract one year early.[40]
In October 1992, H&C Communications announced the sale of KPRC AM to Sunbelt Broadcasting Company for $3.5 million, with the sale being finalized in February 1993.[41][42] With that acquisition, formerKHOU sports directorDan Patrick became general manager and part-owner of both KPRC and sister stationKSEV.[41][43] He had his own talk show on KPRC until 2000.[43][44]
KPRC had been declining in the ratings leading up to the purchase by Sunbelt, ranked 16th in the Houston/Galveston market in fall 1992. Following the sale closing, in an effort to make the two stations more competitive againstKTRH, Patrick announced changes to the KPRC and KSEV schedules to focus onconservative talk radio effective April 5, 1993. Branded as "Supertalk Radio", both stations would simulcastThe Rush Limbaugh Show; KPRC also added commentary segments byPaul Harvey andJim Hightower and a sports talk show co-hosted byHouston Chronicle columnist Ed Fowler and play-by-play announcer John O'Reilly,Sports Page.[45][46]
Then in March 1994, Patrick hired former Houston mayorKathy Whitmire, aDemocrat, to host a nightly show. Patrick commented: "Whitmire will lend some balance. She's a liberal-to-moderate Democrat, and I think to have a female liberal Democrat on the air will be neat."[47] That show would be short lived. In July, Whitmire accepted an offer to become president and CEO ofJunior Achievement effective September 6.[48]
Sunbelt, in turn, sold KPRC and KSEV to Clear Channel Communications in 1995 for a combined $26.8 million, ending nearly 70 years of local ownership for KPRC.[49][50]
Following the1995 Houston Astros season, KPRC lost the Astros broadcasting rights in January 1996 toKILT, a sports station then owned byWestinghouse Broadcasting.[51][52] Among the Astros' stated reasons for the change of affiliation were a perceived stronger signal from KILT and the sports format allowing for more promotion of the team, in contrast to KPRC moving some games to KSEV when there were conflicts with regularly scheduled talk shows likeRush Limbaugh.[51] However, Patrick disputed the Astros' claim about KILT having a stronger signal due to both stations having 5 kW of power.[53] Eventually, theHouston Chronicle reported in April 1996 that due to listener complaints about poor reception of KILT inMontgomery County (specificallyThe Woodlands andConroe), the Astros radio network added Conroe stationKJOJ.[54]
Beginning around December 1998, KPRC hired formerApollo 7 astronautWalter Cunningham to host a nightly 8 p.m. show,Liftoff to Logic.[55][56] For the third time, KPRC had Houston Rockets games from 1998 to 2002.[35]
On August 29, 2000, Patrick resigned from KPRC after seven years as general manager and talk show host.[57] KPRC subsequently addedThe Dr. Laura Program.[58]
In March 2001, KPRC re-branded as "Talk Radio 950 KPRC".[59] That month,Chris Baker joined as a new afternoon drive host.[60] In another programming change,Ian Punnett replaced Cunningham as 8 p.m. host around February 2001.[61]
Baker moved to sister station KTRH effective November 15, 2004.[62]
On July 30, 2007, KPRC became the new flagship station for theWalton & Johnson morning show, which moved fromCumulus Media's Houston rock stationKIOL.[63][64] Beginning August 2007, KPRC rebranded as "The 9-5-0 Radio Mojo", with Chris Baker returning to supplement his other show on KTRH and nationally syndicated shows includingThe Dave Ramsey Show,Mancow, andThe Phil Hendrie Show.[65][63] Also in 2007, KPRC began carrying news updates fromFox News Radio.[66]
On March 17, 2013, KPRC dropped the Radio Mojo brand and became known as "KPRC AM 950, Houston's More Stimulating Talk Radio".[67]
On July 28, 2014, KPRC signed a contract to broadcastUniversity of Houston football andmen's basketball.[68] KPRC and the University of Houston renewed their contract in August 2020.[69]
In April 2025, KPRC and other iHeart stations began broadcastingVerdict with Ted Cruz, a podcast hosted by Texas U.S. SenatorTed Cruz. This marked the first time a sitting U.S. senator hosted a talk radio show.[70]
iHeartMedia owns two news-talk radio stations in Houston. KPRC carries mostlynationally syndicated shows whileKTRH has mostly local hosts. Two syndicated programs,Walton & Johnson andThe Jesse Kelly Show, originate from KPRC.[64][71][72] National programming on weekdays includes theGlenn Beck Radio Program,Armstrong & Getty,The Will Cain Show,The Mark Levin Show andCoast to Coast AM.[71] On weekends, KPRC has mostlybrokered time programs purchased by local businesses.[73] Most hours begin with an update fromFox News Radio.[74]
KPRC also broadcasts local sports, specificallyHouston Cougars football andHouston Cougars men's basketball games from theUniversity of Houston. It also carriesTexas Longhorns men's basketball from theUniversity of Texas at Austin.[69][75]
The station's studios are located near theWest Loop Freeway inUptown Houston.[76]
KPRC transmits with 7,000 wattsnon-directional by day. At night, to avoid interference to other stations on950 AM, it reduces power to 4,300 watts and it uses adirectional antenna with a four-tower array. Thetransmitter site is located at 3000 Hansom Road in Houston.[77] For listeners with anHD radio, KPRC can be heard onsister station 94.5KTBZ-FM on the station's HD3subchannel.
