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| Broadcast area | |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 104.1MHz |
| Branding | 104.1 The Vibe |
| Programming | |
| Format | Urban adult contemporary |
| Affiliations | Premiere Networks |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| KRVE,WFMF,WJBO,WYNK-FM | |
| History | |
First air date | November 15, 1968; 57 years ago (1968-11-15) |
Former call signs |
|
Call sign meaning | Sounds like "voodoo" (former branding) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 34528 |
| Class | C3 |
| ERP | 17,500watts |
| HAAT | 119 meters (390 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 30°22′26″N91°05′44″W / 30.37389°N 91.09556°W /30.37389; -91.09556 |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | 104thevibe.iheart.com |
KVDU (104.1FM, "104.1 The Vibe") is acommercialradio stationlicensed toGonzales, Louisiana, and serving theBaton Rouge metropolitan area. It airs anurban adult contemporaryradio format and is owned byiHeartMedia, Inc. It featuresThe Steve Harvey Morning Show andThe Sweat Hotel withKeith Sweat on weekday evenings. Thestudios and offices are located east of downtown Baton Rouge near theI-10/I-12 interchange.
KVDU has aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 17,500watts. Thetransmitter is on Mancuso Lane in Baton Rouge.
The stationsigned on the air on November 15, 1968; 57 years ago (November 15, 1968). The station's originalcall sign was KHOM, with the call letters reflecting its original city of license,Houma.[2] It broadcast from a 350-foottower, only targeting the Houma area.
In 1989, it moved its antenna atop the 2,000-foot tower inVacherie, also used by WCKW-FM (nowWZRH). The move allowed the station's signal to reach into the New Orleans and Baton Rouge markets. The more–powerful signal could also be heard inLafayette, Louisiana, and even some counties inMississippi. The station remained licensed to Houma, but dropped itsmiddle of the road (MOR) format foroldies.
In late 1994, afterWEZB ended itsTop 40 format in favor ofHot talk, KHOM's then-owner, Raymond A. Saadi, decided to flip KHOM to Top 40 as "Mix 104.1." The station kept the heritage KHOM call letters before changing to KUMX in 1998. In February 1997, the station was acquired bySan Antonio-basedClear Channel Communications, a forerunner to today's iHeartMedia, for $8.75 million.[3] Clear Channel also acquired other FM stations in the New Orleans market, includingurban contemporaryWQUE-FM,urban adult contemporaryWYLD-FM,country musicWNOE-FM, andalternative rock KKND (now owned by Cumulus). Under Clear Channel ownership, KUMX ran a small playlist, stressing repeated airing of the biggest current hits.
The move to Top 40 paid off in the ratings, and in the spring of 1996, WEZB switched back to its original Top 40 format and recaptured most of its old audience. On June 29, 2001, at 6 a.m., "Mix"signed off with "When It's Over" bySugar Ray, and beganstunting by playing only construction sound effects.[4]
At 5 p.m. on June 29, the station flipped to aclassic rock format as "104-1 The Fox," under the new KFXN-FM call sign. The new format launched with an "AllBeatles Weekend", beginning with "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band."
On July 26, 2002, the station returned to Top 40 music as theadult-leaning "104.1 KISS-FM," under new call sign KSTE-FM. However, "KISS-FM" did not catch on in the ratings.[5] By November 2003, the format shifted toRhythmic Top 40, then flipped tourban gospel in July 2005 as "Hallelujah 104.1", under new call letters KHEV.
After 16 months in the gospel format, Clear Channel decided to replace it withactive rock on November 13, 2006. In the process, it inherited "The Rock of New Orleans" slogan from sister stationWRNO-FM, which dropped its heritage rock/classic rock format forall-talk on the same day as KHEV's flip. On November 20, 2006, Clear Channel replaced the KHEV call sign with new call letters KYRK.
On July 1, 2010, at 3 p.m., KYRK changed its format back to classic rock, this time branded as104.1 The Brew. The station's former active rock format was moved to itsHD2 signal at that time.[6] On July 19, 2010, KYRK changed call letters to KOBW to go with the "Brew" branding. "The Brew" was positioned as "Classic Rock for a New Generation", which played mostly late 60s, 70s, 80s, and early 90s classic rock tracks.
Nearly a year later, on June 30, 2011, the station flipped to iHeartMedia's "GenX Radio" format asVoodoo 104, carrying aclassic hits format focusing primarily on music from the 1990s. The station changed its call letters to KVDU to match the new branding. By the beginning of 2012, KVDU had dropped the "GenX" format and segued to arhythmic adult contemporary format, and later segued tohot adult contemporary.[7][8]
On August 22, 2017, at 5 p.m., KVDU flipped to a rock-leaningadult hits format, branded as104.1 The Spot.[9] The station would switch toChristmas music for much of November and December, returning to its regular format after the holidays.
DuringHurricane Ida in August 2021, KVDU's tower, shared withCumulus Media-owned 92.3WZRH, was destroyed. High winds knocked out the station's terrestrial broadcast, although the station continued streaming on theiHeartRadio app. Eventually, the station was able to find a temporary tower in downtown New Orleans.[10]
A permanent new tower location was not found until March of the following year, when iHeart announced to the FCC its intention to change the city of license toGonzales. This also moved the station's signal closer to Baton Rouge.[11] The shorter tower and relocation ended KVDU's ability to effectively cover the New Orleansradio market. As KVDU left the New Orleans market, co-owned 103.7WFFX concurrently moved fromHattiesburg, Mississippi, closer to New Orleans.[12]
The moves took effect on October 14, 2024, with KVDU adopting anurban adult contemporary format as104.1 The Vibe. The station now serves as the Baton Rouge home for severalnationally syndicated programs broadcast byPremiere Networks, most notablyThe Steve Harvey Morning Show andThe Sweat Hotel withKeith Sweat.[13] Meanwhile, WFFX revived the "Voodoo" branding and hot AC format previously used by KVDU.[14]