 | |
| Broadcast area | Greater Houston |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 790kHz |
| Branding | Sportstalk 790 |
| Programming | |
| Language | English |
| Format | Sports radio |
| Network | Fox Sports Radio |
| Affiliations | |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| KQBT,KODA,KPRC,KTBZ-FM,KTRH,KXYZ | |
| History | |
First air date | July 13, 1944 (81 years ago) (1944-07-13) |
Former call signs | KTHT (1944–70) KULF (1970–82) KKBQ (1982–98) |
Former frequencies | 1230kHz (1944–51) |
Call sign meaning | The Best Music Ever Made (Former slogan during the adult standards format era) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 23082 |
| Class | B |
| Power | 5,000watts |
Transmitter coordinates | 29°54′54″N95°27′42″W / 29.91500°N 95.46167°W /29.91500; -95.46167 |
| Repeater | 94.5 KTBZ-FMHD2 (Houston) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live (viaiHeartRadio) |
| Website | sportstalk790 |
KBME (790kHz) is asports-talkAMradio station in theHouston, Texas metropolitan area. It is currently owned byiHeartMedia. The station airs local sports-talk and carries nationally syndicatedFox Sports Radio programming. KBME is also the flagship radio station for theHouston Rockets,Houston Astros andTexas Longhorns. The station's studios are located along theWest Loop Freeway in the city'sUptown district. The transmitter site is located at what is now the southwest corner of Fallbrook Drive and T.C. Jester Boulevard, nearGreenspoint in unincorporatedHarris County.
The station first went on the air as KTHT in July 13, 1944.[2] It moved from 1230 kHz to the current 790 kHz in 1948. The frequency switch allowed KNUZ (nowKCOH) to sign on at 1230 kHz. During the 1960s, KTHT was known as "Demand Radio 79", playing pop music.
In August 1970, it becameadult contemporary KULF, hosting radio personalities such as Stevens and Pruett. Stevens and Pruett had formerly been on KILT as the last Hudson and Harrigan team before KILT's switch to country. S&P brought to KULF their "Not ready for Drive time Players", and their daily short production of "Star Trots" (modeled afterStar Trek: The Motion Picture) with Captain James T. Shmirk, his trusted Lt. Bones, and their weird little robot, ACDC.
In June 1982,Gannett Publishing, through its broadcast subsidiary, bought the station, announced to the employees that were left (S&P had left forKEGL in the Dallas-Fort Worth market before the sale), on what was called "Black Friday" (July 2), that everyone was fired as of the following Monday, and relaunched it astop 40 station KKBQ ("79Q") on the 2nd.
Program director John Lander hosted the morning show, called the "Q-Zoo", and took the station to the top of the Houston ratings after one rating period - a feat unheard of for an AM music station in the 1980s. KKBQ would add an FM simulcast on92.9 MHz on December 29, 1982. KKBQ was among the first AM stations in the city to broadcast inAM stereo, originally using the Kahn ISB system, and then later switching to the MotorolaC-QUAM system.
Programming on KKBQ andKKBQ-FM ("93Q") simulcasted until January 16, 1998, when the AM station became theadult standards-formatted "Star 790 KBME" (for "Best Music Ever", although a joke among employees was "Keep Bringing MeEx-Lax").[3][4]
On January 1, 2005, the station flipped to an all sports station, as "790ESPN Radio, the Sports Animal."[5][6] Houston sports talk legend Charlie Pallilo helped launch the new sports station and remained with the station for almost 12 years. The ESPN affiliation lasted until January 2007, when the network moved its programming toCumulus Media-ownedKFNC/97.5. At that point, KBME's sports talk programming shifted to a mix of local shows and programs fromFox Sports Radio, including the launch in late 2009 of "Matt & Adam in the Morning," a morning show hosted by Matt Jackson and Adam Wexler, who both moved over fromKILT.[7] "Matt & Adam" became "The Big Show" in fall 2011, when Lance Zierlein joined Jackson and Wexler. Previous hosts on KBME include Brad Davies, Carl Dukes, Ted Deluca, John Lopez, David Dalati, Tom Franklin.
During Hurricane Katrina's aftermath, The Sports Animal was an affiliate ofUnited Radio Broadcasters of New Orleans, originating from WWL-AM, and parent company Clear Channel's New Orleans radio stations. The Sports Animal simulcasted their aftermath coverage as a public service to those who may have evacuated to the Houston area, and continued to do so until November 2005.[8]
KBME is the flagship station forHouston Rockets basketball,Houston Astros baseball.
Beginning with the2012-2013 season, KBME became flagship station to theNBA'sHouston Rockets, with iHeartMedia (then known as Clear Channel Communications) acquiring the team's radio rights fromCBS Radio-ownedKILT.[9] In April2013, KBME became the flagship station toMajor League Baseball'sHouston Astros, with broadcasts moving from sister stationKTRH.[10] For an interim period, games were simulcast on both stations. Prior to the move, KBME aired select Astrosspring training games.
Streaming Astros coverage on the iHeart radio app is limited toGreater Houston, and is available nationally through the MLB app andSirius XM.