| Simulcast ofWBAP,Fort Worth | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Broadcast area | Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex |
| Frequency | 93.3MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | Newstalk 820 WBAP and FM 93.3 |
| Programming | |
| Language | English |
| Format | News/talk |
| Subchannels |
|
| Affiliations | |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| KLIF,KPLX,KSCS,KTCK,KTCK-FM,WBAP | |
| History | |
First air date | October 31, 1996; 29 years ago (1996-10-31) (as KNBR-FM) |
Former call signs |
|
Call sign meaning | "We Bring A Program" (taken from WBAP) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 27299 |
| Class | C2 |
| ERP | 50,000watts |
| HAAT | 120 meters (390 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 32°46′44″N96°55′22″W / 32.77889°N 96.92278°W /32.77889; -96.92278 |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | |
| Website | www |
WBAP-FM (93.3MHz, "Newstalk WBAP") is acommercialradio stationlicensed toHaltom City, Texas, and serving theDallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. The station is owned byCumulus Media, and thebroadcast license is held by Radio License Holding SRC LLC. It broadcasts anews/talkradio format, as a simulcast ofWBAP inFort Worth. Thestudios and offices are in theVictory Park district inDallas just north ofdowntown.
WBAP-FM maintains atransmitter site on Singleton Boulevard inWest Dallas near theI-30–Loop 12 interchange.[2] It has aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 50,000watts, with itstower at 120 meters (394 ft) inheight above average terrain (HAAT). This gives WBAP-FM a somewhat limited signal, roughly 3dB less than most Dallas FM stations, which are powered at 100,000 watts, and with towers four times taller than WBAP-FM. It is licensed by iBiquity to broadcast a digitalHD Radio signal. WBAP-FM stopped transmitting its digital signals in late November 2011 and resumed in early January 2012 before ceasing again in 2014. In May 2022, WBAP-FM resumed its digital broadcasts again.
As 93.3 FM simulcasts WBAP, both stations and sisterKSCS are responsible for activation of theNorth TexasEmergency Alert System whenhazardous weather alerts,Disaster area declarations, andchild abductions are issued.[3]
Marcos A. Rodriguez was the first to control the license after having successfully obtained it directly from theFederal Communications Commission (FCC). After hisfinancing source defaulted, Rodriguez sold the license toSusquehanna Radio.
93.3FM began broadcasting on October 31, 1996, as KNBR-FM "The Zone", with anadult alternative format.[4][5] The call sign KNBR-FM was only short-term, as it was changed to KKZN to match the moniker on December 20, 1996.
After a day-long stunt with episodes ofThe Bob Newhart Show and a loop of "Pop Muzik" byM, the station became KKMR "Merge Radio", with amodern AC format on August 31, 1999. The first song on "Merge" was "Are You Gonna Go My Way?" byLenny Kravitz. Station management referred to Merge as "the nation's first new digital media station". The name "Merge" was meant to signify the merging of traditional radio with the internet.[6][7]
At midnight on January 3, 2002, after playing "Brass in Pocket" byThe Pretenders, the station beganstunting with funeral bells and random audio soundbites. At 5 p.m. that day, the station became KDBN "The Bone", with a 1970s/1980s-basedclassic rock format (specificallyhard rock andheavy metal from that era), launching with "Bad to the Bone" byGeorge Thorogood and the Destroyers.[8] The station's slogan was "Classic Texas Rock That Rocks!" This produced an initial spike in ratings, though the station lost much of that audience as the years progressed. The station featured longtime KZPS DJs Sam "Bo" Roberts and "Long" Jim White ("Bo and Jim") in the mornings.[9]
On April 24, 2009, KDBN beganstunting with music from theDave Matthews Band with limited commercial interruptions. Three days later, the station switched back toadult album alternative as "FM 93-3 - Quality Rock", with the first song being "What's the Frequency, Kenneth?" byR.E.M. On-air staff includedThe Regular Guys, a morning show syndicated from Atlanta, Alexis (middays), and Scott Gaines (afternoons).[10][11] Among former on-air staff were Gary Thompson (mornings), Pugs and Kelly (afternoons), Candy Stuart, Bo Roberts, Yvonne Monet, Jeff K, Bob Carter, Channing, Jennifer Reed, Kat Von Erick, Debbie Sexxton, Squeaky, Paladin, Logan, Gary Zee, Royce Dex, Barb Smith (traffic reporter), and Rich Phillips (sports reporter). However, this format was short-lived, with poor ratings.
The station was, for a short time, anaffiliate of theDallas CowboysRadio Network.[12]
On September 2, 2009, the station began stunting again, urging listeners to tune in September 4 at Noon.[13] At that time, the station launched atop 40 format as "i93", and on September 7, a call sign change to KLIF-FM was made.[14]
As a reference to the station'si branding used for newer Cumulus-launched top 40 stations, the station's new top 40 format launched withThe Black Eyed Peas' "I Gotta Feeling". The station aimed for an older audience; rivalKHKS skewed toward younger listeners. KLIF-FM was the flagship station forNights Live with Adam Bomb. After another format change at 93.3 FM, the show moved back toAtlanta'sWWWQ-FM.
In September 2014, websites were registered showing a possible rebranding or format change torhythmic Top 40/CHR,urban,classic hits,oldies,smooth jazz, orrhythmic oldies. The registrations followed the recent hiring of formerKBFF/Portland program director Louie Cruz for the same position at KLIF-FM. This station had not been able to make up ground on KHKS as it continued to hover right below a 2 share in the Dallas–Fort Worth Nielsen ratings of August 2014.[15] The change was confirmed on October 3 of that year, when 93.3 began running liners promoting that "Something New Arrives At 93.3" at 5 p.m. that day, and relaunched as "Hot 93.3". While the station still maintained its Top 40 format as before, KLIF-FM began leaning towardsrhythmic CHR.[15]
On November 14, 2014, at 5 p.m., KLIF-FM began playingclassic hip hop songs around the clock (as part of a holiday season-only promotion), only to be upstaged an hour later byKSOC, which dropped itsurban AC direction to go full-time with classic hip hop as "Boom 94.5". It is not known if this was done intentionally, or if KLIF-FM was trying to pull a pre-emptive strike to bring the format first to the area before another station picked it up. The flip also resulted inMediabase changing KLIF-FM's reporting status from Top 40/CHR to rhythmic.[16]
On December 2, 2014, at 6 p.m., KLIF-FM shifted its format tourban contemporary, retaining the "Hot 93.3" branding, even though Mediabase continued to list the station as a rhythmic reporter, with the first song being "Latch" byDisclosure featuringSam Smith.[17] Competitors in the format includedKKDA-FM andKBFB. In March 2015, KLIF-FM adjusted its direction back to Rhythmic with the inclusion of pop/dance crossovers that it had dropped previously and was added to theNielsen BDS Rhythmic reporting panel.[17]
In September 2015, KLIF-FM gradually returned to more of a mainstream Top 40/CHR format, putting it in competition with KHKS once again, a status affirmed with Mediabase returning KLIF-FM to its pop panel in November.[18] Nielsen BDS continued to have KLIF-FM report to the rhythmic panel until May 2016. It competed with KHKS and, for a time from October 2016 to November 2017,CBS Radio-owned Hot AC-leaningKVIL. Ironically, AM sister stationKLIF, during its Top 40 era, was competing with KVIL in the late 1960s. KLIF-FM also, to a lesser extent, competed with KHKS's sister stationKDMX.
As of September 2019, KLIF-FM shifted back to a Rhythmic Top 40 direction as it began increasing the amount ofR&B–Hip-Hop currents being played, thus putting it back in competition with KKDA and KBFB again, while continuing to go after KHKS.
KLIF-FM was the third station in the Metroplex to use the "Hot" branding; the first was KRBV (nowKJKK) from 1999 to 2001, and the second was KESS-FM (nowKDXX) in 2013.
On December 19, 2022, at midnight, after playing "Goodbyes" by nearbyGrapevine'sPost Malone featuringYoung Thug, KLIF-FM shifted to a 1990s/2000s hits format, though still branded as "Hot 93.3". TheAriana Grande remix version of "Save Your Tears" byThe Weeknd was the first song played. The station focused primarily on music from the 1990s through the 2010s, with a limited number of currents and recurrents remaining. The move took KLIF-FM out of direct competition with KHKS and instead focused their competition with similarly formattedKDMX, and came as the station had slipped under a 1-share in the Nielsen Audio ratings, carrying just a 0.8 in the October and November books, the last under the CHR format.
The station moved on from morning host Mason and the syndicated Tino Cochino Show. The Adam Bomb Show returned to mornings, while midday host Ali and program director/afternoon host Sid Kelly remained with the station through the shift.[19] Despite the move, the format would continue to stay in the lower echelon of the Dallas-Ft. Worth area Nielsen Audio market ratings, ending with an 0.8 share for December 2023.
Rumors of a format change intensified with the sudden dismissal of Sid Kelly and subsequent removal of his page from the station website on December 14. KLIF-FM ran jockless in that timeslot afterwards.
Rumors of a format change were unintentionally verified the following day.WBAP meteorologist Brad Barton, through a comment in a post for theFacebook group "I Take Pictures of Radio & TV Stations", inadvertently leaked an announcement that WBAP would simulcast on KLIF-FM beginning January 3, 2024. The move would bring WBAP's programming back to FM as it had previously been simulcast on96.7 FM from 2010 to 2013. The move was officially confirmed by Cumulus on January 2, and took place at 8:20 a.m. the following day. (820 is the AM station's dial position.)
"Hot 93.3"signed off with a block of departure-themed songs, ending with "I'll Be Missing You" byPuff Daddy featuring112 andFaith Evans and "Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)" byGreen Day. A sweeper was aired, redirecting "Hot" listeners toKPLX andKSCS. That was followed by a brief historical recap of WBAP's news coverage, to mark the beginning of the simulcast.[20][21] On January 22, 2024, KLIF-FM changed its call sign to WBAP-FM.[22]
WBAP-AM-FM air both local and nationallysyndicated shows. Weekdays begin with theWBAP Morning News anchored by Ernie Brown, Carla Marion and Hal Jay. That's followed by Casey Bartholomew in late mornings and Texas native James Parker in afternoondrive time. In early evenings,The Mark Levin Show fromWestwood One airs.The Joe Pags Show, fromCompass Media Networks, took over the late weekday evening time slot in February 2025.
Weekends include syndicated programs fromChris Plante, Rich Valdés andBen Ferguson, along with shows on money, cars, home improvement, real estate, hunting and the outdoors. Paidbrokered programming also airs. Most hours on weekdays start with local news at the top of the hour, while nights and weekends, an update fromFox News Radio is heard.
WBAP is theflagship station of Westwood One's nationally syndicated overnight programRed Eye Radio (formerlyMidnight Trucking Radio Network), that traces its roots toBill Mack's overnight show from 1969. Hosts Eric Harley and Gary McNamara are heard live locally weeknights, with "Best Of" programs heard weekend overnights.