KHMX

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KHMX
Khmx.jpg
CityHouston, Texas
Broadcast areaGreater Houston
BrandingMix 96.5
SloganHouston's Best Variety
Frequency96.5 MHz (also on HD Radio)
First air dateFebruary 1, 1948 (71 years ago) (1948-02-01)
Format
Language(s)English
ERP97,000 watts
HAAT585 m (1,919 ft)
ClassC
Facility ID47749
Transmitter coordinates29°34′34″N 95°30′36″W / 29.57611°N 95.51000°W / 29.57611; -95.51000Coordinates: 29°34′34″N 95°30′36″W / 29.57611°N 95.51000°W / 29.57611; -95.51000
Callsign meaningHouston's MiX 96-5 (branding)
Former callsigns
  • KXYZ-FM (1948–1953; 1961–1971)
  • KAUM (1971-1980)
  • KSRR (1980–1986)
  • KKHT (1986–1989)
  • KNRJ (1989–1990)
OwnerEntercom
(Entercom License, LLC)
Sister stationsKIKK, KILT (AM), KILT-FM, KKHH, KLOL
WebcastListen Live
Websitemix965houston.com

KHMX (96.5 MHz "Mix 96.5") is a commercial FM radio station in Houston, Texas. It is owned by Entercom and it airs a Hot AC/Adult Top 40 radio format. Its studios and offices are in Greenway Plaza and its transmitter is located off Farm to Market Road 2234 and Fort Bend Parkway in Missouri City, Texas.[1]

Station history[edit]

Early years[edit]

KXYZ-FM first signed on February 1, 1948. It would stay on the air for 5 1/2 years before being silent for about eight years.[1] As typical of FM radio stations in the mid-20th century, the FM station usually was a simulcast of its AM parent. During the 1960s, it simulcasted its AM parent KXYZ, which played beautiful music. In the late 1960s, the format changed to automated progressive rock, branded as "Love 96 1/2 FM". "Love" was formulated by then-owner ABC Radio, and was syndicated to other sister stations around the country, including WABC-FM in New York City, KABC-FM in Los Angeles, WLS-FM in Chicago, KGO-FM in San Francisco, WXYZ-FM in Detroit and WDVE in Pittsburgh, with the calls changing to KAUM in January 1971.[2] When the "Love" format ceased later in 1971, KXYZ-FM continued in the progressive rock format, but with a local focus, and changed monikers to "KAUM 96 1/2 FM". In the late 1970s, KAUM had drifted to a more generic Top 40 format to compete against KRBE and the long established AM top 40 leader, KILT (AM).

From 1980 through late 1986, the station operated as KSRR first as "KSRR The New 97 Star FM" and then again as "The New 97 Rock KSRR" with an AOR format along with their infamous slogan "Kick Ass Rock 'N' Roll!" and a logo similar to WABB in Mobile. The new station featured morning radio host and KEGL alum James Paul "Moby" Carney and Matthew, with Hannah Storm as the sports announcer. The station competed against the album rock format of KLOL (and for a short period, KILT-FM, and KZFX). In mid-1985, due to the merger of ABC Radio and Capital Cities Communications, KSRR was spun off to Malrite Communications in order to meet the FCC's ownership limits at the time.[2]

On October 15, 1986, the station changed call letters to KKHT, and the AOR format was replaced by a CHR format known as "Hit 96.5 KKHT".[3][4] By mid-1987, heavy competition from top 40 powerhouses KKBQ-FM and KRBE prompted the station to morph to adult contemporary. The station rebranded as "96.5 KKHT". In late 1988, Emmis Broadcasting bought the station.

On February 10, 1989, at 6 p.m., the station flipped to the then-new Rhythmic CHR format, with a focus on dance-oriented music, branded as "Energy 96.5".[5][6] The station adopted the new KNRJ call letters on September 4. This format was a competitive response to two other local stations, 93Q KKBQ-FM and Power 104 KRBE, whose Top 40 formats reflected the increasing presence of dance club-oriented tracks (catering to a then-lucrative target audience drawn to the flourishing night club scenes along Richmond Avenue and inner Westheimer Road). These competitors featured late-night, weekend live-to-air broadcasts from local dance clubs (e.g., Club 6400, The Ocean Club), where in-house DJs drew heavily from libraries of imported and small-label, extended-length modern tracks (which otherwise were seldom, if ever, heard on most commercial stations); by early 1990, KNRJ had partnered with the Tower Theater's Decadance to host its own weekend, late-night live broadcast. In May 1990, Nationwide Communications bought the station. The station's ratings during this time were low. In the station's latter months, KNRJ began adding more new wave tracks to improve ratings.

Transition to and launch of Mix 96.5[edit]

On June 25, 1990, at 7:15 a.m., after playing "Please Don't Go Girl" by New Kids on the Block, and a bit featuring DJ Jeff Scott announcing his discontent for the format, KNRJ flipped to an alternative rock format, which started with "I Eat Cannibals" by Toto Coelo and a "Top 100 Best Alternative Songs of All Time" countdown. The Alternative 96.5 re-brand was a transitional format, lasting roughly 5 weeks, and was promoted while a forthcoming format—under a strategic decision by the station's new owners, Nationwide Communications, Inc.—was under preparation. A weekly playlist, under an Alternative 96.5 makeshift letterhead, was distributed to local retail and media outlets, culminating on July 17, 1990.

At 7 a.m. on July 18, 1990, KNRJ began stunting with a 48-hour ticking clock countdown sequence; a heavily processed, pre-recorded masculine studio voice announced the time remaining at 15-minute intervals. For the final 12 hours of this transitional sequence, a series of disjointed song samples (largely unrelated to KNRJ's format) were interspersed—notably the repeated playback (forward and backward) for the opening eight seconds of the Dazz Band's "Let It Whip".[7]

At 7 a.m. on July 20, the countdown concluded, and a "roll call" by a fictitious "teacher" called out the names of program directors from other Houston radio stations. This "teacher" asked the class to start their tape recorders and take notes as this "lecture" was to begin, which led to the debut of "Mix 96.5" and new call letters KHMX. The first two songs on "Mix" were Steve Winwood's "Roll With It" and Taylor Dayne's "I'll Be Your Shelter". Both tracks confirmed the sharp departure from preceding station formats.[8][9][10]

Nationwide sold all of their radio stations, including KHMX, to Jacor in October 1997.[11] After a series of mergers, KHMX became a Clear Channel Communications station in early 1999.[12][13] On December 15, 2008, Clear Channel and CBS Radio announced a multi-station swap: KHMX and sister station KLOL would go to CBS Radio, while CBS Radio-owned stations WQSR in Baltimore, KBKS-FM in Seattle, KLTH and KXJM in Portland and KQJK in Sacramento would go to Clear Channel. The sale was approved on March 31, 2009, and was consummated on April 1.[14]

On February 2, 2017, CBS Radio announced it would merge with Entercom.[15] The merger was approved on November 9, 2017, and was consummated on the 17th.[16][17]

The "Mix" format[edit]

For Nationwide Communications, GM Clancy Woods & National PD Guy Zapoleon launched a new Hot AC format (branded as the "Mix" format), and was the first Pop/Rock Hot AC and a forerunner of most Hot ACs today. The Mix brand tagline, "More Music, More Variety, A Better Mix", was commercially successful, and the formula for the Mix format was replicated through the 1990s and early 2000s in several other radio markets across North America and in cities as far away as Sydney, Australia by KHMX consultant Alan Burns. Around the same time, research guru John Parikhal, who also worked with KHMX, was helping PD Greg Strassell of Steve Dodge's American Radio Systems in Boston launch another Mix station known as "Mix 98.5", WBMX-FM. This station was more of a Rhythmic AC and an early example of today's MOViN format. The first true Mix station, which was more of a Pop Adult Top 40, was launched a few months earlier in the Summer of 1989 at WOMX/Orlando by Nationwide Communications GM Rick Weinkoff and PD Brian Thomas, with help from Guy Zapoleon.

KHMX was broadcast nationwide on XM Satellite Radio from 2001 to the end of 2003, as a radio superstation similar to television satellite superstations such as Superstation WGN. In 2004, all XM music channels went commercial free, and KHMX was replaced with a unique-to-XM Mix channel, retaining the same format. Since then, Clear Channel has regained the right to air commercials on their XM music channels.

Since the sale of the station to CBS in 2009, KHMX has tweaked its sound to include more Top 40/CHR currents.

Morning show[edit]

During its tenure as "Mix", the station has rotated through several morning shows, including Roula & Ryan from 2003-2005 (and now currently on KRBE since 2005), Sam Malone (formerly of KRBE), Maria Todd (also formerly of KRBE), Kidd Kraddick, Atom Smasher (also a KRBE alum) and Dave, Mahoney & DK (formerly of sister KXTE/Las Vegas). Dave, Mahoney & DK were let go from the station in December 2016. On April 5, 2017, it was announced that "The Morning Mix" would become the new morning show on KHMX consisting of former KKHH host Sarah Pepper, along with afternoon host Lauren Kelly and Geoff Sheen, formerly of KTKR in San Antonio, which began on April 10, 2017.[18]

HD radio[edit]

KHMX signed on HD Radio operations in 2006. 96.5 HD2 first carried a dance format, known as "Energy 96.5", which was both a format and moniker KHMX used prior to becoming "Mix" in 1990. After the sale of the station to CBS in April 2009, KHMX 96.5 HD2 and KKHH 95.7 HD2 swapped formats, with KHMX-HD2 becoming smooth jazz "The Wave", while KKHH-HD2 would take on the dance format and "Energy 95.7" moniker. "The Wave" would eventually evolve into a Smooth AC (a hybrid of Smooth Jazz and R&B music) format with an emphasis on Smooth Jazz. In December 2016, "The Wave" moved to KHMX-HD3. After a very brief run with the AAA format as "Third Rock Radio", and nearly a year of airing a message redirecting Smooth Jazz listeners to KHMX HD-3, the HD-2 re-launched as Active Rock "HarD Rock Radio 96-5 HD-2" on November 20, 2017.

Current competitors[edit]

Frequency call letters and branding[edit]

  • KXYZ - 2/1/1948–1970
  • KAUM - 1971 (Love 96 & 1/2 FM, KAUM 96 & 1/2)
  • KSRR - 1980 (Star 97, 97 Rock FM, 97 FM)
  • KKHT - 10/15/1986 (Hit 96.5 KKHT, 96.5 KKHT)
  • KNRJ - 8/4/1989 (The New Energy 96.5 FM, Energy 96.5, Alternative 96.5)
  • KHMX - 7/20/1990 (Mix 96.5)
  • KHMX - 1/1/2003 (The New Mix 96.5)
  • KHMX - 1/1/2005 (Mix 96.5)
  • KHMX - 4/15/2009 (Mix 96-5)

Slogan history[edit]

  • 1990 - "More Music, More Variety, A Better Mix"
  • 1993 - "The Best Mix of the '70's, '80's, and '90's"
  • 1998 - "The Greatest Hits of the '80's, '90's, and '70's", "Your New At Work Choice", "Mix Means Variety"
  • 2000 - "The Best Mix of the 80s, 90s, and Today"
  • 2000 - "Today's Best Music"
  • 2001 - "Houston's Hit Music Variety", "Houston's Upbeat Listen While You Work Station"
  • 2001 - "The Best Mix of the '80's, '90's, and Today"
  • 2002 - "More Music, More Variety, A Better Mix"
  • 2005 - "Sam Malone in the Morning and Houston's Best Mix All Day"
  • 2006 - "Houston's Best Mix"
  • 2009 - "Today's Best Mix"
  • 2011 - "Houston's Best Mix and Kidd Kraddick in the Morning"
  • 2012 - "A Mix of Music You Can't Get Anywhere Else"
  • 2014 - "Houston's Best Mix"
  • 2015 - "Houston's Best Music Mix", "Today's Best Music Mix For Houston"
  • 2016 - "Houston's Best Variety"

Previous Logos[edit]

KHMX

References[edit]

  1. ^ http://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/patg?id=KHMX-FM
  2. ^ http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1980s/1985/RR-1985-08-09.pdf
  3. ^ Bob Grace, "'97 Rock' Becomes 'Hit 96.5'", the Houston Chronicle, October 25, 1986.
  4. ^ http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1980s/1986/RR-1986-10-24.pdf
  5. ^ Louis B. Parks, "KNRJ feels like dancing, makes another format change", the Houston Chronicle, February 14, 1989.
  6. ^ http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1980s/1989/RR-1989-02-17.pdf
  7. ^ "Clock is running on KNRJ changes", the Houston Chronicle, July 19, 1990.
  8. ^ Louis B. Parks, "Radio station KNRJ changes its format and call letters", the Houston Chronicle, July 20, 1990.
  9. ^ http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1990s/1990/RR-1990-07-27.pdf
  10. ^ 96.5 KNRJ Becomes Mix KHMX
  11. ^ Associated Press, "Jacor buys 17 Nationwide radio stations", the Houston Chronicle, October 29, 1997.
  12. ^ Bruce Westbrook, "'The Buzz'; 'Mix' being sold; changes coming", the Houston Chronicle, June 17, 1998.
  13. ^ John Nolan, "Texas-based Clear Channel gets Jacor; $3.4 billion stock deal creates third major player in radio industry", the Houston Chronicle, October 9, 1998.
  14. ^ CBS Radio to Swap Five Mid-Size Market Stations for Two Large Market Stations with Clear Channel Communications Archived 2008-12-19 at the Wayback Machine (retrieved December 15, 2008)
  15. ^ CBS Radio to Merge with Entercom
  16. ^ "Entercom Receives FCC Approval for Merger with CBS Radio". Entercom. November 9, 2017. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  17. ^ Venta, Lance (November 17, 2017). "Entercom Completes CBS Radio Merger". Radio Insight. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
  18. ^ "Welcome The Morning Mix - Houston's New Favorite Morning Show". Retrieved 2017-04-05.

External links[edit]

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