KMVK

KMVK
City Fort Worth, Texas
Broadcast area Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex
Branding La Grande 107.5
Frequency 107.5 MHz (also on HD Radio)
107.5 HD-2 "Fierro" (Tejano)
107.5 HD-3 "Mega" (Latin Pop)
Repeater(s) KLOL 101.1 HD2 (Greater Houston)
First air date February 18, 1965 (as KNOK)
Format Regional Mexican
Language(s) Spanish
ERP 16,500 watts
HAAT 574.2 meters (1,884 ft)
Class C1
Facility ID 23440
Transmitter coordinates 32°35′02″N 96°57′48″W / 32.58389°N 96.96333°W / 32.58389; -96.96333Coordinates: 32°35′02″N 96°57′48″W / 32.58389°N 96.96333°W / 32.58389; -96.96333
Callsign meaning "MOViN" (previous format)
Former callsigns KNOK (1965-1985)
KDLZ (1985-1988)
KMEZ (1988-1991)
KCDU (1991-1992)
KOAI (1992-2006)
Owner CBS Radio
(CBS Radio Texas Inc.)
Sister stations KJKK, KLUV, KRLD, KRLD-FM, KVIL
also part of CBS Corp. cluster: TV stations KTVT and KTXA
Webcast Listen Live
Website lagrande1075.com

KMVK (107.5 MHz, "La Grande 107.5"), is a commercial FM radio station licensed to Fort Worth, Texas and serving the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. The station is owned and operated by CBS Radio. KMVK broadcasts in Spanish and airs a radio format featuring Regional Mexican music. The station's studios are located along North Central Expressway in Uptown Dallas and the transmitter site is in Cedar Hill.[1]

While most FM stations in the Metroplex operate at or near 100,000 watts, KMVK runs at 16,000 watts, so it has a smaller coverage area. The station broadcasts in HD. Its HD-2 signal carries a Tejano music format known as "Fierro." Latin pop music is heard on its HD-3 signal, known as "Mega 107.5 HD3."


History

KNOK/KDLZ

On February 18, 1965, 107.5 signed on the air as KNOK-FM, an R&B and Soul music station.[2] It simulcast its sister station KNOK AM 970 (now KHVN), with both stations owned by the Chatham Corporation. KNOK-FM originally broadcast with 100,000 watts but from a tower only 450 feet in height above average terrain. (Today KMVK broadcasts from a tower at 1884 feet HAAT but it reduced its power over the years to 16,500 watts.) In 1985, the station became KDLZ while retaining its R&B format. The coverage area was increased and the studios were moved to Cedar Hill after the original studios in Fort Worth were destroyed by fire.[3]

EZ 107.5/The Oasis

Smooth Jazz 107.5 The Oasis ident used from 1992 to 2003.

In December 1988, Summit Broadcasting Group purchased KDLZ. On December 23, Summit moved the easy listening format and KMEZ call letters from 100.3 (now KJKK) to 107.5.[4] The station was then sold to Granum Communications in 1991. On July 4th of that year, Granum flipped the station and format to KCDU ("CD 107.5") with a short-lived classic rock format.[5] A Smooth Jazz format began on November 2, 1992, moving over from 106.1 (now KHKS). The Smooth Jazz station took the call letters KOAI as "The Oasis." (The KMEZ call letters are now assigned to a New Orleans station, which airs an Urban Adult Contemporary format).[6] In 1996, KOAI was one of three radio stations that fell victim to the radio tower collapse in Cedar Hill on October 12 of that year. KOAI, as well as sister stations KRBV (now KJKK) and KYNG (now KRLD-FM), scrambled to get their stations back on the air through an auxiliary tower. "The Oasis"' ratings seemed to escape unscathed in the Fall ratings book that year, but the fate was not as good at the other 2 stations.[7]

MOViN/Mega era

Movin 107.5 logo used 2006-2009.

On October 2, 2006, at 5 PM, KOAI jettisoned the smooth jazz programming and changed its format to Rhythmic Adult Contemporary as "Movin' 107.5." [8] The Oasis moved to 107.5 HD-2 digital sub-channel (and today is on an HD channel of 103.7 KVIL). The station's logo and branding was identical to MOViN radio station KVMX (now KXJM) in Portland, Oregon (then owned by CBS Radio, but is now owned by iHeartMedia). The station later changed formats to Rhythmic Top 40.

On February 17, 2009, at Noon, after playing "Vogue" by Madonna, the station flipped to a Spanish Hot adult contemporary format as "Mega 107.5."[9] In 2010, "Mega 107.5" shifted to a Spanish rhythmic contemporary playlist (similar to its MOViN predecessor) with a few English-language hits in between.[10] It was competing head-on with KESS-FM (La Kalle 107.9) for over 2 years, until that station's owner, Univision Radio, switched it to a simulcast of KDXX, leaving KMVK the only Latin Pop-formatted station in the Metroplex for a short time. In late June 2012, it gained another competitor from Univision Radio with KDXX Máxima 99.1.

By mid-summer 2012, the Metroplex had three Spanish-language CHR stations and three English-language CHR outlets, with one of those English-language stations targeted towards Latino listeners. The former "La Kalle 107.9" from Univision Radio changed to KESS (now KFZO) in late June 2012. KTCY Baila 101.7 (previously owned by Liberman, now owned by EMF) was one of its short-term competitors until February 8, 2013, when the station's format was changed.

On March 8, 2012, the station's website displayed a message stating "Todo va a cambiar!" (Translation: Everything will change!), hinting at a possible format flip in the near future. However the next morning, it was nothing more than a Daylight saving time announcement.[11]

Former "Mega 107.5" logo used 2010-2013.

On May 21, 2012, CBS hinted at a possible format flip on either KMVK or KRLD-FM to "AMP Radio", much like its Los Angeles CHR/Top 40 sister station KAMP-FM. The parent company registered 3 web domains (as AMPRadioDFW.com, AMPRadio1053.com, and 1075AMPRadio.com).[12] This format change didn't happen in 2012. But in 2016, CBS did switch its Dallas Hot Adult Contemporary station 103.7 KVIL to Top 40, leaning a bit more adult than principal competitor KHKS Kiss 106.1.

107.5 today

On July 26, 2013, KMVK did flip formats, though to a Regional Mexican format as "La Grande 107.5",[13] making it the 3rd format flip since 2006. The Latin Pop format is now heard on an HD Radio subchannel on 107.5.

Controversy

After the Smooth Jazz format ended on October 2, 2006, much emotion and criticism was seen on The Oasis Blog by some loyal listeners of KOAI. Many demanded that the Smooth Jazz format be reinstated. "The Oasis" Smooth Jazz format was retained on an HD subchannel of KMVK originally, then was moved to an HD subchannel of 103.7 KVIL.

Mega 107.5 ident used 2009-2010.


KMVK HD channels

Former "Smooth Jazz 107.5 The Oasis" logo used between 2003-2006. Used on its HD-2 signal from 2006 to 2015.

On November 11, 2015, 107.5 HD2 began airing a Tejano format under the name "Fierro".[14]

In early February 2016, KMVK launched its HD-3 subchannel as "Mega 107.5 HD3" using the slogan "Numero Uno En Exitos" (English translation: "Number One in Hits"), broadcasting a Latin Pop format that previously aired on KMVK's main frequency from 2010 to 2013.

References

  1. ↑ http://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/patg?id=KMVK-FM
  2. ↑ Broadcasting Yearbook 1977 page C-205
  3. ↑ "The day the music fried". Dallas Morning News. 1988-04-26.
  4. ↑ "New radio station to debut Friday". Dallas Morning News. 1988-12-20.
  5. ↑ http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1990s/1991/RR-1991-07-12.pdf
  6. ↑ "The Oasis format moves to 107.5 FM". Dallas Morning News. 1992-11-03.
  7. ↑ DFW Radio Archives 1996 (accessed October 17, 2011)
  8. ↑ 'Movin' takes over 'Oasis' at 107.5 (WFAA-TV and The Dallas Morning News)
  9. ↑ KMVK FM 107.5 Launches Dallas-Fort Worth's First Full-Market Spanish Language Hot Adult Contemporary Radio Station
  10. ↑ KMVK Playlist on Yes.com (accessed September 4, 2010)
  11. ↑ Change at KMVK? - All Access - (Released March 8, 2012)
  12. ↑ Amping Up In Dallas? - Radio Insight (released May 21, 2012)
  13. ↑ http://radioinsight.com/blog/headlines/84343/cbs-flips-mega-107-5-dallas/
  14. ↑ http://hdradio.com/station_guides/widget.php?id=10 HD Radio Guide for Dallas-Ft. Worth

External links

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