KBFB-FM
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| City | Dallas, Texas |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex |
| Branding | 97.9 The Beat |
| Slogan | "The Hip-Hop Station" |
| Frequency | 97.9 MHz (also on HD Radio) 97.9 HD2 for simulcast of KZMJ (Urban AC) |
| First air date | 1947 as WFAA-FM |
| Format | Urban Contemporary |
| Language(s) | English |
| ERP | 99,000 watts |
| HAAT | 491 meters |
| Class | C |
| Facility ID | 9627 |
| Callsign meaning | The B is taken from "B-97.9," former rock station |
| Former callsigns | WFAA-FM (1947-1973) KZEW (1973-1990) KKWM (1990-1991) KLRX (1991-1993) KRRW (1993-1997) |
| Owner |
Radio One (Radio One Licenses, LLC) |
| Sister stations | KZMJ |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | thebeatdfw.com |
KBFB (97.9 FM, "97.9 The Beat") is a Dallas/Fort Worth-based radio station with an Urban Contemporary format. It is owned by Radio One with sister station KZMJ. Its studios (alongside KZMJ) are located in the Galleria Area in North Dallas, and its transmitter is located in Cedar Hill.
The station traces its history back to the October 5, 1946 launch of the first FM radio station to sign on in Texas, "KERA-FM" (no relation to the current radio and television stations known under the same call letters), although its roots go back to an experimental FM station "W5X1C" that signed on October 15, 1945, and another experimental trial dating back to 1939. By 1947, it had moved from its original home at 94.3 FM to a preferred location in the center of the dial at 97.9 FM under the WFAA-FM callsign, initially simulcasting its AM sister station WFAA (570 AM). With FM broadcasting in its infancy, WFAA-FM signed on and off the air for months and even two years at a time before settling on a permanent broadcast schedule by 1965. It later programmed MOR and Beautiful music until 1973, then flipped to album-oriented rock (AOR) as KZEW-FM (known to listeners as The Zoo) on September 16, 1973. Featuring talent such as John LaBella and John Rody ("LaBella and Rody"), George Gimarc, Charley Jones, Dave Lee Austin, John B. Wells, Nancy Johnson, John Dew, John Dillon, Doc Morgan and Tempie Lindsey, the station's concept and programming were initially under the direction of Ira Lipson. The FM station shared studio locations with WFAA-AM on the second floor of the facility.
In September 1973, WFAA-FM changed its call letters to KZEW and played classic and progressive rock music for 16 years with the on-air slogan The Zoo. In 1987, KZEW and KRQX (the former WFAA radio, now KLIF) were sold by A.H. Belo Corporation, which retained ownership of the Dallas Morning News and WFAA-TV (channel 8), to Cox Radio. On December 11, 1989, KZEW dropped the rock format and began stunting with Christmas music. On January 1, 1990, KZEW switched formats to soft rock, changing both calls and branding to KKWM (Warm 97.9). A year later, the station changed its callsign and station nickname again to KLRX, Lite 97.9, while maintaining its soft rock format.
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