KRBE
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| City | Houston, Texas |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Greater Houston |
| Branding | 104.1 KRBE |
| Slogan | Houston's #1 Hit Music Station |
| Frequency | 104.1 MHz (also on HD Radio) 104.1 HD-2 Good Time Oldies |
| First air date | November 8, 1959 |
| Format | Top 40 (CHR) |
| Language(s) | English |
| Audience share | 4.3 (January 2017, Nielsen Audio[1]) |
| ERP | 92,180 watts |
| HAAT | 585 meters |
| Class | C |
| Facility ID | 35524 |
| Transmitter coordinates | 29°34′34″N 95°30′36″W / 29.57611°N 95.51000°W |
| Callsign meaning |
RBE comes from the initials of the station's original owners, Roland Baker and his wife, Edith. Newspaper ads touting the station's launch in 1959 also used the slogan "Key to Radio Broadcasting Excellence". Coincidentally, the station's studios were once located on Kirby Drive. |
| Owner |
Cumulus Media Inc. (Radio License Holding SRC LLC) |
| Webcast | click "play" button at bottom of website |
| Website | krbe.com |
KRBE (104.1 KRBE), is a Top 40 (CHR) radio station based in Houston, Texas, United States. The studios located in Suite 700 of the Chase building at 9801 Westheimer Road in the Westchase District in western Houston. The transmitter facilities located in Missouri City. Even though the station's studios were once located on Kirby Drive, and the station itself has sometimes been referred to by locals as "Kirby", the call letters are actually derived from the station's original owners, Roland and Edith Baker. The studios were not moved to their Kirby Drive location until more than a decade after the station signed on. KRBE is owned and operated by Cumulus Media.
At 6 pm on November 8, 1959, KRBE signed on at 104.1 FM as a classical station by owners Roland and Edith Baker. It continued as such into the late 1960s, when it flipped for the first time to top 40. The station was simply branded as "104 KRBE."
In the mid-1970s, KRBE took on the moniker of "Bump & Boogie" and developed a danceable "Rock 40" format. The studios were located on Kirby Lane above the ACCA recording studios. At this time, it was owned by General Cinema Corporation. Bob Fauser (Sales Manager at WNBC) became the General Manager. Clay Gish (now known as Gishele Gish) became the program director in 1974 and launched a legendary run that lasted until 1980. Mike Krehel (of KSAQ/San Antonio and KBEQ/Kansas City fame) became the Chief Engineer during that time and gave KRBE its "Flame Thrower" signature sound. KRBE DJ's during the mid to late 1970's included Kenny Miles hosting "Miles in the Morning", Matt "The Man the Mighty" Quinn (of KILT and KCBQ), Roger W.W.W. Garrett, Dwight "Shotgun" Cook (now at Soundworks.com), The Original Rock 'n' Roll Wizard (Ron Haney, who died in 2014), and Tom "Rivers" Yarbrough (deceased as of September 29, 2011). During this period, KRBE became the first American FM top-40 station in a large market to flip the market from "AM" to "FM", beating the legendary KILT in Arbitron ratings for the Houston market. In 1975, KRBE moved from Kirby Lane to showcase state-of-the-art studios in the Caldwell Banker Building overlooking Interstate 610 at Westheimer Road across from The Galleria. Around this time, KRBE was purchased by Lake Huron Broadcasting.
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