City of license Houston Owner Radio One Branding 97.9 The Box | Frequency 97.9 MHz Format Rhythmic contemporary Area Greater Houston | |
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Translator(s) 98.7 K254BZ (Fairbanks; relays HD2) First air date 97.9: 1958 (as KFMK)98.7: July 25, 2016 Language(s) 97.9: EnglishHD2/98.7: Vietnamese Slogan Interactive Hip-Hop and R&B | ||
J mac freestyle with chamillionaire on kbxx fm 97 9 the box
KBXX ("97.9 The Box") is a Houston-based radio station airing a rhythmic contemporary music format. It is owned by Radio One and co-owed with KMJQ and KROI. Its studios are located in the Greenway Plaza district, and its transmitter is located in Missouri City, Texas.
Contents
- J mac freestyle with chamillionaire on kbxx fm 97 9 the box
- KFMK Debuts
- Mother Radio Gives Way to 98 KFMK
- KFMK Raps The Birth of The Boxx
- Programming
- References
The morning show has been hosted by Madd Hatta since March 2001. He has been on KBXX since 1995, starting off in afternoons, then hosting mornings.
KBXX HD2 airs Vietnamese language programming, featuring a format with both spoken word and music. KBXX HD2 rebroadasts on 98.7 K258BZ, through a lease management agreement between Radio One Licenses, LLC. and Hispanic Family Christian Network, Inc., owner of the translator facility.
KFMK Debuts
The station originally signed on in 1958 with a popular music format as KFMK, but later migrated to a classical music format. By 1967, KFMK moved to a Top 40 format, competing against KRBE and had a slight advantage over KRBE because it was in stereo, although the later had a stronger signal at the time.
"Mother Radio" Gives Way to "98 KFMK"
By 1968, KFMK transitioned to become Houston's first progressive rock station, known as "Mother Radio" (a name later referenced by KLOL, which was known as "Mother's Family"). In early 1969, KFMK abruptly changed to a Christian format. The station reverted to Top 40 in the late 1970s, which would then transition to an oldies-heavy adult contemporary format in the 1980s. This format lasted until the station's abrupt 1991 flip to what was then coined as "Contemporary Crossover".
KFMK Raps; The Birth of "The Boxx"
On April 2, 1991, after a period of stunting, the station flipped to "The Boxx" with a new rhythmic contemporary format. The new KBXX callsign was approved and changed 20 days later on April 22, 1991. It fiercely competed with longtime heritage urban station KMJQ until Clear Channel Communications bought KBXX in late 1994, then paired it with KMJQ the year after.
Despite being rhythmic, KBXX's music selection moved more toward a mainstream urban direction, intense with hip hop and R&B music. Clear Channel spun off KBXX and KMJQ to Radio One in 2000.
Programming
KBXX was moved to R&R's Urban Contemporary Airplay panel in 2006, however it still remains on Mediabase's Rhythmic Airplay Panel. In spite of having an urban-driven playlist, the station retains its rhythmic format in order to target a multicultural audience in the Houston market.