City Houston, Texas Branding Sports Radio 610 Format Sports/Talk | Broadcast area Greater Houston Frequency 610 kHz
100.3 HD-2 | |
 | ||
First air date March 8, 1948 (as KLEE)
May 8, 1957 (as KILT) | ||
KILT (610 AM, "SportsRadio 610") is a Sports/Talk formatted radio station in the Houston, Texas, metropolitan area. The station is currently owned by CBS Radio. KILT shares its call letters with its sister station 100.3 FM, which airs a country music format. Its studios are located in the Greenway Plaza district, and its transmitter is located near the Greenspoint district of northwest Houston.
Contents
- Early Years
- McLendons Big 610 KILT Hits the Air
- Big 610 Flips to Country
- Sports Radio 610 is Born
- Notable personalities
- Controversy
- References
KILT is the flagship station of the NFL's Houston Texans and the Texans Radio Network and the MLS' Houston Dynamo. It has aired every Texans game since the team's inception into the league in 2002.
Early Years
610 AM signed on the air in Houston, Texas March 8, 1948 by W. Albert Lee. As such, the new station obtained KLEE calls when it debuted.
McLendon's "Big 610" KILT Hits the Air
On March 27, 1957, 610 was sold by Howard Broadcasting to Gordon McLendon, and the Top 40 legend was born. The station took on the calls of KILT in a tip of the hat to McLendon and for 24 years, was the Top 40 station in Houston, simply named the "Big 610 KILT". It used PAMS jingles that featured the call letters being sung out over the air.
Big 610 Flips to Country
On February 16, 1981, sister station KILT-FM dropped album rock for country during the "Urban Cowboy" craze that swept through Houston, and the United States in general. Having competition from KRBE and KRLY on the FM dial and losing ratings dramatically, on June 1, 1981, 610 dropped its famed Top 40 format for a simulcast of their FM sister station KILT-FM, then known as "FM 100". (Ironically, it would be longtime KILT AM competitor 79 KULF that would, just over a year later in July 1982, relaunch itself as Top 40 "79Q" KKBQ and soar to the top of the radio ratings, spawning the legendary "AM & FM Stereo Combo" that topped Houston ratings throughout the next decade after KILT threw in the towel and flipped its format to country.)
Sports Radio 610 is Born
The current sports-talk format debuted in September 1994. KILT has been the top-rated sports-talk format many times since its inception, with only a few brief exceptions. KILT's main competition is, as it has historically been, 790 AM (now KBME), which has also aired Sports Talk programming since 2004. Before KBME moved from Adult Standards, KILT was the only sports station in the Houston market and was the radio home for the Houston Rockets, Texans, and Comets franchises. In recent years, KILT lost the rights to air Houston Rockets basketball games to KBME, and the WNBA Comets folded; however, KILT still outperforms KBME in most dayparts and in overall demographic ratings.
KILT's most popular show is "The Triple Threat" which airs from 2:00 pm to 7:00 pm Monday through Friday. The Triple Threat has consistently been one of the Top Rated sports talk shows in Houston. The show is hosted by Sean Pendergast, a five-time winner of the Jim Rome "Smack-Off," Ted Johnson, a three-time Super Bowl champion with the New England Patriots and Rich Lord. Other popular shows on SportsRadio 610 include; In the Loop with John Lopez, Nick Wright, Jim Mudd and Robert Henslee, MadRadio with Mike Meltser and ten year NFL veteran Seth Payne, and The Bstraw & PaulyG Show with Brien Straw and Paul Gallant.
Notable personalities
Flagship station for the Houston Texans
Controversy
In 2007, a lawsuit was filed by then morning show co-host John Granato against CBS. This ultimately led to Granato leaving 610 and starting a new station: 1560 The Game. Shortly thereafter, his co-host Lance Zierlein joined him.