KPRC (AM)
kHz | |
Branding | KPRC 950 AM |
---|---|
Programming | |
Format | Talk radio |
Network | Fox News Radio |
Affiliations | |
Ownership | |
Owner |
|
KBME, KODA, KQBT, KTBZ-FM, KTRH, KXYZ | |
History | |
First air date | May 9, 1925 |
Call sign meaning | |
Technical information | |
Facility ID | 9644 |
Class | B |
Power |
|
Transmitter coordinates | 29°48′19″N 95°16′43″W / 29.80528°N 95.27861°W |
Repeater(s) | 94.5 KTBZ-HD3 (Houston) |
Links | |
Webcast | Listen live (via iHeartRadio) |
Website | kprcradio |
KPRC (950
KPRC first signed on in 1925 as the radio station of the
History
Early history (1923–1941)
In 1923,
Before a 500 watt
Broadcasting from the "Skyline Studios" at the 22-story Houston Post-Dispatch building in downtown Houston, KPRC featured daily live music and a daily children's storytelling show hosted by Lewis, Uncle Judd's Kiddies' Hour.[3][4]
In 1927, it interrupted its scheduled programming to give out dispatches for the Houston Police Department.[5] That year, KPRC moved from 1010 to 920 kHz.[6]: 3 [7] Tex Ritter had a Saturday show on KPRC in the late 1920s singing original country ballads.[8]
KPRC co-founded the Texas Quality Network (TQN) in 1934 with three of the other top radio stations in Texas:
KPRC increased its power tenfold to 5 kW in 1936. Then in 1937, KPRC and
Move to 950 kHz, additions of FM and TV stations (1941–1958)
KPRC moved to its current frequency of 950
Construction began in 1952 for a new $400,000 facility for operating the KPRC AM, FM, and TV stations.[16]
Sale of FM station, MOR format (1958–1977)
The Houston Post sold KPRC-FM in 1958.[17]
In the 1960s and much of the 1970s, KPRC had an middle of the road (MOR) music format.[18][19] A 1966 advertisement claimed that the station had the largest news staff of any Houston radio station and 20 billboards that had lights connected by telephone lines to its newsroom. The billboard lights shined when KPRC had news broadcasts.[18]
During Hurricane Carla in September 1961, KPRC AM and TV broadcast live coverage for 113 straight hours, starting three days before the hurricane reached land; KPRC AM was the flagship station among nearly 40 affiliates of the Gulf Coast Hurricane Warning Network.[20]
In 1962, KPRC broadcast the inaugural season of the
The KPRC TV and AM stations moved to a new $3.2 million, 86,000 square foot facility on March 22, 1972. Former U.S. President Lyndon B. Johnson visited the dedication ceremony that day.[25]
In the spring 1976
Change from music to talk, final years under Hobby ownership (1977–1992)
Beginning in 1977, KPRC dropped music and changed to a news/talk station. KPRC showed improvement in the spring 1977 Arbitron ratings from a year ago, this time averaging 17,200 listeners per week and ranking eighth in Houston/Galveston.[28]
In 1979, KPRC hired Anita Martini as sports director. She was reportedly the first woman to become a radio sports director in a major media market.[29]
After the 1980 season, KPRC lost the Astros broadcasting rights to KENR in 1981.[30][31]
In 1983, the Hobby family corporation was renamed H&C Communications, and it sold the Houston Post to the Toronto Sun Publishing Corporation.[32][33][34]
After decades of being affiliated with NBC, KPRC changed to the
Ten years after the last game broadcast on KPRC, the Houston Astros signed a new contract with KPRC in November 1990 following a mutual agreement with previous station
Further sales, shift to conservative talk (1992–present)
In October 1992, H&C Communications announced the sale of KPRC AM to Sunbelt Broadcasting Company for $3.5 million, with the sale being finalized in February 1993.[37][38] With that acquisition, former KHOU sports director Dan Patrick became general manager and part-owner of both KPRC and sister station KSEV.[37][39] He had his own talk show on KPRC until 2000.[39][40]
KPRC had been declining in the ratings leading up to the purchase by Sunbelt, ranked 16th in the Houston/Galveston market in fall 1992. Following the sale closing, in an effort to make the two stations more competitive against
Then in March 1994, Patrick hired former Houston mayor Kathy Whitmire, a Democrat, to host a nightly show. Patrick commented: "Whitmire will lend some balance. She's a liberal-to-moderate Democrat, and I think to have a female liberal Democrat on the air will be neat."[43] That show would be short lived. In July, Whitmire accepted an offer to become president and CEO of Junior Achievement effective September 6.[44]
Sunbelt, in turn, sold KPRC and KSEV to Clear Channel Communications in 1995 for a combined $26.8 million, ending nearly 70 years of local ownership for KPRC.[45][46]
Following the 1995 Houston Astros season, KPRC lost the Astros broadcasting rights in January 1996 to KILT, a sports station then owned by Westinghouse Broadcasting.[47][48] Among the Astros' stated reasons for the change of affiliation were a perceived stronger signal from KILT and the sports format allowing for more promotion of the team, in contrast to KPRC moving some games to KSEV when there were conflicts with regularly scheduled talk shows like Rush Limbaugh.[47] However, Patrick disputed the Astros' claim about KILT having a stronger signal due to both stations having 5 kW of power.[49] Eventually, the Houston Chronicle reported in April 1996 that due to listener complaints about poor reception of KILT in Montgomery County (specifically The Woodlands and Conroe), the Astros radio network added Conroe station KJOJ.[50]
Beginning around December 1998, KPRC hired former Apollo 7 astronaut Walter Cunningham to host a nightly 8 p.m. show, Liftoff to Logic.[51][52]
On August 29, 2000, Patrick resigned from KPRC after seven years as general manager and talk show host.
In March 2001, KPRC re-branded as "Talk Radio 950 KPRC".[55] That month, Chris Baker joined as a new afternoon drive host.[56] In another programming change, Ian Punnett replaced Cunningham as 8 p.m. host around February 2001.[57]
Baker moved to sister station KTRH effective November 15, 2004.[58]
On July 30, 2007, KPRC became the new flagship station for the Walton & Johnson morning show, which moved from
On March 17, 2013, KPRC dropped the Radio Mojo brand and became known as "KPRC AM 950, Houston's More Stimulating Talk Radio".[63]
On July 28, 2014, KPRC signed a contract to broadcast University of Houston football and men's basketball.[64] KPRC and the University of Houston renewed their contract in August 2020.[65]
Programming and operations
Most hours begin with national news from Fox News Radio.[66] On weekdays, KPRC broadcasts locally and nationally produced talk shows like Kenny Webster's Pursuit of Happiness. KPRC is the originating station for two nationally syndicated shows, Walton & Johnson and The Jesse Kelly Show.[60][67][68] National programming on weekdays includes the Glenn Beck Radio Program and Coast to Coast AM.[67] On weekends, KPRC has mostly brokered time programs purchased by local businesses.[69] KPRC also broadcasts local sports, specifically Houston Cougars football and Houston Cougars men's basketball games from the University of Houston.[65]
The station's studios are located near the West Loop Freeway in Uptown Houston.[70]
KPRC transmits with 5,000 watts. At night, to protect other stations on 950 AM, it uses a directional antenna. The transmitter site is located off the North Interstate 610 Loop and Liberty Road in the Settegast neighborhood on the northeast side.[71]
References
- Works cited
- Schroeder, Richard (1998). Texas Signs On: The Early Days of Radio and Television (PDF). College Station: Texas A&M University Press. ISBN 0-89096-813-6.
- Notes
- ^ a b Schroeder 1998, p. 39.
- ^ a b Schroeder 1998, pp. 39–40.
- ^ Schroeder 1998, p. 40.
- ^ "Kotton Port Rail Center [advertisement circa 1925]" (PDF). KPRC Radio. Retrieved December 24, 2022 – via National Radio Club.
- ^ Johnson, Thomas A. "A History of the Houston Police Department" (PDF). Houston Police Department. p. 4. Retrieved December 24, 2022 – via U.S. Department of Education.
- ^ a b "KPRC (AM) history cards". FCC. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
- ^ Schroeder 1998, p. 61.
- ^ "Law's Loss Is Country's Gain". Billboard. Vol. 80, no. 49. December 7, 1968. p. 43. Retrieved December 25, 2022 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b c "Radio". Handbook of Texas. Texas State Historical Association. December 10, 2016. Retrieved December 24, 2022.
- ^ Schroeder 1998, pp. 95–100.
- ^ Schroeder 1998, pp. 96–99.
- ^ Broadcasting 1935 Yearbook (PDF). Washington: Broadcasting Publications. p. 58. Retrieved December 25, 2022 – via World Radio History.
- ^ "142 FM Stations Operating in 33 States" (PDF). Broadcasting-Telecasting. Vol. 32, no. 3. January 20, 1947. p. 42. Retrieved December 24, 2022 – via World Radio History.
- ^ "FCC Actions" (PDF). Broadcasting-Telecasting. Vol. 31, no. 18. November 4, 1946. p. 76. Retrieved December 24, 2022 – via World Radio History.
- ^ Schroeder 1998, p. 172.
- ^ "KPRC Center Will Cost $400,000" (PDF). Broadcasting-Telecasting. Vol. 42, no. 18. May 5, 1952. p. 56. Retrieved December 24, 2022 – via World Radio History.
- ^ "Three Sales Filed at FCC" (PDF). Broadcasting. Vol. 55, no. 14. October 6, 1958. p. 10. Retrieved December 24, 2022 – via World Radio History.
- ^ a b 1966 Broadcasting Yearbook (PDF). Washington: Broadcasting Publications. 1966. p. B-149 – via World Radio History.
- ^ 1976 Broadcasting Yearbook (PDF). Washington: Broadcasting Publications. p. C-195. Retrieved December 24, 2022 – via World Radio History.
- ^ "Radio-tv keeps date with Hurricane Carla" (PDF). Broadcasting. Vol. 61, no. 12. September 18, 1961. pp. 60–61. Retrieved December 25, 2022 – via World Radio History.
- ^ "Baseball broadcast billings $83 million" (PDF). Broadcasting. Vol. 62, no. 10. March 5, 1962. p. 42. Retrieved December 25, 2022 – via World Radio History.
- ^ "Majors get $25 million for '65 rights" (PDF). Broadcasting. Vol. 68, no. 9. March 1, 1965. p. 49. Retrieved December 25, 2022 – via World Radio History.
- ^ a b "Radio Response Rating". Billboard. Vol. 77, no. 17. April 24, 1965. p. 24. Retrieved December 25, 2022 – via Google Books.
- ^ a b "Laughing It Up Programming Makes KPRC Tops in Pop sLP's". Billboard. Vol. 78, no. 10. March 5, 1966. pp. 20, 24, 26. Retrieved December 25, 2022 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Johnson lauds KPRC-TV, television in general" (PDF). Broadcasting. Vol. 82, no. 13. March 27, 1972. p. 40. Retrieved December 24, 2022 – via World Radio History.
- ^ "The top 25 formats in radio" (PDF). Broadcasting. Vol. 91, no. 13. September 27, 1976. pp. 45–46. Retrieved December 24, 2022 – via World Radio History.
- ^ "Mediatrix Market Profile: Houston" (PDF). 1987. Retrieved December 25, 2022 – via World Radio History.
- ^ "The Many Worlds of Radio 1977" (PDF). Broadcasting. Vol. 93, no. 4. July 25, 1977. pp. 64–66. Retrieved December 24, 2022 – via World Radio History.
- ^ "Getting Better Ratings At News/Talk Stations" (PDF). Radio & Records. November 23, 1979. p. 6. Retrieved December 25, 2022 – via World Radio History.
- ^ "Baseball 1981" (PDF). Broadcasting. Vol. 100, no. 9. March 2, 1981. p. 50. Retrieved December 25, 2022 – via World Radio History.
- ^ "Baseball! Rights go out of the park" (PDF). Broadcasting. Vol. 98, no. 10. March 10, 1980. p. 36. Retrieved December 25, 2022 – via World Radio History.
- ^ Hamilton, Martha M. (July 20, 1983). "Houston Post Put Up for Sale". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
- ^ "Toronto Sun will acquire Houston Post Co". UPI. October 17, 1983. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
- ^ "KPRC Radio Promotional Film (1958)". Texas Archive. Retrieved December 25, 2022. Under "More Information" section: "Following the sale of the Houston Post in 1983, the family reorganized their broadcast holdings as H&C Communications."
- ^ "CBS signing" (PDF). Broadcasting. Vol. 114, no. 7. February 15, 1988. p. 126. Retrieved December 25, 2022 – via World Radio History.
- ^ Blount, Terry (November 27, 1990). "Radio contracts resolve Astros-Rockets conflict". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved December 25, 2022 – via Newslibrary.
- ^ a b Parks, Louis B. (October 23, 1992). "KSEV owner buys KPRC". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved December 25, 2022 – via Newslibrary.
- ^ "Station Trading" (PDF). Broadcasting. Vol. 123, no. 6. February 8, 1993. p. 47. Retrieved December 25, 2022 – via World Radio History.
- ^ a b "Dan Patrick". SuperTalk 950 KPRC. Archived from the original on January 8, 2001. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
- ^ "Program Schedule". SuperTalk KPRC and KSEV. Archived from the original on August 15, 2000. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
- ^ Parks, Louis B. (February 26, 1993). "KSEV, KPRC take conservative route". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved December 25, 2022 – via Newslibrary.
- ^ Blount, Terry (August 11, 1993). "Fowler talk show switching to KPRC". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved December 25, 2022 – via Newslibrary.
- ^ "A new career move/Former mayor Whitmire to host radio talk show". Houston Chronicle. March 11, 1994. Retrieved December 25, 2022 – via Newslibrary.
- ^ "Whitmire to Leave RIPA for Junior Achievement Presidency". Rice University. July 27, 1994. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
- ^ "Station Trading" (PDF). Broadcasting. Vol. 125, no. 9. February 27, 1995. p. 44. Retrieved December 25, 2022 – via World Radio History.
- ^ Hassell, Greg (October 19, 1994). "Radio stations KPRC, KSEV sold". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved December 25, 2022 – via Newslibrary.
- ^ a b Thompson, Carlton (January 5, 1996). "KILT makes deal to become Astros' flagship for 3 seasons". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved May 14, 2023 – via Newslibrary.
- ISBN 0835237257– via World Radio History.
- ^ Thompson, Carlton (January 12, 1996). "KPRC's Patrick says Astros' brass has signals crossed". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved May 14, 2023 – via Newsbank.
- ^ Thompson, Carlton (April 21, 1996). "Static in the air over Astros broadcast". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved May 14, 2023 – via Newslibrary.
- ^ "Programming Line-Up". December 8, 1998. Archived from the original on January 17, 1999. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
- ^ "Walt Cunningham". KPRC. Archived from the original on August 16, 2000. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
- ^ McDaniel, Mike (August 31, 2000). "Dan Patrick makes 'a clean break' with radio station". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
- ^ "Program Schedule". KPRC. Archived from the original on October 11, 2000. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
- ^ "TALKRADIO 950 KPRC". Talkradio 950 KPRC. Archived from the original on March 2, 2001. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
- ^ Connelly, Richard (March 29, 2001). "Right-Wing Revolt". Houston Press. Archived from the original on August 19, 2004. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
- ^ "Program Schedule". KPRC. Archived from the original on February 3, 2001. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
- ^ Pugh, Clifford (November 10, 2004). "Baker, Duncan head to KTRH in lineup change". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on November 13, 2004. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
- ^ a b "Walton & Johnson Make New Home at 'Radio Mojo' KPRC". All Access. July 23, 2007. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
- ^ a b Guy, Andrew Jr. (August 1, 2007). "KIOL's Walton, Johnson swap stations". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
- ^ "Broadcast Schedule". The 9-5-0 Radio Mojo. Archived from the original on August 4, 2007. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
- ^ Broadcasting/Cable Yearbook 2007 (PDF). New Providence, New Jersey: R.R. Bowker LLC. 2007. p. D-497 – via World Radio History.
- ^ Venta, Lance (March 18, 2013). "KPRC Houston Rebrands". Radio Insight. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
- ^ "KPRC To Air University Of Houston Football, Men's Basketball". All Access. July 29, 2014. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
- ^ a b "KPRC/Houston Extends Deal To Air U. Of Houston Cougars Football, Men's Basketball". All Access. August 6, 2020. Retrieved December 28, 2021.
- ^ "Station Finder". Fox News Radio. Retrieved December 25, 2022. Select Texas under "State" and "5 Minute News" under "Show" in drop-down menus.
- ^ a b "On-Air Schedule [Tuesday]". KPRC AM 950. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
- ^ "Key Networks Launches Jesse Kelly Into Syndication". All Access. February 20, 2020. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
- ^ "On Air Schedule [Saturday]". KPRC AM 950. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
- ^ "Contact". KPRC AM 950. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
- ^ Radio-Locator.com/KPRC
External links
- Official website
- KPRC in the FCC AM station database
- KPRC in Nielsen Audio's AM station database
- FCC History Cards for KPRC