KGBC

KGBC (1540 AM) is a terrestrial American brokered time AM radio facility, paired with an FM relay translator. KGBC is licensed to serve the City of Galveston, Texas. K269GS is licensed to serve Houston, broadcasting from a location near Baytown, off of W Baker Road & Texas Highway 330. Established in 1947, KGBC Radio is wholly owned by SIGA Broadcasting, Inc., of Houston, Texas.[3][4][5]

For the television station in Meridian, Mississippi, see WGBC-TV.
KGBC
Broadcast areaGreater Houston
Frequency1540 kHz
BrandingPuro Tejano
Programming
Language(s)Spanish
FormatTejano
Ownership
Owner
  • SIGA Broadcasting, Inc.
  • (Gabriel Arango)
KAML, KFJZ, KHFX, KLVL, KTMR
History
First air date
February 1, 1947 (1947-02-01)[1]
Call sign meaning
K Galveston Broadcasting Company[2]
or Keep Galveston Beaches Clean (as formerly promoted on air)
Technical information
Facility ID26002
ClassB
Power3,600 watts day
2,600 watts critical hours
185 watts night
Transmitter coordinates
29°18′55″N 94°48′19″W
Translator(s)See § Translator

As of 1989 it is the only radio station in Galveston.[6]

Translator
Broadcast translator for KGBC
Call signFrequencyCity of licenseFIDERP (W)HAATClassFCC infoNotes
K269GS 101.7 FMHouston, Texas147268250107 m (351 ft)DLMSFirst air date: April 3, 2007 (in Woodville; as 96.3 K262BG)

Programming

In the early 2000s, the station carried a Catholic radio format.[2] It later shifted to non-English programming until being forced off the air by Hurricane Ike in September 2008. The station resumed full-power broadcasting in February 2009 with a mix of local talk radio and classic hits.[4][7][8]

History

Galveston Broadcasting Company Signs On KGBC

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) granted a construction permit in August 1946 for a new station to broadcast on 1540 kilohertz and serve the community of Galveston, Texas. The station began broadcasting under program test authority on February 1, 1947, and received its original broadcast license in May 1947. Chosen to represent original owner James W. Bradner's Galveston Broadcasting Company, the "KGBC" call sign was assigned by the FCC.[1][2][9] The station has served the Galveston area since 1947.[7][10] At its launch, the station broadcast with 1,000 watts of power and only during daylight hours.[1] In 1950, the station added nighttime service, but in a directional array and at just 250 watts.[11] The station powers down at night to protect clear-channel station KXEL in Waterloo, Iowa, from skywave interference.[12]

KGBC-FM Launches

After 17 years of continuous operation by Galveston Broadcasting Company, KGBC was sold to Harbor Broadcasting Company, Inc., effective December 20, 1964. On February 11, 1968, KGBC's new owners launched an FM sister station as "KGBC-FM" (106.1 FM).[13] In 1974, the FM station was sold, moved to 106.5 FM, and re-licensed as "KUFO".[14] With shifting ownership and declining fortunes, the station became "KXKX" in 1979 and "KQQK" in 1986 before signing off forever and having its license cancelled by the FCC in March 1989.[15] As of December 2011, the 106.5 frequency is occupied by an unrelated Spanish Adult Hits station licensed as "KOVE-FM".

Siga Purchases KGBC

On February 20, 2002, Prets/Blum Media Company, Inc., contracted to sell KGBC to SIGA Broadcasting Corporation. The sale was approved by the FCC on April 25, 2002, and the transaction was completed on May 9, 2002.[16]

On September 13, 2008, Hurricane Ike made landfall on the upper Texas coast causing flooding and widespread damage. The KGBC broadcast facilities suffered both flooding and damage, knocking the station off the air and keeping it dark for several weeks.[17] The station resumed broadcasting (albeit with low power) on October 6, 2008, and returned to full power operation on February 3, 2009.[4][18] After spending all of 2009 as a "live and local" broadcaster, the station began leasing all of its airtime, starting January 1, 2010.[19][20]

In May 2016, KGBC flipped to a business news format with programming provided by the BizTalkRadio network.[21]

In October 2017, 1540 imaging was changed to "KGBC Radio" omitting mention of either the AM or FM dial position altogether. In February 2018, KGBC began simulcasting KLVL fulltime in order to expand the Synergy Radio Network onto the Island and surrounding coastal communities. This proved to be short lived as Siga leased out KGBC and K269GS in April, which both began to air Tejano, branded as Puro Tejano 101.7 FM & 1540 AM.

KGBC's Texas sister stations with SIGA Broadcasting include KTMR (1130 AM, Converse), KLVL (1480 AM, Pasadena), KAML (990 AM, Kenedy-Karnes City), KHFX (1140 AM, Cleburne), and KFJZ (870 AM, Fort Worth).

References
  1. "Directory of Standard Broadcasting Stations of the United States". 1948 Broadcasting Yearbook. Washington, DC: Broadcasting Publications, Inc. 1948. p. 232.
  2. Cousins, Rick (September 3, 2005). "Historic KGBC part of growing Catholic radio". The Daily News. Galveston, TX. Retrieved December 29, 2011.
  3. "KGBC Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division. Retrieved December 12, 2009.
  4. Elder, Laura (January 5, 2010). "Isle radio station leases airtime to Chinese". The Daily News. Galveston, TX. Archived from the original on August 7, 2011. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  5. "Galveston's Own KGBC Radio". kgbcradio.com.
  6. Long, Steven (1989-09-26). "KGBC: tuned in to danger/Galveston's only radio station offers quirky mix". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on 13 October 2012. Retrieved 2022-02-22.
  7. Jones, Leigh (March 10, 2009). "Island radio station making a comeback". The Daily News. Galveston, TX. Archived from the original on February 9, 2010. Retrieved December 29, 2011.
  8. "Station Information Profile". Arbitron. Retrieved December 29, 2011.
  9. "Call Sign History". CDBS Public Access Database. U.S. Federal Communications Commission Media Bureau. Retrieved December 29, 2011.
  10. Long, Steven (September 26, 1989). "KGBC: tuned in to danger; Galveston's only radio station offers quirky mix". Houston Chronicle. Houston, TX. p. 1. Retrieved December 29, 2011.
  11. "Directory of AM, FM, and TV Stations of the United States". 1950 Broadcasting Yearbook. Washington, DC: Broadcasting Publications, Inc. 1950. p. 292.
  12. "AM Station Classes: Clear, Regional, and Local Channels". Federal Communications Commission, Audio Division. Retrieved December 29, 2011.
  13. "Directory of AM and FM Radio Stations in the U.S.". 1971 Broadcasting Yearbook. Washington, DC: Broadcasting Publications, Inc. 1971. p. B-202.
  14. "The Facilities of Radio". 1979 Broadcasting Yearbook. Washington, DC: Broadcasting Publications, Inc. 1979. p. C-215.
  15. "Station Search Details (40427)". FCC Media Bureau. August 1, 1983. Retrieved December 29, 2011.
  16. "Application Search Details (BAL-20020228ACR)". FCC Media Bureau. May 9, 2002. Retrieved December 29, 2011.
  17. "Application Search Details (BLSTA-20080923ACO)". FCC Media Bureau. January 8, 2009. Retrieved December 29, 2011.
  18. Stanton, Robert (March 19, 2009). "KGBC-AM back on the airwaves in Galveston". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  19. Rice, Harvey (March 3, 2010). "Tune in to Chinese station, but not in Houston". Houston Chronicle. Archived from the original on March 7, 2010. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  20. Rice, Harvey (January 6, 2010). "Chinese news agency lands on Galveston radio". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
  21. "KGBC Dumps Classic Hits For Business Talk". Radio Ink. May 24, 2016. Retrieved April 24, 2019.
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