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KLOL (101.1 FM, "Mega 101") is a commercial radio station in
Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...
. It is owned by
Audacy, Inc. Audacy, Inc. is an American broadcasting company based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1968 as Entercom Communications Corp., it is the second largest radio company in the United States, owning over 220 radio stations across 47 media ...
and airs a
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Latin pop Latin pop () is a pop music subgenre that is a fusion of US–style music production with Latin music genres from anywhere in Latin America and Spain. It originates with List of countries where Spanish is an official language, Spanish-speaking ...
format. KLOL serves as the Spanish-language
flagship station In broadcasting, a flagship (also known as a flagship station or key station) is the broadcast station which originates a television network, or a particular radio or television program that plays a key role in the branding of and consumer loyal ...
for the
Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
team. The studios and offices are in
Greenway Plaza Greenway Plaza is a business district located along Interstate 69 ( U.S. Highway 59) within the Interstate 610 loop in southwestern Houston, Texas, west of Downtown and east of Uptown. The district is located immediately west of Upper Kirby ...
in Houston. The
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is located off McHard Road in
Missouri City, Texas Missouri City is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, within the metropolitan area. The city is mostly in Fort Bend County, with a small portion in Harris County. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 74,259, an increas ...
.


History


KTRH-FM

For much of the early days of radio,
KTRH KTRH () is a commercial radio station licensed to Houston, Texas. It airs a news/talk radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. Its studios are along the West Loop Freeway (I-610) in the city's Uptown district. The transmitter site ...
had been one of Houston's top AM stations, co-owned with ''
The Houston Chronicle The ''Houston Chronicle'' is the largest daily newspaper in Houston, Houston, Texas, United States. it is the third-largest newspaper by Sunday circulation in the United States, behind only ''The New York Times'' and the ''Los Angeles Times''. ...
''. In 1947, an FM station was added, 101.1 KTRH-FM. It was the third FM station in Houston (after the short-lived KOPY and KPRC-FM) and mostly
simulcast Simulcast (a portmanteau of "simultaneous broadcast") is the broadcasting of programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simultaneously) ...
KTRH's programming when few people had FM radios. KTRH-AM-FM aired the
CBS CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS (an abbreviation of its original name, Columbia Broadcasting System), is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainme ...
Radio Network line-up of dramas, comedies, news, sports, soap operas, game shows and
big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s and ...
broadcasts during the "
Golden Age of Radio The Golden Age of Radio, also known as the old-time radio (OTR) era, was an era of radio in the United States where it was the dominant electronic home entertainment medium. It began with the birth of commercial radio broadcasting in the earl ...
". In the 1950s, as network programming moved from radio to TV, KTRH-AM-FM switched to a full-service middle of the road (MOR) format. In 1965, KTRH-AM-FM were acquired by the Rusk Corporation. Under Rusk ownership, KTRH-FM experimented with
progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog) is a broad genre of rock music that primarily developed in the United Kingdom through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early-to-mid-1970s. Initially termed " progressive pop", the ...
programs at night while simulcasting AM 740 in the daytime. In 1970, Rusk switched the station over to a full-time rock format as KLOL.


101 KLOL

In 1970, " I'm Free" by
The Who The Who are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup (1964–1978) consisted of lead vocalist Roger Daltrey, guitarist Pete Townshend, bassist John Entwistle and drummer Keith Moon. Considered one of th ...
ushered in a new format and
call sign In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally as ...
to the 101.1 frequency, and "The KLOL Legend" was born. In the early days, KLOL was known as "Mother's Family" and later "K101" and utilized what would be termed a
freeform radio Free-form, or free-form radio, is a radio station Radio programming, programming Radio format, format in which the disc jockey is given wide or total control over what music to play, regardless of music genre or commercial interests. Freeform ra ...
format, where each DJ would choose which records he wanted to play. The "Mother's Family" name was a reference to KFMK-FM (97.9, now
KBXX KBXX (97.9 FM) is a commercial radio station in Houston, Texas. It airs an urban-leaning rhythmic contemporary radio format, mostly made up of hip-hop music and R&B. It is owned by Urban One as part of a five station cluster with KMJQ, ...
), Houston's original progressive rock radio station, known as "Mother Radio". A major contributor to the early and ongoing success of KLOL was the late laid-back DJ Maurice "Crash" Collins. KLOL played cuts from mostly rock albums in the early years, but it was also possible to hear
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...
,
blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...
,
folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be ca ...
and R&B. In the mid-1970s the main rock competition to 101 KLOL was
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Broadcasting * Aliw Broadcasting Corporation, Philippine broadcast company * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial American ...
-owned 96.5 KAUM. KAUM eventually switched to
Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is a list of the 40 currently most popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "To ...
hits. In addition, 100.3
KILT-FM KILT-FM (100.3 MHz "The Bull 100.3") is a commercial radio station in Houston, Texas. It is owned by Audacy, Inc. and airs a country music radio format. The studios and offices are in Greenway Plaza in Southwest Houston. KILT-FM serves as a co ...
was another competitor for KLOL also playing rock music,


Moving to AOR

By the late 1970s, KLOL had moved from progressive rock to an
album-oriented rock Album-oriented rock (AOR, originally called album-oriented radio) is an FM radio format created in the United States in the late 1960s that focuses on the full repertoire of rock albums and is currently associated with classic rock. US rad ...
sound, with a structured
playlist A playlist is a list of video or audio files that can be played back on a media player, either sequentially or in a shuffled order. In its most general form, an audio playlist is simply a list of songs that can be played once or in a loop. ...
of only the top tracks from the best selling albums. The station changed its moniker to "101 KLOL". KLOL achieved victory in early 1981 against format rival KILT-FM, which soon changed its format to
country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...
. Shortly thereafter, KLOL had another rival in 97ROCK (96.5 KSRR) and one of the fiercest AOR battles of the 1980s commenced. KLOL once again won the battle as KSRR flipped to Top 40 as KKHT in 1986 (and is now
KHMX KHMX (96.5 megahertz, MHz, "Mix 96.5") is an American commercial adult contemporary music#Hot adult contemporary, hot adult contemporary radio broadcasting, radio station in Houston, Texas. It is owned by Audacy, Inc. and serves the Greater H ...
). KLOL mellowed somewhat in the 1980s, as did many AORs, but the playlist remained quite wide. The station's core artists were
The Eagles The Eagles are an American rock band formed in Los Angeles in 1971. With five number-one singles, six number-one albums, six Grammy Awards and five American Music Awards, the Eagles were one of the most successful musical acts of the 1970s in ...
,
Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American Rock music, rock singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Nicknamed "the Boss", Springsteen has released 21 studio albums spanning six decades; most of his albums feature th ...
,
Fleetwood Mac Fleetwood Mac are a British-American Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1967 by the singer and guitarist Peter Green (musician), Peter Green. Green named the band by combining the surnames of the drummer, Mick Fleetwood, and the bassis ...
,
Van Halen Van Halen ( ) was an American rock band formed in Pasadena, California, in 1973. Credited with restoring hard rock to the forefront of the music scene, Van Halen was known for their energetic live performances and the virtuosity of their guit ...
,
The Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English Rock music, rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for over six decades, they are one of the most popular, influential, and enduring bands of the Album era, rock era. In the early 1960s, the band pione ...
,
Billy Joel William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Piano Man" after his Signature song, signature 1973 song Piano Man (song), of the same name, Joel has ha ...
,
Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock music, rock band formed in London in 1968. The band comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist-keyboardist John Paul Jones (musician), John Paul Jones and drummer John Bonham. With a he ...
,
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
,
The Police The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. Within a few months of their first gig, the line-up settled as Sting (lead vocals, bass guitar, primary songwriter), Andy Summers (guitar) and Stewart Copeland (drums, percussi ...
and
Tom Petty Thomas Earl Petty (October 20, 1950October 2, 2017) was an American singer, songwriter, and musician. He was the leader and frontman of the Rock music, rock bands Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Mudcrutch and a member of the late 1980s sup ...
. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, KLOL was one of the top-rated AOR stations in the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. KLOL featured legendary morning hosts Mark Stevens and Jim Pruett and their cleverly titled "Stevens and Pruett Show", chalking up both high ratings and several fines from the
Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, internet, wi-fi, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains j ...
(FCC) for "offensive content". Dayna Steele anchored mid-days with her audience of "Steele Workers". In the evenings it was "Outlaw Radio", an
active rock Active rock is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations across the United States and Canada. Active rock stations play a balance of new hard rock songs with valued classic rock favorites, normally with an emphasis on the harder edge o ...
show with "a lot of attitude". KLOL was regularly in the top 3 in that time frame.


Changes in ownership

In 1993, Evergreen Media bought KTRH and KLOL for $49 million. Evergreen started to make changes to KLOL's sound. The station started relying heavily on either
classic rock Classic rock is a radio format that developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, it comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the early-1990s, primarily focusing on comm ...
product (KLOL would be almost all classic rock from 1996 to 1998) or current product from "safe artists" who were often not that popular. KLOL virtually ignored the exploding
grunge rock Grunge (sometimes referred to as the Seattle sound) is an alternative rock genre and subculture that emerged during the in the U.S. state of Washington, particularly in Seattle and Olympia, and other nearby cities. Grunge fuses elements of punk ...
and
alternative rock Alternative rock (also known as alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative) is a category of rock music that evolved from the independent music underground of the 1970s. Alternative rock acts achieved mainstream success in the 1990s w ...
bands in the 1990s. In late 1998, KLOL began playing more current material. Some thought active rock was finally coming to Houston on KLOL. Alternative rock-formatted
KTBZ-FM KTBZ-FM (94.5 MHz) is a commercial radio station licensed to Houston, Texas. Owned by iHeartMedia, the station serves Greater Houston. KTBZ-FM's studios are located in Uptown Houston, while the station's transmitter is located near Missouri City ...
had moved to a more pop-alternative sound to target listeners who had previously tuned in the now defunct 102.9 KKPN, a
modern AC Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, ...
station that is now
KLTN KLTN (102.9 FM; "Que Buena 102.9") is a regional Mexican radio station broadcasting in Houston, Texas, United States. Owned by Univision Radio, its studios are in Uptown Houston and the transmitter is located on the historic (1948) KNUZ tower, ...
. So the opportunity for a harder-edged station was there. But the station stopped short of going to an active rock sound.
Clear Channel Communications iHeartMedia, Inc., or CC Media Holdings, Inc., is an American mass media corporation headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It is the holding company of iHeartCommunications, Inc., formerly Clear Channel Communications, Inc., a company founded by ...
became the owner of KLOL in 2000. For several years, Clear Channel retained the rock format. Many thought Clear Channel would bring back the classic sound of the station during the previous decades. Instead, KLOL carried on in the same vein for another four years.


KLOL goes Spanish

Rumors of a KLOL format change had been heard since at least 1989. Some had speculated on a switch to
urban oldies Urban adult contemporary, often abbreviated as urban AC or UAC, (also known as adult R&B,) is the name for a format of radio music, similar to an urban contemporary format. Radio stations using this format usually would not have hip hop music on ...
or Top 40 as "KISS 101". However, the November 10, 2004, edition of "the Walton & Johnson Show" on KLOL informed listeners that if they wanted to keep listening, they had better learn
Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...
. On November 12, 2004, after a rerun of the
Walton & Johnson Show
, KLOL segued into the "10 O'Clock Rock Block" as normal. Then, at 10:11am, the station changed its format to
Hurban Hurban is a radio programming format from radio chain giant iHeartMedia and Senior VP Alfredo Alonso. Hurban radio stations target young Hispanics in the United States, primarily consisting of reggaeton, Latin trap, Latin rap, and Latin dance. ...
(Spanish-language
hip hop music Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music Music genre, genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African Americans, African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide r ...
). "I'm Free" by The Who would bookend the 34-year history of KLOL as a rock station. In the fall of 2007, KLOL redesigned the station's entire look, changing the format to a more contemporary
Latin pop Latin pop () is a pop music subgenre that is a fusion of US–style music production with Latin music genres from anywhere in Latin America and Spain. It originates with List of countries where Spanish is an official language, Spanish-speaking ...
sound under the direction of Clear Channel's Senior VP Alfredo Alonso. This design was made to better compete with other Spanish-language stations on the Houston radio dial. The name MEGA 101 was kept, while the
logo A logo (abbreviation of logotype; ) is a graphic mark, emblem, or symbol used to aid and promote public identification and recognition. It may be of an abstract or figurative design or include the text of the name that it represents, as in ...
was changed. The website was also redesigned. Dayna Steele began to learn Spanish while she prepared for a career in politics.


CBS and Entercom acquisitions

On December 15, 2008, Clear Channel and CBS Radio announced a multi-station swap: KLOL and co-owned 96.5 KHMX would go to CBS Radio, while CBS Radio-owned stations
WQSR WQSR (102.7 FM, "102.7 Jack FM") is a commercial radio station licensed to Baltimore, Maryland, United States. The station is owned by iHeartMedia through licensee iHM Licenses, LLC. It broadcasts an adult hits format, using the syndicated " ...
in
Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...
,
KBKS-FM KBKS-FM (106.1 MHz) – branded as ''Hits 106.1'' – is a commercial radio station licensed to Tacoma, Washington, and serving the Seattle metropolitan area. Owned by iHeartMedia, it broadcasts a top 40 (CHR) format. The studios and offices ...
in
Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...
,
KLTH KLTH (106.7 MHz "The Eagle") is a commercial FM radio station, licensed to Lake Oswego, Oregon, and serving the Portland metropolitan area. It is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc., and airs a classic hits radio format. Specialty programs on KLTH ...
and
KXJM KXJM (107.5 FM, "Jam'n 107.5") is a commercial radio station licensed to Banks, Oregon and serving the Portland metropolitan area. KXJM's studios and offices are in Tigard and the transmitter is located in Portland's West Hills. The stati ...
in
Portland, Oregon Portland ( ) is the List of cities in Oregon, most populous city in the U.S. state of Oregon, located in the Pacific Northwest region. Situated close to northwest Oregon at the confluence of the Willamette River, Willamette and Columbia River, ...
, and KQJK in
Sacramento, California Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat, seat of Sacramento County, California, Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento Rive ...
, would go to Clear Channel. The sale was approved on March 31, 2009, and was consummated on April 1. On February 2, 2017, CBS Radio announced it would merge with
Entercom Audacy, Inc. is an American broadcasting company based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1968 as Entercom Communications Corp., it is the second largest radio company in the United States, owning over 220 radio stations across 47 media ...
. The merger was approved on November 9, and was consummated on the November 17.


Partnership with KTMD

On September 25, 2018, Entercom struck a new content deal with
NBCUniversal Television Group NBCUniversal Media Group is the television and streaming arm of NBCUniversal, and the direct descendant and successor of the former division NBCUniversal Television Group, which existed from 2004–19. History NBC Broadcasting In 2006, NBCUniver ...
station KTMD (
Telemundo Telemundo (; formerly NetSpan) is an American Spanish-language terrestrial television network owned by NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, a division of NBCUniversal, which in turn is a wholly owned subsidiary of Comcast. It provides content ...
Channel 47). The TV station will provide news, weather and other content for KLOL programming.


Online return of Rock 101

On November 12, 2012, after eight years of absence, Rock 101 KLOL returned as an
Internet radio Internet radio, also known as online radio, web radio, net radio, streaming radio, e-radio and IP radio, is a digital audio service transmitted via the Internet. Broadcasting on the Internet is usually referred to as webcasting since it is not ...
format. The online-only version plays classic, progressive and some contemporary rock as well as blues-rock, often commercial-free. The Internet station is run by volunteers and uses a listener-supported business model. It is not owned by Audacy. The station has several syndicated shows as well as original programming. Classic station imaging is played and old clips of Stevens & Pruett's "Uncle Waldo" are aired on Friday mornings. Former "on air" personalities such as the late Jim Pruett, Dayna Steele and Scotty Phillips have contributed with sweepers and station drops, along with other material.


Current competitors

*
KAMA-FM KAMA-FM (104.9 MHz, "104.9 Latino Mix") is a commercial radio station licensed to Deer Park, Texas, and serving the Greater Houston radio market. It is owned by the Uforia Audio Network, a subsidiary of Univision, and it airs a Spanish-language ...
''104.9 Latino Mix'' *
KOVE-FM KOVE-FM (106.5 MHz) is a Spanish-language radio station serving the Houston and Galveston areas from Galveston, Texas. KOVE-FM is owned by Uforia Audio Network, a division of TelevisaUnivision. The studios are in Uptown Houston and the transmitt ...
''Amor 106.5''


Callsign and moniker history

* KTRH-FM: June 30, 1947 * KLOL: August 1970 (Mother's Family, K101, 101 KLOL, Classic Rock 101 KLOL, Rock 101 KLOL, Rock 101, Mega 101 Latino & Proud!, Mega 101FM, Mega 101)


Previous logos


References


Audio clips from KLOL's 1987 tribute to 1967

Rock 101 KLOL Online

Rock 101 KLOL becomes Mega 101FM
(Audio from th
Format Change archive

"Runaway Radio" 101 KLOL documentary website


External links

* {{Authority control 1947 establishments in Texas Audacy, Inc. radio stations Contemporary hit radio stations in the United States Hispanic and Latino American culture in Houston Latin rhythmic radio stations Radio stations established in 1947
LOL LOL, or lol, is an initialism for laughing out loud, and a popular element of Internet slang, which can be used to indicate amusement, irony, or double meanings. It was first used almost exclusively on Usenet, but has since become widesprea ...
LOL LOL, or lol, is an initialism for laughing out loud, and a popular element of Internet slang, which can be used to indicate amusement, irony, or double meanings. It was first used almost exclusively on Usenet, but has since become widesprea ...