KYKR (95.1 FM, "Kicker 95.1") is a

radio station Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radi ...

broadcasting a

Country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, while ...

format. Licensed to Beaumont, Texas, it serves the Beaumont/ Port Arthur metropolitan area, owned by

iHeartMedia, Inc. iHeartMedia, Inc., formerly 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 fou ...

The "Kicker" branding and country format were first broadcast on 93.3 FM (now

KQBU-FM KQBU-FM (93.3 MHz "TUDN Radio Houston") is a commercial radio station broadcasting a Spanish language sports radio format, simulcast on KLAT in Houston. KQBU-FM is licensed to Port Arthur, Texas, and primarily serves the Houston-Beaumont-Port ...

) under the current

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 assign ...

in 1980, owned and operated by Steve Hicks. Its studios are located southeast of the I-10/

US 69 U.S. Route 69 (US 69) is a major north–south United States highway. When it was first created, it was only long, but it has since been expanded into a Minnesota to Texas cross-country route. The highway's southern terminus (as well as ...

interchange in Beaumont, and its transmitter is located in Vidor, Texas.

History

The FCC allocated 95.1 facility in Beaumont received an initial License to Cover on November 27, 1961 as KHGM, owned by Gerald Proctor under the entity of Woodland Broadcasting Company. The facility is currently owned by

For many years, KYKR was located at 93.3 FM, which had first begun as KCAW-FM, the FM companion to 1510 KCAW Port Arthur and owned by Jimmie Joynt. Jimmie sold the station when he moved to Dallas to start Superior Broadcast Products. The KYKR call was issued to 93.3 in 1980 and was owned by the Hicks family of Beaumont (Steve Hicks most notably of CapStar; his father, John Hicks, had owned 560 KLVI since the 1960s) and was moved to the 2000 ft. tower in Devers in 1991 after Steve Hicks had purchased this facility. 93.3 was then sold to Tichenor Media, now

Univision Univision () is an American Spanish-language free-to-air television network owned by TelevisaUnivision. It is the United States' largest provider of Spanish-language content. The network's programming is aimed at the Latino public and includes ...

, resulting in the KYKR calls and format being permanently moved to this frequency. This was possible as a result of then

Top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 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. "Top 40" or "cont ...

/ CHR station "B95" KZZB going silent at 7 p.m. on November 26, 1991, prompting Gulfstar to purchase the 95.1 signal and ultimately place KYKR's country format on it, and then selling 93.3 to Tichenor Media, which began targeting

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...

with the new signal that had just been rebuilt in Devers.http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1990s/1991/RR-1991-11-29.pdf 93.3 and 95.1 simulcasts briefly before the latter frequency became KYKR's full-time home in the summer of 1992. KYKR achieved some of its greatest ratings and revenue success from 1999 to 2009 under the direction of program director Mickey Ashworth. During this decade, the lineup included Big D & Bubba in the mornings, Mickey Ashworth mid-days, Jim King of the Road afternoons, and Lia nights.

References

External links

Kicker 95.1 Website
* {{IHeartMedia Country radio stations in the United States YKR Radio stations established in 1991 1991 establishments in Texas IHeartMedia radio stations