KIXY-FM (94.7

MHz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), often described as being equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose formal expression in terms of SI base u ...

) is a

radio station Radio broadcasting is the broadcasting 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 rad ...

San Angelo, Texas San Angelo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Tom Green County, Texas, United States. Its location is in the Concho Valley, a region of West Texas between the Permian Basin (North America), Permian Basin to the northwest, Chihuahuan Desert ...

, United States, broadcasting a

contemporary hit radio Contemporary hit radio (CHR, also known as contemporary hits, hit list, current hits, hit music, top 40, or pop radio) is a radio format common in many countries that focuses on playing current and recurrent popular music as determined by the Top ...

format Format may refer to: Printing and visual media * Text formatting, the typesetting of text elements * Paper formats, or paper size standards * Newspaper format, the size of the paper page Computing * File format, particular way that informatio ...

. The station is owned by Foster Communications.

History

On April 5, 1966, Solar Broadcasting Company, owned by Walton Foster alongside KWFR (1260 AM), filed with 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 ...

to build a new FM radio station in San Angelo, an application approved on August 9. ( Guide to reading History Cards) KWFR-FM began broadcasting on January 13, 1967, as the third FM station for the city; it operated from noon to midnight as a simulcast of the daytime-only AM station and with its own programming after sunset, serving as an effective continuation of the

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 ...

format programmed on KWFR. This made it unusual for the time, as there were very few Top 40 stations on FM in the 1960s. The call letters were changed to KIXY in 1970 and KIXY-FM in 1973, on the latter occasion when the AM station also adopted the KIXY call sign. Also in 1973, the station began broadcasting in stereo. The KIXY stations were sold in 1978 to CDI/Abaris Communications Associates, a consortium of three Chicago men. However, Foster sued CDI/Abaris in 1981, claiming it violated a covenant of the sale that prevented them from materially reducing the stations' net worth, given that the stations were held as collateral in loans Foster had made to the Chicago firm. In early 1984, a federal jury heard the case, and Foster bought back the stations and reassumed control in April. In 1987, he flipped all of his other stations—KHOS-AM-FM in

Sonora Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora (), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is divided into Municipalities of Sonora, 72 ...

, KYXX in Ozona, and their translators—to simulcasting KIXY-FM with local news and public affairs for their areas. Foster attempted to sell his radio stations again in 1988, this time to Radioactivity, Inc. of Georgia. Radioactivity—which was buying stations in Texas and Georgia—was led by Clyde Murchison, who claimed to be a nephew of

Clint Murchison Clinton Williams Murchison Jr. (September 12, 1923 – March 30, 1987) was an American businessman and founder of the Dallas Cowboys football team. A son of Clint Murchison Sr., who made his first fortune in oil exploration and became notorious ...

, the former owner of the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

. Initially snagged by a late

equal employment opportunity Equal employment opportunity is equal opportunity to attain or maintain employment in a company, organization, or other institution. Examples of legislation to foster it or to protect it from eroding include the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity ...

report filed by the buyer, Radioactivity soon imploded after Clyde Murchison was arrested for wire fraud. He was not recognized by a friend of the real Murchison family, prompting other company officers to request an FBI investigation, and was arrested in a sting operation after having been revealed to have falsified his family connections and financial qualifications. The other officers in Radioactivity expelled Murchison, but Foster sued the firm for breach of contract. KIXY-FM has generally been at or near the top of San Angelo's radio ratings, sometimes posting dominant numbers. One 1987 survey by Birch Ratings attributed more than half of all radio listening in San Angelo to KIXY-FM with a 51.6 share.

References

External links

* * {{coord, 31.487, N, 100.450, W, type:landmark_region:US_source:FCC, display=title Contemporary hit radio stations in the United States 1967 establishments in Texas Radio stations established in 1967 IXY