KOKE-FM (99.3
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
commercial
Commercial may refer to:
* (adjective for) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and services
** (adjective for) trade, the trading of something of economic value such as goods, services, information or money
* a dose of advertising ...
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 ...
broadcasting a
Regional Mexican
Regional Mexican music refers collectively to the regional subgenres of the country music of Mexico and its derivatives from the Southwestern United States. Each subgenre is representative of a certain region and its popularity also varies by ...
radio format
A radio format or programming format (not to be confused with broadcast programming) describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. The radio format emerged mainly in the United States in the 1950s, at a time when Radio broadcasting, ...
.
Licensed to
Thorndale, Texas, KOKE-FM serves the
Greater Austin
The Austin–Round Rock–San Marcos Metropolitan Statistical Area, metropolitan statistical area, or Greater Austin, is a five-county United States metropolitan area, metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Texas, as defined by the Office of ...
radio market. The station is owned by Genuine Austin Radio, LP, with a sale to Norsan Media pending. The
transmitter
In electronics and telecommunications, a radio transmitter or just transmitter (often abbreviated as XMTR or TX in technical documents) is an electronic device which produces radio waves with an antenna (radio), antenna with the purpose of sig ...
site is located on County Road 470 in
Coupland, Texas. The studios and offices are along
Loop 360 in Southwest Austin.
History
The Original 95.5 KOKE-FM
From a
Texas Monthly
''Texas Monthly'' (stylized as ''TexasMonthly'') is a monthly American magazine headquartered in Downtown Austin, Texas. Founded in 1973 by Michael R. Levy, ''Texas Monthly'' chronicles life in contemporary Texas, writing on politics, the Natura ...
cover story (April 2012):
"In the summer of 1972,
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, actor and activist. He was one of the main figures of the outlaw country subgenre that developed in the late 1960s as a reaction to the conservative restr ...
moved into Austin, just 6 months after KOKE-FM switched to its new format called Country Rock or the more politically correct term at the time "
progressive country." Country Radio would never be the same. From the Carter Family to the Rolling Stones, to Waylon and Willie, you could hear the music that Austinites were listening to on I-35 and on South Congress. In 1974 Billboard named KOKE-FM the most innovative station in the country."
KOKE-FM played a role in the careers of all the "outlaws"..Waylon, Willie and the boys lead the way with KOKE-FM to help promote some of the most iconic singer/songwriters of the time thanks to program director Joe Gracey. When Jerry Jeff Walker needed an audience to record "Up Against the Wall Redneck Mother," he called KOKE-FM to get the crowd he needed.
One of the characteristics of a regional music business was that the players, operating out of the glare of the big media centers, often made their own rules. "Redneck Rock" was created by KOKE-FM where the "outlaws" played by their own rules. No one realized that what had started in that little studio on North Lamar would have such a profound effect on country music all across the world.
Joe Garcia has been the vanguard and proprietor of the KOKE call letters at its home in Giddings, Texas at AM 1600. Joe’s Hall Of Fame broadcasting lineage includes his father, Jose (Jaime) Garcia, who blazed the trail and set the standard for Hispanic and Tejano broadcasting in Texas.
"Austin's on Track, 'Cause KOKE-FM is Back"
On June 28, 2012, KLGO moved "The Word" to
KFON 1490 AM. Subsequently, 99.3 changed call letters to KOKE-FM and began
stunting with a live recording of
Dale Watson's "Country My Ass" played in a continuous loop, calculated on-air as being played 1,694 times, the most times a radio station has looped a song as a stunt since 1995. This example of stunting is notable for the station-specific nature of the song's lyrics. Watson re-recorded the song for the occasion, adding a new coda in which he sings, "Now Austin's on track, 'cause KOKE-FM's back."
On July 8, 2012, the
progressive country format pioneered in 1972 by the original KOKE-FM (now
KKMJ-FM
KKMJ-FM (95.5 Hertz, MHz "Majic 95.5") is a commercial radio, commercial radio station in Austin, Texas. It is owned by Audacy, Inc. and airs an adult contemporary radio format. The station has studios and offices on Westbank Drive, off Loop 360 ...
95.5) was resurrected on 99.3 FM and K253AN (98.5 FM).
On April 19, 2014, translator K287FG (105.3 FM) dropped its simulcast of KOKE-FM and became "105.3 The Fringe", a freeform
Triple-A station.
Norsan Media ownership
On April 19, 2024, Norsan Media announced a deal to buy out Genuine Austin Radio. On May 17 of that year, an early morning info spot ran indicating KOKE-FM would move to exclusively stream online on June 1, 2024, later confirmed via an online announcement on the 30th.
On June 1, 2024, KOKE-FM changed their format from progressive country to Regional Mexican, branded as "Mexicanísima 99.3".
Norsan Media Launches Three New Brands in Austin
Radioinsight - June 2, 2024
Previous logo
References
External links
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{{coord, 30.490, N, 97.299, W, type:landmark_region:US_source:FCC, display=title
OKE-FM
Radio stations established in 2002
2002 establishments in Texas