KRXO-FM
KRXO-FM (107.7 MHz) is a commercial FM radio station in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. It is owned by Ty and Tony Tyler's Tyler Media, L.L.C., and it carries a sports radio format. The studios are on East Britton Road the northeast side of Oklahoma City.[1]Tyler Media owns two sports stations in Oklahoma City. KEBC 1560 AM and 95.3 FM mostly carries the SportsMap Radio Network. KRXO-FM has mostly Oklahoma-based sports shows with SportsMap heard late nights and weekends.
City | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma |
---|---|
Broadcast area | Oklahoma City Metroplex |
Frequency | 107.7 MHz (HD Radio) |
Branding | 107.7 The Franchise |
Slogan | "Sports Radio With Balls" |
Programming | |
Format | Sports |
Subchannels |
|
Affiliations | SportsMap Radio Network Sooners Radio Network |
Ownership | |
Owner | Ty and Tony Tyler (Tyler Media, L.L.C.) |
History | |
First air date | 1976 (as KAEZ) |
Former call signs | KAEZ (1976-1985) KIMY (1985-1987) KRXO (1987-2015) |
Call sign meaning | K RoX Oklahoma (previous rock format) |
Technical information | |
Facility ID | 16851 |
Class | C |
ERP | 100,000 watts on 107.7 MHz 250 watts on 104.5 MHz 250 watts on 96.5 MHz |
HAAT | 470 meters (1,540 ft) |
Translator(s) | |
Links | |
Webcast | Listen Live Listen Live (HD2) Listen Live (HD3) |
Website | FM/HD1: thefranchiseok HD2: krxo HD3: Facebook.com/Exitos-965FM |
KRXO-FM has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 100,000 watts, the maximum for non-grandfathered FM stations.[2] The transmitter is off Ridgeway Road in Northeast Oklahoma City, amid the towers for other FM and TV stations in the market.[3] KRXO-FM broadcasts using HD Radio technology. The HD-2 digital subchannel carries a Classic Rock format and feeds FM translator K283BW at 104.5 MHz.[4] The HD-3 subchannel carries a Spanish language Classic Hits format and feeds FM translator K243BJ at 96.5 MHz.[5]
History
Urban AC and Classic Rock
The station began broadcasting in 1976 with the call letters KAEZ. The call sign stood for "Eazy 107" and it played an urban adult contemporary format that included a wide-ranging playlist of R&B, soul, jazz and blues. The station played very little hip hop or rap music in the early 1980s. KAEZ remained on the air until November 23, 1985, when the station had a fire that silenced the station along with going bankrupt causing the station to be sold to Price Communications.
On February 25, 1986, the station returned to air. The call sign was changed to KIMY ("My 107.7") and it switched to adult contemporary music. Then on August 7, 1987, it switched to classic rock as KRXO. The classic rock format stayed in place for 26 years.
Ownership changes
On July 15, 2012, Tyler Media entered into an agreement with Renda Broadcasting to purchase that company's Oklahoma City radio stations. That cluster was made up of KMGL, KOMA, KRXO and KOKC, and the price tag was $40 million.
In accordance to limits imposed by the Federal Communications Commission on the number of radio stations a single broadcasting entity can own in a single market, Tyler sold KTLR and KKNG to WPA Radio for $1.6 million.[6][7] Tyler's purchase of KRXO and its sister stations was consummated on November 13, 2012.
Switch to Sports Radio
On July 10, 2013, Tyler Media announced that the station would adopt an All-Sports format, and be known as "107.7 The Franchise" replacing the station's longtime Classic Rock format. That programming and format moved to KRXO-HD2, a digital subchannel which is also simulcast on translator K283BW at 104.5 MHz. Programming on the new sports format includes University of Oklahoma Sooners football and basketball, as well as NFL games on Sunday, Monday and Thursday nights.
On September 16, 2015, Tyler Media filed to change the call sign to "KRXO-FM" and move the "KRXO" call sign to a co-owned sports station in Tulsa. The call sign change to KRXO-FM occurred on September 23, 2015. The Tulsa station shares some Oklahoma-based sports programming with KRXO-FM.
HD Radio
KRXO-FM along with its sister FM stations in Oklahoma City including KOMA and KMGL transmit an HD Radio signal. That allows them to transmit the main programming on their first digital subchannels, while second and third subchannels carrying other programming for listeners with HD Radio-capable receivers.
In 2005, Tony Renda Jr., the general manager of Renda Broadcasting, said his company had signed a deal with iBiquity to start offering HD Radio on the company's 24 stations in Pennsylvania, Florida, and Oklahoma in 2006.[8]
During the spring 2008 ratings period, previous KRXO owner Renda switched off their HD signals on all three of their stations in Oklahoma City including KOMA-FM, KMGL-FM, and KRXO-FM — because of coverage issues. "It's a temporary problem," Don Pollnow, Renda market manager said at the time. "Our engineer is working on it with the manufacturer."
University of Oklahoma sports fans with radios at the stadium had complained that the station's play-by-play was behind the actual game action.[9][10] As a result, KRXO's HD Radio digital signal is often disabled during its University of Oklahoma football broadcasts.
Notable people
Current
- Dave Garrett, former New Orleans Saints and Dallas Cowboys play by play radio voice
- Kelly Gregg, former Oklahoma Sooners football player and the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs
Former
- Tony Casillas, former Oklahoma Sooners football player, NFL veteran, member of the College Football Hall of Fame
References
- TheFranchiseOK.com/general-info/contact-us
- FCC.gov/KRXO-FM
- Radio-Locator.com/KRXO-FM
- Radio-Locator.com/K283BW
- Radio-Locator.com/K243BJ
- Is Renda Cashing Out? Archived 2013-12-16 at the Wayback Machine, RadioInk, July 16, 2012.
- In Oklahoma City, Tyler spins two so it can buy four from Renda (for $40M) Archived 2012-07-22 at the Wayback Machine, RadioInfo, July 16, 2012.
- New HD radio ready for rapid expansion Archived 2006-10-22 at the Wayback Machine, TribLive News, November 11, 2005.
- Radio broadcasting's future is highly defined for stations, TMCnet.com, April 20, 2008.
- Radio broadcasting's future is highly defined for stations, NewsOK, April 20, 2008.
External links
- KRXO official website
- KRXO-HD2 official website
- KRXO in the FCC's FM station database
- KRXO on Radio-Locator
- KRXO in Nielsen Audio's FM station database
- K243BJ in the FCC's FM station database
- K243BJ on Radio-Locator
- K283BW in the FCC's FM station database
- K283BW on Radio-Locator