by djcory » Tue Jun 20, 2006 11:57 am
Here is a little article I saw a few weeks ago (WIKIPEDIA) that might help all the non-Houstonians see why everybody from South TX is so devoted to New Wave and it's Sub Genres. (exposure helps)
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In November 1986, Susquehanna Radio purchased KRBE as well as another Houston station broadcasting at 1070 AM. The AM signal had been known as KENR for years (as an aside, KENR had, in fact, achieved some noteworthy success in the 1970s as a country station; amongst other things, KENR was the first station to play Mickey Gilley's song "Roomful of Roses," giving the then-local country singer a big break and, subsequently, his first of 16 #1 U.S. country hits. Additionally, Corpus Christi, Texas, DJ Bruce Nelson Stratton -- who as Bruce Nelson had been the DJ and music director responsible for first playing "Roomful of Roses" -- says that in 1973, he was one of the people who made KENR the first major-market country station that was #1 in all 12-years-and-older demographics) but by 1986 it was known as KKZR-AM; Susquehanna changed the 1070 AM call letters back to KENR-AM.
In 1987 KRBE took a lean towards a dance friendly/top 40 format doing evening weekend studio mixshows from 10 p.m. to 2 a.m. known as "The Friday & Saturday Night Power Mix". KKBQ matched it with its own mixshows calling it "Club 93Q". By the end of 1987 the dance lean had built so much momentum that KRBE had to top 93Q again and it did on the night of January 9, 1988 when it launched "The Saturday Night Power Mix Live from The Ocean Club", Houston's first live 4 hour (later 6 hour) mixshow from a nightclub. On May 29, 1988 (a bit late) KKBQ launched its first live nightclub broadcast "93Q Live On The Cutting Edge from Club 6400", a club that played a mix of industrial, new wave and goth. No top 40 was allowed. (KRBE's show was a little more radio friendly but was first to play some of the music 6400 was spinning) It was an instant success.
The stations continued their top 40 rivalry (including mixshows from various Houston nightclubs) until 1991 when the top 40 format was showing signs of wear. KRBE stripped to a generic "no frills" top 40 format dropping all the lazer fx, DJ's were asked to stop screaming, no more rap, no more voiceover announcers, even the "POWER" moniker was gone. KRBE was rebranded as 104 KRBE "Hits Without the Hype", using liners like "No Rap, No Crap, No Screaming DJs". KKBQ remained on its same course for a time but eventually flipped to country on September 19, 1991, after a brief period in which it programmed a rock-oriented top 40 mix as a stunt.
KRBE continued to offer the hottest dance music the world had to offer through its live club mixshows with the launch of "The Beat" (1994-2002) and mixed by some of the best local DJ's like: DJ Rich (now the Riddler), and DJ Mark Delange. Broadcasting from premier venues such as: Shelter (94-95), Kaboom (95-96), The Roxy (96-02).
From 1992-1994, the station aired "The New Music Zone," an alternative music show that typically aired weeknights from 7 p.m. to midnight. In the mid-1990s, around 1995-1996, the station's playlist as a whole had a pronounced alternative lean, but it eventually drifted back towards mainstream CHR. In 1996, program director Tom Poleman and air talents Paul "Cubby" Bryant and Ryan Chase left KRBE for similar positions with CHR/pop Z100 WHTZ New York (which had, like KRBE, leaned in an alternative direction for a time).
KRBE gained a worldwide audience with "The Beat" live club dance mix show when it began streaming its audio through its website in the late 90's, prompting the station to bill itself as "The World Famous 104 KRBE". KRBE is and remains Houston's ONLY CHR/pop hit music station.
76% of Houstonians say this is the station they listen to. However their target audience is teenagers and young adults, (basically ages 13-25).
Currently the morning show DJ's are Atom Smasher and Maria Todd, and they do a show called Atom and Maria in the Morning from 6 a.m.-10am (Central Time).