KILT FM: История Хьюстонской Кантри-Радиостанции

KILT FM (100.3 MHz "The Bull 100.3") is a commercial radio station in Houston, Texas. It is owned by Audacy, Inc. and airs a country music radio format. The studios and offices are in Greenway Plaza in Southwest Houston. KILT FM serves as a co flagship radio station of the Houston Texans Football team, along with co owned KILT. KILT FM has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 100,000 watts, the highest permitted for non grandfathered FM stations in the U. S. The transmitter is off Farm to Market Road 2234 near Fort Bend Parkway in Southwest Houston. KILT FM broadcasts in the HD Radio hybrid format. The HD 2 subchannel simulcasts the sports radio format of KILT. The HD 3 subchannel carries a Texas country music format known as "KIKK Country."

In February 1962, noted radio programmer and owner Gordon McLendon signed on an FM station at 100.3 MHz as the sister station to popular Top 40 KILT 610. The station originally had the call sign KOST and it carried an easy listening format. The power was only 16,500 watts, a fraction of its current output. The call letters were changed to KZAP in November 1967, shortly before McLendon sold his Houston properties to LIN Broadcasting. (McLendon moved the KOST call letters to his property in Los Angeles.)

Upon assuming control of KILT and KZAP in 1968, LIN changed the FM station's call letters to KILT FM. KILT FM began playing Top 40 music, similar to the successful AM station. But in the late 1960s the Federal Communications Commission began encouraging AM FM combos to offer separate programming on each station. In the early 1970s, KILT FM adopted a free form progressive rock format while "The Big 610" KILT continued with its long running Top 40 format. KILT FM was staffed with young disc jockeys who chose the music for their shows and had the freedom to discuss pop culture and current events during their programs. The station went by the slogan "Radio Montrose", named for the neighborhood in which the station's studios were located. By 1974, the station evolved to a more structured album rock format as "FM 100".

KILT FM flipped to country music on February 16, 1981. When 610 KILT switched to country as well on June 1, 1981, its long running Hudson and Harrigan morning show remained and began to be simulcast on KILT FM. The rest of the day, the AM had more talk and information and it played some classic country titles along with current songs, while KILT FM was more contemporary and had its DJs avoid too much chatter. From its debut in 1967 through 1995, the Hudson and Harrigan morning show had eleven different sets of personalities occupying the personas of Mac Hudson and Irv Harrigan. The show's title remained, regardless of the DJs who staffed the program. Ken Hoffmann of the Houston Chronicle described Hudson and Harrigan as "the longest running, most successful morning team anywhere in America". After switching to country, KILT FM competed directly against KIKK FM, the other major FM country music station in Houston. According to the Houston Chronicle, "after initial success, KILT FM struggled through an aborted change of call letters (KXAS FM in 1984) and the lack of a strong identity with listeners".

On January 10, 2013, at 5 p. m., after playing "Give It All We Got Tonight" by George Strait, the station relaunched as "The Bull @ 100.3". The station shifted its playlist to include more current and recent music, avoiding most hits recorded before 2000. The first song on "The Bull" was "Drink in My Hand" by Eric Church.

KILT AM FM had been owned by LIN Broadcasting Corporation since 1968. In an effort to divest itself of all of its radio stations, in late 1986, LIN Broadcasting Corporation sold KILT and KILT FM to Legacy Broadcasting Inc. for $36.75 million. Less than three years later, KILT AM FM were sold, along with seven other radio stations, by Metropolitan Legacy to Westinghouse Broadcasting. At the time, the $360 million deal was considered the largest ever in radio. To meet federal regulations on radio ownership, Westinghouse sold its Houston station 99.1 KODA. In 1993, Westinghouse purchased KILT FM's country rival, KIKK FM, as well as 650 KIKK. At the time, KILT FM was first in the Arbitron ratings, with KIKK FM second in the Houston market. A single general manager was assigned to run both stations. According to Dan Mason, president of Westinghouse Radio Broadcasting, "'As they have been fierce competitors in the past, our two Houston radio properties will now join hands to create one of Houston's most unique country music powerhouses, each with its own programming and sales team.'" On November 4, 2002, KIKK FM stopped playing country music and switched to a Smooth Jazz format as KHJZ (now KKHH). This left KILT FM as again one of only two Houston country stations (competing against KKBQ FM owned by Clear Channel Communications). Some of the KIKK FM promotions, including the 10 Man Jam concerts, were moved to KILT FM. On February 2, 2017, CBS Radio announced it would merge with Entercom. The merger was approved on November 9, 2017, and was consummated on the 17th. KILT FM was the last Houston FM radio station to maintain a full service news department. The department was disbanded in 2004 when KILT FM dropped its afternoon newscasts to go with a more music approach.