KBPA

KBPA

City	San Marcos, Texas
Broadcast area	Austin-Round Rock metropolitan area
Branding	103.5 Bob FM
Slogan	"We Play Anything."
Frequency	103.5 MHz (also on HD Radio) Mega 103.5 HD-2 for Dance
First air date	June 1, 1971 (as KRMH at 103.7)
Format	Adult Hits HD2 Dance Mega 103.5 HD2
ERP	96,000 watts
HAAT	383 meters
Class	C0
Facility ID	41213
Callsign meaning	K Bob Plays Anything
Former callsigns	KRMH (1971-1977) KCSW (1977-1982) KEYI (1982-1986) KEYI-FM (1986-2004)
Former frequencies	103.7 MHz (1971-1987)
Owner	Emmis Communications (Emmis Austin Radio Broadcasting Company, L.P.)
Sister stations	KGSR, KLZT, KLBJ-FM, KLBJ (AM), KROX
Webcast	Bob FM Webstream Mega 103.5 Webstream
Website	1035bobfm.com megahd2.com (HD2)

KBPA (103.5 FM, "103.5 Bob FM") is an Austin, Texas based radio station. The station's slogan is "We play anything." Its format is similar to other Bob FM stations across the country. Its transmitter is located near Buda, Texas, and its studios are located along Interstate 35 in North Austin.

Dance can be heard on 103.5 HD-2 'Mega 103-5 HD-2' (HD Radio needed). Also streaming on the internet at http://www.megahd2.com.

History

• The station signed on in 1971 at 103.7 FM as KRMH as "Good Karma" a suitable name for a progressive rock station on the fringe of Austin ("Broadcasting from beautiful downtown Buda!") in its "Hippy-Dippy" age. It was licensed to San Marcos/Austin on 103.7 MHz. KRMH was owned by R. Miller Hicks (RMH) (Hence, the call letters). The station was one of the few to broadcast in Quadraphonic stereo.
• Later sold to the Wendall Mayes Interests (also owned 1490 KNOW-AM) and renamed KCSW-FM.
• Later both AM and FM sold to the Hicks family (no relation to R. Miller Hicks) (Family of well known investors Steve and Tom Hicks.) The station was renamed KEYI-FM (Key 103) with an adult contemporary format. Station eventually sold to Bob Sinclair of Sinclair Communications. His firm was in a partnership with a local concern, the LBJ Company, under the name "LBJS." Since then the Johnson family sold their interest to an Indianapolis based firm, Emmis Communications. The new partnership was named Emmis Austin Radio Broadcasting Co., LP. The station moved from 103.7 FM to 103.5 FM in 1987.
• Prior to becoming Bob FM, KBPA (then KEYI) was branded as Oldies 103, playing a much tighter playlist of Motown and 1960s rock. When the switch took place on August 20, 2004, there was an initial outrage from loyal listeners angered by the loss of the only full-time oldies station in Austin. Since that time a competing Austin station now features the oldies format on their secondary HD radio channel.

KBPA-HD2

In 2009, KBPA bought back KXMG's former Dance Top 40 format and placed it on its HD2, calling it "Mega 103-5 HD-2." In 2010 the format returned to the terrestrial broadcasting airwaves as a simulcast, broadcasting on translator K288FJ at 105.5 FM from Bastrop, Texas. In November 2010 the HD2 signal began simulcasting over the air on 102.7 (K274AX), which is licensed to Austin and can be heard within the central area. That simulcast ended on December 13, 2010 at 12:06AM frequency went dark and around 9 AM that day K274AX switched to a simulcast of adult alternative-formatted KGSR 93.3 FM Cedar Park, TX.

Current on-air personnel

• Krash Kelly
• Evan
• Veronica Cruise

Former on-air personnel

• Michael Block (KRMH-FM Program Director)
• Joel Block (KRMH-FM - now co-host and chief audio producer for EarthSky)^[1]
• Michael Taylor (KRMH-FM - later KZEW-FM, Dallas)
• Fred Rhodes (KRMH-FM - later KVUE-TV, Austin, KTBC-TV, Austin, KHOU-TV, Houston and KTVI-TV, St. Louis, Houston City Magazine, now an attorney in Houston)

See also

• Music of Austin

References

1. "About Joel Block". EarthSky.

External links

• KBPA Bob FM official website
• Query the FCC's FM station database for KBPA
• Radio-Locator information on KBPA
• Query Nielsen Audio's FM station database for KBPA

Coordinates: 30°02′42″N 97°52′52″W / 30.045°N 97.881°W