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KRXO-FM

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Broadcast area	Oklahoma City Metroplex
Frequency	107.7 MHz (HD Radio)
Branding	107.7 The Franchise
Programming
Language(s)	HD1 and HD2: English HD3: Spanish
Format	Sports
Subchannels	HD1: KRXO-FM analog HD2: Classic rock "104.5 KRXO" HD3: Spanish oldies "Éxitos 96.5"
Affiliations	Vegas Stats & Information Network Oklahoma Sooners
Ownership
Owner	Tyler Media Group (Tyler Media, L.L.C.)
Sister stations	KEBC, KJKE, KMGL, KOKC, KOMA, KTLR, KTUZ-FM
History
First air date	1976 (as KAEZ)
Former call signs	KAEZ (1976–1985) KIMY (1985–1987) KRXO (1987–2015)
Call sign meaning	"Rox Oklahoma" (previous rock format, now on HD2)
Technical information
Licensing authority	FCC
Facility ID	16851
Class	C
ERP	92,000 watts
HAAT	470 meters (1,540 ft)
Transmitter coordinates	35°33′37″N 97°29′07″W / 35.56028°N 97.48528°W / 35.56028; -97.48528 (KRXO)
Translator(s)	104.5 K283BW (Oklahoma City, relays HD2) 96.5 K243BJ (Oklahoma City, relays HD3)
Links
Public license information	Public file LMS
Webcast	Listen Live Listen Live (HD2) Listen Live (HD3)
Website	FM/HD1: thefranchiseok.com HD2: krxo.com HD3: unidosok.com/okc/exitos

KRXO-FM (107.7 MHz) is a commercial 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. KRXO-FM is one of two Tyler Media stations in Oklahoma City that air a sports format, the other being KEBC (which mostly carries the Vegas Stats & Information Network (VSiN) Radio Network). KRXO-FM has mostly Oklahoma-based sports shows with VSiN programming heard late nights and weekends.

KRXO-FM has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 92,000 watts. The transmitter is off Ridgeway Road in Northeast Oklahoma City, amid the towers for other FM and TV stations in the market. 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. The HD3 subchannel carries a Spanish Classic Hits format and feeds FM translator K243BJ at 96.5 MHz.

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 sold to Price Communications and went silent.

On February 25, 1986, the station returned to air as KIMY, and flipped to adult contemporary music as "My 107.7". 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. Tyler's purchase of KRXO and its sister stations was consummated on November 13, 2012.

Switch to Sports

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. The Franchise officially launched on August 22, 2013, at 2pm. The move was made due to declining ratings for the classic rock format as well as to protect sister station KOMA (whose playlist overlapped with KRXO's). Programming 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 shared some Oklahoma-based sports programming with KRXO-FM until it flipped to a Spanish language format in 2020.

HD Radio

KRXO-FM transmits an HD Radio signal. That allows them to transmit the main programming on their first digital subchannel, while second and third subchannels carry other programming for listeners with HD Radio-capable receivers. The programming is also relayed on analog translators for those without 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.

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. As a result, KRXO's HD Radio digital signal is often disabled during its University of Oklahoma football broadcasts.

KRXO-FM-HD2

104.5's life began in August 2013 when it started to simulcast KRXO and its outgoing classic rock format. When KRXO's main analog signal flipped to its current sports format, K283BW and KRXO-HD2 continued to carry the classic rock programming that had been discarded from 107.7. KRXO-FM-HD2 is branded as 104.5 KRXO after the translator's frequency. K283BW broadcasts from a tower located in Northeast Oklahoma City that is also used by other radio and television stations in the market. KRXO-FM-HD2 features air personalities who are also heard on other stations in the Tyler Media cluster.

KRXO-FM-HD3

KRXO-FM-HD3 originates a Spanish oldies format branded as "Éxitos 96.5". The programming is repeated on analog translator K243BJ at 96.5 MHz for those without HD Radios. K243BJ broadcasts from a tower located at Tyler Media's headquarters and Spanish-language broadcast complex (5101 South Shields Drive in South Oklahoma City). The studios for KRXO-FM-HD3 are located there as well (separately from its English-language sister stations).

Originally a relay for KEBC, K243BJ/KRXO-FM-HD3 flipped to Top 40/CHR as "Now 96.5" on September 12, 2013. In November 2014, "Now" was moved to K225BN/KOMA-HD2 and rebranded as "Now 92.9"; after the move, K243BJ/KRXO-FM-HD3 flipped to the current Spanish oldies format.

Notable people

Current

• 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
• Dave Garrett, former New Orleans Saints and Dallas Cowboys play-by-play radio voice

References

1. "Facility Technical Data for KRXO-FM". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
2. TheFranchiseOK.com/general-info/contact-us
3. FCC.gov/KRXO-FM
4. Radio-Locator.com/KRXO-FM
5. Radio-Locator.com/K283BW
6. ^ "K243BJ-FM 96.5 MHz - Oklahoma City, OK". radio-locator.com. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
7. Joe Hight, "Black Leaders Upset at Loss Of Radio Voice", The Daily Oklahoman, January 20, 1986.
8. Jim Killackey, "In Tough Radio Market, Change Normal", The Daily Oklahoman, August 24, 1986.
9. Is Renda Cashing Out? Archived 2013-12-16 at the Wayback Machine, RadioInk, July 16, 2012.
10. 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.
11. ^ Venta, Lance (August 23, 2013). "KRXO Begins 104.5 Move; Details Of New "Franchise"". RadioInsight. Retrieved July 27, 2021.
12. New HD radio ready for rapid expansion Archived 2006-10-22 at the Wayback Machine, TribLive News, November 11, 2005.
13. Radio broadcasting's future is highly defined for stations, TMCnet.com, April 20, 2008.
14. Radio broadcasting's future is highly defined for stations, NewsOK, April 20, 2008.
15. "Airstaff – KRXO Classic Rock". Retrieved 2021-07-27.
16. "Now 96.5 Oklahoma City Launches".
17. "Pair of Oklahoma City Changes on the Way".

External links

• KRXO official website
• KRXO-HD2 official website
• Facility details for Facility ID 741982 (KRXO) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
• KRXO in Nielsen Audio's FM station database
• Facility details for Facility ID 139283 (K243BJ) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
• K243BJ at FCCdata.org
• Facility details for Facility ID 145901 (K283BW) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
• K283BW at FCCdata.org

• HD Radio stations
• Radio stations in Oklahoma City
• Sports radio stations in the United States
• Radio stations established in 1976
• 1976 establishments in Oklahoma