KVET-AM
Encyclopedia
KVET branded as "AM 1300 The Zone", is an Austin
, Texas
, radio station
operating a Sports
format. It is licensed to Austin, Texas
, and is owned by Clear Channel Communications
Radio. KVET is directional with 5000 watts to the northwest over the Texas Hill Country
during the daytime and 1000 watts to the south over central Austin at night from a transmitter
site just a few miles north of downtown.
Shortly after the end of World War II
, a group of young men pooled their resources to start a radio station in Austin, Texas. All of them were veterans of the conflict, hence K-VET AM-1300 signed on October 1, 1946. These men included future Texas Governor John Connally
, future United States Representative Jake Pickle, future United States Ambassador to Australia
Edward Clark, Jesse Kellam, and Willard Deason.
As was common in the 1940s and 1950s, KVET offered "full service" radio, block programming of music, news, talk, cooking shows, even soap operas. KVET also included programming for Austin's minority community, which was uncommon at the time. Spanish language
news and music on "Noche De Fiesta"; music and news for the African-American community on The Elmer Akins Gospel Train.
In the 1950s, even more diversity was added to the lineup when Lavada Durst introduced Austin to R&B and "Jive Talk" on KVET's nighttime Dr. Hepcat Show.
Noche de Fiesta and Dr. Hepcat were phased out in the 1960s, but The Elmer Akins Gospel Train is on the air on KVET to this day.
During most of the 1960s, KVET featured the popular music of the day, plus a strong emphasis on news and sports block programming. The music of Frank Sinatra
, Perry Como
and Dinah Shore
, plus Paul Harvey
commentary, the Joe Pyne
show, and Houston Astros
baseball were all part of the mix.
KVET switched formats on April 14, 1969 to country music
, and the Country Giant was born. Popular celebrity DJs including Arleigh Duff, Penny Reeves, Jerry Gee and Sammy Allred quickly took KVET to the top of the local ratings during the 1970s.
Despite increased competition, KVET continued to prosper in the 1980s by featuring a traditional mix of country music, news and sports, including Houston Oilers and Dallas Cowboys
football.
In 1990, KVET began to also broadcast on 98.1 FM. With the new signal came the creation of the Sammy Allred and Bob Cole Morning Call-In Show. Through the 1990s, KVET has evolved to a sports and talk station, the flagship station of the Longhorn
Radio Network. KVET-FM
continues to attract audiences with a blend of country music and personality.
Austin, TX 78704
The Clear Channel Radio Austin studios are in an industrial business complex in "SoCo" south central Austin within walking distance of St. Edwards University. The complex, Penn Field, was Austin's first military air base. The Clear Channel Radio studios are located in the former hangar building.
KVET shares a building with sister stations KASE-FM
, KFMK-FM, KHFI-FM
, KPEZ-FM
, and KVET-FM
.
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
operating a Sports
Sports radio
Sports radio is a radio format devoted entirely to discussion and broadcasting of sporting events. A popular format with an almost exclusively male demographic in most areas, sports radio is characterized by an often-boisterous on-air style and extensive debate and analysis by both hosts and...
format. It is licensed to Austin, Texas
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
, and is owned by Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications, Inc. is an American media conglomerate company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1972 by Lowry Mays and Red McCombs, and was taken private by Bain Capital LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP in a leveraged buyout in 2008...
Radio. KVET is directional with 5000 watts to the northwest over the Texas Hill Country
Texas Hill Country
The Texas Hill Country is a vernacular term applied to a region of Central Texas featuring tall rugged hills consisting of thin layers of soil atop limestone or granite. It also includes the Llano Uplift and the second largest granite monadnock in the United States, Enchanted Rock, which is located...
during the daytime and 1000 watts to the south over central Austin at night from a transmitter
Transmitter
In electronics and telecommunications a transmitter or radio transmitter is an electronic device which, with the aid of an antenna, produces radio waves. The transmitter itself generates a radio frequency alternating current, which is applied to the antenna. When excited by this alternating...
site just a few miles north of downtown.
History
Shortly after the end of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, a group of young men pooled their resources to start a radio station in Austin, Texas. All of them were veterans of the conflict, hence K-VET AM-1300 signed on October 1, 1946. These men included future Texas Governor John Connally
John Connally
John Bowden Connally, Jr. , was an influential American politician, serving as the 39th governor of Texas, Secretary of the Navy under President John F. Kennedy, and as Secretary of the Treasury under President Richard M. Nixon. While he was Governor in 1963, Connally was a passenger in the car in...
, future United States Representative Jake Pickle, future United States Ambassador to Australia
United States Ambassador to Australia
The position of United States Ambassador to Australia has existed since 1940. U.S.-Australian relations have been close throughout the history of Australia...
Edward Clark, Jesse Kellam, and Willard Deason.
As was common in the 1940s and 1950s, KVET offered "full service" radio, block programming of music, news, talk, cooking shows, even soap operas. KVET also included programming for Austin's minority community, which was uncommon at the time. Spanish language
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
news and music on "Noche De Fiesta"; music and news for the African-American community on The Elmer Akins Gospel Train.
In the 1950s, even more diversity was added to the lineup when Lavada Durst introduced Austin to R&B and "Jive Talk" on KVET's nighttime Dr. Hepcat Show.
Noche de Fiesta and Dr. Hepcat were phased out in the 1960s, but The Elmer Akins Gospel Train is on the air on KVET to this day.
During most of the 1960s, KVET featured the popular music of the day, plus a strong emphasis on news and sports block programming. The music of Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
, Perry Como
Perry Como
Pierino Ronald "Perry" Como was an American singer and television personality. During a career spanning more than half a century he recorded exclusively for the RCA Victor label after signing with them in 1943. "Mr...
and Dinah Shore
Dinah Shore
Dinah Shore was an American singer, actress, and television personality...
, plus Paul Harvey
Paul Harvey
Paul Harvey Aurandt , better known as Paul Harvey, was an American radio broadcaster for the ABC Radio Networks. He broadcast News and Comment on weekday mornings and mid-days, and at noon on Saturdays, as well as his famous The Rest of the Story segments. His listening audience was estimated, at...
commentary, the Joe Pyne
Joe Pyne
Joe Pyne was an American radio and television talk show host, who pioneered the confrontational style in which the host advocates a viewpoint and argues with guests and audience members...
show, and Houston Astros
Houston Astros
The Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
baseball were all part of the mix.
KVET switched formats on April 14, 1969 to country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
, and the Country Giant was born. Popular celebrity DJs including Arleigh Duff, Penny Reeves, Jerry Gee and Sammy Allred quickly took KVET to the top of the local ratings during the 1970s.
Despite increased competition, KVET continued to prosper in the 1980s by featuring a traditional mix of country music, news and sports, including Houston Oilers and Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
football.
In 1990, KVET began to also broadcast on 98.1 FM. With the new signal came the creation of the Sammy Allred and Bob Cole Morning Call-In Show. Through the 1990s, KVET has evolved to a sports and talk station, the flagship station of the Longhorn
Texas Longhorn Athletics
Texas Longhorns athletics programs include the extramural and intramural sports teams of The University of Texas at Austin. These teams are referred to as the Texas Longhorns , taking their name from the Longhorn cattle that were an important part of the development of Texas, and are now the...
Radio Network. KVET-FM
KVET-FM
KVET-FM is an Austin, Texas radio station operating a Country format. It is licensed to Austin, Texas with an ERP of 49,800 watts from a transmitter site near West Lake Hills, TX, and is owned by Clear Channel Radio....
continues to attract audiences with a blend of country music and personality.
Current on-air staff
- The Buck on Sports
- Jon Madani
- Bucky Godbolt
- Ellie Price, Producer
- David Anderson, Sports updates
- Don Miller, Traffic Reports
- Troy Kimmel, Chief Meteorologist
- Dan Patrick (Syndicated)
- Jim RomeJim RomeJim Rome is an American sports radio talk show host syndicated by Premiere Radio Networks, a subsidiary of Clear Channel Communications....
(Syndicated / Premiere Radio NetworksPremiere Radio NetworksPremiere Networks is an American radio network. It is the largest syndication company in the United States based on popularity of programming...
)
- The Sports Buffett
- Craig WayCraig WayCraig Way is the current play-by-play announcer for the Texas Longhorns sports network. He does live play by play coverage for all major Texas Longhorn sports such as Longhorn football, men & women's basketball and baseball. He also hosts his own daily radio show on AM 1300 The Zone, the flagship...
(The Voice of Longhorn Sports) - Rod Babers (former U.T. and NFL Football Player)
- De Hansen (sports updates)
- Craig Way
Weekends
- Ken Milam (Central Texas Fishing guide and Outdoor expert), Matt Butler The Great Outdoors
- Ken Milam (Central Texas Fishing guide and Outdoor expert), Matt Butler The Sunday Sportsman
- Jim Apfelbaum (Author and Golf Etiquette Expert) That's Golf (longest running golf show in Austin)
Former on-air staff
- Sammy Allred
- Major ApplewhiteMajor ApplewhiteMajor Lee Applewhite is the Co-Offensive Coordinator and Running Backs Coach for the University of Texas. Prior to Texas, Applewhite served as offensive coordinator at Rice University under Todd Graham in 2006, and at the University of Alabama under Nick Saban in 2007...
- Fred Cantu ("Concerned Citizen")
- Mike Carta (Program Director)
- John ConnallyJohn ConnallyJohn Bowden Connally, Jr. , was an influential American politician, serving as the 39th governor of Texas, Secretary of the Navy under President John F. Kennedy, and as Secretary of the Treasury under President Richard M. Nixon. While he was Governor in 1963, Connally was a passenger in the car in...
- Bob Cole
- Kevin DunnThe Real World: Back to New YorkThe Real World: Back to New York is the tenth season of MTV's reality television series The Real World, which focuses on a group of diverse strangers living together for several months in a different city each season, as cameras follow their lives and interpersonal relationships...
- Arleigh Duff
- Ronald "Trey/Boner/Viper" Elling
- John Gary (Henry Williams)
- Jerry Gee (Jerry Garvin KVET-AM Program Director 1969-1973)
- T.J. Greaney
- Chad Hastings (Fired by Clear Channel on Monday, October 26, 2007)
- Gregg Henson (Fired by Clear Channel on Wednesday, January 9, 2008)
- Dr. Hepcat
- Erin Hogan
- Marc Hoenig
- Olin Murrell
- Dave Marcum
- Brian "BJ" Jones
- Davy Jones (DJ in the old studio, pre C&W), aka David B. Jones (newsman ca. 1968-1972)
- Chuck Licata
- Hugh Lewis
- Chuck Meyer (Program Director)
- Jake Pickle
- Trey Poston (Program Director)
- Penny Reeves
- Bill Schoening
- Tweed Scott (Assistant Prog. Dir 1984-1989)(Retired from KVET-FM & the business July 31, 2001)
- Jim W.W. Travis (The Snipe Warden)
- Jeff Ward (Now an afternoon host on KLBJ-AM)
- A.J. Hoffman (now a sportstalk host at 97.5 ESPN Radio in Houston)
- Cedric Golden (Sports columnist with the Austin American Statesman)
Network affiliations
- Fox Sports RadioFox Sports RadioFox Sports Radio, abbreviated FSR, is an international radio network consisting of sports talk programming. The network is a service of Premiere Networks...
- Flagship station for University of Texas Longhorn AthleticsTexas Longhorn AthleticsTexas Longhorns athletics programs include the extramural and intramural sports teams of The University of Texas at Austin. These teams are referred to as the Texas Longhorns , taking their name from the Longhorn cattle that were an important part of the development of Texas, and are now the...
(Longhorn Sports Network) - Houston AstrosHouston AstrosThe Houston Astros are a Major League Baseball team located in Houston, Texas. They are a member of the National League Central division. The Astros are expected to join the American League West division in 2013. Since , they have played their home games at Minute Maid Park, known as Enron Field...
- Dallas CowboysDallas CowboysThe Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
- Westwood OneWestwood OneWestwood One was an American radio network and was based in New York City. At one time, it was managed by CBS Radio, the radio arm of CBS Corporation, and Viacom and was later purchased by the private equity firm The Gores Group...
- SportsUSA Radio
- Austin Aztex Soccer
Studio location
3601 S. Congress Ave.Austin, TX 78704
The Clear Channel Radio Austin studios are in an industrial business complex in "SoCo" south central Austin within walking distance of St. Edwards University. The complex, Penn Field, was Austin's first military air base. The Clear Channel Radio studios are located in the former hangar building.
KVET shares a building with sister stations KASE-FM
KASE-FM
KASE-FM is an Austin, Texas radio station operating a Country format. It is licensed to Austin, Texas with an ERP of 100,000 Watts at 100.7 MHz from a transmitter site near West Lake Hills, TX, and is owned by Clear Channel Radio....
, KFMK-FM, KHFI-FM
KHFI-FM
KHFI-FM is an Austin, Texas radio station playing Top 40 and licensed to Georgetown, Texas, with an ERP of 100,000 Watts from a transmitter site near West Lake Hills, Texas.-History:...
, KPEZ-FM
KPEZ-FM
KPEZ, known on-air as "102.3 The Beat", is a radio station licensed to and serving Austin, Texas, operating a Hip Hop format. The station broadcasts with an ERP of 26,000 watts from a transmitter site near Sunset Valley, TX and is owned by Clear Channel Radio....
, and KVET-FM
KVET-FM
KVET-FM is an Austin, Texas radio station operating a Country format. It is licensed to Austin, Texas with an ERP of 49,800 watts from a transmitter site near West Lake Hills, TX, and is owned by Clear Channel Radio....
.