KBDT

KBDT
City	Highland Park, Texas
Broadcast area	Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex
Frequency	1160 kHz
Branding	Big D's Talk
Programming
Format	Conservative Talk
Affiliations	USA Radio Network; Motor Racing Network; Performance Racing Network; IMS Radio Network
Ownership
Owner	Dallas Broadcasting, LLC
Operator	1160 Investments LLC
History
First air date	March 1960 (as KVIL @ 1150)
Former call signs	KVIL (1960–1985); KVIX (1985–1986); KVIL (1986–1994); KDMM (1994–2001); KBIS (2001–2005); KMGS (2005–2006); KVCE (2006–2017)
Call sign meaning	K Big D's Talk
Technical information
Facility ID	28618
Class	B
Power	35,000 watts (Daytime); 1,000 watts (Nighttime)
Transmitter coordinates	33°10′37″N 97°40′36″W / 33.17694°N 97.67667°W (day); 33°2′21″N 96°56′34″W / 33.03917°N 96.94278°W (night)
Links
Webcast	Tunein
Website	bigdtalk.com

KBDT (1160 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Highland Park, Texas, and serving the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. The station is owned by Dallas Broadcasting, LLC, and is operated by 1160 Investments LLC.^[1] It broadcasts a talk radio format. Hourly newscasts are supplied by the co-owned USA Radio Network. Talk show hosts include Wayne Allyn Root, Mick Williams, Wyatt Cox, Charley Jones, Del Walmsley, Todd Starnes, and J. D. Wells.

By day, KBDT is powered at 35,000 watts. Because KBDT broadcasts on a United States clear-channel frequency, it must reduce power at night to 1,000 watts to avoid interfering with the dominant station on 1160 AM, Class A KSL Salt Lake City. KBDT uses a directional antenna at all times, employing separate six-tower array transmitter sites for daytime and nighttime operations. The daytime transmitter is off County Road 3250 in Paradise, Texas, while the nighttime site is on Huffines Boulevard in Lewisville.^[2]

History[]

KVIL AM[]

The station's first FCC license was granted 6-29-1960.^[3] The station was formerly on 1150 kHz as KVIL, owned by University Broadcasting. The original location of the studios was in the Highland Park Village Shopping Center (hence the VIL call letters). The address was 4152 Mockingbird Lane at Preston Road, overlooking the Dallas Country Club golf course. At first, KVIL was a daytimer, powered at only 500 watts and required to sign-off at night. It got a power boost to 1,000 watts a short time later, but still restricted to daytime-only status.

In 1961, FM sister station KVIL-FM officially signed on. In a large city like Dallas, the FCC would discourage AM and FM stations from simulcasting. However, due to KVIL's daytimer status, as well as the station's city of license being Highland Park, KVIL and KVIL-FM were able run the same programming for all the hours the AM station was on the air. In the 1960s, KVIL-AM-FM played Top 40 hits. By the 1970s, the music became more adult-oriented, while the disc jockeys and station formatics remained youthful and contemporary.

KVIL-AM-FM was a highly rated hot adult contemporary station in the Dallas-Fort Worth radio market for much of the late 1970s and 1980s, often finishing at #1 in the Arbitron ratings. While the FM station had most of the listeners, KVIL was available to people who did not have FM radios in their cars or offices and wanted to hear the station on AM.

Infinity buys KVIL[]

In 1987, Infinity Broadcasting bought KVIL-AM-FM from Sconnix Broadcasting. The sale price was $82 million, the largest amount of money in radio history for an AM-FM combo up to that date.^[4] Sconnix had acquired KVIL-AM-FM only the month before in an eight-station deal. Infinity president Mel Karmazin said his company wanted a station in Dallas and "the best there is KVIL." Infinity later was folded into CBS Radio.

AM 1150 adopted the call sign KVIX and programmed a separate AC format from KVIL-FM for a short time after the sale to Infinity. Since nearly all listeners had FM radios by the 1990s, Infinity decided to sell the AM station.

South Asian programming[]

In October 1996, the station was sold to Marcos A. Rodriguez, who was its owner until August 2003. Rodriguez used it to carry foreign language programs as KDMM. Due to the popular Pakistani and Indian music and talk programs, KDMM became all-South Asian formatted. Initially, the station was 1,000 watts daytime only with a 6 tower directional array north of Irving for a number of years.

By the 1990s, it was able to get a grant of 5 watts of power for night-time operation, although it covered only a small part of the sprawling Metroplex after dark.

Motown music[]

In 2001, it changed call letters to KBIS, and ran an all-Motown format still on 1150 kHz. When the station moved to 1160 (now with 35,000 watts day and 1,000 watts at night from two different 6 tower sites), it was revamped as Magic 1160, adding other soul songs to the playlist. The call letters switched to KMGS in June 2005, to represent the word "Magic."

Talk and business[]

On August 23, 2006, the call sign changed to KVCE, to make way for a Talk radio format, which began less than a month later. At that time, Texas Senator Dan Patrick owned the station and hosted a talk show on KVCE. Over time, the station began adding more financial and business shows to the schedule.

On September 25, 2015, the business talk format moved to KMKI, later KEXB, and now KTNO. After the move, KVCE ran a 30-second "barker" continuous recording, announcing "KVCE Highland Park. Looking for business talk in North Texas? We moved to 620 AM."

Christian radio[]

KVCE was acquired by Salem Media, the largest owner of Christian radio stations in the U.S. It began airing religious shows from noted national preachers, as a simulcast of Salem's KWRD-FM. Salem sold the station in 2017.

On September 29, 2017, the station changed its call sign to KBDT. On November 1, 2017, 1160 Investments, LLC entered into an agreement with Dallas Broadcasting, LLC, and flipped the station to a conservative talk format. 1160 Investments is a wholly owned subsidiary of the company which also owns the USA Radio Network, and some USA programming is produced from the studios in Dallas.

References[]

^ "KBDT Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division. Retrieved 2010-01-05.
^ Radio-Locator.com/KBDT
^ Information from Broadcasting Yearbook 1960-1961 page B-160
^ "Infinity Buys KVIL for $82 Million Cash", Radio & Records April 3, 1987 page 1

External links[]

Big D's Talk - official website
KBDT in the FCC AM station database
KBDT on Radio-Locator
KBDT in Nielsen Audio's AM station database

[1] "KBDT Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division. Retrieved 2010-01-05.

[2] Radio-Locator.com/KBDT

[3] Information from Broadcasting Yearbook 1960-1961 page B-160

[4] "Infinity Buys KVIL for $82 Million Cash", Radio & Records April 3, 1987 page 1

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

v t News/Talk radio stations in Texas
All-News	KHVN – Fort Worth KKGM – Fort Worth KRLD – Dallas KXYZ – Houston
News & Talk	KBDT – Highland Park KBRA – Freer KCOX – Jasper KCRS – Midland/Odessa KDET – Center KERA – Dallas KEYS - Corpus Christi KFJZ – Fort Worth KFXR – Dallas KFYO – Lubbock KGNC – Amarillo KIXZ – Amarillo KJCE – Rollingwood KJTV – Lubbock KKAM – Lubbock KKSA – San Angelo KKTX – Corpus Christi KLBJ – Austin KLIF – Dallas KLUP – Terrell Hills KLVI – Beaumont KMNY – Hurst KNET - Palestine KNTH – Houston KPLT – Paris KPYN – Atlanta KREW - Plainview KROO - Breckenridge KSEV – Tomball KSFA – Nacogdoches KSKY – Balch Springs KSWA - Graham KTBB – Tyler KTBB-FM – Troup KTMR – Edna KTRH – Houston KTSA – San Antonio KTSM – El Paso KUHF – Houston KURV – Edinburg KUTX – Leander KVNN – Victoria KVOP – Plainview KWEL – Midland/Odessa KWFS – Wichita Falls KWKC – Abilene KWTX – Waco KXYL – Brownwood KXYL-FM – Coleman WBAP – Fort Worth WOAI – San Antonio WTAW – College Station
See also adult contemporary classic hits college country news/talk NPR oldies religious rock sports top 40 urban other radio stations in Texas