KLAT

KLAT
City	Houston, Texas
Broadcast area	Greater Houston
Frequency	1010 kHz
Branding	TUDN Radio Houston
Programming
Language(s)	Spanish
Format	Sports Talk
Affiliations	TUDN Radio; Houston Texans Radio Network; Houston Dynamo Radio Network
Ownership
Owner	Uforia Audio Network ; (Tichenor License Corporation)
Sister stations	Radio: KAMA-FM, KLTN, KOVE-FM, KQBU-FM; TV: KXLN-DT, KFTH-DT
History
First air date	July 31, 1961 (60 years ago)
Former call signs	KODA (1961–1979)
Call sign meaning	La Tremenda (former branding, 1979-2015)
Technical information
Licensing authority	FCC
Facility ID	67063
Class	B
Power	5,000 watts (day); 3,600 watts (night)
Transmitter coordinates	29°53′47″N 95°17′25″W / 29.89639°N 95.29028°W (day); 29°51′44″N 95°30′42″W / 29.86222°N 95.51167°W (night)
Repeater(s)	102.9-3 KLTN HD3; 93.3 KQBU-FM (Port Arthur)
Links
Public license information	Profile; LMS
Website	Univision Deportes Radio 1010 AM Site

Old logo for KLAT in 2019

KLAT (1010 kHz "TUDN Radio Houston") is a commercial AM radio station in Houston, Texas. It is owned by the Uforia Audio Network and airs a Spanish-language sports radio format from the co-owned TUDN Radio Network. The station serves as the Spanish flagship radio station of the Houston Texans football team and also airs Houston Dynamo soccer games.

KLAT has studios and offices located at 5100 Southwest Freeway in Uptown Houston. The transmitter site is on West Little York Road in northwest Houston.^[1] By day, KLAT broadcasts at 5,000 watts. But to protect other stations on 1010 AM, a Canadian clear-channel frequency, KLAT must reduce power at night to 3,600 watts.

History[]

Early years as KODA[]

On July 31, 1961, the station signed on as KODA.^[2] It was put on the air by Paul Taft of the Taft Broadcasting Company [1] (no relation to Taft Broadcasting of Cincinnati, Ohio). Taft already owned an FM station, 99.1 KODA-FM, airing a beautiful music format. But few people had FM radios in those days, so an AM station was added to make the format available to more Houston residents. KODA was a daytimer during its early years, so it was required to go off the air between sunset and sunrise, while KODA-FM broadcast around the clock.

At first, KODA and KODA-FM simulcast the same beautiful music, competing with ABC-owned 1320 KXYZ, which also played easy listening music. But beginning in 1967, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) banned AM-FM combos in most cities from simulcasting around the clock, so most of the day, KODA began airing a slightly different format, adding middle of the road vocals to the mostly instrumental playlist.

Even though 1320 KXYZ was owned by ABC, that station stopped carrying ABC newscasts; they could only be heard on 1360 KWBA (now KWWJ), based in nearby Baytown, Texas. So the AM version of KODA began airing ABC News each hour.

"La Tremenda"[]

An old logo of KLAT

In 1978, Group W Westinghouse Broadcasting purchased KODA-AM-FM from Taft and, the following year, re-sold the AM station. The call sign changed to KLAT in 1979, as the format flipped to popular Spanish-language Regional Mexican music, branded as "La Tremenda." The name La Tremenda 1010 (which translates to "The Tremendous 1010") was a slogan created by the station's new owners, Marcos Rodriguez, Sr. and his son, Marcos A. Rodriguez, operating as the Spanish Broadcasting Corporation.

In 1984, KLAT obtained FCC authorization for round-the-clock operation, giving KLAT Class B status.^[3] Unfortunately in late 1979, a fire caused the Harris MW-5 transmitter to melt down. The MW-5 used a step up transformer to raise the three phase input power (at 240 volts) to 17,000 volts. The primary wiring had been bundled closely to the secondary wiring and tightly lashed together. When an insulation breakdown allowed the input wiring to arc, the high temperatures allowed the secondary wires to short to the inputs. This caused extremely high circulating currents and a meltdown of the transformer frame, made of metal castings and laminations.

To add nighttime broadcasts, a seventh tower was added to the array. This was used with five of the existing day towers to make a new parallelogram shaped system. KLAT began night operation at 1,000 watts. This properly protected other stations on AM 1010 as required by FCC rules, but the nighttime signal did not cover all of Houston. This particular authorization was allowed under a waiver for minority-owned stations. Later on, the station received special authority from the FCC to mitigate interference at night from foreign stations (as many south Florida stations get a break from Cuban interference such as WAXY in South Miami). This special temporary authority (STA) allowed the station to operate at 5,000 watts at night using all seven towers. This improved coverage but did not give KLAT 100% nighttime coverage of Houston.

In 1995 the station built a second tower site in Northwest Houston, using six towers and 3,600 watts for nighttime operation. The lowered power did not cover quite as large an area as the former setup. But because of the transmitter's better location, it covered more of the Houston radio market. The project used several consultants, ending with duTreil, Lundin and Rackley.

Expanded Band assignment[]

On March 17, 1997 the FCC announced that eighty-eight stations had been given permission to move to newly available "Expanded Band" transmitting frequencies, ranging from 1610 to 1700 kHz, with KLAT authorized to move from 1010 to 1690 kHz.^[4] However, the station never procured the Construction Permit needed to implement the authorization, so the expanded band station was never built.

Spanish-language talk and sports[]

In 2003, KLAT was bought by Univision, primarily a Spanish-language TV network that was also getting into radio ownership.^[5] In 2012, KLAT became part of the Univision America talk radio network. That continued until July 17, 2015, when the talk format was dropped and replaced by a Spanish Christian contemporary format known as "Amor Celestial" which translates to "Heavenly Love".^[6]

In March 2016, KLAT began to air Houston Dynamo soccer games, as a first step into sports radio. On December 20, 2016, Univision announced that KLAT would be one of the charter affiliates of Univision Deportes Radio, a Spanish-language sports network launched in April 2017.^[7]

References[]

^ Radio-Locator.com/KLAT
^ Broadcasting Yearbook 1963 page B-179
^ Broadcasting Yearbook 1984 page B-265
^ "FCC Public Notice: Mass Media Bureau Announces Revised AM Expanded Band Allotment Plan and Filing Window for Eligible Stations" (FCC DA 97-537), March 17, 1997.
^ Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 2010 page D-530
^ Univision To Launch National Talk Network - Radio Insight (Released May 30, 2012)
^ Univision To Launch "Univision Deportes Radio"

External links[]

La Tremenda 1010 AM Site
KLAT in the FCC AM station database
KLAT on Radio-Locator
KLAT in Nielsen Audio's AM station database

FCC History Cards for KLAT

[1] Radio-Locator.com/KLAT

[2] Broadcasting Yearbook 1963 page B-179

[3] Broadcasting Yearbook 1984 page B-265

[five-4] "FCC Public Notice: Mass Media Bureau Announces Revised AM Expanded Band Allotment Plan and Filing Window for Eligible Stations" (FCC DA 97-537), March 17, 1997.

[5] Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 2010 page D-530

[6] Univision To Launch National Talk Network - Radio Insight (Released May 30, 2012)

[7] Univision To Launch "Univision Deportes Radio"

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v t Spanish-language radio stations in the state of Texas
Stations	KABA – Louise KAIQ – Wolfforth KAMA – El Paso KAMA-FM – Deer Park KBDR – Mirando City KBEX - Dalhart KBIB – Marion KBIC – Raymondville KBNA-FM – El Paso KBNL – Laredo KBNR – Brownsville KBOC – Bridgeport KBRZ-FM – Victoria KCHX – Odessa KCOT – Cotulla KCZO – Carrizo Springs KDFM – Falfurrias KDFT – Ferris KDRN – Del Rio KDXX – Lewisville KEPI – Eagle Pass KEPX – Eagle Pass KESS-FM – Benbrook KEWP – Uvalde Estates KEYH – Houston KFLC – Fort Worth KFTG – Pasadena KFZO – Denton KGBT – Harlingen KGBT-FM – McAllen KGVL – Greenville KHHL – Karnes City KHID – McAllen KHRO – El Paso KIBL – Beeville KINE – Kingsville KINT – El Paso KIRT – Mission KJAV - Alamo KJJF – Harlingen KJOJ-FM – Freeport KJOZ - Conroe KLAR – Laredo KLAT – Houston KLBD – Premont KLDS – Falfurrias KLEY-FM – Jourdanton KLIT – Ranchitos Las Lomas KLJA – Georgetown KLJT – Jacksonville KLOL – Houston KLQB – Taylor KLTD - Temple KLTN – Houston KLVL – Pasadena KLZT – Bastrop KMFR – Pearsall KMPA – Pittsburgh KMVK – Fort Worth KMXO – Merkel KMYO - Comfort KNOR – Krum KNTE – Bay City KNVO-FM – Port Isabel KOIR – Edinburg KOPY - Alice KOVE-FM – Galveston KOYE – Frankston KPCO-FM – Cooper KPMB – Plainview KQBO – Rio Grande City KQFX - Borger/Amarillo KQLM – Odessa KQQK – Beaumont KQUE – Houston KRCM – Shenandoah KRGE – Weslaco KRGX – Rio Grande City KRIO – McAllen KRIO-FM – Roma KROB – Robstown KROM – San Antonio KRVA – Cockrell Hill KSAH – Universal City KSAH-FM – Pearsall KSJT-FM – San Angelo KSML-FM – Huntington KSTV – Stephenville KSVE – El Paso KTAM – Bryan KTJM – Port Arthur KTLH – Hallsville KTNO – Plano KTNZ – Amarillo KTTU-FM – Brownfield KTXC – Lamesa KTXZ – West Lake Hills KTYR – Trinity KUBR – San Juan KUNO – Corpus Christi KUVA – Uvalde KVER – El Paso KVIV – El Paso KVJM – Hearne KVJY – Pharr KVLL-FM – Wells KVOZ – Del Mar Hills KVVO-LP – Abilene KVVT – Sulphur Springs KWEL – Midland KWMF – Pleasanton KWOW – Clifton KWRA-LP – Waco KXBJ – El Campo KXOI – Crane KXPL – El Paso KXTN – San Antonio KXVR-LP – Corpus Christi KXZY-LP – Waco KYST – Texas City KZAM – Pleasant Valley KZDC – San Antonio KZEP-FM - San Antonio KZIP - Amarillo KZMP - University Park KZNX – Creedmoor KZZA �� Muenster
Defunct	KERB-FM – Kermit KJNZ – Hereford KMUL – Farwell KOZA – Odessa KPDB – Big Lake
See also adult contemporary classic hits college country news/talk NPR oldies religious rock sports top 40 urban other radio stations in Texas See also Classical Jazz Religious Spanish Smooth Jazz Other