KLBJ-FM


KLBJ-FM is a commercial radio station in Austin, Texas. It broadcasts an Mainstream Rock radio format billed as "The Rock of Austin." It is owned by Sinclair Telecable Inc.. KLBJ-FM is licensed under the name Waterloo Media. The station was once owned by the family of President Lyndon Baines Johnson, and still carries his initials as its call letters.
KLBJ-FM has studios and offices along Interstate 35 in North Austin. The transmitter and broadcast tower are atop Austin's Mount Larson. KLBJ-FM broadcasts in the HD Radio format. Its HD-2 digital subchannel airs heavy metal music as "No Control Radio."
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History

The Johnson family

The station first signed on the air on January 1, 1961. Its call sign was KTBC-FM, sister station to KTBC. The radio stations were part of the Johnson family's broadcasting holdings. In 1943, the future First Lady, known as Claudia T. "Lady Bird" Johnson, invested an inheritance of $17,000 to purchase KTBC. She improved the station by hiring new on-air talent, found commercial sponsors, kept all the financial accounts, and maintained the facility. Using her formal name, Mrs. Johnson served as manager and then as the first chairwoman of what later came to be known as KLBJ, for some four decades. Because the stations were owned by Claudia Johnson, Lyndon Johnson did not have to consider divesting the media company, even when he was Senator, Vice President or President.
The Johnson family put Austin's first TV station on the air in 1952, KTBC-TV. The co-owned FM station signed on the air in 1960. In 1972, KTBC-FM switched to a freeform rock format, with a progressive rock sound that was emerging on the FM dial in many cities in America. Until then, the only rock commonly heard on the radio were a few songs that crossed over onto the Top 40 charts.

Change in ownership

In 1973, the Johnsons sold KTBC-TV to the Times Mirror Company, a newspaper and broadcasting company that published the Los Angeles Times and the Dallas Times Herald. Times Mirror kept the KTBC call sign for the TV station, while the radio stations became KLBJ AM-FM to reflect the initials of President Johnson, who had died earlier that year.
In 1997, KLBJ-FM and KLBJ came under the ownership of the LBJS Corporation. The new company was a merger of LBJ Broadcasting, which by this point also owned KAJZ, with Sinclair Telecable's two stations in the market: KROX-FM and KGSR. KLBJ had already shifted from MOR to a talk radio format, while KLBJ-FM transformed into an album rock format, concentrating on a playlist from the best-selling records.
At the time, Sinclair Telecable Inc. was a minority stakeholder in the stations, with LBJ Holdings Co. as the 51-percent controlling stakeholder. In 2003, the Indianapolis-based Emmis Communications acquired the controlling stake in the stations; the $150 million sale, completed on July 1, marked the Johnson family's exit from broadcasting. Emmis had radio stations in several large markets around the U.S., including New York City and Los Angeles.
In June 2019, Emmis announced that it would sell its controlling stake in the Austin cluster back to Sinclair Telecable for $39.3 million. KLBJ-AM-FM operate under the licensee name "Waterloo Media."

The Dudley & Bob Show

From 1993 to 2022, "The Dudley & Bob Show", was heard in morning drive time on KLBJ-FM. The show is in the Texas Radio Hall of Fame. In 2007, it won a Marconi Award from the National Association of Broadcasters for "Medium Market Personality of the Year."
When Dale Dudley decided to step down, the morning show was renamed "Mornings with Matt and Bob." Producer Eric "Chuy" Alderete is also featured.

Discography

KLBJ-FM has produced a number of albums, focusing mainly on local Austin music. Its "local licks live" series started in 1989 and has showcased dozens of popular Austin musicians.
YearTitleSeriesLabel
1990Local Licks Live 1989Local Licks LiveKLBJ
1991Local Licks Live 1990Local Licks LiveKLBJ
1992Local Licks Live 1991Local Licks LiveKLBJ
1993Local Licks Live 1992Local Licks LiveKLBJ
1994Local Licks Live 1993Local Licks LiveKLBJ
1995Local Licks Live '94Local Licks LiveKLBJ
1995Public Enema #1Dudley and Bob with Debra calls, bits and sketchesKLBJ
1996Local Licks Live '95Local Licks LiveKLBJ
1996We're Back and We're Highly PissedDudley and Bob with Debra calls, bits and sketchesKLBJ
1997Local Licks Live '96Local Licks LiveKLBJ
1997Eugene! Don't Hit 'Em in the HeadDudley and Bob with Debra calls, bits and sketchesKLBJ
1998Local Licks Live '97Local Licks LiveKLBJ
1998Prince Albert...Your Refrigerator Is RunningDudley and Bob with Debra calls, bits and sketchesKLBJ
1999Local Licks Live '98Local Licks LiveKLBJ
1999Local Licks: Yule Rock!HolidayKLBJ
2000Local Licks Live 1999Local Licks LiveKLBJ
2001Local Licks Live XIILocal Licks LiveKLBJ
2001Damn It's EarlyMusic from The Dudley & Bob ShowKLBJ
2002Local Licks Live 13Local Licks LiveKLBJ
2003Damn It's 2 EarlyMusic from The Dudley & Bob ShowKLBJ