KWRD-FM
KWRD-FM is a commercial radio station licensed to Highland Village, Texas, and serving the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. It is owned by the Salem Media Group and broadcasts a Christian radio format as "The Word".
KWRD-FM has an effective radiated power of 98,000 watts. Its transmitter is off Minnis Road in Collinsville, Texas. The station's studios and offices are located in Irving.
History
KRJT-FM
The station first signed on the air on November 15, 1988, as KRJT-FM in Bowie, Texas. It largely simulcasted its AM sister station, KRJT. KRJT-FM's effective radiated power was 3,000 watts, a fraction of its current output.Bowie is about 90 miles northwest of the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. The owners realized that if their FM station could move closer to Dallas, its value would greatly increase. The Federal Communications Commission granted its request to become a "move in" station. It changed its city of license to Highland Village, just north of both Dallas and Fort Worth, and the transmitter was relocated to Collinsville with a big increase in power, 98,000 watts.
KLTY and KWRD-FM
In 1997, Salem Communications bought KEWS. That station had a long history of broadcasting Christian programming, once owned by evangelist Jimmy Swaggart. Salem began running its own Christian talk and teaching format on the station as KWRD-FM, "The Word 94.9". In early 2000, Salem acquired an FM station on 100.7 in the Dallas suburbs, airing Christian Contemporary music as KLTY-FM.On December 22, 2000, Salem swapped the two stations' frequencies to give KLTY the stronger signal.
On September 18, 2015, KWRD-FM began simulcasting on former Radio Disney affiliate KMKI for a week. The following week, KMKI switched formats to Business News/Talk with content formerly airing on KVCE. On October 20, 2015, KWRD-FM's programming was again simulcast on KVCE. That station is now KBDT, with new owners and a talk radio format. 10 Years later, KWRD-FM began simulcasting once again on KTNO 620 AM after the Spanish Christian format "Radio Luz" ceased operations.