KQBU (AM)

KQBU

El Paso, Texas
Frequency	920 kHz
Ownership
Owner	Grupo Radio Centro (97.5 Licensee TX, LLC)
Sister stations	KAMA, KBNA-FM, XHTO-FM (operated from the US), other GRC stations in Ciudad Juárez
History
Former call signs	KELP (1947-1982) KYSR (1982-1985) KDXX (1985-1987) KBNA (1987-2002) KZMR (2/02-4/02) KAJZ (4/02-11/02) KBNA (2002-2004) KLTO (12/15-22/04) KBNA (2004-2007)
Technical information
Facility ID	67065
Class	B
Power	1,000 watts (day) 360 watts (night)
Transmitter coordinates	31°44′09″N 106°22′24″W

KQBU (920 AM) is a radio station licensed to serve El Paso, Texas, United States. The station is owned by 97.5 Licensee TX, LLC, an American subsidiary of Grupo Radio Centro (GRC).

History

KELP, a 1,000-watt daytime-only station, received its license and signed on in 1947 as a 1,000 watt daytime only station KELP. After ownership by Paso Broadcasting Co. and Trinity Broadcasting Corporation, it was sold to Gordon McLendon in 1954. McLendon added a couple of towers in order to add night authority with 500 watts power, as well as to add an antenna for a new TV station, KILT. The old tower site was 4530 Delta Drive on the property used for the city of El Paso sewage treatment plant.

In 1957, KELP and its TV station were sold to KELP Radio Corporation, which changed the TV station's calls to KELP-TV. Sales of KELP-AM-TV to Northern Pacific Radio Corporation (in 1961) and John B. Walton (in 1966), and of the AM station to Clear Channel Communications (in 1977), followed.

On August 20, 1982, KELP became KYSR. In 1987, after another callsign change, the station became KBNA, marking its first Spanish-language format.

The station was relocated to its current site in 1989-1990 by then-station engineer David Stewart and then-director of Engineering Marvin Fiedler. The phasing equipment was designed by Harry Seabrooke at Silliman and Silliman, and built by Fiedler and Stewart.

Univision Radio would come into owning KBNA as well as KBNA-FM 97.5 and KAMA on 750 AM. In January 2009, Univision partnered with El Paso Media Group to provide an English language morning talk radio format, known as TalkBack Radio. Infighting between competing factions resulted in a host lineup change in early April 2009 and Univision canceling the talk radio format on April 15, 2009.

The station was assigned the KQBU call sign by the Federal Communications Commission on December 11, 2007. By 2016, KQBU was airing national programs from the Univisión América talk network.

In 2016, Univision Radio exited El Paso by selling its stations to affiliates of Mexican radio broadcaster Grupo Radio Centro for $2 million, with GRC taking over operations via LMA on November 8. Rafael Márquez, a United States citizen, owns 75 percent of the licensee, 97.5 Licensee TX, LLC, with the remainder being owned by Grupo Radio Centro TX, LLC.

External links

• Facility details for Facility ID KQBU ({{{2}}}) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
• {{{2}}} in Nielsen Audio's AM station database
• KQBU TalkBack Radio launch announcement
• Radio shenanigans over