KBPA

The station signed on the air June 1, 1971, originally at 103.7 FM as KRMH and was licensed to San Marcos, Texas.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/43832281/|access-date=February 8, 2020|work=Austin American|title=FM Station Will Open June 1st|date=May 14, 1971|page=20}} "Broadcasting from beautiful downtown Buda" - the station was branded as "Good Karma", airing a progressive rock format.

KRMH was owned by Advance Inc., whose president was R. Miller Hicks.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/43832238/|access-date=February 8, 2020|work=Austin Statesman|title=New FM Station Hits Air in March|page=B-23|date=February 4, 1971}} It was one of the few stations to broadcast in quadraphonic stereo.

In 1976, the Pioneer Broadcasting Company of Austin, which also owned KNOW (1490 AM), acquired KRMH and shifted it to an adult contemporary format. New call letters, KCSW,{{cite news|title=Stations alter formats|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/43832289/|work=Austin American-Statesman|page=C14|access-date=February 7, 2020|date=July 1, 1976}} took effect on July 26, 1976.{{Cite web|url= https://cdbs.recnet.com/corres/?doc=71364 |title= History Cards for KBPA|publisher=Federal Communications Commission}} (Guide to reading History Cards) Five years later, the station was acquired by Hicks Communications Inc. of Dallas. Upon closing, the call letters were changed to KEYI and the station was rebranded as Key 103, while keeping the adult contemporary format.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/43832362/|access-date=February 8, 2020|title=Station renamed|page=B2|work=Austin American-Statesman|date=December 22, 1981}}

In 1983, the station moved from 103.7 FM to 103.5 FM with a power increase to 100,000 watts. Hicks sold the station to Degree Communications for $15.5 million in 1988.{{cite news|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1980s/1988/RR-1988-02-26.pdf|access-date=February 8, 2020|date=February 26, 1988|work=Radio & Records|title=Transactions|page=10}} The limited partnership restructured, giving GE Capital control three years later.{{cite news|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1990s/1991/RR-1991-09-20.pdf|work=Radio & Records|date=September 20, 1991|page=10|title=Transactions|access-date=February 8, 2020}} The transaction amounted to receivership; a year later KEYI was sold for $3 million to San Antonio businessman Van Archer, doing business as Mercury Broadcasting.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/43832490/|access-date=February 8, 2020|title=KEYI sale shows radio downscaling|page=15|first=John|last=Herndon|work=Austin American-Statesman|date=January 30, 1992}}

KEYI flipped to oldies music as "Oldies 103" at the beginning of November 1994, in the wake of Austin's oldies station, KFGI-FM, flipping to hot adult contemporary.{{cite news|title=Ready for 'oldies' from '83? Neither am I|first=John|last=Herndon|page=28|date=November 3, 1994|work=Austin American-Statesman|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/43832520/|access-date=February 8, 2020}} Two years later, Clear Channel Communications bought KEYI and KFON AM for $3.1 million.{{cite news|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-RandR/1990s/1996/R&R-1996-05-24.pdf|work=Radio & Records|date=May 24, 1996|access-date=February 8, 2020|page=8|title=Transactions}} Clear Channel attempted to sell KEYI and 44 other stations, in divestiture action spurred by its merger with AMFM, to Hispanic Broadcasting Corporation in a 2000 deal that was scuttled when the United States Department of Justice denied it over equity ties between Clear Channel and HBC.

Clear Channel then sold KEYI to Secret Communications.{{cite news|title=¿Qué pasa at KEYI? Nada, after a glitch kills its Latin conversion|work=Austin American-Statesman|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/43832643/|first=Dale|last=Smith|page=14|date=July 13, 2000|access-date=February 8, 2020}} Secret owned KEYI less than a year before selling it in 2001 to LBJS Broadcasting Company, a partnership of the LBJ Company and Sinclair Telecable (no relation to Sinclair Broadcast Group).{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/43832668/|access-date=February 8, 2020|title=Oldies 103 gets new owner|work=Austin American-Statesman|date=March 23, 2001|page=D1}} LBJ left radio ownership after six decades by selling its majority interest in the partnership to Emmis Communications in 2004, a $105 million purchase.{{cite news|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Mediaweek/2004/Mediaweek-2004-05-10.pdf|work=Mediaweek|date=May 10, 2004|pages=16–20|title=Market Profile: Austin, Texas|access-date=February 8, 2020|first=Eileen|last=Davis Hudson}} The new partnership was named Emmis Austin Radio Broadcasting Co., LP.

In September 2004, KEYI-FM flipped to adult hits as "Bob FM", changing its call letters to KBPA on September 8.

Sinclair Telecable acquired Emmis's stake in its Austin radio stations in June 2019 for $39.3 million.{{cite news|url=https://www.statesman.com/news/20190610/emmis-communications-sells-its-stake-in-8-austin-radio-stations-for-393-million|work=Austin American-Statesman|date=June 10, 2019|title=Emmis Communications sells its stake in 8 Austin radio stations for $39.3 million|access-date=February 8, 2020}} The FCC approved the transaction, requiring a waiver since it maintained a grandfathered cluster not permissible under current radio ownership rules.{{cite news|url=https://www.radioworld.com/news-and-business/business-and-law/emmis-succeeds-in-efforts-to-transfer-austin-stations-to-sti-telecable|access-date=February 8, 2020|work=Radio World|first=Susan|last=Ashworth|title=Emmis Succeeds in Efforts to Transfer Austin Stations to STI Telecable|date=October 7, 2019}}

In early 2019, Emmis filed with the Federal Communications Commission for a construction permit to relocate the KBPA transmitter site to Austin from its previous location about 30 miles southwest of Austin. The power was decreased to 46,000 watts from the previous 100,000 watts. The station's city of license changed from San Marcos to Austin.

The move was part of a multi-station allocation shuffle led by the Educational Media Foundation allowing EMF to add a signal serving the San Antonio metropolitan area on 103.7 MHz, licensed to Balcones Heights. The FCC approved the changes in January 2020.{{cite news|url=https://radioinsight.com/headlines/183809/fcc-report-1-26-three-way-texas-allocation-change-approved/|access-date=February 7, 2020|work=RadioInsight|date=January 26, 2020|title= FCC Report 1/26: Three Way Texas Allocation Change Approved|first=Lance|last=Venta}}{{cite news|url=https://www.rbr.com/emf-frequency-change-wins-signal-alamo-city-gain/|work=RBR|title=EMF Frequency Change Wins Signal Alamo City Gain|access-date=February 2, 2020|date=January 16, 2020|first=Adam|last=Jacobson}} The transmitter relocation and city of license change were completed on March 23, 2021.{{cite web |url=https://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/finder?sr=Y&s=C&call=KBPA&nav=home |title = KBPA-FM 103.5 MHz - Austin, TX}}

{{Reflist}}

• {{Official website|1035bobfm.com}}

{{FM station data|41213|KBPA}}

{{Austin Radio}}

{{Bob FM Radio stations}}

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BPA

Category:Adult hits radio stations in the United States

Category:Bob FM stations

Category:Radio stations established in 1971

Category:1971 establishments in Texas