iHeartMedia will launch “97.5 Pride Radio” K248CU/100.7 KASE-HD2 Austin TX at 12pm today.
As we first reported in late December, the translator will become the second LGBT targeted “Pride Radio” station on an analog signal joining 96.7 W244BY Minneapolis which debuted last June.
Austin’s “97.5 Pride Radio” will include the national Pride Radio airstaff of Ricky in mornings, Delana from 10am to 2pm, Houston from 2-6pm, Pacey from 6-10pm, and Christie 10pm to 2am along with Austin oriented LGBT news and events. K248CU will debut with 10,000 songs commercial free.
iHeartMedia Austin today announced 97.5 Pride Radio, the pulse of LGBT Austin. 97.5 Pride Radio is iHeartMedia’s second FM radio station in the country with programming devoted to local Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) listeners and allies. The new station will kick off commercial free with 10,000 songs in a row on January 12 at 12 p.m. CT.
97.5 Pride Radio, a broadcast extension of the popular digital station Pride Radio on iHeartRadio, iHeartMedia’s all-in-one streaming music and digital radio service, will play the hottest dance remixes and pop hits from artists such as David Guetta, Katy Perry, Calvin Harris, Nick Jonas, Rihanna and others. The station’s on-air programming will include an emphasis on local community news, plus several music and entertainment shows throughout the day with popular on-air personalities: Ricky, from 6 – 10 a.m.; Delana, from 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.; Houston, from 2 – 6 p.m.; Pacey, from 6 – 10 p.m.; and Christie, from 10 p.m. – 2 a.m. 97.5 Pride Radio will also feature special mixes, exclusive on-air interviews and localized online content.
“As we look at Austin’s progressive community, there is no better time to launch a radio station for LGBT listeners and allies,” said Patrick Davis, Senior Vice President of Programming for iHeartMedia Dallas and Austin. “We are very excited to bring 97.5 Pride Radio’s unique programming to a city that thrives on being different.”
The launch of 97.5 Pride Radio follows the success of Pride Radio, iHeartRadio’s digital entertainment destination for the LGBT community, which is consistently one of iHeartRadio’s most listened-to dance hit and remix stations.
“Austin has one of the most active LGBT communities in the nation, and 97.5 Pride Radio will fit right in with the community,” said Don Parker, Pride Radio Brand Manager and Senior Vice President of Programming for iHeartMedia. “Through our iHeartRadio digital platform, Pride Radio forms deep connections with listeners across the country through relatable programming and entertaining news content, and we look forward to creating a new bond between 97.5 Pride Radio and local listeners through Austin’s very own customized version of Pride Radio!”
Fans can listen to 97.5 Pride Radio at the station’s website, 975PrideAustin.com as well as on the HD2 channel of 100.7 FM in Austin, iHeartRadio.com and the iHeartRadio mobile app, iHeartMedia’s all-in-one music streaming and digital radio service. iHeartRadio is available across web, mobile phones, tablets, automotive partners, smart TVs, gaming devices and more. iHeartRadio is always free for listeners to use, with no capped hours or monthly subscription fees. It delivers everything listeners want in an all-in-one platform: Instant access to more than 1,500 radio stations from across the country, user-created Custom Stations inspired by a favorite artist or song, thousands of curated digital stations “Perfect For” any mood or activity, and a Shows & Personalities feature giving users access to the best on-demand news, talk and entertainment content available today. To see all available platforms and to download the app, visit iHeartRadio.com/apps.
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Charles Everett 
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Not to be a downer but isn’t KWTX in Waco very listenable in the Austin area? With 97.5 in Waco vs a low power translator on the same frequency, I really wonder how much of the Austin area will be able to get a listenable signal (especially in the northern parts such as Round Rock)…especially in the spring when the tropo season starts and the weather starts doing crazy things with the radio signals.
The Dallas market has become clogged with AM translators…most aren’t even listenable in the area due to interference from stations in nearby markets.
Since iHeart owns both stations, I am sure they don’t mind any minor interference.
You’re overthinking things. Austin is located beyond the protected contour of KWTX-FM, therefore the 97.5 translator in Austin is perfectly legal.
There’s a null to the north in the K248CU signal to compensate for KWTX that cuts pretty much everything north of 183 out of the coverage area (http://fccdata.org/?facid=143307), but yeah, as reliably as I can catch KWTX in South Austin on a normal day, I see this signal getting drowned out on a regular basis during tropo season.
The same thing happens with 103.1 K276EL in the spring: co-channel KSSM from Killeen/Temple pretty much obliterates it for days at a time, even just a couple of miles away from the transmitter.
I have my Christian beliefs and the LGBT people have [i]their[/i] beliefs so I am not going to be judgmental here and start a never-ending debate about morality. (You’re welcome, Lance! 🙂 ) But if this new radio station is all about “Pride,” then why is Pacey Williams the only one of the five DJs to use her full name? Are Ricky, Delana, Houston and Christie ashamed to reveal their identity to their friends and family members? Just asking.
http://www.967prideradio.com/onair/tuesday
Their on-air names have nothing to do with them being LGBT, and obviously they are fine with “revealing” their identity, they have pictures in their bios and public social media links. However it doesn’t seem like you paid much attention to that…unless he is the T in LGBT, Pacey Williams is a male.
You mean those four people aren’t the only jocks in America to use one name? I’m shocked. (This is where the sarcasm tag would go if such a thing existed.)
Don’t feed the troll.
Wait—are you telling me that Mancow isn’t his real name?
Because those are the names they were assigned by their Program Directors. And Pacey Williams is a homage to the character of the same name on Dawson’s Creek. Many radio DJ’s haven’t used their real names since the dawn of the medium. This is nothing new and has nothing to do with the format.
I know that a large number of DJs do not use their real names but most of them do use a first name and last name. When KCBS-FM switched from oldies to a classic rock format in 1993, all their DJs used first names only. What is the reason? Are we supposed to think we’re in the home of a close friend who is sharing his record collection with us? I don’t know. I do know that I expect to hear the name of the person I’m listening to, even if it is only an on-air name. By the way, I never watched “Dawson’s Creek.”
I have my Christian beliefs as well, and those beliefs tell me this is great ,and a welcome sign of long overdue progress in serving a perfectly moral audience.
But that’s no more relevant than your preface, I suppose. What is relevant, and ludicrous, is that one-named air personalities are in any way an indication of trying to hide anything, any more so than one-named air personalities at any other station.
Again, don’t feed the troll. Thomps is clearly being a hypocrite on purpose.
(Impressive how our hypocritical pal doesn’t give a full name on their post while calling others out for doing the same, by the way. Paging Alanis Morissette. Unless Thomps’ last name is actually 2525, in which case I guess I owe an apology.)
Lance is right. I see no problem with DJs using different names on air.