Emmis Communications has announced the launch of Soft AC “Star 93.3” KGSR Cedar Park/Austin as “Austin City Limits Radio” moves exclusively to 97.1 K246BD Austin/KGSR-HD2.
The new format will launch jockless with 9,300 songs in a row prior to debuting the syndicated Delilah in nights on April 1. The new format will flank sister Variety Hits “103.5 Bob-FM” KBPA targeting women 35-54 with hits from Phil Collins, Adele, Chicago, Whitney Houston, Billy Joel, Celine Dion and Air Supply listed as core artists. The new format takes aim at Entercom AC “Majic 95.5” KKMJ.
Austin’s newest radio brand, Star 93.3, launches at noon today as a soft adult contemporary station, targeting working women 35-54 years of age, who are looking for familiar, relaxing music that’s been missing from the radio in Austin.
Listeners can expect to hear artists such as Phil Collins, Adele, Chicago, Whitney Houston, Billy Joel, Celine Dion and Air Supply. The new Star 93.3 will deliver relaxing favorites that are perfect for while you work, help you unwind after a long day, and keep your relaxed and feeling great all weekend.
“It’s been too long since Austin had a station playing soft and easy music all day long,” said Emmis Austin Radio Senior VP and Market Manager Scott Gillmore. “And we’re very happy that the new Star 93.3 will be home to all these great songs.”
The station will commence with “9300 songs in a row” to celebrate its debut in Austin, and to allow its new listeners to get familiar with all the great music they can expect from Star 93.3.
Emmis Austin Radio also welcomes back to the airwaves the world famous Delilah. Her nighttime radio program will debut on April 1. “Delilah is the most listened-to woman on the radio, and for great reason! We are elated to welcome Delilah and her world famous radio show back to Austin on Star 93.3,” added Gillmore.
The 93.3 frequency was previously a co-channel to “Austin City Limits Radio” which launched in September and was broadcast on both 93.3 and 97.1. The station now resides permanently on 97.1 FM and online at ACL-Radio.com.
Emmis Senior VP/Operations, Programming & Content Chase Rupe stated, “We are extremely proud of our successful launch of ACL Radio this past fall, and now we’re excited to offer it on our fully upgraded 97.1FM signal, which allows us to offer the best experience to hear ACL Radio in the Austin City Limits!”
Original Report 3/7: As Emmis prepares to launch a new format on 93.3 KGSR Cedar Park/Austin TX, it has begun moving the audience of “Austin City Limits Radio” to their 97.1 K246BD Austin/KGSR-HD2.
The station is running sweepers and social media posts telling listeners that they need to update their presets but not yet giving a timeframe for when the station will evacuate the 93.3 signal it has called home since it moved from 107.1 in 2009. As we reported on Monday in our exclusive Domain Insight, Emmis registered Star933Austin.com for 93.3 with a likely move to some form of AC to attack Entercom’s pair of Hot AC “Mix 94.7” KAMX and/or AC “Majic 95.5” KKMJ.
KGSR relaunched as “Austin City Limits Radio” in September 2018 when it also added the 97.1 simulcast to better cover Austin proper. The station registered a 2.2 share in the January 2019 Nielsen Audio ratings which is up from the 1.8 it held in the July monthly prior to the relaunch.
.@ACL_RADIO has found a new home inside the city limits of #Austin! Change your presets now to 97.1 FM, or listen anytime at https://t.co/s4rLbRBpJc. pic.twitter.com/iKsh7cFrTI
— Austin City Limits Radio (@ACL_RADIO) March 6, 2019
Eric Jon Magnuson 
evantman 
Mark W. 
troygud1 
Charles Everett
If Emmis plans on keeping those call letters, it might also want to try reclaiming the @kgsr Twitter handle–which was changed to the current one for the ACL format, but not subsequently parked on a different account.
theyre saying the flip will happen today at noon
yes! i love the new format!!!!
The Austin radio market = BORING.
Was so much better 15 years ago!
Bob-FM is a very safe Variety Hits station (Jack FM in Los Angeles is vastly superior) and 93.7 KLBJ has one of the most repetitious classic rock playlists I’ve ever heard.
I miss Hot 93.3, 104.3 The Beat, and the days when 101X had a much harder edge to it. I also miss 107.1 KGSR; not the weak sauced modern AC impersonator that set up shop on 93.3 using those calls.
i agree, austin radio was so much better back then
I think The ACL Radio might think about moving back home to 107.1-its original home as KGSR, and would change its calls to KACL, while retaining KGSR’s call letters-at 93.3-to reflect itself as a Soft AC station.
107.1 La Z has more than twice the audience of ACL Radio — and that was before 93.3 changed format. Not only that, the Z is pronounced “Zay-ta” because La Z plays Mexican music. The Austin metro is 30% or so Spanish-speaking. Emmis is not going to touch La Z any time soon.
“It Was Better In The Old Days” is an excuse for bad business practices.