Connoisseur Media has made its first format change following its acquisition of Alpha Media as Sports “102.9 The Sports Star” KVWE Amarillo TX relaunched as Classic Rock “102.9 The Rattler” at 6am today.
The new brand is positioning as “Amarillo’s Real Classic Rock” launching with Guns N’ Roses “Welcome To The Jungle”, Autograph “Turn Up The Radio”, and Rush “Tom Sawyer”. Other core artists are listed as including Aerosmith, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Guns N Roses and along with an emphasis on Texas artists such as ZZ Top, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and the Fabulous Thunderbirds.
The move comes with the arrival of Eric Slayter as cluster Content Director earlier this month. Slayter has been serving as PD/morning host across town at Cumulus Media’s “Rock 108” KZRK. San Antonio based ‘Mighty Iris’ will host middays and ‘Dirty Dave’ in afternoons.
Slayter commented, “It’s amazing to be part of the launch of a Classic Rock station that’s not afraid to be loud, showcasing legendary Rock and incorporating the next wave of Classic Rock artists. It’s time to turn classic rock back up to 11!”
Market Manager Cal Hall commented, “Connoisseur Media is proud to provide Amarillo and the surrounding communities a true Classic Rock radio broadcast that has been missing from the Panhandle’s airwaves for too long. We’re excited to bring the energy and passion of Classic Rock back to our listeners.”
The Sports format had registered a 0.4 share in the Spring 2025 Nielsen Audio ratings.
