KOZA (Texas)

KOZA
Odessa, Texas; United States;
Frequency	1230 AM (kHz)
Branding	La Koza Tejana
Programming
Format	Defunct (was Tejano music)
Ownership
Owner	Stellar Media, Inc.
Sister stations	KQLM
History
First air date	January 19, 1947
Last air date	August 1, 2021
Former call signs	KOSA (1947–1968)
Technical information
Facility ID	41298
Class	C
Power	1,000 watts

KOZA (1230 AM) was a radio station broadcasting a Tejano music format, licensed to Odessa, Texas. The station was last owned by Stellar Media, Inc.^[2]

History

KOSA

KOSA went on the air at 7 am on January 19, 1947, as the CBS radio station for the Permian Basin.^[3] Operating on 1450 kHz, the new station was licensed to the Southwestern Broadcasting Corporation, owned by Dorrance D. Roderick. The Roderick stations—KOSA, El Paso's KROD and KSIL in Silver City, New Mexico, all CBS affiliates—formed a regional hookup known as the Southwest Network.^[4]

The station relocated from 1450 to 1230 kHz on April 20, 1949,^[5] after emerging victorious from a hearing in which the Federal Communications Commission denied competing proposals by a series of other stations to use the frequency.^[6] The station was sold to the Odessa Broadcasting Company in 1951, part of the Trigg-Vaughn Stations group, owned and operated by Cecil L. Trigg and Jack Vaughn. The company expanded to TV with KOSA-TV, which began telecasts on January 1, 1956, as a CBS affiliate. KOSA further increased its signal coverage with a daytime increase to 1,000 watts in 1964.^[7]

KOZA

May 1, 1968, saw KOSA become KOZA^[7] as Trigg-Vaughn sold all of its other media holdings, including KOSA-TV, which kept the call letters. It retained the radio station another 11 years as its lone broadcasting property until KOZA was acquired by Kansas-based Harris Enterprises in 1979.^[8] Under Harris, KOZA responded to the decline of top 40 music on AM by moving to a format that targeted an over-35 audience.^[9] Harris only owned the station for three years until manager Bob Russell, operating as Capital Communications, bought it out in 1982.^[9]

Demise and rebirth as a Spanish-language station

In the mid-1980s, the Permian Basin economy suffered due to low oil prices. KOZA was affected by the regional slump and ceased broadcasting the weekend of May 17–18, 1986.^[10] The silence of KOZA enabled a local Christian FM station, KKKK, to temporarily relocate to KOZA's studios after losing theirs in a January 1987 fire.^[11]

While KOZA was made available in an auction at the Odessa Hilton on May 12, 1987,^[11] it did not emerge until April 1989, when Mesa Entertainment bought the station and relaunched it with a Spanish-language music format.^[12] The station absorbed some talent and programming from KNDA when that station closed in 1991.^[13]

In 2004, Mesa Entertainment sold the station to Stellar Media, in a transaction between two members of the Velásquez family.^[14] KOZA was silent between November 24, 2014, and November 9, 2015, when the studio building was sold and the station was forced to relocate.^[15] Its license was not renewed and expired on August 1, 2021.^[16]

References

^ "Texas Music Industry Directory - Radio Stations in Texas | Texas Music Office | Office of the Texas Governor | Greg Abbott".
^ KOZA fcc.gov Accessed October 5, 2012
^ "Odessa American-KOSA Newscaster". Odessa American. January 14, 1947. Retrieved July 19, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "KOSA Headed By Experienced Staff". Odessa American. January 19, 1947. p. 15. Retrieved July 19, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Station KOSA Moves to 1230". Odessa American. April 20, 1949. Retrieved July 19, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "KOSA Frequency Change Authorized". Odessa American. March 16, 1949. Retrieved July 19, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
^ ^a ^b FCC History Cards for KOZA
^ "Accord reached on sale of KOZA radio". Odessa American. January 29, 1979. Retrieved July 19, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
^ ^a ^b "Manager buys out KOZA". Odessa American. August 29, 1982. p. 1C – via Newspapers.com.
^ Brodnax, Ken (May 25, 1986). "Tough times don't make for pleasant sights in Odessa". Odessa Americans. p. 15A. Retrieved July 19, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
^ ^a ^b Walters, Jack (April 21, 1987). "Radio station will be sold". Odessa American. Retrieved July 19, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "KOZA radio". Odessa American. April 30, 1989. Retrieved July 19, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Hobratschk, Martin (June 14, 1991). "Financial difficulties force KNDA to sign off". Odessa American. Retrieved June 25, 2019 – via Newspapers.com. (Continued)
^ "Deals". Broadcasting & Cable. November 7, 2004. Retrieved July 19, 2019.
^ FCC Application BLSTA-20150114AAT — Silent STA — KOZA
^ "Radio License Expirations", fcc.gov. July 8, 2021. Retrieved August 4, 2021.

External links

FCC Station Search Details: DKOZA (Facility ID: 41298)
FCC History Cards for KOZA (covering 1945-1980 as KOSA / KOZA)

31°49′50.5″N 102°22′10.5″W / 31.830694°N 102.369583°W / 31.830694; -102.369583

[1] "Texas Music Industry Directory - Radio Stations in Texas | Texas Music Office | Office of the Texas Governor | Greg Abbott".

[2] KOZA fcc.gov Accessed October 5, 2012

[3] "Odessa American-KOSA Newscaster". Odessa American. January 14, 1947. Retrieved July 19, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.

[4] "KOSA Headed By Experienced Staff". Odessa American. January 19, 1947. p. 15. Retrieved July 19, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.

[5] "Station KOSA Moves to 1230". Odessa American. April 20, 1949. Retrieved July 19, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.

[6] "KOSA Frequency Change Authorized". Odessa American. March 16, 1949. Retrieved July 19, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.

[hc-7] FCC History Cards for KOZA

[8] "Accord reached on sale of KOZA radio". Odessa American. January 29, 1979. Retrieved July 19, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.

[manager-9] "Manager buys out KOZA". Odessa American. August 29, 1982. p. 1C – via Newspapers.com.

[10] Brodnax, Ken (May 25, 1986). "Tough times don't make for pleasant sights in Odessa". Odessa Americans. p. 15A. Retrieved July 19, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.

[sold-11] Walters, Jack (April 21, 1987). "Radio station will be sold". Odessa American. Retrieved July 19, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.

[12] "KOZA radio". Odessa American. April 30, 1989. Retrieved July 19, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.

[off-13] Hobratschk, Martin (June 14, 1991). "Financial difficulties force KNDA to sign off". Odessa American. Retrieved June 25, 2019 – via Newspapers.com. (Continued)

[14] "Deals". Broadcasting & Cable. November 7, 2004. Retrieved July 19, 2019.

[15] FCC Application BLSTA-20150114AAT — Silent STA — KOZA

[16] "Radio License Expirations", fcc.gov. July 8, 2021. Retrieved August 4, 2021.

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v t e Spanish-language radio stations in the state of Texas
Stations	KABA – Louise KAIQ – Wolfforth KAJE - Ingleside KAMA – El Paso KAMA-FM – Deer Park KAMM - University Park KBDR – Mirando City KBEX - Dalhart KBIB – Marion KBIC – Raymondville KBNA-FM – El Paso KBNL – Laredo KBNR – Brownsville KBOC – Bridgeport KBRZ-FM – Victoria KBZO - Lubbock KCHX – Odessa KCOT – Cotulla KCZO – Carrizo Springs KDFM – Falfurrias KDFT – Ferris KDRN – Del Rio KDXX – Lewisville KEPI – Eagle Pass KEPX – Eagle Pass KESS-FM – Benbrook KEWP – Uvalde Estates KEYH – Houston KFLC – Fort Worth KFTG – Pasadena KFZO – Denton KGBT – Harlingen KGBT-FM – McAllen KGFZ - Burke KGSR - Cedar Park KGVL – Greenville KHFZ – Pittsburgh KHRO – El Paso KHVU – Houston KIBL – Beeville KINE – Kingsville KINT – El Paso KIRT – Mission KJOZ - Conroe KLAR – Laredo KLAT – Houston KLBD – Premont KLDS – Falfurrias KLEY-FM – Jourdanton KLFZ – Jacksonville KLIT – Ranchitos Las Lomas KLJA – Georgetown KLOL – Houston KLQB – Taylor KLTD - Temple KLTN – Houston KLVL – Pasadena KLZT – Bastrop KMFR – Pearsall KMVK – Fort Worth KMXO – Merkel KMYO - Comfort KNOR – Krum KNTE – Bay City KNVO-FM – Port Isabel KOIR – Edinburg KOKE-FM - Thorndale KOPY - Alice KOVE-FM – Galveston KOYE – Frankston KPCO-FM – Cooper KPMB – Plainview KQBO – Rio Grande City KQFX - Borger/Amarillo KQLM – Odessa KQQK – Beaumont KQUE – Houston KRCM – Shenandoah KRGE – Weslaco KRGX – Rio Grande City KRIO – McAllen KRIO-FM – Roma KROB – Robstown KROM – San Antonio KRVA – Cockrell Hill KSAH – Universal City KSAH-FM – Pearsall KSJT-FM – San Angelo KSML-FM – Huntington KSTV – Stephenville KSVE – El Paso KTAE - Elgin KTAM – Bryan KTJM – Port Arthur KTLH – Hallsville KTNO – Plano KTNZ – Amarillo KTXO - Goldsmith KTXX-FM - Bee Cave KTXZ – West Lake Hills KTYR – Trinity KUBR – San Juan KUNO – Corpus Christi KVER – El Paso KVFM – Beeville KVIV – El Paso KVJM – Hearne KVJY – Pharr KVOZ – Del Mar Hills KVUD – Bay City KVUJ – Lake Jackson KVVO-LP – Abilene KVVT – Sulphur Springs KWEL – Midland KWMF – Pleasanton KWOW – Clifton KWRA-LP – Waco KXBJ – El Campo KXOI – Crane KXTN – San Antonio KXVR-LP – Corpus Christi KXZX-LP – Juilliard KXZY-LP – Waco KYLP-LP – Greenville KYST – Texas City KZAM – Pleasant Valley KZDC – San Antonio KZEP-FM - San Antonio KZIP - Amarillo KZNX – Creedmoor KZZA – Muenster
Defunct	KERB-FM – Kermit KJNZ – Hereford KJOJ-FM – Freeport KMUL – Farwell KOZA – Odessa KPDB – Big Lake KXPL – El Paso
See also adult contemporary classic hits college country news/talk NPR oldies religious rock sports top 40 urban other radio stations in Texas See also Classical Jazz Religious Spanish Smooth Jazz Other