KONO (AM)
| Company type | Commercial radio station |
|---|---|
| Industry | Broadcasting |
| Founded | January 17, 1927 in San Antonio, Texas, United States |
| Founder | Eugene Roth |
| Headquarters | San Antonio, Texas , United States |
Area served | San Antonio metropolitan area |
| Products | Business news and talk radio programming |
| Owner | Cox Media Group |
KONO (860 kHz) is a commercial AM radio outlet based in San Antonio, Texas, and is under the ownership of Cox Media Group. The station features a business news and talk format. Its studios are situated in Northwest San Antonio near the South Texas Medical Center, while the transmitter is located on Creekview Drive close to Salado Creek Greenway and Interstate 35.
During daytime hours, KONO transmits with 5,000 watts using a non-directional antenna. Since 860 AM is designated as a clear channel frequency primarily assigned to CJBC in Toronto, KONO lowers its power to 900 watts at night and employs a directional antenna system to avoid causing interference.
Early years
As San Antonio’s fourth-oldest radio broadcaster, KONO was initially licensed as KGRC on January 17, 1927, to Gene Roth & Company. The station adopted the call sign KONO on January 24, 1930.
Eugene Roth founded the station as a hobby in downtown San Antonio. It originally operated at 100 watts on 1370 kHz and shared airtime with other broadcasters before relocating first to AM 1400 and subsequently to AM 860.
In February 1947, KONO expanded by launching an FM outlet at 92.9 MHz (currently KROM). Eugene Roth served as president of Mission Broadcasting, while his son Jack held the position of general manager.
Throughout the 1950s, KONO's programming centered on country and western music. In 1957, Mission Broadcasting debuted KONO-TV (now KSAT-TV), becoming San Antonio’s third television station and an affiliate of ABC.
Top 40 - The Big 86
During the 1960s and 1970s, KONO earned the nickname "The Big 86" and was a dominant Top 40 station in the San Antonio market. Prominent on-air talent included Howard Edwards, Don Couser, and Lee 'Baby' Simms. The station garnered national recognition for its popularity and innovative programming; Edwards and Bob Pearson were honored among the top radio personalities in 1965. Alongside sister station KITY, KONO operated from facilities at 317 Arden Grove until relocating in the early 1990s.
In the 1970s, KONO faced strong competition from KTSA within the Top 40 segment. While KONO emphasized a playlist rich in recurrent hits, KTSA focused more on current chart-toppers. Both stations led local ratings and outperformed rivals such as WOAI. Their success contributed to the decline of AM/FM simulcast competitors like KQAM/KSAQ (“Q-100”) within this format.
As the 1980s began, KONO continued its recurrent-heavy Top 40 approach but gradually softened its musical style. With FM stations capturing greater audience share, KONO transitioned toward a gold-based Adult Contemporary format, while sister station KITY assumed the Top 40 role.
Oldies format
In late 1985, family ownership ended when Jack Roth sold both KONO and KITY to Dallas-based Duffy Broadcasting. Two years later, Duffy merged with Booth American to create Genesis Broadcasting.
By 1988, KONO shifted to a "rock 'n roll oldies" format, removing mid-1970s tracks in favor of earlier hits. Competition escalated when KSMG switched from Adult Contemporary to oldies that same year. Additional pressure emerged in the early 1990s as KISS-FM embraced an oldies format and introduced a nationally syndicated oldies program on its sister station KRIA (now KLUP).
Adding KONO-FM
To address these competitive challenges, Genesis entered into a local marketing agreement (LMA) for KFAN (101.1 FM), licensed to Fredericksburg with an Adult Album Alternative format spotlighting Texas artists. The strategy involved simulcasting KONO’s programming on FM, establishing San Antonio’s first AM/FM combo. KONO-FM debuted in early 1991 and quickly boosted overall ratings.
Within two years, the combined KONO-AM-FM outperformed rivals such as KSMG and triggered format shifts at competing stations including KISS-FM. In late 1991, Rusk Communications merged operations of KISS-AM-FM with KSMG under an LMA arrangement; formats were changed multiple times before returning to active rock.
Following FCC approval of duopoly ownership rules in 1992, Booth American prepared a merger creating Secret Communications. This consolidation retained most Genesis properties except those located in Sacramento and Denver. In December 1992, sister station KSRR-FM was sold to Tichenor Media and transitioned to Spanish-language programming by March 1993.
Ownership Transition
In 1993, Genesis opted not to exercise its purchase option for KONO-FM. Instead, Gillespie Broadcasting, which owned KONO-FM along with Fredericksburg’s KNAF (AM) and KFAN-FM in Johnson City, intended to take over KONO.
After selling KONO and the remaining Genesis assets, Booth and Broadcast Alchemy combined operations. Subsequently, ownership of KONO-AM-FM transferred to John W. Barger, a veteran San Antonio general manager who had previously acquired KWCB in Floresville. Barger relocated KWCB’s transmission tower closer to San Antonio and rebranded the station as KRIO-FM at 94.1 MHz. During this era, KONO’s robust audience ratings compelled rival station KSMG to abandon the oldies genre, initially shifting to a 1970s-centered adult contemporary format and later transitioning to Hot AC.
Barger sought to reposition KONO-FM nearer to San Antonio by requesting a change of its city of license from Fredericksburg to Castroville alongside a downgrade from Class C to Class C1 status. The FCC ultimately approved an alternative proposal that designated Helotes as the new city of license for KONO-FM while relocating its transmitter to KAJA’s tower site, which served as compensation for a defunct AM facility in Helotes.
Acquisition by Cox Radio
Following the 1996 Telecommunications Act that eased restrictions on radio ownership, Cox Radio entered the San Antonio market in 1998 by purchasing stations KKYX, KCYY, and KCJZ from New City Communications. This was followed by acquisitions of Rusk Communications and John W. Barger's properties—though KRIO-FM was divested to meet regulatory requirements. Cox then merged these former competitors into a large-scale cluster.
The simulcast between KONO AM and FM concluded on January 31, 2014, when the AM station adopted a full-time sports format featuring CBS Sports Radio programming.
On January 13, 2017, KONO AM reverted to an oldies format emphasizing hits from the 1960s and 1970s. Meanwhile, KONO-FM shifted focus toward a younger demographic by playing predominantly 1980s music alongside select tracks from the 1970s and 1990s.
On August 28, 2024, KONO transitioned from its oldies format to business talk programming provided by Bloomberg Radio. The final song aired under the “86KONO” branding was “Daydream” by The Lovin’ Spoonful.
External links
- FCC History Cards (documenting KGRC / KONO from 1927 through 1980)
- 86 KONO AM Listen Live