Curious how Georgetown, Texas, broadcasts the top hits? KHFI-FM is the answer. This is 96.7 KISS-FM. KHFI-FM is a commercial radio station. It is licensed to Georgetown. It serves the Greater Austin radio market.
iHeartMedia owns KHFI-FM. It airs a Top 40/CHR radio format. The station is branded as KISS-FM. KHFI-FM shares studios with other iHeart stations. These are in the Penn Field complex. This complex is in the South Congress district. That’s SoCo in south central Austin.
St. Edward’s University is within walking distance. KHFI-FM was once in a downtown Austin office. That was off Barton Springs Road. KHFI-FM’s call sign means K Hi-Fi. That stands for High Fidelity.
The station first aired on March 1, 1972. It was then KGTN-FM. It later became KQFX. Premiere Networks and iHeartRadio are affiliations.
KHFI-FM broadcasts at 96.7 MHz. It uses HD Radio. The ERP is 100,000 watts. HAAT is 290 meters. That is 950 ft. It operates as a Class C1 facility. The transmitter coordinates are 30.322°N 97.801°W.
In 1986, KGTN-AM-FM was sold. Joyner Broadcasting bought it. In 1987, Capitol Broadcasting bought the FM station. It planned to move it to Austin. The FCC approved a power upgrade. The station became KQFX. It was known as 96.5 The Fox. It played classic hits. Later, the station changed to oldies. It moved back to 96.7 MHz. This avoided interference.
Joyner reacquired KQFX in May 1990. KHFI-FM was being purchased by Spur Austin at 98.1 MHz. Spur made a deal to simulcast KVET on 98.1. This displaced KHFI-FM. Joyner fired the KQFX staff. He brought KHFI-FM’s staff and format to 96.7 MHz. It became K96.7.
In 1992, KHFI dropped the K96.7 moniker. It became The New 96.7 KHFI. The Rusk Corporation leased KBTS. KBTS was KHFI’s competitor. It became KMXX. Clear Channel Communications bought KHFI-FM. That happened at the end of that year. The price was $3.5 million.
KHFI relaunched as 96.7 KISS-FM on August 2, 2001. Clear Channel owns the KISS-FM brand. It uses it for Top 40 stations. These are in Los Angeles and Boston. iHeart has the 18-34 demographic in Austin covered. KHFI plays mainstream Top 40. KPEZ airs rhythmic contemporary music. That is 102.3 The Beat.
In 2002, KHFI became the flagship station for The Bobby Bones Show. Premiere Networks syndicated it. Bones was named Austin Radio Personality of the Year four times. The Austin Music Awards give the award. In 2008, The Bobby Bones Show won Austin Radio Program of the Year. KHFI was named Austin Radio Station of the Year.
The Bobby Bones Show relaunched as a country show in February 2013. Bones moved to Nashville. WSIX-FM became his new flagship station. Bones’ Austin affiliate became KASE-FM.
Elvis Duran and the Morning Show replaced Bones on KHFI. Premiere Networks syndicates it. In February 2016, the morning show changed to The Billy The Kidd Morning Show. Billy the Kidd and Anne Hudson were hosts.
In 2024, KHFI-HD2 began broadcasting translator station 103.1 K276EL. It airs 1980s hits. The station is branded as 103.1 Austin’s 80s Station. Sandy McIlree’s The Sandy Show airs weekday mornings. McIlree and his wife Tricia host it. McIlree co-hosted mornings on KAMX from 1995 to 2013. 103.1 K276EL was originally broadcast on KVET-FM’s HD2 sub-channel.
From its Georgetown roots to its current Austin studios KHFI-FM has entertained. It continues to evolve with the times. Tune in and enjoy the hits. Experience the energy of 96.7 KISS-FM.