KVIL
KVIL (103.7 FM, Alt 103.7) is a commercial radio station dual-licensed to Highland Park and Dallas, Texas.
When the DJ pushed the button, the audience heard "It's nine forty-three on the Kayville Clock, K-V-I-L" or any imaginable variation of such limerick – and in stereo.
The initial attempt in April 1967 was bold, offering good personalities, such as Frank Jolley, Ron McCoy, Davie Lee and others right from broadcast school.
FM was not a "standard" feature in original equipment car radios until the late 1970s, even though it had been an option since the early 1960s.
The failing station suffered in several ways, including employees running off with the records (possibly in place of the pay they were likely not receiving).
[citation needed] The owners of KVIL-AM-FM from 1968 through 1973 were Highland Park socialites James B. Francis, Robert D. Hanna and John Ryman.
Chapman's fame in Dallas radio, along with the increasing popularity of FM stereo, brought the station to prominence.
KVIL hired Mike Selden from KLIF and installed Bill Gardner and Jack Schell in middays.
This dynamic lineup was coupled with programming insights from consultant George Johns, upper management direction from Jim Hilliard and Chapman's panache for marketing and promotion started KVIL's steady climb in the ratings.
KVIL instituted a music format that was unique for its time, a cross between Top 40 and MOR which would later be termed "Adult Contemporary."
It topped the ratings for the first time in the fall of 1976, with Chapman (and his cast of supporting players) in the morning, Larry Dixon and Bruce Buchanan (Jim Edwards) in mid-days, and Mike Selden in afternoon drivetime.
AM 1150 adopted the call sign KVIX and programmed a separate AC format from KVIL-FM for a short time after the sale to Infinity.
From that point until 2013, Gene & Julie Gates took over mornings after Ron Chapman moved to co-owned classic hits KLUV.
On May 2, 2013, KVIL-FM dropped the "Lite FM" branding in favor of using its call letters and re-positioned the station as "The Best Variety...90s, 2K & Today."
Byron Harrell, programming director of CBS Radio in Dallas said in an email to DFW.com regarding the change, "We respect the level of talent and service Delilah provided the KVIL audience over the years, but it was time for a change at 103.7 as we continue to contemporize the sound of KVIL and focus our attention on the Dallas-Fort Worth metro.
The station dropped the "90s, 2K and Today" slogan, along with the "Throwback Thursday" program that allowed listeners to vote for their favorite past hits, including a few songs from the late 1980s.
On January 18, 2017, at 7 am, after playing "Heathens" by Twenty One Pilots, KVIL reinforced its focus on CHR by rebranding again, this time as "Amp 103-7", adopting the moniker from sister CBS stations KAMP-FM in Los Angeles, WODS in Boston, WQMP in Orlando, WDZH in Detroit and WBMP in New York City.
[19][20] At 10 a.m. on November 17, after playing "Sorry" by Justin Bieber, followed by a commercial break, KVIL flipped to alternative rock, branded as "Alt 103.7."
[21][22][23] The flip put KVIL in competition with iHeartMedia's active rock-formatted KEGL, along with North Texas Public Broadcasting's Adult album alternative-formatted KKXT, and as of July 2022, college radio station KNTU, and as of April 29, 2024, iHeartMedia-owned KEGL-HD2; the flip also returned the format to the market after KEGL's sister station KDGE (which moved the format to 97.1 HD2) dropped alternative exactly one year earlier to the day when it flipped to Christmas music on November 17, 2016, and then Adult Contemporary after Christmas.
A similar move also occurred in New York City with sister station WBMP (now WINS-FM) dropping the Top 40/CHR format and flipping to alternative that same day.
This followed a trend of Entercom stations switching to the "Alt" branding that would later include KITS in San Francisco (which flipped to adult hits, later returned back to alternative as "Live 105" once again) and WQMP in Orlando (which would rebrand, and has since changed formats), KRBZ in Kansas City, KXTE in Las Vegas (which was sold to Beasley Broadcast Group in 2022, and flipped to a hybrid hot talk/alternative format), KBZT in San Diego, and KKDO in Sacramento, along with many others.
After KVIL retooled its AC format to Hot AC-leaning fare in May 2013, the Christmas music was ultimately passed to sister classic hits station KLUV, while "Rise" continued to broadcast throughout the holiday season.
On October 7, 2015, KVIL-HD2 jettisoned its Christian rock format and flipped to smooth jazz as "The Oasis 103.7 HD2", which was relocated from sister station KMVK's HD2 channel.
On January 11, 2024, Audacy has ceased operations of "The Oasis" and moved its in-house LGBTQ+ talk and EDM-formatted network "Channel Q" programming from KVIL-HD3 to 103.7 HD2.
