Galveston Broadcasting Company Signs On KGBC The
U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) granted a
construction permit in August 1946 for a new station to broadcast on 1540
kilohertz and serve the community of
Galveston, Texas. The station began broadcasting under
program test authority on February 1, 1947, and received its original
broadcast license in May 1947. Chosen to represent original owner James W. Bradner's Galveston Broadcasting Company, the "KGBC"
call sign was assigned by the FCC. After spending all of 2009 as a "live and local" broadcaster, the station began leasing all of its airtime, starting January 1, 2010. In May 2016, KGBC flipped to a
business news format with programming provided by the BizTalkRadio network. In October 2017, 1540 imaging was changed to "KGBC Radio" omitting mention of either the AM or FM dial position altogether. In February 2018, KGBC began simulcasting
KLVL fulltime in order to expand the Synergy Radio Network onto the Island and surrounding coastal communities. This proved to be short lived as Siga leased out KGBC and K269GS in April, which both began to air
Tejano, branded as
Puro Tejano 101.7 FM & 1540 AM. In July 2024, KGBC began airing Spanish CHR, becoming the main signal for K287BQ 105.3 in Houston, Texas. In February 2025, KGBC flipped to a simulcast of
KSEV 700 in
Tomball, Texas, which airs brokered
conservative talk. KGBC's Texas
sister stations with SIGA Broadcasting include
KTMR (1130 AM,
Converse),
KLVL (1480 AM,
Pasadena),
KAML (990 AM,
Kenedy-
Karnes City),
KHFX (1140 AM,
Cleburne), and
KFJZ (870 AM,
Fort Worth). ==References==