1995

The summer of 1989 saw the very quiet debut of DFW's first alternative radio station.  With music that, for whatever reasons, failed to make the playlists of top 40 or rock stations - or otherwise just didn't fit in to any neat category - the handful of alternative stations that were on the air across the U.S. in the late eighties often sounded more like college radio than commercial entities.  KDGE (The Edge) was very much an underground phenomenon in its first few years, but things were changing.  The grunge explosion of the early nineties that helped fuel alternative's audience likewise propelled The Edge's ratings into territory where it was once thought impossible.  The 4.6 share in the Spring of 1995 was the highest share ever recorded on the 94.5 frequency.  What is most remarkable with this achievement is the fact that the 94.5 signal was (and still is) a rimshot, with its tower located over sixty miles north of Dallas and Fort Worth .  Even with alternative's popularity, The Edge only managed two top ten finishes during its time on the 94.5 frequency.

KJMZ (Jamz), the station which had given long-time urban leader KKDA-FM (K104) such a run for its money in the early nineties, threw in the towel in September going after a more adult crowd as KRBV (V100).  V100's initial debut in the fall was far beyond what anyone was expecting and gave the station a top five finish in its first ratings sweep.

©2002 Arbitron Inc. 

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