KMVX (101.9 FM, "Mix 101.9") is an American radio station licensed to Monroe, Louisiana, United States. The station, established in 1967, is currently owned by The Radio People and the broadcast license is held by Holladay Broadcasting of Louisiana, LLC.[2] Studios are located in Monroe, and its transmitter is located in rural Caldwell Parish, Louisiana.
The station, under the KNOE-FM call sign, was founded in 1966 by former Governor of LouisianaJames A. Noe.[4][5] Noe had earlier started Monroe AM radio station KNOE in 1944 and Monroe TV station KNOE-TV in 1953.[4][6][7] In 1936, he also acquired an AM radio station in New Orleans which he renamed WNOE and in 1968 started New Orleans FM radio station WNOE-FM.[1][4]
Noe's son, James Albert "Jimmie" Noe Jr., ran KNOE-FM along with its AM and TV sister stations for almost four decades.[8] When Jimmie Noe died from cancer in 2005, the remaining family members agreed to place the stations up for sale and exit broadcasting.[6] In October 2007, the Noe family reached an agreement to sell this station to Clay Holladay's Radio Monroe, LLC., for a reported $900,000.[9] The deal was approved by the FCC on May 1, 2008, and the transaction was consummated on May 13, 2008.[10]
On March 3, 2013 KNOE-FM changed its format from CHR to urban adult contemporary, branded as "Mix 101.9".[11] The call letters were changed to KMVX on March 21, 2013.[12]
Tower collapse
On March 21, 1997, KNOE-FM suffered a catastrophic collapse of its broadcast tower.[13] The 1,989 foot (606.25 m) tower, roughly 545 feet (166 m) taller than Chicago's Sears Tower, collapsed as a result of a maintenance crew's failure to install a temporary support structure during the replacement of diagonal braces.[14] Of the three workers on the tower at the time of the collapse, one was killed, one fell into a satellite dish about 12 feet (3.7 m) above the ground, and one was thrown clear and walked away basically unharmed.[13] The workers were together about 200 feet (61 m) up the tower when it collapsed.[14] The tower, whose primary tenant was then-sister stationKNOE-TV, was also used by Louisiana Public Broadcasting.[15] After operating from temporary facilities for more than a year, KNOE-FM's permanent replacement tower was ready for use in June 1998 and licensed for operation by the FCC on September 15, 1998.[16]
Star 101.9
KNOE-FM's logo as "Star 101.9," used until March 3, 2013
Star 101.9 as KNOE-FM with Top-40 Hit's
References
^ ab"Directory of Radio Stations in the United States and Canada". Broadcasting Yearbook 1979. Washington, D.C.: Broadcasting Publications, Inc. 1979. p. C-94.
^ abcDay, Ralph Edward (1970). A History of Radio Station KNOE, Monroe, Louisiana, with Emphasis on Personnel, Programming and Audience, and Facilities, 1944-1969. Day Press.
^"Directory of AM and FM Radio stations in the U.S.". 1968 Broadcasting Yearbook. Washington, D.C.: Broadcasting Publications, Inc. 1968. p. B-72.
^"Waves of War". Making Waves: Louisiana's Radio Story. Louisiana Public Broadcasting. 2005. Retrieved March 23, 2009. Begun by former Governor James Albert Noe, the station's call letters incorporated the politician's last name.
^"Monroe TV, radio stations owner James Noe, 77, dies". The Baton Rouge Advocate. July 12, 2005. Jimmie Noe, as he was known, spent nearly four decades running the stations founded by his father, former Louisiana Gov. James A. Noe.
