Misplaced Pages

KBON

Mamou, Louisiana
Broadcast area	Lafayette metropolitan area, Alexandria
Frequency	101.1 MHz
Branding	KBON 101.1 FM
Programming
Format	Americana
Ownership
Owner	Rose Ann Marx
History
Former call signs	KAHK (never aired, 1994-1997)
Call sign meaning	BON temps (Good times in French)
Technical information
Licensing authority	FCC
Facility ID	60867
Class	C3
ERP	25,000 watts
HAAT	100 meters (330 ft)
Transmitter coordinates	30°29′50.00″N 92°15′59.00″W / 30.4972222°N 92.2663889°W / 30.4972222; -92.2663889
Links
Public license information	Public file LMS
Website	kbon.com

KBON (101.1 FM) is an American radio station broadcasting an Americana format, deeply rooted in the music of south Louisiana, including swamp pop, zydeco, and cajun-French music mixed in with some traditional oldies, country-western, and R&B music. Licensed to Mamou, Louisiana, the station serves rural portions of both the Lafayette and Alexandria radio markets. Its studios are located in downtown Eunice, Louisiana.

History

KBON went on the air in late 1997, the brainchild of Paul Marx, a DJ and nightclub owner from Crowley, Louisiana. Marx wanted a mix of music that resembled what he played at DJ gigs — a core of Louisiana music like Cajun, zydeco, and swamp pop, with sides of country, blues, soul, and R&B. Station DJs also broadcast in a mix of English and Cajun French.

Online streaming introduced KBON to a worldwide audience. In 2003, a reporter for The Washington Post wrote about a pilgrimage he made to its Eunice studios:

Wow. This was no test-marketed format. This was no committee-scripted patter beamed by satellite from corporate HQ and squeezed between certified safe hits. This was...radio. From a real place. With real people doing the talking, who clearly knew the people doing the listening.

KBON was originally assigned the calls KAHK-FM as a construction permit in 1994, but changed to KBON shortly before signing on. Paul Marx died in 2019 at age 71.

History of call letters

The call letters KBON previously were assigned to an AM station in Omaha, Nebraska. It began broadcasting March 1, 1941, on 1400 kHz with 250 W power (full-time).

References

1. "Facility Technical Data for KBON". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
2. ^ Fuselier, Herman (June 1, 2017). "KBON celebrates 20 years of breaking the rules". The Daily Advertiser. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
3. Hendrix, Steve (23 September 2003). "Sounds like...Cajun Country". NBC News. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
4. "KBON Call Sign History". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
5. Lakin, Matthew (March 25, 2019). "Cajun KBON music founder dies after brief illness". The Daily Advertiser. Retrieved 15 December 2024.
6. "KBON Goes MBS March 1" (PDF). Billboard. February 28, 1942. Retrieved 8 February 2015.

External links

• Facility details for Facility ID 60867 (KBON) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
• KBON in Nielsen Audio's FM station database

This article about a radio station in Louisiana is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it.

• v
• t
• e

• French-American culture in Louisiana
• Radio stations in Louisiana
• Eunice, Louisiana
• 1997 establishments in Louisiana
• Music of Louisiana
• Radio stations established in 1997
• Louisiana radio station stubs