Local radio station KGNB-AM 1420 will soon announce it will abandon its current daytime and overnight sports format and dissolve its association with the Sporting News Radio Network.
Station general manager Mattson Rainer said the station, founded in 1950 and owned by New Braunfels Communications, Inc., will continue its emphasis on local news and sports, but accent it with a country music format during the times currently slotted for Sporting News programs.
Rainer said the move was necessary because of the listeners’ preference for local programming, and hopes they will embrace the new format, which is planned to debut sometime next month.
“We’re going to go with a country (music) format. Everything that’s currently local is going to stay local,” he said. “We just want to become more local during the hours that we’re not (doing) local (programming), which is Sporting News Radio.”
According to the station’s Web site, KGNB features weekly interviews with the Mayor of New Braunfels, city council members, county commissioners, and representatives from the Chamber of Commerce and TXDOT during its local programming, which airs from 6-9 a.m.; Noon-2 p.m. and 5-6 p.m. Sporting News programs air from 9 a.m.-noon; 2 p.m.-5 p.m.; 6-9 p.m. and during the overnight hours.
Rainer said the new format isn’t a radical exit from what the station currently features.
“It’s going to be classic country, from the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, and also a Texas-mixed blend,” he said. “The only hours that will change is during the Sporting News (slots), but we’re not doing anything else.”
The station is paired with KNBT-FM 92.1, which airs Americana and Texas country and swing music. Rainer said no changes are planned for KNBT’s format. Both stations have long aired New Braunfels, Canyon and Smithson Valley football games, and plan to continue doing so.
“We anticipate nothing changing with the last 25 years or so that we’ve done high school football,” Rainer said. “The feedback we keep getting is that being local is what it’s all about,” he said. “This is what we’re going to do.”
KGNB will continue broadcasting the Houston Astros baseball and Houston Texans football games, and Rainer said it will also air Texas A&M football and basketball games starting this fall.
“We'll keep doing the Astros baseball and the A&M football — all the games and sporting events we usually do,” he said.
Rainier said he hopes to make a formal announcement on the switch sometime next week.
“There are lots of things we need to work out,” he said. “We’re shooting for early July, but things can pop up that could delay it.”
Sports director Brant Freeman said he was offered to remain with the station but declined a full-time role. Freeman, who has been with the station since 2006, said he will still be an announcer for KGNB and KNBT high school football games this fall.
