overall in the area. Later that year, they were named the Country Music Radio Station of the Year by Billboard Magazine and Airplay Monitor. In spring 1995, KKBQ pulled ahead of local rival KILT-FM in the Arbitron ratings for the first time. That year, they were again named Country Station of the Year by Billboard Magazine, and their program director Dene Hallam was named program director of the year. The following year, the station was named Major Market Radio Station of the Year by the Country Music Association, beating out KILT. They repeated their win as Best Station of the Year at the Billboard/Airplay Monitor Radio Awards in 1997, again beating local rival KILT. In 2006, KKBQ was nominated for a Country Music Association Award for Station of the Year – Major Market. In 2013, KKBQ won the NAB's Marconi Award for Country Station of the Year. In 2014, the station picked up another Marconi from the NAB, being named Major Market Station of the Year. The station dropped the -FM suffix to its call sign and became the current KKBQ on April 21, 2016. Ownership changes Evergreen Media Corporation purchased KKBQ from the Pacific and Southern Company (a subsidiary of Gannett Corporation) in April 1997, as Gannett was divesting itself of all of its radio stations. At that time, Arbitron ranked KKBQ as the seventh most popular station in Houston. It was estimated that KKBQ was priced around $100 million, making it the single highest-priced radio station sold in Houston to that point. Shortly after the acquisition, Evergreen merged with Chancellor Broadcasting to become Chancellor Media Corporation. In October 1999, Clear Channel Communications purchased Chancellor (then known as AMFM, Inc.), thus gaining control of KKBQ. As part of a required divestiture to meet federal ownership regulations, Clear Channel sold KKBQ to Cox Radio in March 2000. Cox vowed to have KKBQ run fewer advertisements. Moniker history The New 93KBQ (1982–1983) 93FM KKBQ FM (1983–1985) Hot Hits 93Q (1985–1987) Hot 93Q (1987–1988) 93Q (1988–1991) Houston's Rock Hits 93Q (stunt) (August 1991-September 1991) 92.9 Easy Country (September 1991-September 1992) 93Q Country (September 1992 – 2000) Fresh Country Hits The New 93Q (2000–present) 52 Minutes of Q-Country Every Hour References Listen to the debut of KKBQ-FM from 1982! Listen to the KKBQ flip to Easy Country Top 40/KKBQ Legal ID from 1983 Country/KKBQ Legal ID from 2006 KKBQ-AM Legal ID from 1984