UT Finalizes $6M Purchase of 98.9 KXBT-FM Austin

The University of Texas on Friday completed its acquisition of Austin radio station 98.9 KXBT-FM.

Is No More

The American-Statesman reports the station, which had played oldies tunes since 2009, was purchased from Dallas-based Border Media for $6 million in a deal first announced this summer.

UT plans to change the station’s call letters to KUTX-FM and, on Jan. 2, will roll out a commercial-free, round-the-clock music format. That same day, UT-run National Public Radio affiliate 90.5 KUT-FM will become an all-news station.

KUT-FM currently runs a 50-50 mix of news and music programming.

UT’s takeover of KXBT-FM happened at 2 p.m. Friday. The last song played under Border Media’s ownership was Don McLean’s “American Pie.”

Until the university is ready to launch KUTX-FM, the station will play an assortment of Austin-centric Christmas music, becoming the third Austin radio station currently broadcasting holiday tunes. (The others are 95.5 KKMJ-FM and 105.9 KFMK-FM.) Its first song was an Elvis Presley rendition of “Here Comes Santa Claus.”

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