Now it can be told. When you tune into the new KXT, Gini Mascorro and Joe Kozera will be your hosts.
Gini is the station’s music coordinator. She’ll also host the weekday KXT Morning Show and KXT Texas Mix on Fridays. If you’re an Art&Seek fan, you’ll recognize Gini’s voice, and her editorial guidance, on the daily Art&Seek calendar that airs on KERA radio. She’s also been the station’s midday announcer. And you’ve heard her filling in for Paul Slavens on 90.1 at Night. You might also remember her fab Christmas music program last year.
We’ll miss Gini’s presence with Art&Seek, but she won’t be far away. And I’m excited that she’ll get to share the deep musical knowledge with a much bigger audience.
So what about the afternoon? That’s when Joe Kozera will host KXT Afternoon and KXT Evening shows. In addition to keeping us free of engineering issues here at the station, Joe is also a talented musician and songwriter, and a DJ. (He’s worked at KBOC in Bridgeport, and QXFM in Weatherford.) Like Gini, he too has filled in for Slavens on 90.1 at Night.
And how are we kicking off the launch of KXT? With a bunch of in-studio interviews and performances from local and national artists, including:
Jason Isbell (formerly of the Drive-by Truckers, now fronting his own band, 400 Unit)
Want to know more? Check out the station’s new Web site.
The press release follows:
KXT 91.7 FM Begins Broadcasting November 9
KXT Hosts and Special Performances Announced
(DALLAS/FORT WORTH) – North Texas Public Broadcasting (KERA) is getting ready to launch its new public radio music station, KXT 91.7 FM, which will begin broadcasting on Monday, November 9 at 7:00 a.m.
“It’s been a busy past few months,” said Jeff Ramirez, VP of Radio. “We have selected the KXT hosts and further developed the playlists for the locally hosted programming that will be heard on the new station each week. Right now we are completing a retrofit of an existing studio to accommodate the new station. Soon we will begin sound quality testing and adjustments on 91.7 FM to make sure that the broadcast audio is balanced in time for launch day.”
Ramirez announced that Gini Mascorro and Joe Kozera are the on-air hosts for KXT’s own music programs.
Gini Mascorro is the new station’s music coordinator, and the host for the weekday KXT Morning Show and KXT Texas Mix on Fridays. Listeners to KXT’s sister station, KERA FM, know Gini as the longtime midday announcer and host of the daily arts and cultural segments. On numerous occasions, she has also hosted 90.1 at Night, the Sunday evening music show on KERA FM.
“I’ve been plugged in constantly listening to great new music and re-discovering musical gems,” says Mascorro. “There is a good buzz and anticipation for KXT. It’s a very exciting time.”
Joe Kozera is the host for the weekday KXT Afternoon and KXT Evening shows. Joe writes and records original music. He has worked as a DJ at KBOC in Bridgeport, Texas, and was host of a Sunday morning show for Weatherford’s 89.5 QXFM. “There won’t be anything like KXT on the air in North Texas. I especially look forward to playing new music and introducing talented artists from our area.”
KXT’s own shows will have in-studio interviews and performances. The lineup for November includes:
• Sarah Jaffe;
• The O’s—John Pedigo and Taylor Young—from Dallas;
• Denton singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Andrew Tinker;
• Singer and songwriter Danny Balis from Dallas; and
• Jason Isbell, from the Muscle Shoals area in Alabama, and his band, The 400 Unit.
The station’s Web site, kxt.org, is now live so that visitors can join the countdown to the new station’s broadcast date, see the complete program schedule, sign up for station email alerts, and read about and hear audio from show hosts. The Web site also features the special in-studio performance lineup which will expand as performance dates are confirmed.
With the station’s launch on November 9, kxt.org will have playlists, live streaming, podcasts, program features, video, and links to the new station’s Facebook and Twitter pages among other features.
In September, the national public radio music programs selected for KXT were announced. They are: Acoustic Café, American Routes, Mountain Stage, Putumayo Music Hour, Sound Opinions, The Thistle & Shamrock, UnderCurrents and World Café.
90.1 at Night with host Paul Slavens on KERA FM will move to KXT and be renamed The Paul Slavens Show.
KXT is working with programming consultant Mike Henry, CEO of Paragon Media Strategies. Henry has previously consulted for many successful Triple A stations nationally, including KFOG/San Francisco, WXRT/Chicago, WRXP/New York and “The Current” (KCMP) in Minneapolis/St. Paul.
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About KERA/KXT
KERA (North Texas Public Broadcasting) is a not-for-profit public broadcasting organization that serves the people of North Texas. The station broadcasts to the 4th largest populated area in the United States. KERA produces original multimedia content, carries the best in national and international public television and radio programs, and provides online resources at www.kera.org. The station’s extensive coverage of the arts can be found at www.artandseek.org. KERA TV broadcasts on channel 13.1 and KERA WORLD on 13.2. KERA FM broadcasts on 90.1 in Dallas/Fort Worth/Denton, 88.3 in Wichita Falls, 100.1 in Tyler and 99.2 Sherman. On November 9, 2009, KERA’s new public radio music station at 91.7 FM will join the airwaves. Mary Anne Alhadeff is President & CEO of KERA/KXT.
KERA’s Mission
The mission of KERA is to serve the citizens of North Texas by excelling in production, presentation and distribution of public television and radio programming, and other multimedia resources and activities that educate, inspire, enrich, inform and entertain.
History
KERA was founded by local leaders in 1957 based on core public service and education principles much like those subsequently reflected in the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967 that founded a national public broadcasting service:
• Public broadcasting is fundamentally a local institution, rooted in the social, educational and cultural fabric of hundreds of communities across the country.
• The programs and services of public broadcasting must be available to all Americans, regardless of their location or ability to pay.
• Lifelong education is the founding goal of public broadcasting and must be preserved.
• The noncommercial character of public broadcasting, as well as its editorial integrity and independence, are critical to its public service mission.
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