About Us

KHVN is an AM urban contemporary gospel radio station that serves the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex. The station has had its gospel format since 1985, and is proudly owned and operated by Mortenson Broadcasting. It is the sister station to daytimer KGGR. The station is licensed in Fort Worth, Texas.

KHVN has a rich history starting out as “Daytime Only” broadcast facility KWBC in 1946 with a Variety/Ethnic format that comprised mostly local, amateur, and public service programming under the ownership of Associated Broadcasters. In 1950, J. Dean McClain joined the station with his hour-long “Blues at Sunrise” program. By the late 1950s McClain was program director, and later was station manager and general manager.

By 1953, most commercial billings were from ethnic shows, so their owners reimaged the station as KNOK to serve an African American audience. By 1954, KNOK changed the format to R&B with Country and Spanish language programming on weekends. After 1957, KNOK became a full time R&B station and was the first station in the DFW area to exclusively do so. From that time period to 1979, it simulcasted to its FM sister station of the same callsign.

In 1979, KNOK transferred its R&B format to KNOK-FM and changed its format to Jazz. Three years later, the station was renamed as KSAX (call sign to have stood for SAXophone) while maintaining its Jazz format before making its final switch to a Black Gospel formatted station as KHVN in 1985 under the leadership of the legendary Joe Bagby. Currently the rich legacy of KHVN continues under the Director of Operations, Carmina Barnett.

In 2011, KHVN won its first ever Stellar Award for Major Market Radio Station of the Year.

Today, KHVN is one of the most unique radio formats available in the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex with its contemporary gospel format. In addition to serving the community with a popular gospel music format, KHVN also provides broadcast facilities for leading community ministries and community news and information.

KHVN is the station can be heard at 970 on the AM band and worldwide via streaming.

Dallas/Fort Worth’s Only 24 Hour Gospel Music Station