If you’ve spent any time stuck in MoPac traffic or grabbing a breakfast taco on Burnet Road over the last decade, you probably had a specific button on your car radio preset for Austin 104.9 The Horn. It was the heartbeat of University of Texas sports. It was the place where you went to scream about a missed tackle or celebrate a Red River Rivalry win. But honestly, if you tune into 104.9 FM today, things sound a lot different.
The station isn't gone, but it’s definitely not where it used to be.
Radio is a fickle business. One day you're the official flagship for the Texas Longhorns, and the next, a corporate frequency swap moves your favorite hosts to a different spot on the dial. That's exactly what happened with Austin 104.9 The Horn, sparking a lot of confusion for casual listeners who just wanted to hear Bucky Godbolt’s latest take on the offensive line.
What Actually Happened to the 104.9 Frequency?
Basically, the "Horn" brand moved. In mid-2023, Genuine Austin Radio made some major structural changes. They didn't kill the station, but they shifted the sports talk format off the 104.9 FM and 1260 AM signals. If you flip to 104.9 now, you’re likely hearing "The Patriot," which is a conservative talk format.
It was a business move. Pure and simple.
The Horn’s content—the actual sports talk we all care about—migrated. It moved primarily to 101.9 FM and 1530 AM (KTAE). For a while, it was a bit of a scavenger hunt for listeners. You’d see people on Reddit or X (formerly Twitter) asking, "Wait, where did Trey and Bucky go?" The brand is now technically "The Horn Austin," and while the 104.9 frequency is the one burned into everyone's brain, the digital and secondary FM signals are where the life is now.
The Longhorn Legacy and the Power of Local Voices
You can't talk about Austin 104.9 The Horn without talking about the University of Texas. For years, this was the home of the Longhorns. When Colt McCoy was slinging it or when the program was wandering through the "strong" years of uncertainty, The Horn was the campfire we all gathered around.
Local sports radio in Austin is different than in Dallas or Houston. It’s more intimate. You’ve got guys like Bucky Godbolt, who isn't just a talking head; he’s a Longhorn legend. He played there. He lived it. When he talks about the culture in the locker room, he’s not guessing. He knows. That kind of E-E-A-T (Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness) is why people followed the station even when the frequency changed.
Then you had the mid-day and afternoon staples. The Hard Edge with Rod Babers and Light the Tower. These weren't just guys reading stats off a teleprompter. They were local fixtures.
The Digital Pivot: Why FM Matters Less in 2026
Radio isn't just about a tower in a field anymore. Honestly, most people under 40 are streaming their sports talk anyway. The move away from a primary 100,000-watt FM signal like 104.9 was a gamble, but it reflected a shift in how Austin consumes media.
The Horn leaned heavily into their app and their web stream. They realized that if the content is good enough, people will find it. Whether it's on 104.9, 101.9, or a podcast feed, the "Austin 104.9 The Horn" identity remains the search term because that’s the legacy brand.
But let’s be real: losing a prime FM spot hurts visibility. If you’re a tourist driving into town for a game at DKR, you’re scanning the dial. You might miss the new home of the Longhorns if you're looking for the old 104.9 spot. That’s the challenge the station faces today—maintaining that "official" feel while being scattered across smaller signals and digital platforms.
Who are the players now?
The lineup has seen some shakeups, but the core vibe remains.
- Bucky Godbolt: The grandfather of Austin sports radio. Still the gold standard for Longhorn insights.
- Trey Elling: A pro's pro who keeps the ship moving.
- The Producers: These are the unsung heroes who keep the "Horn" sound consistent across different apps and frequencies.
The Competition: It's a Crowded Market
Austin isn't a one-station town anymore. You’ve got 1300 The Zone (KVET), which has its own deep ties to the community and massive corporate backing from iHeartMedia. For a long time, the battle between Austin 104.9 The Horn and 1300 The Zone was the local version of the Red River Showdown.
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The Zone often carried the national ESPN feed, while The Horn doubled down on being "Local. Longhorn. Loyal." That slogan wasn't just marketing fluff; it was a survival strategy. By focusing on Westlake high school football, Round Rock Express baseball, and niche UT sports that the big national stations ignored, The Horn carved out a space that felt like Austin.
What Listeners Get Wrong About the "Missing" Station
I hear it all the time: "The Horn went off the air."
Nope. It didn't. It just shifted.
The confusion stems from the fact that the 104.9 signal was so strong for so long. When a station changes its "calls" or its format, the FCC records update, but the human brain takes longer to adjust. If you want to hear the latest on Steve Sarkisian’s recruiting class or how the Texas secondary is looking, you just have to look a little further down the dial or—more likely—just download the Horn app.
It’s also worth noting that the station isn't just about football. They’ve covered the rise of Austin FC with a level of intensity that caught some traditionalists off guard. But that’s Austin. We’re a soccer town now, too, and The Horn was quick to pivot to the Verde and Black.
Technical Details You Probably Don't Care About (But Should)
The frequency 104.9 FM is actually KAMA-FM. It’s owned by Waterloo Media. When the "Horn" branding moved, it was part of a larger shuffle involving several stations in the Austin cluster, including 93.7 KLBJ and 101.5 KROX.
Basically, the owners decided that the 104.9 signal was better suited for a different demographic. This happens in radio all the time. It’s like a game of musical chairs, but the chairs are worth millions of dollars in advertising revenue.
Why Local Sports Radio Still Matters in the Age of Podcasts
You might ask why anyone bothers with a radio station when you can just listen to a Longhorn podcast.
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It’s the "live" factor.
When a recruit commits at 2:00 PM on a Tuesday, you don't want to wait for a podcast to drop on Wednesday morning. You want to hear the reaction now. You want to call in and vent. You want to hear the local guys who were at the press conference. Austin 104.9 The Horn—in all its iterations—provides that immediate feedback loop that a pre-recorded podcast just can’t touch.
There is a specific energy to "Live and Local" that defines Austin media. Even as the city grows and tech giants move in, there's a desire for the "Old Austin" feel. The Horn, despite its frequency moves, still carries a bit of that old-school Austin swagger.
Actionable Steps for the Displaced Listener
If you’re still looking for your sports fix and the 104.9 dial is giving you political talk instead of pigskin talk, here is what you do:
1. Re-scan for 101.9 FM. This is the primary FM home for the sports content you’re used to hearing. It doesn't have the same reach in certain parts of the Hill Country, but it’s the main spot.
2. Check 1530 AM (KTAE). If you’re a fan of the old-school AM radio sound (or you're driving an older truck), this is a solid backup.
3. Download the Horn App. Honestly, this is the easiest way. It circumvents the whole signal issue entirely. You can stream it via Bluetooth in your car, and the audio quality is usually better than the over-the-air broadcast anyway.
4. Follow the hosts on Social Media. If there is another frequency swap—and in the world of Austin radio, there probably will be—the hosts like Bucky and Trey are going to be the first ones to tell you where to go.
The landscape of Austin media is shifting fast. While 104.9 might not be "The Horn" anymore, the spirit of the station is still very much alive in the city. You just have to know where to point your antenna.
Next Steps for Longhorn Fans
- Update your vehicle’s radio presets to 101.9 FM to ensure you don't miss the next kickoff.
- Check the official Horn Austin website for the most current daily show schedule, as lineups often shift during the transition from football to baseball season.
- If you are outside the immediate Austin metro area, subscribe to the station's podcast feed on Spotify or Apple Podcasts to catch missed segments of The Hard Edge or Light the Tower.