KHTS (AM)
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KHTS is an AM radio station in Santa Clarita, California, about 30 miles north of Los Angeles. It broadcasts at the frequency of 1220 khz, and is nicknamed Your Hometown Station. The broadcast day consists of a combination of local talk shows and time-brokered programs.
Between 2001 and 2003, it simulcast KIIS-FM as KIIS-AM (which had previously belonged to a Los Angeles station which did the same thing back in the mid 1980s).
KHTS airs play-by-play coverage of six area high school football teams and the football program at the College of the Canyons. The station also carries live weekly concerts from a local Burger King restaurant.
The station has won numerous awards over the years, including Santa Clarita Valley Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year Award in 1995.
It is a former member of the Los Angeles Kings' radio network.
[edit] History
KHTS first debuted on the air in Canyon Country in July, 1989, under the call letters, KBET, “The Beat of Santa Clarita.” The station was founded by a local television engineer, Larry Bloomfield. Bloomfield teamed up with his CPA, Howard “Scott” Howard, who along with other investors, formed Canyon Broadcasters. After having difficulty turning KBET into a profitable enterprise, the company filed for bankruptcy in July, 1990, Carl Goldman & Jeri Seratti Goldman, took over operation of the station in July, 1990. They, along with several other investors, formed Saddleback Broadcasting, the parent company of KBET through 1998.
In January, 1994, KBET became the emergency outlet for the Santa Clarita Valley during the Northridge Earthquake. After the Interstate 5 and California State Route 14 Freeway interchange collapsed, the Santa Clarita Valley was sealed off from Los Angeles . The station provided around the clock news, traffic and emergency information for the many months it took for Santa Clarita to recover. The station also provided psychological comfort to our local residents, who could call in and express their feelings and concerns on the air and realize their fears were not unique or isolated. Needs such as diapers, portable heaters, water, etc., were instantly met as appeals were broadcast over the KBET airwaves and listeners would respond with assistance.
As the disruption of the earthquake settled down and the California State Route 14& Interstate 5 Freeway Interchange reopened in June, 1994, KBET evolved from a News/Talk format, into a Full Service Radio Station, blending in Adult Contemporary music, along with news, traffic, weather and sports. Many local features were also part of the programming.
In September, 1998, Saddleback Broadcasting sold KBET to Jacor Broadcasting. Jacor was purchased by Clear Channel Communications before the sale was finalized. KBET became KIIS-AM, weaving in a mixture of local programming, along with carrying Rick Dees in the morning and XTRA Sports throughout the remainder of the day. Sharon Bronson, who was the station’s sales manager under the Goldmans’ became the General Manager of KIIS-AM. Barry McKeever remained on-board to continue to head up the station’s local programming and sports.
Several years later, Clear Channel closed the offices located at Sierra Highway and Soledad in Santa Clarita and moved the operation up to the Antelope Valley, as part of the Clear Channel Lancaster/Palmdale cluster of stations. The station had difficulty maintaining a local identity, despite opening a small studio on Bouquet Canyon in Saugus.
In 2001, the station eliminated its local programming and became a simulcast for KIIS-FM.
During the years Clear Channel operated AM-1220, the Goldman’s remained residents of Santa Clarita and committed to the Valley. Their children attended local schools and they remained active with many local charities and organizations. They sensed a need for a local station, and approached Clear Channel to repurchase AM-1220. In October, 2003, the Goldman’s purchased AM-1220 from Clear Channel, under their personal corporation, Jeri Lyn Broadcasting. The station opened new studios at Soledad and Camp Plenty in Canyon Country (The transmitter site and towers remained at their original location on Sierra Highway, north of Vasquez Canyon in Canyon Country).
Today, KHTS is a vibrant appendage to the community. As Santa Clarita’s only local radio station, KHTS mixes in a combination of news, traffic, sports, along with your favorite adult contemporary hits by artists such as Elton John, Mariah Carey, Rod Stewart and Whitney Houston.
