KMNV
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| KMNV-AM | |
| Broadcast area | Minneapolis-St. Paul |
|---|---|
| Branding | "La Invasora" |
| Frequency | 1400 (kHz) |
| First air date | 1936 |
| Format | Mexican music |
| ERP | 1,000 watts |
| Class | C |
| Owner | Davidson Media Group |
| Website | www.lainvasora1400.com |
KMNV (1400 AM) is a radio station in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota that airs a Spanish-language music and entertainment format.
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[edit] History
The station began as WMIN in the summer of 1936, when Saint Paul furniture retailer Edward Hoffman began broadcasting at 1370 kHz. WMIN was reassigned to the 1400 kHz frequency in 1941 when an international treaty was negotiated to reduce interference between American radio stations and those from other regions. Noted jazz announcer Leigh Kamman started his career in broadcasting at the station around this time.
[edit] Moving into FM, TV
WMIN set up a sister station, WMIN-FM at 99.5 MHz in 1945, which operated until being purchased by the owners of AM station WLOL and given those call letters in 1956. WMIN would eventually find another sister station, at 102.1 FM.
In addition to FM, WMIN went into television as well, applying for a television license in 1952 for channel 11. WTCN radio had also applied for this frequency, so the stations arranged to divide the broadcast day between the two stations. The stations soon merged as WTCN, which eventually became today's KARE.
In 1954, the call sign for 1400 AM briefly changed to WMNS, reflecting a change to a full service format of music, news and sports. The format remained, but the station returned to being WMIN later that year. As WDGY, WLOL and KDWB enjoyed success playing Top 40 music in the late 1950s, WMIN joined the fray.
In July 1962, WMIN adopted an all-news format, adopting the KWTN call letters the following November. They were changed back to WMIN the following August. In 1967, after dabbling with country music for the past three years, they took on the format full time.
The station changed their call sign again in 1972 to KEEY, to match that of their FM sister station, and installed a soft rock format separate of the FM, which aired beautiful music.
[edit] KLBB
In 1982, the two stations were split up as KEEY-FM became the sister station of WDGY and the AM station struck out on its own. The call letters were changed to KLBB in February 1982, with a staff consisting of many former employees of WCCO Radio. They aired a full-service format consisting of talk, big band and MOR music.
Cargill Communications purchased KLBB in 1993, along with KBCW (1470 AM) and WTCX-FM (105.1 FM) for the basis of a proposed alternative rock station, soon to become known as "REV105". The new owners were uncomfortable with dropping the much-loved MOR format of KLBB, so they kept it, updated the music, imaging, promotion and logo of the station, and simulcast KLBB's programming on 1470, now assigned the WLOL call letters.
[edit] Sale to MPR
KLBB, along with WLOL, eventually separated once again from their FM sisters. James and Susan Cargill, who had also acquired a third FM station at 105.7, sold all three of the FM stations that made up REV105 to ABC Radio, owners of KQRS and KEGE. In 1999, the Cargills donated both KLBB and WLOL (soon to be renamed KLBP) to Minnesota Public Radio, where the two frequencies became part of the for-profit Minnesota News Network (MNN).
In 2004, MPR sold off MNN and the statewide network's flagship AM station, WMNN, but retained KLBB and KLBP for the time being. By now, the "Club 14" simulcast was carrying a mix of local personalities and the "Music Of Your Life" radio network. The two stations were operated as The KLBB Company, a for-profit subsidiary of the Greenspring Company, which, like MPR, were under the umbrella of the American Public Media Group.
[edit] KLBB sold again, becomes KMNV
MPR announced on May 25, 2005 that it had reached an agreement to sell both KLBB and KLBP to Davidson Media Group, a New York-based broadcaster specializing in multi-cultural, community focused formats. Thereafter, KLBB acquired a Spanish-language format, while the format on KLBP remained MOR until July 17, 2006, when it switched to a gospel music format with the KZTG (later KRJJ) call letters. The sale of both stations was approved by the FCC on July 25, 2005, with Davidson taking control on September 7.
KLBB finally transitioned to its long-promised Spanish-language format on November 4, 2005, leaving the Adult Standards/Big Band format on sister station KLBP and bringing to an end the long-time Club 14 simulcast. The KMNV call letters were introduced to AM 1400 on December 16, 2005, just months after its switch to Regional Mexican, while the KLBB call letters moved to sister station AM 1470.
[edit] Whereabouts of former call letters
Following 1470's switch to gospel music, the KLBB call letters and much of its programming were picked up by Stillwater-based WMGT (1220 AM) on July 25, 2006.
The former WMIN call sign was located for many years at 1030 AM, and is currently being used by 740 AM in the Twin Cities. KEEY-FM continues with those call letters at 102.1 FM, with a country format.
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- Nicole Garrison-Sprenger (May 25, 2005). MPR to sell KLBB, KLBP. The Business Journal (Minneapolis-St. Paul edition).
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