KSL (radio)

KSL NewsRadio is a radio programming service based in Salt Lake City, Utah. It is broadcast simultaneously on AM station KSL (1160 kHz at 50,000 watts) and FM station KSL-FM (102.7 MHz, Midvale). Both stations are part of the KSL Broadcasting Division and owned by Deseret Management Corporation, which is in turn owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). KSL's AM signal reaches most of the western US at night, as well as some areas in western Canada.

History

KSL is Utah's oldest radio station and was originally designated with the call letters KZN. KSL/KZN began life as the radio arm of the Deseret News, a Salt Lake City newspaper also owned by the LDS Church. The station's first broadcast aired on May 6, 1922 in the form of a talk by then-LDS Church president Heber J. Grant.^[1] Earl J. Glade (later a four-term mayor of Salt Lake City) joined the station in 1925 and guided KSL's operations for the next fourteen years. Under Glade, John F. Fitzpatrick, publisher of the The Salt Lake Tribune (owned by the Kearns Corporation) acquired a quarter interest of KSL for a modest price. This was the Tribune's first business partnership with the LDS Church, though the Church later acquired full interest in the station.^[2]

In 1924, it changed its call letters to KFPT for one year and then adopted its current call letters in 1925 after they became available (until that time they had been used by a radio station in Alaska). A series of power boosts over the next decade brought the station to its current 50,000 watts (daytime broadcast power) in 1932. It spent time at several frequencies over the years before settling at 1160 kHz in 1941. Currently, KSL's AM signal can be heard across nearly all of Utah during the day, and in much of the western part of North America at night.

The station's owners made their initial foray into FM broadcasting in 1947 when they brought the original KSL-FM (now KSFI) onto the then very sparsely populated FM dial at 100.3 Mc/s. The FM station format was beautiful music, a contrast to the then-current KSL format of news and commentary interspersed with adult contemporary music. The FM station was sold to a private owner in the mid-1970s due to FCC regulations on station ownership (which have since been greatly relaxed). The station, now known as KSFI "FM 100", was reacquired by Bonneville Communications in 2003 along with the stations KRSP-FM "Arrow 103.5" (Classic Rock format) and KQMB-FM "Star 102.7" (Hot Adult Contemporary format.)

On September 3, 2005, KSL began simulcasting on 102.7 MHz FM, replacing KQMB (STAR 102.7). Bonneville says this was done to make it easier for people to listen to the station inside office buildings (assuming the FM signal could more easily penetrate such structures), and because STAR 102.7 had been losing market share since the first of the year. (citation needed)

Soon after becoming a clear-channel station, KSL joined the CBS Radio Network. It remained with CBS until 2005, when it switched to ABC.

KSL's station owners made their entrance to the field of television broadcasting when they launched KSL-TV (channel 5) in Salt Lake City in 1949. The TV station was also affiliated with the television arm of the Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS). KSL-TV switched network affiliation to NBC in 1995.

KSL's most famous program – Music and the Spoken Word with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir (the oldest series in nationwide network broadcasting) – continues to be distributed by CBS Radio to this day. It airs each Sunday at 9:30 a.m. local time (11:30 a.m on the East Coast). It is also broadcast on television on KSL-TV (to the local market) and worldwide on BYU Television (and on the Hallmark Channel until December 27, 2009 when it was dropped in favor of more secular, classic TV programming.)

Another notable program was Herb Jepko's Nitecaps, which began in the 1960s and was one of the first U.S. radio stations to be syndicated nationally.

In the mid-1980s KSL adopted an all-talk format, completely dropping its broadcast of music (except for the Tabernacle Choir broadcast).

KSL is also well-known as the home of Brigham Young University football and men's basketball game broadcasts. Greg Wrubell, "the voice of the Cougars," narrates the games for the BYU Cougars Sports Network. He is known to get very excited during games. [1]

KSL radio is streamed live on the internet [2] and to mobile devices so its audience is now truly worldwide.

HD radio

KSL AM and FM both broadcast in HD Radio. KSL-AM 1160 only has the one channel, which broadcasts the main signal. However, KSL-FM has had a variety of formats, ranging from traffic and weather to Bonneville's own 'iChannel' independent rock format. Currently, the HD2 signal is now the flagship station for 'The Mormon Channel'.

Programming Schedule

Regular Monday-Friday Schedule

Once a month during non-election cycles (usually on the last Thursday of the month at 6:00p), the Governor of the State of Utah joins KSL for "Let Me Speak to the Governor" where he takes calls from constituents and answers their questions. Because KSL is home of the BYU Cougars, programming is also regularly preempted for BYU football and BYU men's basketball game broadcasts as well as weekly coaches' shows during each sports season.

Twice a year, KSL broadcasts four of the five sessions of the Worldwide General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (which owns the station). Sessions air live on the first Saturday and Sunday of the months of April and October from 10:00am to Noon and from 2:00pm to 4:00.

Regular Saturday Programming

Regular Sunday Programming

Personalities

HOSTS

• Grant Nielsen & Amanda Dixon, "Utah's Morning News"
• Doug Wright, "The Doug Wright Show"
• Doug Wright, Steve Sales & Michael Reagan, "The Movie Show", "The Movie Show Matinee"
• Tim Hughes, "Utah's Noon News"
• Jay Mcfarland & Amy Iverson, "The Browser"
• Scott Seeger & Maria Shilaos, "Utah's Afternoon News"
• Ethan Millard & Alex Kirry "The Nightside Project"
• Greg Wrubell, "The Bronco Mendenhall Show", "The Dave Rose Show", "Cougar Tracks", BYU football & men's basketball game broadcasts

REPORTERS/ANCHORS

• Andrew Adams
• Don Brinkerhoff
• Becky Bruce (Executive Producer, "Utah's Morning News" with Grant & Amanda)
• Roger Carey
• Andy Farnsworth (Drive-time Traffic 6-9a, 3-7p)
• Mark Giauque (Executive Producer, "Utah's Noon News")
• David Hagan
• Jill Hansen
• Nkoyo Iyamba
• Randall Jeppesen
• Brian Martin (Executive Producer, "Utah's Afternoon News" with Scott & Maria)
• Rachael McAllister
• Rikki Meece (Traffic 5a-1p)
• Charles Moran (Traffic 1p-7p)
• Paul Nelson
• Angie Reed
• Mary Richards
• Peter Samore
• Cleon Wall
• Sheryl Worsley (News Director)

See also

• KSL-TV
• List of Salt Lake City media

References

External links

• KSL NewsRadio
• Story about the new FM signal
• KSL's tower along with other signals in the area
• Query the FCC's AM station database for KSL
• Radio-Locator Information on KSL
• Query Arbitron's AM station database for KSL
• Query the FCC's FM station database for KSL-FM
• Radio-Locator information on KSL
• Query Arbitron's FM station database for KSL