KFNS (AM)

KFNS is an AM radio station in Wood River, Illinois, located at 590 kHz. KFNS's programming is targeted to the St. Louis metropolitan area with studios in Webster Groves, Missouri.

KFNS also broadcast on an FM radio station, known as KFNS-FM, based in Troy, Missouri and located at 100.7 MHz from 1999 until July 15, 2009. It was heard in Lincoln, St. Charles and Warren counties in eastern Missouri, with the same programming as its AM partner. Today, 100.7 FM still operates with the branding of "100.7 The Viper," with a classic rock format.

KFNS flipped to a talk/comedy format on May 1, 2013.^[1][2] As of 2014, the station broadcast a sports radio format, with the previous format airing on KXFN. Its investors include former St. Louis Rams offensive tackle Orlando Pace and former St. Louis Blues player Keith Tkachuk. The station has been subject to significant turmoil, including lawsuits against the ownership, physical fights behind the scenes and verbal attacks on-air, since 2013.^[3] On October 31, 2014, KFNS went off the air after the station stopped paying its bills.^[4]

Programming

KFNS is a guy talk radio station that goes by the name of The Man. KFNS previously aired St. Louis Steamers indoor soccer, University of Illinois football and men's basketball, the Gateway Grizzlies minor-league baseball team, selected Mizzou Tigers football and basketball games, along with the weekly "Tiger Talk" radio coaches show. In 2009, KFNS was the radio home for the Frontier League's River City Rascals baseball games. KFNS-FM was the radio home for the club in 2006, before losing out to KSLQ-FM in 2007 and 2008. KFNS (AM) and KFNS-FM are both currently owned by Big League Broadcasting and broadcasts with 1 kW of power, 24 hours per day. KFNS broadcasts using 4 towers during the daytime hours and 3 towers at night. Its former antenna array, as WRTH, was three towers day and night with 500 watts days and 1000 watts nights ... an unusual configuration.

History

KFNS' logo as "590 The Fan," used until May 1, 2013.

KFNS first went on the air circa 1961, as WBBY. WBBY served the Wood River, Illinois area with local news, sports and other programming. In 1965 call letters were changed to WRTH and the easy listening music format became among the most highly rated stations in St. Louis. Among the most well-known announcers were Grant Horton, Paul Warner, Frank Akers, Jim Scanlan and Ed Goodman. The station continued playing musical standards until September 1988, when WRTH became WKLL, with an oldies format. In 1990, the format changed again to an all-business news format under the call-letters WCEO. A year later, the standards were back as WCEO became KEZK; at the time, the station was co-owned with KEZK-FM. The most recent change occurred when KEZK became KFNS, going from standards to a sports-talk format on April 5, 1993. KFNS was the Yahoo! Sports Radio affiliate for Greater St. Louis.

KFNS went off the air on October 31, 2014 after the station stopped paying its bills, resulting in Ameren turning off the power to its transmitter site. Following the shutdown, Grand Slam Sports announced that the company would focus on sister station KXFN and sell KFNS to a religious group. Since 2009, the station had faced increased competition for the sports radio audience in St. Louis from WXOS, WGNU, and WQQX.^[4] After payment was made on the power bill, KFNS resumed broadcasting with NBC Sports Radio programming on November 10, 2014; however, shortly afterward, Grand Slam Sports' investors, at the urging of the company's operations manager, chose to again suspend the station's operations until the completion of the sale.^[5]

References

External links

• Query the FCC's AM station database for KFNS
• Radio-Locator Information on KFNS
• Query Nielsen Audio's AM station database for KFNS

Coordinates: 38°55′43″N 90°05′08″W / 38.92861°N 90.08556°W / 38.92861; -90.08556