KKNW

KKNW
City of license Seattle, Washington
Broadcast area Seattle area
Slogan Alternative Talk
Frequency 1150 kHz, 98.9 FM-HD3
First air date 1927
Format News Talk Information
Power 10,000 watts day
6,000 watts night
Class B
Facility ID 57834
Transmitter coordinates 47°35′11″N 122°11′11″W / 47.58639°N 122.18639°WCoordinates: 47°35′11″N 122°11′11″W / 47.58639°N 122.18639°W
Callsign meaning King K(C)ounty NorthWest
Former callsigns KRSC (1927-1950)
KAYO (1950-1982)
KSPL (1982-1984)
KGNW (1984-1986)
KEZX (1987-1999)
KSRB (1999-2001)
Affiliations Westwood One News
Owner Hubbard Broadcasting, Inc.
(Seattle FCC License Sub, LLC)
Sister stations KQMV, KLCK-FM, KIXI, KRWM
Website 1150kknw.com

KKNW (1150 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a News Talk Information format licensed to serve the Seattle, Washington, USA area. The station is currently owned by Hubbard Broadcasting, Inc. and features a variety of talk and call-in shows where the host pays the station for the air time, known in the radio industry as "brokered time." Shows range from personal growth, health, psychology and pet care to Chinese and Russian language shows. Nationally syndicated programs hosted by family financial adviser Clark Howard and "Overnight America" with Jon Grayson are heard overnight. A transmitter site for the station is in Mercer Slough Nature Park in Bellevue. KKNW's studios are also located in Bellevue in a separate location.

History

KKNW first began in 1927[1] as KRSC, whose call letters stood for Kelvinator Radio Sales Corporation. It became KAYO in 1950[1] and was a country music radio station in the 1970s and was a competitor to KMPS (now KKOL) and KQIN (now KGNW). In 1979, the station flipped to a News/Talk format before returning to country in 1981. In 1982, the station flipped to adult contemporary and became known as KSPL. KSPL changed call letters to KGNW on September 24, 1984. On January 1, 1987, KGNW moved to its current home at 820 AM while 1150 AM would simulcast the smooth jazz format of KEZX-FM (now KLCK). In 1989, KEZX began branding itself as "Business Radio 1150", which aired Business/Talk programming. In 1999, the station flipped to Classic R&B as KSRB. The programming was predominantly satellite-fed through ABC Radio's The Touch. On June 1, 2001, at 6 AM, the station flipped to all-news as "NewsChannel 1150", and changed call letters to KKNW, which carried the audio portion of CNN Headline News. In the mid-2000s, the station shifted its programming to an "alternative talk" format featuring mostly local shows.[2][3]

In 2013, Sandusky Radio sold its radio holdings in Seattle and Phoenix, Arizona to Hubbard Broadcasting, Inc. It is co-owned in the Seattle market with four other Hubbard stations, Adult Standards 880 KIXI, Contemporary Hits 92.5 KQMV, Hot Adult Contemporary 98.9 KLCK and Adult Contemporary 106.9 KRWM.

References

  1. ↑ "KKNW Call Sign History". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
  2. ↑ Seattle Storm signs broadcast deal with radio station KKNW

External links