KLBS

KLBS
City Los Banos, California
Broadcast area San Joaquin Valley
Branding The Portuguese Radio Network
Frequency 1330 kHz
First air date May 1, 1961
Format World Ethnic
Language(s) Portuguese
Power 420 watts (day)
5,000 watts (night)
Class B
Facility ID 19801
Transmitter coordinates 37°05′51″N 120°49′51″W / 37.09750°N 120.83083°W / 37.09750; -120.83083
Callsign meaning Los BanoS
Owner Ethnic Radio of Los Banos, Inc.
Sister stations KSQQ
Webcast Listen Live

KLBS (1330 AM) is a radio station licensed to serve Los Banos, California, United States. The station, established in 1961, is currently owned by Ethnic Radio of Los Banos, Inc.

Programming

KLBS broadcasts a Portuguese-language world music format featuring Portuguese-language news and community information as part of The Portuguese Radio Network.[1][2][3] KLBS and its KSQQ sister station serve the large Portuguese community of California's San Joaquin Valley.[2][4]

History

The beginning

This station began licensed broadcasting on May 1, 1961, with 500 watts of power on a frequency of 1330 kHz, restricted to daytime-only operation.[5] The station was assigned the KLBS call sign by the Federal Communications Commission.[6]

Under the leadership of company president James Rose, license holder Los Banos Broadcasting Company served the diverse local population by including 8 hours of farm programming, 5 hours of Spanish language programming, and 7 hours of Portuguese language programming each week.[5] The Portuguese programming included a weekday morning show from 7:00 to 8:00 a.m. and a Sunday afternoon block from noon to 2:00 p.m.[5]

New ownership

John R. McAdam acquired the Los Banos Broadcasting Company in 1963.[7] McAdam expanded the ethnic programming to as much as 12 hours of Spanish language and 16 hours of Portuguese language programming each week throughout the 1970s.[7][8]

In April 1982, McAdam and the Los Banos Broadcasting Company reached an agreement to transfer ownership of KLBS to a new company called Ethnic Radio, Inc. The deal was approved by the FCC on May 25, 1982.[9]

24-hour broadcasting

The station filed an application with the FCC in November 1985 to begin operating around the clock by adding nighttime service with 5,000 watts of power.[10] The FCC granted authorization for this major change on February 24, 1986,[10] and tower installation began in June 1986.[11] Construction was completed in November 1986 and the station was issued a license to cover the changes on December 3, 1987.[12]

KLBS today

Ethnic Radio, Inc., applied in June 1987 to transfer the broadcast license for KLBS to the Vieira family's Ethnic Radio of Los Banos, Inc. The transfer was approved by the FCC on July 2, 1987, and the transaction was consummated the same day.[13] Broadcasting 90% of its programming in Portuguese, KLBS was then the only radio station in California where Portuguese was the dominant language.[14] That would change in 1990 when sister station KSQQ signed on with a multi-ethnic format broadcasting in a dozen languages but with Portuguese language programming taking the bulk of the station's time.[15]

References

  1. ↑ "Station Information Profile". Arbitron. Retrieved May 12, 2009.
  2. 1 2 "Welcome". KSQQ & KLBS - The Portuguese Radio Network. Retrieved May 24, 2017.
  3. ↑ "Radio station evolving". The Modesto Bee. September 2, 2001. For decades, KLBS 1330 AM has been a comforting source of news, traditional music and commentary to the thousands of people who immigrated here from the Azores.
  4. ↑ "Azores AM: Portuguese-language radio station KLBS in Los Banos is a bridge to the island homeland for many northern and central California immigrants". The Modesto Bee. September 3, 2001.
  5. 1 2 3 "Directory of AM and FM Radio Stations in the U.S.". 1963 Broadcasting Yearbook. Washington, DC: Broadcasting Publications, Inc. 1963. p. B-20.
  6. ↑ "Call Sign History". FCC Media Bureau CDBS Public Access Database. Retrieved May 12, 2009.
  7. 1 2 "The Facilities of Radio". 1975 Broadcasting Yearbook. Washington, DC: Broadcasting Publications, Inc. 1975. p. C-19.
  8. ↑ "The Facilities of Radio". 1979 Broadcasting Yearbook. Washington, DC: Broadcasting Publications, Inc. 1979. p. C-23.
  9. ↑ "Application Search Details (BAL-19820412EL)". FCC Media Bureau. May 25, 1982.
  10. 1 2 "Application Search Details (BP-19851120AB)". FCC Media Bureau. February 24, 1986.
  11. ↑ Thome, Joe (June 5, 1986). "Towers of power". The Fresno Bee. Station manager Mike McAdam said KLBS is now only a daytime station but with the new towers will be able to operate 24 hours a day.
  12. ↑ "Application Search Details (BL-19861119AB)". FCC Media Bureau. December 3, 1987.
  13. ↑ "Application Search Details (BAPL-19870615ED)". FCC Media Bureau. July 2, 1987.
  14. ↑ "Airwaves pulse with old, new". The Fresno Bee. February 27, 1987. [...] but if you live on the west side of the valley and speak Portuguese, you'll try to hear KLBS (AM 1330). With 90 percent of the programs in Portuguese, the Los Banos station is California's only radio outlet where that language predominates.
  15. ↑ "Foreign talk on FM station in M.H. goes international". San Jose Mercury News. January 10, 1991. p. 1B.
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