KBOX (104.1 FM, "Pirate Radio 104.1") is a commercial

radio station Radio broadcasting is transmission of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based radi ...

that is

licensed A license (or licence) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another party (licensee) as an element of an agreeme ...

Lompoc, California Lompoc ( ; Chumash: ''Lum Poc'') is a city in Santa Barbara County, California. Located on the Central Coast, Lompoc has a population of 43,834 as of July 2021. Lompoc has been inhabited for thousands of years by the Chumash people, who calle ...

and serves the Santa Maria—Lompoc area. The station is owned by

American General Media American General Media is a media company specializing in radio. It was founded by Lawrence Brandon and is operated by sons Anthony and Rogers. American General Media is headquartered in Bakersfield, California. Lawrence Brandon owned and op ...

and broadcasts an adult hits format. It is programmed locally with support from Radiocrunch and is no longer featuring programming provided via satellite by

Westwood One Westwood One is an American radio network owned by Cumulus Media. The company syndicates talk, music, and sports programming. The company takes its name from an earlier network also named Westwood One, a company founded in 1978. The compan ...

History

The station first signed on December 24, 1968 as KLOM-FM on the 92.7 FM frequency. Originally, the station was owned by Communications Corporation of America and broadcast a

middle of the road music Middle of the road (also known by its acronym MOR) is a commercial radio format and popular music genre. Music associated with this term is strongly melodic and uses techniques of vocal harmony and light orchestral arrangements. The format was even ...

format as a

simulcast Simulcast (a portmanteau of simultaneous broadcast) is the broadcasting of programmes/programs or events across more than one resolution, bitrate or medium, or more than one service on the same medium, at exactly the same time (that is, simulta ...

of its AM sister station KLOM (1330 AM, now defunct). On October 9, 1975, Communications Corporation of America sold KLOM-AM-FM to Robert D. Janecek for $200,000. In April 1979, KLOM-FM changed its

call letters In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally assigne ...

to KLPC-FM. Simultaneously, Janecek sold the station pair to D 'n' T Broadcasting Inc., owned by Richard N. Savage, for $1 million. On August 24, 1984, the station switched its call sign to KXCC-FM. On July 16, 1986, Golden Coast Broadcasting Inc. sold KXCC-FM to Broadcast Management Consultants Inc. for $750,000. The new owner changed the station's call letters to KBOX on November 1. On May 31, 1988, KBOX was granted a construction permit for a transmitter that would broadcast on the 104.1 MHz frequency with an

effective radiated power Effective radiated power (ERP), synonymous with equivalent radiated power, is an IEEE standardized definition of directional radio frequency (RF) power, such as that emitted by a radio transmitter. It is the total power in watts that would h ...

of 5,700

watt The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named after James ...

s at a

height above average terrain Height above average terrain (HAAT), or (less popularly) effective height above average terrain (EHAAT), is the vertical position of an antenna site is above the surrounding landscape. HAAT is used extensively in FM radio and television, as it i ...

of . At the time of the frequency change the following year, the station aired a

soft adult contemporary music Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul, R&B, quiet sto ...

format. The station was known as "Lite 104.1". In 2000,

took control of KBOX upon closing on its purchase from Broadcast Management Consultants. By 2007, the station adopted an adult hits format under the branding "Pirate Radio". On January 18, 2010 at 11:30 a.m., high winds in the Santa Maria area triggered a power outage that knocked several stations off the air, including KBOX. The station resumed broadcasting one hour later under generator power.

References

External links

* * {{Santa Maria-Lompoc Radio

BOX A box (plural: boxes) is a container used for the storage or transportation of its contents. Most boxes have flat, parallel, rectangular sides. Boxes can be very small (like a matchbox) or very large (like a shipping box for furniture), and can ...

Santa Barbara County, California 1968 establishments in California Radio stations established in 1968