KCIS (630

kHz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose expression in terms of SI base units is s−1, meaning that on ...

) is an AM

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 radio ...

licensed to Edmonds, Washington, and serving the Seattle metropolitan area. The station is owned by Crista Ministries and airs a

Christian talk and teaching Christian radio is a Christian media radio format that focus on programming with a Christian message. Many such broadcasters play contemporary Christian music, though many programs include sermons, radio dramas, as well as news and talk programm ...

radio format A radio format or programming format (not to be confused with broadcast programming) describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. The radio format emerged mainly in the United States in the 1950s, at a time when Radio broadcasting, ...

. National and local religious leaders buy blocks of time from KCIS to air their shows, and they may seek donations to their ministries while on the air. KCIS is powered at 5,000

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 Wa ...

s by day, using a non-directional signal. The daytime

transmitter In electronics and telecommunications, a radio transmitter or just transmitter is an electronic device which produces radio waves with an antenna (radio), antenna. The transmitter itself generates a radio frequency alternating current, which i ...

is co-located with the studios and offices, on Freemont Avenue North at Kings Garden Drive in Seattle. But to avoid interfering with other stations on AM 630, it reduces power at night to 2,500 watts, using a

directional antenna A directional antenna or beam antenna is an antenna which radiates or receives greater power in specific directions allowing increased performance and reduced interference from unwanted sources. Directional antennas provide increased performance ...

. The nighttime tower array is off Kaltenborn Road in Snohomish.

Programming

During the day and evening, KCIS airs mostly national religious shows hosted by Christian leaders such as Jim Daly,

David Jeremiah David Jeremiah is an American evangelical Christian author, founder of Turning Point Radio and Television Ministries and senior pastor of Shadow Mountain Community Church, a Southern Baptist megachurch in El Cajon, California, a suburb of San D ...

Chuck Swindoll Charles Rozell Swindoll (born October 18, 1934) is an evangelical Christian pastor, author, educator, and radio preacher. He founded ''Insight for Living'', headquartered in Frisco, Texas, which airs a radio program of the same name on more t ...

and June Hunt. Overnight and during some daytime hours, the station plays soft Christian music.

History

In 1954, the station

signed on Signing may refer to: * Using sign language * Signature A signature (; from la, signare, "to sign") is a handwritten (and often stylized) depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on do ...

as KGDN. It was originally a 1,000 watt

daytimer A clear-channel station is an AM radio station in North America that has the highest protection from interference from other stations, particularly concerning night-time skywave propagation. The system exists to ensure the viability of cross-coun ...

station operating from King's Garden, the former name of Crista Ministries.Broadcasting Yearbook 1960 page A-247
/ref> The

call sign 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 ...

referred to King's Garden. In 1960, KGDN added an FM station at 105.3 MHz. At first it was

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, simultane ...

with KGDN but later switched to separate religious programming and Christian music. Its first call sign was KGFM, later KBIQ and today

KCMS KCMS (105.3 FM, "Spirit 105-3") is an FM radio station licensed to Edmonds, Washington, serving the Seattle market and broadcasting a Contemporary Christian music format. The station broadcasts at 105.3 MHz from Seattle (with a transmitter o ...

, still co-owned with KCIS. In the 1970s, the power was boosted to 5,000 watts, but still as a daytime-only station. In 1985, it switched to the current call letters KCIS. The station received

Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains jurisdiction ...

(FCC) permission for 24-hour broadcasting, with nighttime power at 2,500 watts, using a

from a site in Snohomish.

References

External links

FCC History Cards for KCIS

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Edmonds, Washington Radio stations established in 1954 {{Washington-radio-station-stub