KDND (107.9 MHz) was an
FM radio station licensed to
Sacramento, California
)
, image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg
, mapsize = 250x200px
, map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...
, United States. The station first signed on in 1947 as KXOA-FM, an FM
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 AM station
KXOA, before separating itself with distinct programming, including most prominently
soft rock,
adult contemporary
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, quie ...
, and
classic hits
Classic hits is a radio format which generally includes songs from the top 40 music charts from the late 1960s to the early 2000s, with music from the 1980s serving as the core of the format. Music that was popularized by MTV in the early 1980 ...
formats. In July 1998, two years after the sale of the station to Entercom (now
Audacy, Inc.
Audacy, Inc. is an American broadcasting company based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Founded in 1968 as Entercom Communications Corporation, it is the second largest radio company in the United States, owning 235 radio stations across 48 media ...
), the station switched to its final KDND call letters and
Top 40/CHR format branded as ''107.9 The End''. At the time of the station's closing, KDND's studios were located in
North Highlands (though with a Sacramento address), while its
transmitter
In electronics and telecommunications, a radio transmitter or just transmitter is an electronic device which produces radio waves with an antenna. The transmitter itself generates a radio frequency alternating current, which is applied to the ...
was located just north of the Sacramento city limits near
Elverta.
In January 2007, KDND's morning show controversially held an on-air contest in which contestants were challenged to drink as much
water
Water (chemical formula ) is an Inorganic compound, inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living ...
as they could without
urinating
Urination, also known as micturition, is the release of urine from the urinary bladder through the urethra to the outside of the body. It is the urinary system's form of excretion. It is also known medically as micturition, voiding, uresis, ...
, in order to win a
Nintendo Wii video game console
A video game console is an electronic device that outputs a video signal or image to display a video game that can be played with a game controller. These may be home consoles, which are generally placed in a permanent location connected to ...
. A 28-year-old participant in the contest died of
water intoxication
Water intoxication, also known as water poisoning, hyperhydration, overhydration, or water toxemia, is a potentially fatal disturbance in brain functions that results when the normal balance of electrolytes in the body is pushed outside safe li ...
, resulting in Entercom being sued for wrongful death by the participant's family. The
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 jurisdicti ...
(FCC) also investigated the incident; in 2016, it designated the renewal of KDND's license for hearing, questioning whether the station had operated in the public interest.
Citing that its continued operation could affect Entercom's proposed acquisition of
CBS Radio, KDND was shut down on February 8, 2017, and its format and branding were moved to
KUDL
KUDL (106.5 FM) is a radio station in Sacramento, California. Owned by Audacy, Inc., it broadcasts a Top 40 (CHR) format branded as ''106.5 The End''. Its studios are located in Foothill Farms (with a Sacramento address) and its transmitter i ...
two days earlier on February 6. The FCC auctioned the frequency in 2021;
iHeartMedia won the bidding, and KSTE-FM (now
KZIS
KZIS (107.9 MHz) is a radio station in Sacramento, California, United States. It is owned and operated by iHeartMedia, broadcasting from the iHeartMedia studio center in North Sacramento and a tower north of the city near Elverta, also used by ...
) began broadcasting on May 4, 2022.
As KXOA-FM
Early years
On September 25, 1945, Lincoln Dellar, who had signed on
KXOA (1470 AM) on May 20 of that year,
applied to the FCC to build a new FM radio station in Sacramento, originally specifying 95.9 MHz as the frequency.
The construction permit was granted on December 19, 1945, but changes in program planning and technical adjustments in the early days of the present 88–108 MHz band meant that the station debuted at 102.9 MHz in June 1947 before being moved to 107.9 MHz within months. For most of this time, KXOA simulcast the AM station, which since its launch had been an affiliate of the
Mutual Broadcasting System
The Mutual Broadcasting System (commonly referred to simply as Mutual; sometimes referred to as MBS, Mutual Radio or the Mutual Radio Network) was an American commercial radio network in operation from 1934 to 1999. In the Old-time radio, golden ...
. In July 1957, KXOA dropped Mutual to become a
Top 40
In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or "cont ...
-format music station; later that year, the KXOA stations were sold to Cal-Val Radio.
In 1961, Cal-Val experimented with splitting the AM and FM stations, changing the FM to a country format as KCNW.
The experiment was undone the next year, and KCNW returned to being KXOA-FM. Both stations were then sold to Producers, Inc., of
Milwaukee
Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at the 2020 census, Milwaukee ...
for $500,000 in 1963.
Upon the 1965 enactment of the
FM Non-Duplication Rule
The FM Non-Duplication Rule was adopted by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on July 1, 1964, after a year's consideration. It limited holders of FM licenses in cities of more than 100,000 who also held AM licenses to simulcasting ...
, which curtailed simulcasts of AM and FM stations in large markets, KXOA-FM partially separated from its AM counterpart and broadcast
adult contemporary
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, quie ...
music from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 pm, and then simulcasting KXOA's Top 40 programming until it signed off at midnight. In 1969, the station raised its effective radiated power from 12,500 watts to more than 49,000.
In 1970, the KXOA stations were split by then-owner Fuqua Industries, with the AM station leased to investors involved in the ownership of KSJO in San Jose and the FM to a group led by L. Ray Rhodes.
However, the Rhodes group did not materialize, and three months later, Fuqua filed to sell the station to a consortium consisting of
Drake-Chenault
Drake-Chenault Enterprises (originally American Independent Radio Inc.) was a radio syndication company that specialized in automation on FM radio stations. The company was founded in the late-1960s by radio programmer and deejay Bill Drake (1937â ...
, a national program
syndicator, and Brown Broadcasting, which owned
KGB-AM-
FM in
San Diego
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...
. The sale became effective at the start of 1971; the FM retained the call sign, while the AM became known as KNDE.
Drake-Chenault moved the station to Loma Vista Drive off Fulton Avenue. In early 1971, the station flipped to oldies, and after a brief dalliance with
progressive rock
Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. In ...
known as "Earth Rock", the oldies format returned in 1973.
Rock and adult contemporary
In 1974, the Browns bought Drake—Chenault's half of KXOA-FM. The station re-branded as ''Super Stereo K108'', featuring Top 40 music and
album-oriented rock
Album-oriented rock (AOR, originally called album-oriented radio) is an FM radio format created in the United States in the 1970s that focuses on the full repertoire of rock albums and is currently associated with classic rock.
Album-orien ...
(AOR) at night. By early 1975, the station had shifted to a soft AOR format, which would be successful throughout the remaining half of the 1970s. During its existence, the Browns bought back KNDE and returned it to the fold as KXOA, to air a harder AOR mix. Art Schroeder, the KXOA-FM program director during this period, credited the "safe" approach with attracting many listeners not wishing to hear
punk rock.
After KXOA-FM was among several stations affected by the rapid rise of
KZAP (98.5 FM) at the start of the 1980s,
the station pivoted to a
soft adult contemporary
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 using the K108 moniker, remaining successful throughout the decade and leading the market in ratings and revenue in the mid-1980s.
The KXOA stations also had a regionally recognized news team led by Ken Hunt.
In the early 1990s, KXOA-FM's popularity began to wane following the launch of competitors in
KYMX
KYMX (96.1 FM, "Mix 96") is a commercial radio station that is licensed to Sacramento, California, United States. The station is owned by Salt Lake City–based Bonneville International and broadcasts an adult contemporary format. KYMX's transm ...
and
KGBY; ratings fell by roughly half from 1990 to 1993. Brown responded by hiring a new operations manager, Don Daniels, from
WOMC
WOMC (104.3 FM, "104.3 WOMC") is a commercial radio station in Detroit, Michigan. It airs a classic hits radio format and is owned by Audacy, Inc. The transmitter and studios are both located on American Drive off 11 Mile Road in Southfield, M ...
in
Detroit
Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at t ...
.
Daniels moved to drop 1960s songs from the station's repertoire, and in May 1993, the station flipped to a more uptempo adult contemporary format branded as ''Xtra 107.9'', advertising itself as featuring "no rap,
metal
A metal (from Greek ÎĽÎταλλον ''mĂ©tallon'', "mine, quarry, metal") is a material that, when freshly prepared, polished, or fractured, shows a lustrous appearance, and conducts electricity and heat relatively well. Metals are typicall ...
, or
Madonna".
It also dropped its local news coverage.
The format did not improve KXOA's ratings; on March 25, 1994, the station flipped to a
classic hits
Classic hits is a radio format which generally includes songs from the top 40 music charts from the late 1960s to the early 2000s, with music from the 1980s serving as the core of the format. Music that was popularized by MTV in the early 1980 ...
format branded as ''Arrow 108'', adapted from Los Angeles'
KCBS-FM
KCBS-FM (93.1 MHz) is a commercial radio station in Los Angeles, California, serving Greater Los Angeles. It is owned by Audacy, Inc., and broadcasts an adult hits music format branded as "93.1 Jack FM".
Unlike most radio stations airing t ...
. The Arrow format challenged
KSEG (96.9 FM) and
KHYL
KHYL (101.1 FM) is a commercial radio station, licensed to Auburn, California, and serving the Sacramento metropolitan area. It broadcasts a classic hip hop radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. The studios and offices are on River ...
(101.1 FM).
In July 1996, Brown Broadcasting sold KXOA-AM-FM and
KQPT (100.5 FM) to
American Radio Systems
American Radio Systems Corporation was a radio company that existed from 1993 until 1998. Its predecessor, Atlantic Ventures, was founded by Steven B. Dodge, Eric Schultz, Joseph Winn, and Michael Milsom. American Radio Systems was formed from ...
for $50 million, bringing it to the market limit of five FM and three AM stations.
Not even two weeks later, ARS acquired
EZ Communications
EZ Communications, Inc. was a corporation with its headquarters in Fairfax, Virginia. In the 1970s, the small company was one of the pioneers of the easy listening on the FM broadcasting radio spectrum with 2 stations in Manassas and Richmond. W ...
, which owned two FM and one AM stations in the market. As a result, ARS needed to sell three Sacramento stations.
KXOA was sold to Entercom, which simultaneously acquired KSEG and
KRXQ (93.7 FM) from
Jacor Communications
Jacor Communications was a media corporation, existing between 1987 and 1999, which owned many radio stations in the United States. In 1998, Jacor was purchased by Clear Channel Communications, now iHeartMedia, for $2.8 billion.
Jacor Communicat ...
;
the two purchases, totaling $65 million, gave Entercom a trio of rock-oriented radio stations.
The combination of rock stations proved a problem for differentiating them and even resulted in changes in airstaff at stablemate KSEG.
Management ultimately decided that the format was simply too similar to that station.
As KDND
At noon on July 14, 1998, Entercom made a move that general manager John Geary admitted should have occurred a year prior and flipped KXOA to
Top 40/CHR as ''107.9 The End'' with new KDND call letters. The first song on “The End” was “
Everybody” by
Backstreet Boys
Backstreet Boys (often abbreviated as BSB) are an American vocal group consisting of Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, AJ McLean, and cousins Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson. Lou Pearlman formed the group in 1993 in Orlando, Florida.
The ...
. In January 1999, the KXOA call letters, as well as the ''Arrow'' format and branding, were recycled by the former KRAK-FM at 93.7 MHz, replacing an ailing classic country station.
"Hold Your Wee for a Wii" contest
On January 12, 2007, KDND's morning show, the ''Morning Rave'', held an on-air contest entitled ''Hold Your Wee for a Wii'', in which contestants were asked to drink as much
water
Water (chemical formula ) is an Inorganic compound, inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living ...
as they could without
urinating
Urination, also known as micturition, is the release of urine from the urinary bladder through the urethra to the outside of the body. It is the urinary system's form of excretion. It is also known medically as micturition, voiding, uresis, ...
. The contestant able to hold the most water would win a
Wii video game console
A video game console is an electronic device that outputs a video signal or image to display a video game that can be played with a game controller. These may be home consoles, which are generally placed in a permanent location connected to ...
; at the time, the
Nintendo console was a very popular and sought-after item, but was nearly impossible to find in stores in
North America. A 28-year-old contestant, Jennifer Strange, died of
water intoxication
Water intoxication, also known as water poisoning, hyperhydration, overhydration, or water toxemia, is a potentially fatal disturbance in brain functions that results when the normal balance of electrolytes in the body is pushed outside safe li ...
hours after taking part in the contest.
According to contest participants, 17 to 20 contestants took part in the competition in a room at KDND's studios. The contest began around 6:45 a.m. as contestants were each handed 240 mL (8 oz) water bottles to drink at 15-minute intervals. Contestants also said that as the contest progressed, they were given increasingly larger quantities of water to drink. According to witness reports, Strange, who placed second in the contest, may have drunk nearly . Some later remarked on the physical discomfort they suffered during and following the event.
''
The Sacramento Bee'' released audio clips from the morning show indicating that the
disc jockey
A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at a nightclub or music festival), mobile ...
s were aware of the death of
Matthew Carrington by water intoxication. At one point, a nurse contacted the station and informed the DJs that the contest could be dangerous and potentially fatal.
The DJs responded by saying, "We're aware of that" and said that the contestants had signed releases and couldn't file a lawsuit. According to a contestant, the waivers addressed only publicity issues and made no mention of health or safety concerns. The DJs also joked about Strange's distended belly, joking that she looked three months pregnant.
After the contest, Strange spoke to a co-worker by telephone, indicating she was on her way home and in extreme pain, suffering from what appeared to be an intense
headache. The co-worker contacted Strange's mother, who went to her home an hour later to find her daughter dead.
Aftermath
On January 15, 2007, the front page of KDND's website was replaced with a message from John Geary, the station's vice-president and general manager, expressing sympathies to Strange's family and announcing that the ''Morning Rave'' program would be taken off the air indefinitely. The next day, Geary dismissed ten station employees—including the three morning disc jockeys, Adam "Lukas" Cox, Steve Maney and Patricia "Trish" Sweet—from their positions in connection with the tragedy and cancelled the ''Morning Rave''. All references to the ''Morning Rave'' program and associated DJs were removed from the KDND website.
The
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...
reported that the
Sacramento County Sheriff's Department
The Sacramento County Sheriff's Office (SSO), is a local law enforcement agency that serves Sacramento County, California. It provides general-service law enforcement to unincorporated areas of Sacramento County, as well as incorporated cities ...
spokesman said no officers were investigating the death and that, "It was a contest and people are saying there was no coercion." However, Deborah Hoffman of
KXTV
KXTV (channel 10) is a television station in Sacramento, California, United States, affiliated with ABC. Owned by Tegna Inc., the station maintains studios on Broadway, just south of US 50 at the south edge of downtown Sacramento, and its tra ...
reported that former prosecutor Bill Portanova commented that "the radio station has some serious liability exposure", due in part to widespread news coverage of the Matthew Carrington case two years earlier. On January 17, the ''
Los Angeles Times
The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...
'' reported that Sacramento Sheriff John McGinness had ordered homicide detectives to investigate whether a crime had been committed. On April 2, the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office declined to press criminal charges, citing a "lack of evidence of criminal misconduct".
A wrongful death lawsuit was announced on January 18 on behalf of Strange's husband and three children against Entercom and KDND's operating subsidiary Entercom Sacramento LLC. The Strange family was represented by prominent Sacramento attorney Roger A. Dreyer of the firm of Dreyer, Babich, Buccola & Callaham, LLP. The Stranges urged the
FCC
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 jurisdictio ...
to shut down the station and punish Entercom. On January 24, the FCC announced that it would investigate KDND to see if it violated the terms of its license.
In August, two of the KDND DJs, Lukas Cox and Steve Maney, sued Entercom over a wrongful termination of their
contract
A contract is a legally enforceable agreement between two or more parties that creates, defines, and governs mutual rights and obligations between them. A contract typically involves the transfer of goods, services, money, or a promise to tr ...
. Subsequently, both DJs settled with Entercom for an undisclosed amount.
Shortly prior to the start of
jury selection in the trial, KDND began to tease that it would be "saying goodbye" on September 8, 2009, leading to speculation that the station was planning to drop ''The End'' in favor of a different format or shut down entirely; however, it was later revealed that the campaign was actually for a new commercial-free Tuesdays promotion.
On September 14, jury selection in the wrongful death case began at the
Sacramento County Superior Court's main courthouse in the city of Sacramento. Over the next month, the jury heard testimony from over 41 witnesses as 192 exhibits were entered into evidence.
On October 29, 2009, after a week of deliberations, the jury awarded the survivors of Jennifer Strange the sum of $16,577,118 in monetary damages. Entercom Sacramento LLC was found to be 100% at fault for Strange's death while Entercom Communications was found to be 0% at fault. The jury also found that Strange was 0% at fault (that is, there was no
contributory negligence
In some common law jurisdictions, contributory negligence is a defense to a tort claim based on negligence. If it is available, the defense completely bars plaintiffs from any recovery if they contribute to their own injury through their own negl ...
) for her own death.
The former "Morning Rave" hosts went on other radio jobs in different markets; Cox hosted mornings at
KRBB
KRBB (97.9 FM, "B98") is a commercial radio station in Wichita, Kansas. It is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc., and it broadcasts an adult contemporary radio format, switching to Christmas music for much of November and December. KRBB carries several ...
in
Wichita, Kansas
Wichita ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Sedgwick County. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 397,532. The Wichita metro area had a population of 647,610 in 2020. It is located in ...
, and as of 2021, was working at
KPLD
KPLD (105.1 FM) is a radio station broadcasting a hot adult contemporary format. Licensed to Kanab, Utah, United States, the station serves the St. George, Utah
St. George is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Utah, United Sta ...
in
St. George, Utah
St. George is a city in and the county seat of Washington County, Utah, United States. Located in southwestern Utah on the Arizona border, it is the principal city of the St. George Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). The city lies in the northe ...
. Maney hosts mornings on
WNKS
WNKS (95.1 FM, "Kiss 95.1") is a commercial FM radio station licensed to serve Charlotte, North Carolina. The station is owned by Beasley Broadcast Group through licensee Beasley Media Group, LLC and broadcasts a top 40 (CHR) format. Studios ...
in
Charlotte
Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populo ...
, and Sweet hosted mornings on
WPLJ
WPLJ (95.5 FM) is a non-commercial Christian adult contemporary music radio station licensed to New York City. It is owned by the Educational Media Foundation (EMF) and broadcasts EMF's flagship programming service, K-Love. WPLJ's transmi ...
in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
under the name Jayde Donovan until the station's sale in 2019; she now hosts a show on
Apple Music 1
Apple Music 1, previously branded as Beats 1, is a 24/7 music radio station owned and operated by Apple Inc. It is accessible through iTunes or the Apple Music app on a computer, smartphone or tablet, smart speaker (such as the Apple HomePod) ...
and a show syndicated through
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 ...
.
The Media Action Center, a watchdog organization founded by former producer Sue Wilson, filed a petition to deny against KDND's license when it was up for renewal in 2013. In October 2016, the FCC designated Entercom's license renewal for KDND for hearing, disputing whether the station had operated in the public interest over its previous license term, spanning from 2005 to 2013.
Shutdown
On February 2, 2017, Entercom announced its intent to acquire
CBS Radio.
The next day, Entercom announced that KDND would cease operations effective February 8 and that its license would be terminated and returned to the FCC. Entercom stated that "it is in the company's best interests to voluntarily turn in the KDND license to facilitate the timely FCC approvals for the planned combination with CBS Radio". The then-chief of enforcement for the FCC stated to the ''Sacramento Bee'' that the motive was financial and that Entercom would likely have fought had a merger not been planned.
KDND's format and ''The End'' branding were re-located to sister station
KUDL
KUDL (106.5 FM) is a radio station in Sacramento, California. Owned by Audacy, Inc., it broadcasts a Top 40 (CHR) format branded as ''106.5 The End''. Its studios are located in Foothill Farms (with a Sacramento address) and its transmitter i ...
at 9:00 a.m. on February 6 (the last song before the move was "
Scars to Your Beautiful
"Scars to Your Beautiful" is a song recorded by Canadian singer and songwriter Alessia Cara. Def Jam Recordings and Universal Music Group serviced it to contemporary hit radio on July 26, 2016, as the third single from her debut studio album ''Kno ...
" by
Alessia Cara
Alessia Caracciolo (born July 11, 1996), known professionally as Alessia Cara (), is a Canadian singer-songwriter. Born in Mississauga, Ontario, to Italian Canadian parents, she began posting covers of songs on YouTube at age 13. After uploadi ...
).
107.9 then began
stunting with a jockless playlist of
pop music
Pop music is a genre of popular music that originated in its modern form during the mid-1950s in the United States and the United Kingdom. The terms ''popular music'' and ''pop music'' are often used interchangeably, although the former descri ...
occasionally interrupted by static-backed liners redirecting listeners to KUDL and advising remaining listeners of the impending shutoff of the signal; this would later transition to a loop of "
Bye Bye Bye
"Bye Bye Bye" is a song by the American boy band NSYNC. It was released on January 17, 2000, as the lead single from their third studio album ''No Strings Attached (NSYNC album), No Strings Attached''. The song was written and produced by Kristi ...
" by
N'Sync
NSYNC (, ; also stylized as *NSYNC or 'N Sync) was an American boy band formed by Chris Kirkpatrick in Orlando, Florida, in 1995 and launched in Germany by BMG Ariola Munich. Their self-titled debut album was successfully released to Europea ...
and "End" staffers redirecting listeners to KUDL. As the station's final program, a farewell special aired at 11:30 p.m. on the 7th, hosted by former afternoon DJ Chris K, playing music from the End's 18-year history. This special also culminated with "Bye Bye Bye" by N'Sync. Before the song was finished, KDND's
transmitter
In electronics and telecommunications, a radio transmitter or just transmitter is an electronic device which produces radio waves with an antenna. The transmitter itself generates a radio frequency alternating current, which is applied to the ...
was shut down on February 8 at 12:01 a.m., bringing a close to the nearly 70-year history of the station.
Entercom also paid the Media Action Center $35,000 for
attorney fees involved in their petition to deny renewal; in return, the Media Action Center would not challenge other Entercom licenses or the CBS Radio acquisition.
On September 7, 2017, the FCC deleted the license for KDND after denying a Petition for Reconsideration and Application for Review filed by Ed Stolz, the former owner of the station at 106.5 MHz when it was KWOD; Stolz had sought to have his 1996 sale of the station rescinded so he could resume control. The FCC ruled that Stolz's arguments had no merit and that he was not a party of interest in the dispute between Media Action Center and Entercom that led to the license revocation hearing.
Reuse of the frequency in Sacramento
The FCC returned the 107.9 frequency on which KDND was licensed to operate to the agency's inventory of unused channels, to be put up for auction to the highest bidder. The FCC stipulated that use of the frequency must retain its short-spaced protections to
KSAN (107.7 FM) in
San Mateo, California; any new station would be limited to 50
kW ERP and an average
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 123 meters in the direction of KSAN. The FCC included the 107.9 frequency in its auction scheduled to begin April 28, 2020, but the auction was indefinitely postponed on March 25, 2020, due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The allocation was again put up for auction as part of FCC Auction 109 beginning July 27, 2021, and was auctioned off to
iHeartMedia for $6,146,000.
KSTE-FM began broadcasts on May 4, 2022, using the former KDND transmission facility at Elverta;
following a month of
stunting, the new station would launch a
hot adult contemporary
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 ...
format on June 8, 2022,
and subsequently change its call sign to
KZIS
KZIS (107.9 MHz) is a radio station in Sacramento, California, United States. It is owned and operated by iHeartMedia, broadcasting from the iHeartMedia studio center in North Sacramento and a tower north of the city near Elverta, also used by ...
.
References
{{coord, 38.710, N, 121.483, W, type:landmark_region:US_source:FCC, display=title
DND
Radio stations established in 1947
Radio stations disestablished in 2017
1947 establishments in California
2017 disestablishments in California
Audacy, Inc. radio stations
Defunct radio stations in the United States
DND
Video game controversies
Radio controversies