KFQD (750

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 a commercial AM radio station in

Anchorage, Alaska Anchorage () is the largest city in the U.S. state of Alaska by population. With a population of 291,247 in 2020, it contains nearly 40% of the state's population. The Anchorage metropolitan area, which includes Anchorage and the neighboring Ma ...

known as "News Talk 750 and 103.7 KFQD." It broadcasts a News/Talk radio format and is owned by

Alpha Media LLC Alpha (uppercase , lowercase ; grc, ἄλφα, ''álpha'', or ell, άλφα, álfa) is the first letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals, it has a value of one. Alpha is derived from the Phoenician letter aleph , whic ...

. The

studio A studio is an artist or worker's workroom. This can be for the purpose of acting, architecture, painting, pottery (ceramics), sculpture, origami, woodworking, scrapbooking, photography, graphic design, filmmaking, animation, industrial design ...

s and offices are on Arctic Slope Avenue in Anchorage. KFQD is the oldest radio station in Alaska and one of the most powerful. It is a Class A, 50,000 watt, non-directional station broadcasting on a clear channel frequency. The transmitter is off Merlene Lane in

Point MacKenzie Point MacKenzie is a census-designated place (CDP) in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska, United States. It is part of the Anchorage, Alaska Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the 2020 census the population was 1,852, up from 529 in 2010. Geogra ...

. It is also heard on 250 watt FM translator 103.7 K279BG in Anchorage and its adjacent suburbs.

Programming

KFQD begins each weekday with a three-hour block of local news and information. That's followed by

nationally syndicated Broadcast syndication is the practice of leasing the right to broadcasting television shows and radio programs to multiple television stations and radio stations, without going through a broadcast network. It is common in the United States wher ...

conservative talk shows including Armstrong & Getty, Dave Ramsey, Chad Benson, Clyde Lewis and ''Markley, Van Camp & Robbins''. Weekends include Kim Komando, ''The Great American Outdoors'', ''Big Alaska'', '' Science Fantastic with Dr. Michio Kaku'' and '' Bill Handel on the Law''. KFQD was the radio play-by-play home of the ECHL's Alaska Aces, which was simulcast by GCI on their cable network. KFQD also simulcasts some of the newscasts of KTUU-TV Channel 2, the Anchorage

NBC Television The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

Network affiliate. KFQD is Alaska's primary entry point for the Emergency Alert System (EAS).

History

On May 24, 1924, KFQD

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 ...

the air, before Alaska was a state. By the 1930s, it was transmitting at 780 kilocycles and was powered at only 250 watts. KFQD had to share the frequency with other stations, so it was limited in what hours it could broadcast. It was owned by the Alaska Radio Club with studios at 411 Fourth Avenue. With the 1941 enactment of the

North American Regional Broadcasting Agreement The North American Regional Broadcasting Agreement (NARBA, es, Convenio Regional Norteamericano de Radiodifusión) refers to a series of international treaties that defined technical standards for AM band (mediumwave) radio stations. These agreem ...

(NARBA), KFQD moved to 790 kHz, a regional frequency, still powered at 250 watts, but able to broadcast around the clock. By this time, there were four radio stations in the Territory of Alaska. KFQD was the first, followed by stations in Ketchikan,

Fairbanks Fairbanks is a home rule city and the borough seat of the Fairbanks North Star Borough in the U.S. state of Alaska. Fairbanks is the largest city in the Interior region of Alaska and the second largest in the state. The 2020 Census put the po ...

and

Juneau The City and Borough of Juneau, more commonly known simply as Juneau ( ; tli, Dzánti K'ihéeni ), is the capital city of the state of Alaska. Located in the Gastineau Channel and the Alaskan panhandle, it is a unified municipality and the se ...

. In the late 1940s, KFQD got a power boost to 5,000 watts. In the 1960s, it moved to the clear channel frequency 750 kHz, shared with WSB Atlanta but far enough away to avoid causing nighttime interference. At first, KFQD was powered at 10,000 watts. By the 1970s, it had raised its daytime power to 50,000 watts, but still 10,000 watts at night. Then in the 1990s, as the Federal Communications Commission relaxed protections for the original clear channel stations, KFQD was permitted to broadcast at 50,000 watts around the clock, joining WSB as a Class A station on 750 AM. In 1998, KFQD was acquired by Morris Communications.Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 2010 page 53
/ref>

became KFQD's owner on September 1, 2015.

References

External links

FCC History Cards for KFQD
* * * {{Coord, 61, 20, 18, N, 150, 02, 03, W, type:landmark_region:US_source:FCC, display=title 1924 establishments in Alaska Alpha Media radio stations News and talk radio stations in the United States Radio stations established in 1924 FQD

Programming

History

See also

References

External links