KIFM (1320 AM) is a

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 ...

Sacramento, California ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento C ...

, that has been affiliated with

ESPN Radio ESPN Radio, which is alternately platform-agnostically branded as ESPN Audio, is an American sports radio network and extension of the ESPN television network. It was launched on January 1, 1992, under the original banner of "SportsRadio ESPN". ...

since February 2007. It has separate transmitter sites for daytime and night operations. Owned and operated by

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 ...

, its studios are located in North Highlands, with a Sacramento address. Previously, KIFM was known as KCTC, which has had a history in the Sacramento market as both an FM and AM station.

KCTC as an FM station

KCTC's most successful years were in the 70s, broadcasting a variant of the "Beautiful Music" format which they called "the California Sound" with its occasional vocals in each 15-minute set. The format continued until 1989, when KCTC became KYMX, a soft rock/adult contemporary station. In turn, the KCTC call letters moved to AM 1320, where for years it was an adult standards station as part of the

Music Of Your Life Music of Your Life is an American syndicated music radio format featuring adult standards music. First created by recording executive Al Ham in 1978, the format achieved popularity in the 1980s among AM radio stations in the United States and Ca ...

network.

KCTC as an AM station

Competition for KCRA on the Sacramento AM dial in the mid-1950s included KROY 1240 (CBS), KGMS 1380 (MBS), KXOA 1470 (MBS), and KFBK 1530 (ABC), which was owned by McClatchy Enterprises, also owner of the

Sacramento Bee ''The Sacramento Bee'' is a daily newspaper published in Sacramento, California, in the United States. Since its foundation in 1857, ''The Bee'' has become the largest newspaper in Sacramento, the fifth largest newspaper in California, and the 2 ...

.. From 1955 to 1978, KCRA was co-owned with TV Channel 3

KCRA-TV KCRA-TV (channel 3) is a television station in Sacramento, California, United States, affiliated with NBC. It is owned by Hearst Television alongside Stockton, California, Stockton-licensed MyNetworkTV affiliate KQCA (channel 58). Both stations ...

and in the '70s was known as KCRA Newsradio 132 while still under ownership of Kelly Broadcasting. Before its sale to

Entercom 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 ...

, KCTC was owned by

Tribune Broadcasting Tribune Broadcasting Company, LLC was an American media company which operated as a subsidiary of Tribune Media, a media conglomerate based in Chicago, Illinois. The group owned and operated television and radio stations throughout the United Sta ...

of Chicago, owners of WGN and the Chicago Tribune, from 1978 to 1996. For a time under the Tribune ownership (1978-1989), 1320 AM was known as KGNR Newsradio 132. In the early 1970s, prior to Tribune, 1320 KCRA was Sacramento's home for the syndicated "American Top 40" program with Casey Kasem; a September 1971 broadcast of the show mentions KCRA as an affiliate, as does a broadcast of the syndicated program from December 1974. In 1989, KCTC moved from its former FM position to its current home at 1320 AM. On November 1, 2005, KCTC changed formats, dropping the

format to become an Air America affiliate after crosstown rival KSAC-1240 AM dropped its Air America affiliation. However, KCTC's website announced on February 15, 2007, that AM 1320 would no longer carry Air America programs, and also would not retain Enid Goldstein or The Morning Retort with Scott and Sims. The site announced that as of Monday, February 26, 2007, KCTC would become ESPN 1320, carrying the complete sports programming of the ESPN radio network. This move would make KCTC Sacramento's first full-time sports radio station.

KIFM

On April 28, 2016, KCTC changed its callsign to KIFM, former call letters that were used on 98.1 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 List of United States cities by population, eigh ...

, as part of a warehousing move by owner Entercom (that station concurrently changed call letters to

KXSN KXSN (98.1 FM broadcasting, FM) is a Commercial broadcasting, commercial radio station in San Diego, California, branded as Sunny 98.1. Owned by Audacy, Inc., the station airs a classic hits radio format. The studios and offices are located in Sa ...

as part of a format change). That station uses "KIFM" as a non-call branding for its second

HD Radio HD Radio (HDR) is a trademark for an in-band on-channel (IBOC) digital radio broadcast technology. It generally simulcasts an existing analog radio station in digital format with less noise and with additional text information. HD Radio is used ...

subchannel, using it to play an automated form of its former

smooth jazz Smooth jazz is a genre of commercially-oriented crossover jazz and easy listening music that became dominant in the mid 1970s to the early 1990s. History Smooth jazz is a commercially oriented, crossover jazz which came to prominence in the 19 ...

format.

External links

FCC History Cards for KIFM
* * {{Sacramento State Hornets football navbox 1945 establishments in California Audacy, Inc. radio stations Radio stations established in 1945 IFM (AM) Sacramento State Hornets football ESPN Radio stations