KLMG (97.9 FM, "Latino 97.9") 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 ...

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 ...

to serve

Esparto, California {{Infobox settlement , official_name = Esparto , native_name = , other_name = , settlement_type = census-designated place , image_skyline = Esparto Fire Department.jpg , image_captio ...

, United States. The station, which began broadcasting in 1996, was previously owned by Adelante Media Group and the

broadcast license A broadcast license is a type of spectrum license granting the licensee permission to use a portion of the radio frequency spectrum in a given geographical area for broadcasting purposes. The licenses generally include restrictions, which vary ...

was formerly held by Bustos Media of California License, LLC. On October 21, 2014, Adelante announced that it was selling KLMG, its sister stations and its LPTV outlet in Sacramento to Lazer Broadcasting, pending FCC approval The transaction was consummated effective December 31, 2014, at a price of $2.9 million.

Programming

KLMG broadcasts a Spanish AC music format to the

Sacramento metropolitan area The Greater Sacramento area refers to a metropolitan region in Northern California comprising either the U.S. Census Bureau defined Sacramento–Roseville–Arden-Arcade metropolitan statistical area or the larger Sacramento–Roseville combined ...

. This format is designed for the 18- to 34-year-old advertising demo and features popular

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

recording artist A musician is a person who composes, conducts, or performs music. According to the United States Employment Service, "musician" is a general term used to designate one who follows music as a profession. Musicians include songwriters who wri ...

s, plus "

reggaetón Reggaeton (, ), also known as reggaetón and reguetón (), is a music style that originated in Panama during the late 1980s. It was later popularized in Puerto Rico. It has evolved from dancehall and has been influenced by American hip hop, ...

and bachata hits". Unlike "Mega"-themed Spanish Top 40 stations in Miami, Texas and Puerto Rico, KLMG refrains from airing many English-language crossover records and instead taps into the Mexican contemporary music charts. The station targets first-generation and second-generation Hispanic adults with an upbeat presentation, even with ballads and a balance in the on-air tempo of the station.

History

The beginning

This station received its original

construction permit Planning permission or developmental approval refers to the approval needed for construction or expansion (including significant renovation), and sometimes for demolition, in some jurisdictions. It is usually given in the form of a building perm ...

from 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 jurisdiction ...

on February 6,

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...

. The new station was assigned 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 ...

KZAC by the FCC on March 17, 1995. KZAC received its license to cover from the FCC on April 23, 1996. The station's original studios were located in the

Old Sacramento State Historic Park Old Sacramento State Historic Park occupies around one third of the property within the Old Sacramento Historic District of Sacramento, California. The Old Sacramento Historic District is a U.S. National Historic Landmark District. The Historic ...

even though its

broadcast tower Radio masts and towers are typically tall structures designed to support antennas for telecommunications and broadcasting, including television. There are two main types: guyed and self-supporting structures. They are among the tallest human-mad ...

was located in

, its legal

city of license In American, Canadian, and Mexican broadcasting, a city of license or community of license is the community that a radio station or television station is officially licensed to serve by that country's broadcast regulator. In North American broa ...

. When it signed on, KZAC became the fifth

Spanish-language Spanish ( or , Castilian) is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European language family that evolved from colloquial Latin spoken on the Iberian peninsula. Today, it is a world language, global language with more than 500 millio ...

radio station to serve the greater Sacramento area. By April 1998, the station was branded as "Radio Fiesta" and broadcast a Spanish-language

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 format aimed at the 25- to 54-year-old advertising demographic. The station's owners applied to the FCC for new call letters and received the KTTA call sign on July 6, 1998.

Ownership changes

In December 2002, original owner Pacific Spanish Network, Inc., reached an agreement to sell KTTA to Aztec Media, Inc., for a reported $7 million. KTTA had been operated by Aztec Media since July 1999 under a

local marketing agreement In North American broadcasting, a local marketing agreement (LMA), or local management agreement, is a contract in which one company agrees to operate a radio or television station owned by another party. In essence, it is a sort of lease or tim ...

. The deal was approved by the FCC on January 21, 2003, and the transaction was consummated on April 1, 2003. In October 2004, Aztec Media, Inc., announced an agreement to sell this station to

Bustos Media Bustos Media L.L.C. is a media corporation headquartered in Portland, Oregon. Bustos Media specializes in operating Spanish-language, and other ethnic, radio stations in the United States. Most of its stations broadcast in Spanish; however, two ...

through their Bustos Media of California, LLC, subsidiary, for $15 million as part of a two-station deal valued at $21.7 million. The deal was approved by the FCC on December 15, 2004, and the transaction was consummated on January 21, 2005. Just one week later, as part of an internal corporate reorganization, Bustos Media applied to the FCC to transfer the broadcast license from Bustos Media of California, LLC, to Bustos Media of California License, LLC. The transfer was approved by the FCC on January 28, 2005, and the transaction was consummated on February 10, 2005. Founded in 2004, Bustos Media was one of the largest

broadcasting corporations in the United States.

97.9 today

The station's former longtime

Regional Mexican Regional Mexican is a Latin music radio format encompassing the musical genres from the different parts of rural Mexico and the Southwestern United States. Genres include banda, country en español, Duranguense, grupero, mariachi, New Mexico ...

music format, "La Ke Buena" branding, and KTTA calls moved to 94.3 FM in February 2009; the station is now the flagship of Adelante Media Group's "La Gran D" regional Mexican network. This station, which flipped to a Spanish-language CHR format branded as "Mega 97.9", was assigned the KLMG call sign by the FCC on February 24, 2009. In 2010, the branding shifted to "Latino 97.9" and continues today under new owner Adelante Media Group.

References

External links

{{Spanish Radio Stations in California LMG LMG Radio stations established in 1996 Yolo County, California