KLSB (97.5
FM) is a
non-commercial
A non-commercial (also spelled noncommercial) activity is an activity that does not, in some sense, involve commerce, at least relative to similar activities that do have a commercial objective or emphasis. For example, advertising-free community ...
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 ...
that is licensed to
Goleta, California
Goleta (; ; Spanish for "Schooner") is a city in southern Santa Barbara County, California, United States. It was incorporated as a city in 2002, after a long period as the largest unincorporated populated area in the county. As of the 2000 c ...
and serves the
Santa Barbara and
Oxnard
Oxnard () is a city in Ventura County, California, United States. On California's South Coast, it is the most populous city in Ventura County and the 22nd-most-populous city in California. Incorporated in 1903, Oxnard lies approximately west ...
—
Ventura areas. The station is owned by
Educational Media Foundation
Educational Media Foundation (formerly EMF Broadcasting, abbreviated EMF) is an American nonprofit Christian media ministry based in Franklin, Tennessee, a suburb of Nashville.
EMF is the parent company of K-LOVE and Air1—the world's largest ...
and airs the
contemporary Christian music
Contemporary Christian music, also known as CCM, Christian pop, and occasionally inspirational music is a genre of modern popular music, and an aspect of Christian media, which is lyrically focused on matters related to the Christian faith and s ...
format of its nationally syndicated
K-Love network.
KLSB broadcasts in
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 ...
.
History
Early years (1957–1985)
The station first
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 ...
September 1, 1957 with the
call letters
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 ...
KRCW.
In May 1965, original owner Richard W. Johnston sold the station to News-Press Publishing Company, owner of the ''
Santa Barbara News-Press
The ''Santa Barbara News-Press'' is a broadsheet newspaper based in Santa Barbara, California.
History
The oldest predecessor (the weekly Santa Barbara ''Post'') of the ''News-Press'' started publishing on May 30, 1868.
The Santa Barbara ''Pos ...
'' and
AM station
KTMS
KTMS (990 AM, "News Talk AM 990") is a commercial radio station in Santa Barbara, California. It is owned by Rincon Broadcasting and airs a talk radio format. KTMS is simulcast on FM translator station K250BS at 97.9 MHz, licensed to Solimar B ...
, for $51,000. KRCW's call sign changed to KTMS-FM in July to match that of its new sister station. News-Press Publishing's
cross-ownership of the combo predated 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 ...
's
1975 rules prohibiting a person or entity from owning both a newspaper and a radio or television station in the same media market, so the company's mix of media outlets was
allowed to remain in place. Nonetheless, the stations' common ownership with the ''News-Press'' ended on July 12, 1985, when News-Press Publishing sold the FM station, then known as KKOO-FM, and KTMS to F&M Broadcasting for $2 million.
KHTY (1985–1998)
In September 1985, the station changed its call letters to KHTY and adopted 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 " con ...
format branded as "Y97". In July 1987, Harry McMurray and Jimmie Lee Wilkinson sold their 50 percent interest in KHTY and KTMS to Christian Larson for $1.75 million. (F. Robert Fenton owned the other 50 percent of the station combo.) The company became known as Pinnacle Communications.
On October 27, 1989,
Geffen Records
Geffen Records is an American record label established by David Geffen and owned by Universal Music Group through its Interscope Geffen A&M Records imprint.
Founded in 1980, Geffen Records has been a part of Interscope Geffen A&M since 1999 and h ...
sued Pinnacle for copyright infringement over an unauthorized broadcast of the
Whitesnake
Whitesnake are an English hard rock band formed in London in 1978. The group was originally put together as the backing band for singer David Coverdale, who had recently left Deep Purple. Though the band quickly developed into their own entit ...
album ''
Slip of the Tongue
''Slip of the Tongue'' is the eighth studio album by the British band Whitesnake, released in 1989. The album peaked at number 10 on both the UK Album Chart and US ''Billboard'' 200. Three singles were released from the album: " Fool for Your ...
'' on KHTY prior to its release. The incident in question occurred on the evening of October 20, when the station's disc jockey encouraged listeners to get ready to record the broadcast, then played the album in its entirety. According to KHTY general manager William H. Johnson Jr., an anonymous source mailed the station an advance copy of the album, and acting program director Darren Stone was unaware of any issues that may arise from playing it early. Geffen sought more than $500,000 in punitive damages. (''Slip of the Tongue'' was released November 7, 1989.)
In August 1993, Pinnacle Communications sold KHTY and KTMS to Atmor Properties to satisfy a debt owed to a finance company principally owned by
AT&T
AT&T Inc. is an American multinational telecommunications holding company headquartered at Whitacre Tower in Downtown Dallas, Texas. It is the world's largest telecommunications company by revenue and the third largest provider of mobile tel ...
. The outstanding amount, including interest and late charges, totaled approximately $4.5 million.
In February 1995, the station dropped the Y97 moniker and adjusted its format to
modern rock
Modern rock is an umbrella term used to describe rock music that is found on college rock radio stations. Some radio stations use this term to distinguish themselves from classic rock, which is based in 1960s–1980s rock music.
Radio format
Mod ...
, identifying simply as "97.5 KHTY". A year later, in January 1996, Engles Enterprises, Inc. purchased KHTY and KTMS for $2 million.
KMGQ/KRUZ (1998–2012)
KHTY and its modern rock format came to an end in September 1998 when sister station KMGQ moved its call letters and
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 ...
programming from the
106.3 FM
The following radio broadcasting, radio stations broadcast on FM broadcasting, FM frequency 106.3 MHz:
Argentina
* Aleluya in Buenos Aires
* Centro (Oberá), Centro in Oberá, Misiones
* Gamba (radio station), Gamba in Córdoba
* Güemes (ra ...
frequency to 97.5 FM.
In December 1999,
Cumulus Media
Cumulus Media, Inc. is an American broadcasting company and is the third largest owner and operator of AM and FM radio stations in the United States behind Audacy and iHeartMedia. As of June 2019, Cumulus lists ownership of 428 stations in 87 ...
purchased McDonald Media Group's eight stations, including KMGQ, for $41 million. This transaction marked Cumulus' entry into the Pacific states.
In March 2005, Cumulus executed a format shuffle within its Santa Barbara cluster. KMGQ's smooth jazz format and call letters were transferred back to 106.3 FM, while the
modern 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 on
KRUZ (103.3 FM) moved to 97.5 FM. As a result, the station at 97.5 FM changed its call letters to KRUZ.
On February 19, 2011 at 5:03 a.m., KRUZ's transmitter went off the air due to heavy rain storms. The station resumed service February 23, 2011 at 6 a.m.
Educational Media Foundation era (2012–present)
In August 2012, Cumulus sold KRUZ to
Educational Media Foundation
Educational Media Foundation (formerly EMF Broadcasting, abbreviated EMF) is an American nonprofit Christian media ministry based in Franklin, Tennessee, a suburb of Nashville.
EMF is the parent company of K-LOVE and Air1—the world's largest ...
(EMF) for $1.25 million. Cumulus retained the KRUZ call sign, moving it to an
AM station in Van Buren, Arkansas on November 15; the FM station temporarily added an -FM suffix to become KRUZ-FM. EMF took control of the station on December 1, 2012 at midnight, switching to the
Christian contemporary hit radio
Christian contemporary hit radio (sometimes abbreviated as Christian CHR) is a radio format that is common in the United States and Australia focusing on playing current and recent music as determined by the contemporary Christian music Top 40
I ...
format of its
Air1
Air1 is an American Christian radio network. Owned by the Educational Media Foundation (EMF), it primarily broadcasts contemporary worship music, and is a sister to the EMF's K-Love network.
History
In 1986, KLRD began broadcasting Christia ...
network with new call letters KYGA.
On December 14, 2017, KYGA flipped to Air1's sister network
K-Love, which airs
Christian adult contemporary Christian adult contemporary, also known as Christian AC or CAC, is a radio format. In the United States, Christian adult contemporary radio stations cater to a mostly adult audience and are similar to mainstream adult contemporary stations in that ...
music, and changed its call letters to KLSB. The Air1 feed moved to KLSB's HD2 subchannel.
HD Radio
KLSB broadcasts in
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 ...
with three subchannels:
*KLSB-HD1 is a digital simulcast of the analog signal.
*KLSB-HD2 broadcasts
Air1
Air1 is an American Christian radio network. Owned by the Educational Media Foundation (EMF), it primarily broadcasts contemporary worship music, and is a sister to the EMF's K-Love network.
History
In 1986, KLRD began broadcasting Christia ...
, a sister network of K-Love carrying a
contemporary worship music
Contemporary worship music (CWM), also known as praise and worship music, is a defined genre of Christian music used in contemporary worship. It has developed over the past 60 years and is stylistically similar to pop music. The songs are fr ...
format with some
contemporary Christian music
Contemporary Christian music, also known as CCM, Christian pop, and occasionally inspirational music is a genre of modern popular music, and an aspect of Christian media, which is lyrically focused on matters related to the Christian faith and s ...
(CCM) mixed in. Prior to January 1, 2019, Air1 broadcast a broad-based
Christian contemporary hit radio
Christian contemporary hit radio (sometimes abbreviated as Christian CHR) is a radio format that is common in the United States and Australia focusing on playing current and recent music as determined by the contemporary Christian music Top 40
I ...
(Christian CHR) format.
*KLSB-HD3 airs
K-Love Classics
K-Love Classics was a Christian classic hits radio network owned by Educational Media Foundation (EMF) and was carried over FM stations, translators, and HD subchannels in the United States. Such stations include WAIW 88.1 in Wheaton, Illinois ...
, a Christian
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 1980s ...
network owned by EMF. This programming was added to the HD3 subchannel in late 2018.
References
External links
FCC History Cards for KLSB
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*
*
{{coord, 34.5253, N, 119.9590, W, type:landmark_region:US_source:FCC, display=title
LSB
Radio stations established in 1957
1957 establishments in California
LSB
K-Love radio stations
Educational Media Foundation radio stations