KXLY (920
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
Commercial may refer to:
* a dose of advertising conveyed through media (such as - for example - radio or television)
** Radio advertisement
** Television advertisement
* (adjective for:) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and s ...
AM 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 ...
in
Spokane, Washington
Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the Canada ...
. It broadcasts a
news/talk
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often featur ...
radio format
A radio format or programming format (not to be confused with broadcast programming) describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. The radio format emerged mainly in the United States in the 1950s, at a time when Radio broadcasting, ...
with the branding "920 News Now". The station is owned by QueenB Radio, with its license held by
Morgan Murphy Media
The Evening Telegram Company, d/b/a Morgan Murphy Media, is an American television and radio company based out of Madison, Wisconsin. The company is named for publisher Morgan Murphy, who expanded the business after he took over from his grandfathe ...
.
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 West Boone Avenue in Spokane. KXLY uses a
non-directional antenna
In radio communication, an omnidirectional antenna is a class of antenna (electronics), antenna which radiates equal radio power in all directions perpendicular to an axis (mathematics), axis (azimuthal directions), with power varying with angle ...
, from a
transmitter
In electronics and telecommunications, a radio transmitter or just transmitter is an electronic device which produces radio waves with an antenna (radio), antenna. The transmitter itself generates a radio frequency alternating current, which i ...
site off South Regal Street in Spokane. By day it operates with a power of 20,000
watt
The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named after James Wa ...
s, which is reduced to 5,000 watts at night in order to protect other stations on
920 AM
The following radio stations broadcast on AM frequency 920 kHz: 920 AM is a Regional
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geogr ...
from interference.
Programming is also carried on 250 watt
FM translator
A broadcast relay station, also known as a satellite station, relay transmitter, broadcast translator (U.S.), re-broadcaster (Canada), repeater (two-way radio) or complementary station (Mexico), is a broadcast transmitter which repeats (or tran ...
K264CH at 100.7
MHz
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 one he ...
.
Programming
Weekdays on KXLY begin with a four-hour block of news and information, ''920 News Now with Dave Spencer''. The rest of the weekday schedule is made up of
nationally syndicated shows: Dan Bongino,
The Ramsey Show
''The Ramsey Show'' (formerly known as ''The Dave Ramsey Show'') is a three-hour self-syndicated radio program and podcast, hosted by the eponymous finance author and speaker Dave Ramsey, that airs Monday through Friday from 2-5 PM ET. It is br ...
,
Ben Shapiro
Benjamin Aaron Shapiro (born January 15, 1984) is an American attorney, businessman, columnist, conservative political commentator, and media personality. At age 17, he became the youngest nationally syndicated columnist in the United States. ...
,
Lars Larson
Lars Kristopher Larson (born March 6, 1959)"Lars Kristopher Larson". ''Who's Who in the West'', 26th ed. Accessed June 17, 2013 via LexisNexis. is an American conservative talk radio show host based in Portland, Oregon. Larson worked in televis ...
,
Mark Levin
Mark Reed Levin (; born September 21, 1957) is an American lawyer, author, and radio personality. He is the host of syndicated radio show
Broadcast syndication is the practice of leasing the right to broadcasting television shows and rad ...
, ''Markey, Van Camp & Robbins'' and
Bloomberg Radio
Bloomberg Radio is a radio service of Bloomberg L.P. that provides global business news programming 24 hours a day. The format is general and financial news, offering local, national and international news reports along with financial market up ...
. Weekends feature shows on money, health, home improvement, technology, the outdoors and wine.
KXLY is the
flagship station of The Cougar Sports Radio Network, which carries
Washington State Cougars football
The Washington State Cougars football program is the intercollegiate American football team for Washington State University, located in Pullman, Washington. The team competes at the NCAA Division I level in the FBS and is a member of the Pac- ...
and
men's basketball games.
It is also the alternate affiliate of the
Seattle Mariners Radio Network
The Mariners Radio Network is the name applied to the radio stations which carry Seattle Mariners baseball games throughout Washington state.
Stations are listed by state, then city. All stations broadcast on the AM band unless otherwise noted.
T ...
baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...
. KXLY 920 has a news sharing arrangement with co-owned
KXLY-TV
KXLY-TV (channel 4) is a television station in Spokane, Washington, United States, affiliated with ABC and owned by Morgan Murphy Media. Its studios are located on West Boone Avenue in Spokane, and its transmitter is located on Mount Spokane. Th ...
Channel 4 and also carries
ABC News Radio
ABC News Radio is the news radio service of ABC Audio, a division of ABC News in the United States. Formerly known as ABC Radio News, ABC News Radio feeds, through Skyview Networks, five minute newscasts on the hour and news briefs at half-pas ...
world and national news.
History
From 1912 to 1927 radio communication in the United States was regulated by the Department of Commerce, and originally there were no formal requirements for stations, most of which operated under Amateur and Experimental licenses, making broadcasts intended for the general public. In order to provide a common standard, the department issued a regulation effective December 1, 1921 requiring that broadcasting stations would now have to hold a Limited Commercial license that authorized operation on two designated broadcasting wavelengths: 360 meters (833 kHz) for "entertainment", and 485 meters (619 kHz) for "market and weather reports".
["Amendments to Regulations"]
''Radio Service Bulletin'', January 3, 1922, page 10.
The first two Spokane broadcasting station authorizations were issued to the Doerr-Mitchell Electric Company on March 23, 1922 for KFZ, and to the ''Spokane Chronicle'' on April 12, 1922 for KOE, both for operation on 360 meters. Because there was only the single entertainment wavelength, stations in a given region had to develop timesharing arrangements for broadcasts on the shared 360 meter wavelength.
KFDC
In 1922, 17-year-old
Edmund B. Craney was an employee at the Radio Supply Company in Spokane, which was owned by Thomas W. Symons, Jr.
["Radio Days" by Jim Kershner, ''Spokane Spokesman-Review'', October 5, 1992, pages B1, B8.] Craney was a member of the
North Central High School radio club. In the summer of 1921 physics teacher Arthur L. Smith had arranged for the school to be issued a "Technical and Training School" station license, with the call sign "7YL". In addition, Craney held a license for amateur station 7AEG.
Craney convinced his employer that the Radio Supply Company should operate a broadcasting station, in order to promote sales. The December 1, 1921 regulations that had established the broadcasting service required that station operators had to hold a "commercial second-class license or higher",
[ and Craney arranged to take the training for the needed qualification.]["KFDC: The Early Years - 1922 to 1928"]
by Bill Harms (philcobill.com). On November 21, 1922 a broadcasting station license with the call sign KFDC was issued in the name of "Radio Supply Co. (E. B. Craney)", for operation on 360 meters, although Craney later reported that broadcasts originating from Radio Supply had started on October 18, 1922.[ The KFDC call letters were randomly assigned from an alphabetical roster of available call signs. The station's history makes it the oldest surviving Spokane radio station. (KHQ, now ]KQNT
KQNT (590 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Spokane, Washington. It is one of the oldest radio stations in Washington, going on the air in 1922 in Seattle. KQNT offers a talk radio format and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. The stu ...
, was first licensed earlier, on February 28, 1922, but didn't move to Spokane until 1925. KFIO now KSBN, first licensed on May 22, 1923, has a slightly longer continuous history, because unlike KXLY it was never deleted and relicensed.)
Although initially licensed to broadcast on 360 meters, Craney later reported that technical issues meant that the station had difficulty maintaining its assigned wavelength.[ In mid-1923 KFDC was reassigned to 1060 kHz.
]
Deletion and revival as KFPY
KFDC suspended operations and was deleted on September 19, 1923. However, the station was revived the next year, and was relicensed on April 23, 1924 to the Symons Investment Company, again on 1060 kHz, with the sequentially assigned call letters of KFPY. KFPY was housed in the Symons Building on 7 South Howard Street in Spokane. Beginning in 1925, audience members were welcomed to view live broadcasts—usually music programs or dramas—at "The Golden Concert Studios of KFPY" on the second floor, which boasted a curtain, a stage and seating for 150. On the stage were two grand pianos and a Wurlitzer
The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to as simply Wurlitzer, is an American company started in Cincinnati in 1853 by German immigrant (Franz) Rudolph Wurlitzer. The company initially imported stringed, woodwind and brass instruments ...
Organ. It was through these facilities that Bing Crosby
Harry Lillis "Bing" Crosby Jr. (May 3, 1903 – October 14, 1977) was an American singer, musician and actor. The first multimedia star, he was one of the most popular and influential musical artists of the 20th century worldwide. He was a ...
, then an unknown Gonzaga University
Gonzaga University (GU) () is a private Jesuit university in Spokane, Washington. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. Founded in 1887 by Joseph Cataldo, an Italian-born priest and Jesuit missionary, the univ ...
student, made his radio debut. Decades later, Crosby would partner with the station to launch KXLY-TV
KXLY-TV (channel 4) is a television station in Spokane, Washington, United States, affiliated with ABC and owned by Morgan Murphy Media. Its studios are located on West Boone Avenue in Spokane, and its transmitter is located on Mount Spokane. Th ...
.[ Other future stars who performed at the Golden Studios include ]Bob Crosby
George Robert Crosby (August 23, 1913 – March 9, 1993) was an American jazz singer and bandleader, best known for his group the Bob-Cats, which formed around 1935. The Bob-Cats were a New Orleans Dixieland-style jazz octet. He was the younge ...
and Patrice Munsel
Patrice Munsel (born Patrice Beverly Munsil; May 14, 1925 – August 4, 2016) was an American coloratura soprano. Nicknamed "Princess Pat", she was the youngest singer ever to star at the Metropolitan Opera.
Early years
An only child, Patrice ...
.
KFPY was reported to be transmitting on 1100 kHz as of December 31, 1926, and in mid-1927 this was changed to 1220 kHz. On November 11, 1928, under the provisions of the Federal Radio Commission
The Federal Radio Commission (FRC) was a government agency that regulated United States radio communication from its creation in 1927 until 1934, when it was succeeded by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). The FRC was established by t ...
's General Order 40
The Federal Radio Commission's (FRC) General Order 40, dated August 30, 1928, described the standards for a sweeping reorganization of radio broadcasting in the United States. This order grouped the AM radio band transmitting frequencies into thre ...
, KFPY was assigned to 1390 kHz on a timesharing basis with KWSC in Pullman, which was changed to unlimited hours on 1340 kHz in August 1929. In 1935 the station moved to 890 kHz.
KFPY was Spokane's CBS Radio
CBS Radio was a radio broadcasting company and radio network operator owned by CBS Corporation and founded in 1928, with consolidated radio station groups owned by CBS and Westinghouse Broadcasting/Group W since the 1920s, and Infinity Broadc ...
Network affiliate
In the broadcasting industry (particularly in North America, and even more in the United States), a network affiliate or affiliated station is a local broadcaster, owned by a company other than the owner of the network, which carries some or a ...
from 1929 until the 1990s. During the Golden Age of Radio
The Golden Age of Radio, also known as the old-time radio (OTR) era, was an era of radio in the United States where it was the dominant electronic home entertainment, entertainment medium. It began with the birth of commercial radio broadcastin ...
, the station carried CBS's dramas, comedies, news, sports, soap opera
A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...
s, game show
A game show is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment (radio, television, internet, stage or other) where contestants compete for a reward. These programs can either be participatory or Let's Play, demonstrative and are typically directed b ...
s and big band
A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s an ...
broadcasts.[ In March 1941, stations on 890 kHz were moved to KXLY's current frequency of 920 kHz, as part of the implementation 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 ...
."United States Assignments"
''North American Regional Broadcasting Agreement'', 1941, page 1426.
KXLY
Craney left KFPY in 1927 to found KGIR in Butte, Montana. He returned to Spokane in 1945 to buy KFPY, which was renamed to KXLY on December 19, 1946. The new call letters reflected Craney's "XL Network," a chain of stations he also owned in Butte, Helena, Bozeman, Great Falls and Missoula, all of which had call letters beginning with "KXL".
On February 22, 1953, the radio station expanded into television with the signon of KXLY-TV on channel 4; like its radio cousin, the TV station was an affiliate of the CBS network, but has been with ABC since 1976. That same year in November, Craney sold KXLY and KXLY-TV to the Northern Pacific Radio and Television Corporation, headed by Joseph Harris, Norman Eisenstein, and Richard E. Jones. Northern Pacific sold the KXLY stations (which now included KXLY-FM
KXLY-FM (99.9 MHz) is a commercial FM radio station in Spokane, Washington, that airs a country music radio format. The station is owned by Morgan Murphy Media, with the license held by QueenB Radio, Inc. KXLY-FM calls itself "The Big 99.9 Coy ...
) in 1961 to the current owners, Morgan Murphy Media
The Evening Telegram Company, d/b/a Morgan Murphy Media, is an American television and radio company based out of Madison, Wisconsin. The company is named for publisher Morgan Murphy, who expanded the business after he took over from his grandfathe ...
.
In September 1998, the CBS Radio network affiliation moved to 1510 KGA
KGA (1510 AM broadcasting, AM) is a radio station serving Spokane, Washington. Owned by Stephens Media Group (broadcasting), Stephens Media Group, through licensee SMG-Spokane, LLC, it broadcasts a Sports radio, sports format. KGA's studios and ...
. KXLY picked up ABC News Radio
ABC News Radio is the news radio service of ABC Audio, a division of ABC News in the United States. Formerly known as ABC Radio News, ABC News Radio feeds, through Skyview Networks, five minute newscasts on the hour and news briefs at half-pas ...
, matching its television counterpart's affiliation, which had made the switch 22 years earlier in 1976 after CBS ended its affiliation with the TV station.
On September 17, 2015, KXLY added an FM translator
A broadcast relay station, also known as a satellite station, relay transmitter, broadcast translator (U.S.), re-broadcaster (Canada), repeater (two-way radio) or complementary station (Mexico), is a broadcast transmitter which repeats (or tran ...
on 100.3 MHz. In April 2016, the translator moved to 100.7 FM.
References
External links
KXLY website
*
*
FCC History Cards for KXLY
(covering 1927-1980)
{{Morgan Murphy
Morgan Murphy Media stations
XLY
News and talk radio stations in the United States
XLY
Radio stations established in 1922
1922 establishments in Washington (state)
Washington State Cougars football
Washington State Cougars men's basketball