KSUR (AM)
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KMZT (1260 AM, K-Mozart 1260) is a commercial radio station licensed to Beverly Hills, California. Owned by
Mount Wilson FM Broadcasters Mount Wilson FM Broadcasters, Inc., a subsidiary of Mt. Wilson Broadcasting Inc., is a Los Angeles-based radio broadcasting company owned by Saul Levine. The company was founded in 1959, and Levine is the only independent operator of an FM commer ...
, the station serves Greater Los Angeles and much of surrounding Southern California. The KMZT studios are located in Los Angeles' Westwood neighborhood, while the station transmitter resides in the nearby Mission Hills neighborhood. Besides a standard analog transmission, KMZT broadcasts over through the
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 ...
in-band on-channel In-band on-channel (IBOC) is a hybrid method of transmitting digital radio and analog radio broadcast signals simultaneously on the same frequency. The name refers to the new digital signals being broadcast in the same AM or FM band (in-band), a ...
standard for AM stations, is simulcast on low-power Los Angeles translator K252FO (98.3 FM) and the second HD
digital subchannel In broadcasting, digital subchannels are a method of transmitting more than one independent program stream simultaneously from the same digital radio or television station on the same radio frequency channel. This is done by using data compress ...
of KKGO, and is available online.


Station history

KGIL began broadcasting October 19, 1947, on 1260 kHz with 1,000 watts of power full-time. The station was licensed to San Fernando Valley Broadcasting Company, with studios and executive offices at 4919 Van Nuys Boulevard, Sherman Oaks, California. At that time, it aired a big band music format. KGIL aired other formats including
talk Talk may refer to: Communication * Communication, the encoding and decoding of exchanged messages between people * Conversation, interactive communication between two or more people * Lecture, an oral presentation intended to inform or instruct ...
until 1993. From 1993 to 1995, it had the call letters KJQI, playing adult standards music. In 1995, it became K-NEWS, simulcasting with
XESURF XESURF-AM ( 540 kHz) is a Mexican radio station licensed to Tijuana, Baja California, serving the San Diego–Tijuana metropolitan area. XESURF airs a Spanish-language Christian radio format. It is operated by Zion Multimedia Inc. located i ...
Tijuana (then with call letters XETIN) and now-defunct KNNZ in
Costa Mesa, California Costa Mesa (; Spanish for "Table Coast") is a city in Orange County, California. Since its incorporation in 1953, the city has grown from a semi-rural farming community of 16,840 to an urban area including part of the South Coast Plaza–John Wa ...
. K-NEWS was an
all-news radio All-news radio is a radio format devoted entirely to the discussion and broadcast of news. All-news radio is available in both local and syndicated forms, and is carried on both major US satellite radio networks. All-news stations can run the ...
service with content from the Associated Press or local announcers Peter Arbogast, Jim Roope, and H.K. Malay. K-NEWS was also the home of the Los Angeles Clippers and had an unprecedented 8 traffic reports an hour, causing competitors
KNX KNX is an open standard (see EN 50090, ISO/IEC 14543) for commercial and domestic building automation. KNX devices can manage lighting, blinds and shutters, HVAC, security systems, energy management, audio video, white goods, displays, remote ...
and KFWB to add more traffic reports to their schedules. On January 3, 1997, the station reverted to the KGIL call letters and aired an all-
Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developme ...
format until August 31. On September 1, 1997, the station switched to a format of Broadway show tunes. In July 1998, the station switched to Music of Your Life. In 2000, KGIL adopted a mainstream jazz format and changed call letters to KJAZ. Then, in 2002, it took on the call letters KSUR and began broadcasting an adult standards format, changing its call letters to KKGO in 2005. From August 2004 to June 2005 the station had a 1950s-60s oldies format. On December 1, 2006, KKGO changed to a country music format, filling the void left behind when KZLA became rhythmic adult contemporary as
KMVN KMVN (105.7 FM) is a commercial radio station in Anchorage, Alaska, United States. Its studios are located on Business Park Boulevard in Anchorage, and its transmitter is located in Eagle River, Alaska. Previously a smooth jazz station lice ...
earlier in 2006. On February 26, 2007, KKGO swapped call signs and formats with FM sister station KMZT, moving the country music format to
105.1 FM The following radio broadcasting, radio stations broadcast on FM broadcasting, FM frequency 105.1 MHz: Argentina * Centauro (radio station), Centauro in La Tigra, Chaco * Centro (Basavilbaso), Centro in Basavilbaso, Entre Ríos * Caroya in C ...
, and the classical format known as "K-Mozart" to 1260 AM and to a new HD channel at 105.1 HD2. On October 29, 2007, KMZT changed its calls back to KGIL and flipped formats from classical to talk radio, with Michael Jackson as the headline host. Jackson was laid off from the station about a year later and replaced by John Ziegler, who left after a few months. Aside from Jackson and Ziegler, the bulk of KGIL's programming was syndicated, mostly of second-tier programs left over from what KFI, KRLA and KABC did not want. On November 27, 2007, KGIL started simulcasting on XESURF (540 AM), which flipped from
classic country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, old- ...
. Owner Saul Levine decided to return KGIL to a music format after the debut of a similar talk radio format on KFWB, which took place in September 2009. On August 27, 2009, the station switched to a mix of oldies and adult standards as "Retro 1260." Mornings had John Regan, middays had Gary Hollis, afternoons had Kimber Murphy, followed by Chuck Southcott, who had worked at KGIL from 1962 to 1975. "Retro 1260" emphasized vocals and played Elvis Presley,
Sam Cooke Samuel Cook (January 22, 1931 – December 11, 1964), known professionally as Sam Cooke, was an American singer and songwriter. Considered to be a pioneer and one of the most influential soul artists of all time, Cooke is commonly referred ...
, The Beatles, and The Beach Boys, as well as
Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...
, Ella Fitzgerald, Steve Tyrell, and Michael Feinstein. On March 28, 2011, the Los Angeles Times reported that the station would begin airing classical music on April 4. The final song on "Retro 1260" was " How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)" by Keely Smith at 11:58 p.m. on April 3,
2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
. "Retro 1260" would soon be relaunched as an internet stream a
Retro105.com
and on airing on KKGO's HD3 subchannel. In addition to music, KGIL was the Los Angeles-area affiliate for
California Golden Bears football The California Golden Bears football program represents the University of California, Berkeley in college football as a member of the Pac-12 Conference at the NCAA Division I, NCAA Division I FBS level. The team plays its home games at Californi ...
and had aired games of the Los Angeles Clippers and Los Angeles Kings in the past to resolve time conflicts with other stations. KMZT aired a
classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical music, as the term "classical music" also ...
radio format that was also heard on
sister station In broadcasting, sister stations or sister channels are radio or television stations operated by the same company, either by direct ownership or through a management agreement. Radio sister stations will often have different formats, and somet ...
KMZT-FM (95.9 MHz) in
Big Sur, California Big Sur () is a rugged and mountainous section of the Central Coast of California between Carmel and San Simeon, where the Santa Lucia Mountains rise abruptly from the Pacific Ocean. It is frequently praised for its dramatic scenery. Big Sur ha ...
. On August 19, 2016, KMZT switched to an adult standards format and rebranded as "Unforgettable 1260," duplicating the format and branding of sister station KNRY (1240 AM) in Monterey. On September 7, 2016, KMZT changed call letters to KBOQ. Those call letters previously belonged to a classic hits station owned by Saul Levine in Monterey. That station is now KDFG, and is owned by
USC USC most often refers to: * University of South Carolina, a public research university ** University of South Carolina System, the main university and its satellite campuses **South Carolina Gamecocks, the school athletic program * University of ...
. On March 17, 2017, the station flipped to oldies as "LA Oldies K-SURF." On March 20, 2017, KBOQ changed their call letters to KSUR. In July 2020, the "K-Mozart" classical music format returned on KKGO-HD4. On November 21, 2020, KSUR and KKGO-HD2 switched to full-time Christmas music. Subsequently, station management announced that it would return to a classical music format on December 1, with the oldies format remaining on KKGO-HD2. The station also changed back to its former KMZT call sign on December 1.


Former logos


References


External links


FCC History Cards for KMZT
*
Changes to KGIL line-up from November 27, 2007.
{{Los Angeles Radio MZT (AM) Radio stations established in 1947 1947 establishments in California Classical music radio stations in the United States