KTNO (AM)
| Broadcast area | Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 620 kHz |
| Branding | The Word 100.7 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Christian Talk (KWRD-FM simulcast) |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| KLTY, KSKY, KTNO, KWRD-FM, K273BJ | |
| History | |
First air date | July 15, 1939 as KWFT |
Former call signs | KWFT (1939-1994) KAAM (1995-1998) |
Call sign meaning | Disney Character Mickey Mouse (Radio Disney era) |
| Technical information | |
| Class | B |
| Power | 5,000 Watts (Daytime) 4,500 watts (Nighttime) |
| Links | |
| Website | www |
KMKI (620 AM) is a broadcast radio station licensed to Plano, Texas, serving the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. The station is owned by Salem Media Group. [1]
History
KWFT in Wichita Falls 1939-1994
KMKI originally had its start in Wichita Falls, Texas, as KWFT. KWFT radio existed from 1939 to 1994 on an AM frequency of 620 kilohertz. It was the first radio station to continuously operate in the city and was a regional channel that could be heard across a large geographical area of Texas and Oklahoma, as well as some bordering states during the daytime. The station was a CBS affiliate.
On December 19, 1947, the Federal Communications Commission approved the sale of KWFT from Mr. and Mrs. Joe P. Carrigan, Laura Lou Carrigan and Mrs. Elizabeth Carrigan Simpson to Edward H. Rowley, H.J. Griffith and Kenyon Brown, operating as KWFT, Incorporated.[2]
In 1953, KWFT joined other radio stations in the United States by plunging into the new medium of television. KWFT-TV signed on the air onto channel 6 on March 1 and was the first television station in the city. It was an affiliate of the CBS television network. KWFT later sold the TV station in 1956 at which time channel 6 became KSYD-TV and later KAUZ-TV in 1963, continuing as the CBS affiliate for the Wichita Falls-Lawton market.
KWFT Radio continued for many years after the divesture of the TV station as a radio station emphasizing local and national news, weather, farm reports and middle-of-the-road music format. However, the emergence of a preponderance of FM stations in Wichita Falls offering country and rock music formats during the 1970s and 1980s greatly cut into KWFT's audience and advertising dollars, leading to the sale of the station in the mid-1990s to a new owner who signed off KWFT's last broadcast at 11:59 p.m. on December 24, 1994.
AM 620's move to DFW: KAAM and Radio Disney
About two years later, the 620 frequency formerly assigned to Wichita Falls returned to the airwaves in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex as KAAM. Eventually the station was sold to Disney and renamed KMKI with the Radio Disney format.
The KWFT calls were later reassigned to a MyNetworkTV affiliate (KWFT) in Eureka Springs, Arkansas; that station has since switched its calls to KBBL-TV, though they still use KWFT-LP for a repeater.
Up until Radio Disney's move from Dallas to Burbank, California, KMKI was the network's flagship station.
Sometime in May 2014, Mediabase has moved KMKI, along with other Radio Disney-affiliated stations to the Top 40/CHR panel. Although Radio Disney is still considered a Children's station.[3]
On August 13, 2014, Disney put KMKI and twenty-two other Radio Disney stations up for sale, in order to focus more on digital distribution of the Radio Disney network. Originally, KMKI's affiliation would be discontinued on or after September 26, 2014,[4][5][6] but Disney has decided to keep the programming on KMKI until the sale of this and other RD stations take place. KMKI has a license to broadcast a digital signal using iBiquity's "HD Radio" but has suspended transmission of such months prior to the sale announcement.
In January 2015 KMKI suffered an equipment failure that caused the station to apply for a Special Temporary Authority. "Radio Disney states that a pattern-switch contactor has failed and the antenna system has been placed in night pattern. Thus, KMKI(AM) is requesting STA to operate during daytime hours with the nighttime pattern and the power reduced as necessary to keep monitor points within the daytime licensed limits. There is no proposed change to the nighttime operation. Accordingly, the request for STA IS HEREBY GRANTED. Station KMKJ(AM) may operate during daytime hours with its nighttime pattern but must reduce the daytime power to 890 watts." - Jerome J. Manarchuck. Audio Division. Media Bureau [FCC]
Sale to Salem, End of Radio Disney Affiliation
On June 5, 2015, it was announced that Salem Media Group will acquire KMKI for $3 million. It is unknown what the new format will be once the sale is closed and the Radio Disney affiliation is discontinued.[7] The Sation was sold to Salem Media Group on September 16, 2015. And as a result, The Station discontinued it's Radio Disney affiliate and went silent. [8] 620 AM returned to the air on September 18, 2015, simulcasting programming from KWRD-FM. September 25, 2015 KMKI began broadcasting the audio formerly broadcast on 1160 KVCE. The station is not broadcasting an ID required by the FCC, instead it is broadcasting the ID of 1160 KVCE.
References
- ^ Salem Acquires Disney Stations in Boston and Dallas - Radio Insight
- ^ "KWFT Wichita Falls Sale Gets Approval of FCC" (PDF). Broadcasting. December 22, 1947. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
- ^ Mediabase Announces Panel Changes (Published April 22, 2014, Retrieved August 8, 2014)
- ^ Lafayette, Jon (August 13, 2014). "Exclusive: Radio Disney Moving Off Air to Digital". Retrieved August 13, 2014.
- ^ Venta, Lance (August 13, 2014). "Radio Disney To Sell All But One Station". Radio Insight. Retrieved August 13, 2014.
- ^ "Radio Disney to Sell the Majority of Its Stations". Billboard. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
- ^ Salem Acquires Disney Stations in Boston and Dallas - Radio Insight
- ^ http://www.allaccess.com/net-news/archive/story/145622/oregon-fm-license-sold-puerto-rico-am-donated
External links
- The Word 100.7 (official website)
- DFW Radio/TV History
- Facility details for Facility ID KMKI ({{{2}}}) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
- {{{2}}} in Nielsen Audio's AM station database