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|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex |
| Frequency | 1540kHz |
| Programming | |
| Language | English |
| Format | Alternative |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
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| History | |
First air date | 1949 (as KCUL) |
Former call signs |
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| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 63551 |
| Class | B |
| Power | |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
KAMM (1540kHz) is acommercialAMradio stationlicensed toUniversity Park, Texas, serving theDallas–Fort Worth Metroplex. It is owned by Richard Witkovski, through licensee North Texas Radio Group, L.P., and is operating at the reduced power of 100 watts under special temporary authority BSTA20230405AAC under authority of theFederal Communications Commission.
The stationsigned on as KCUL in 1949, originally licensed toFort Worth, Texas.[2] KCUL was owned by East-West Broadcasting and featured a variety format through the 1950s. The station'scall sign was chosen for investor A. B. Culbertson, although other sources mention a connection with Fort Worth-area optometrist L. H. Luck, because "K-C-U-L" was "luck" spelled backwards.
In the mid 1950s, KCUL switched to acountry music format. Blocks ofSpanish language programming were added in 1958 and the station became largely aRegional Mexican music outlet in the 1960s. By 1964, the radio station had picked up asister station on the FM dial and hired Marcos Rodriguez, Sr. father ofMarcos A. Rodriguez to be morning DJ and afternoon salesperson. At the time,FM radio in America was in its infancy. Listeners did not listen to FM very much and broadcasters weren't sure the technology was going to last.
OnNew Year's Day, 1967, KCUL and KCUL-FM were sold by East-West Broadcasting to John Walton and was rebranded "Classical Country" KBUY, maintaining its Country format withWestern music added. It became the first full-time Country/Western station in the Dallas/Fort Worth area; the format adjustment was described as "an 'uptown' version of its predecessor, KCUL."
In 1976, the station again rebranded as KRXV (call sign derived fromRoman numerals XV as "Radio 15"), this time with anall-news format that lasted for only 14 months. KRXV employedMarcos A. Rodriguez as a board operator andJim Miklaszewski, later anNBC News correspondent, as news director. Hal Eisner, currently a longtime TV newsman in Los Angeles, also worked at KRXV. The format then changed tobeautiful music as "Radio 15," a joint operation between actorJimmy Stewart and Oklahoma News Network ownerWilliam Schuller. In 1978, the call sign was changed to KMZK, but the easy-listening format and branding remained the same.
Between 1979 and 1983, the station was revamped as KTIA with a Spanish format. KTIA was founded by a partnership led by Johnny Gonzalez, one of three former advertisers onKESS (107.1 FM), but their purchase coincided with theprime rate going to 20%. The business went bust and the station wentdark for almost a year. The call sign KMIA was established on June 25, 1985, but the station didn't sign on until three months later. The format from that period until 1986 was Spanish,Tropical, andCaribbean music. Then the format changed tourban contemporary gospel with some Spanish religious programming as "Faith 1540".
From 1988 to 1993, formats were bounced fromReligious to Spanish as KSVZ (1988), KSGB (1989), and KTNO (1993). Then in 1997, it was rebranded as KPAD with aMotivational format, airing syndicated programming from the Personal Achievement Radio service. The motivation format did not last long, and the call sign was changed to KZMP as a simulcast ofKTCY until 2003. Along the way,KTCY andKZMP-FM swapped calls. In 2006, KZMP, along with three other stations, were sold byEntravision Communications to Liberman.
On June 1, 2009, KZMP struck alocal marketing agreement (LMA) withThe Walt Disney Company and dropped its FM simulcast ("Radio Salaam Namaste")replacing it withESPN Deportes Radio.[3]
Starting with the2011 Major League Baseball season,KESN and KZMP acquired the rights to broadcast allTexas Rangers baseball games for the next four years. English broadcasts aired on KESN while the Spanish-language broadcasts were heard on KZMP.[4] Additionally, the station also carried Spanish audio broadcasts forFC Dallas games.
It was announced on August 7, 2013, that Disney, the owner of ESPN Deportes Radio, had transferred the station's operations to Deportes Media. No changes in the station's programming lineup occurred.[5]
On September 4, 2016, ESPN Deportes Radio was dropped for a simulcast of sister stationKZZA 106.7. KZZA's ClassicRegional Mexican format was rebranded as "La Ranchera" the same day. The staff of ESPN Deportes Dallas announced on their Facebook pages that they were in search of a new station.[6]
In July 2018, ESPN Deportes Radio returned to KZMP after an almost two-year absence. It competed withUnivision Radio-owned 1270KFLC, which broadcasts as a Univision Deportes Radio (nowTUDN Radio)network affiliate.
On June 11, 2019, it was announced that ESPN Deportes Radio would cease operations on September 8, and relocate some of its programming topodcast delivery.[7] The day of the network's shut down, KZMP returned to a simulcast of sister stationKZZA's Classic Regional Mexican music. It rebranded as "La Ranchera 106.7 FM y 1540 AM."
On January 19, 2023, Estrella Media reached a deal to sell KZMP 1540 AM to North Texas Radio Group, owned by Richard Witkovski. The sale was consummated in May 10, and the station was taken silent, with a new format expected to be announced soon.[8]
On June 22, 2023, the station changed its call sign to KAMM. The station has returned to the air, albeit at a much reduced power of 100 watts, from a temporary antenna located just west of University Park. Coverage area for KAMM has been significantly diminished, as a result, with the signal reaching a less than 10 mile radius. Efforts are currently ongoing to establish a new permanent broadcasting home for the KAMM array.
32°50′13″N96°46′39″W / 32.836885°N 96.777401°W /32.836885; -96.777401