 | |
| |
|---|---|
| Broadcast area | Monterey, Salinas,Santa Cruz,Central California Coast |
| Frequency | 1460kHz |
| Branding | Powertalk Central Coast 1460 AM and 101.1 FM |
| Programming | |
| Format | Talk radio |
| Network | Fox News Radio |
| Affiliations | |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| History | |
First air date | 1949 |
Former call signs |
|
Call sign meaning | Station was formerly a sister station toKION-TV, whose calls allude to theCBS Eyemark |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 26925 |
| Class | B |
| Power | 10,000 watts |
Transmitter coordinates | 36°43′58.9″N121°35′35.8″W / 36.733028°N 121.593278°W /36.733028; -121.593278 |
| Translators | 101.1 K266BD (Carmel Valley, relays KOCN-HD2) |
| Repeater | 105.1 KOCN-HD2 (Pacific Grove) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live (viaiHeartRadio) |
| Website | powertalk1460 |
KION (1460kHz) is acommercialAM radio stationlicensed toSalinas, California, and serving theMonterey-Salinas-Santa Cruz region of theCentral California Coast. It broadcasts atalkradio format and owned byiHeartMedia, Inc.[2][3]
The studios are shared withKION-TV in Salinas.[4]
KION transmits with 10,000 watts. To protect other stations from interference, it uses adirectional antenna with a four-tower array. Thetransmitter is on Natividad Road at Old Stage Road inNatividad, California.[5] Programming is also heard on 99-wattFM translator 101.1K266BD inCarmel Valley.[6]
 | This sectiondoes notcite anysources. Please helpimprove this section byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged andremoved.(January 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
On weekdays, most of KION's schedule is made up ofnationally syndicated talk shows:Armstrong and Getty,The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show,The Sean Hannity Show,The Glenn Beck Program,The Mark Levin Show andCoast to Coast AM withGeorge Noory. Most hours begin with an update fromFox News Radio.[7][8]
Weekends feature special interest shows on money, health, home repair, wine and movies. Weekend shows includeSunday Night with Bill Cunningham,At Home with Gary Sullivan andBrian Kilmeade and Friends. Some weekend shows are paidbrokered programming.[9]
KION carries sporting events includingSan Francisco 49ers,San Jose State Spartans,Cal State Monterey Bay Otters,San Jose Sharks,Golden State Warriors and localhigh school football and basketball.[10]
In 1947, the station firstsigned on the air as KDON.[11] It was co-owned withThe Salinas Californian daily newspaper. It used the KDONcall sign because it was anaffiliate of theDon Lee Network and also carried programs from theMutual Broadcasting System.
In the 1960s and 1970s, KDON was aDrake-formattedTop 40 station, playing the hits for young listeners. But by the 1980s, most listening to contemporary music was shifting to the FM band. KDON, moved to anadult contemporary format.
The station was assigned the call letters KHTX on December 28, 1991. On January 10, 1992, the station changed itscall sign to KRQC. In January 1995, the station reverted to KHTX. On May 1, 1997, the station returned to the call sign KDON, and on October 12, 1998, KTXX. In August 2002, the call letters became the current KION.
However, on October 19, 2004, the station switched to anadult standards sound, using the call letters KABL, originally used on 960 KABL San Francisco (nowKNEW). On December 31, 2006, the station dropped the Adult Standards music, reverting to a News/Talk format and changing its call sign back to KION.
In 2011, KION added anFM translator at 101.1 MHz. In 2016, the translator was relicensed to transmit theHD2digital subchannel ofKOCN Pacific Grove at 105.1 MHz. The HD2 signal usuallysimulcasts KION's AM signal, but it separates programming at various times to originate play-by-play sports when the AM station is airing abrokered program or a different live sports event.[12]