 | |
| Broadcast area | Seattle metropolitan area |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 1150kHz |
| Branding | 1150 AM KKNW |
| Programming | |
| Format | Talk |
| Affiliations | |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| KQMV,KRWM,KPNW-FM,KIXI | |
| History | |
First air date | 1927 (1927) (as KRSC) |
Former call signs |
|
Call sign meaning | "Northwest" |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 57834 |
| Class | B |
| Power |
|
Transmitter coordinates | 47°35′11″N122°11′11″W / 47.58639°N 122.18639°W /47.58639; -122.18639 |
| Repeater(s) | 98.9 KPNW-FM HD3 (Seattle) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | 1150kknw.com |
KKNW (1150AM) is acommercialradio station licensed to serveSeattle, Washington. The station is owned byHubbard Broadcasting, Inc., and features atalkradio format. KKNW mostly airs call-in and discussion shows where the host pays the station for the air time, known in the radio industry as "brokered time". Shows range from personal growth, health, psychology and pet care toChinese,Italian andRussian language shows.Nationally syndicated hosts are heard overnight, including family financial adviserClark Howard andprogressive talk hostStephanie Miller. Many hours begin with national news fromNBC News Radio. It is also the home ofWashington Huskies women's basketball.[2]
Atransmitter site for the station is inMercer Slough Nature Park inBellevue. KKNW's studios are located in the Newport Corporate Center, also in Bellevue.
KKNW first began in 1927[3] as KRSC, with thecall sign standing forKelvinator Radio Sales Corporation. Under the ownership of Jessica Longston, it became KAYO in 1953[3] and was atop 40 station from the late 1950s until 1961, when it changed toMOR.
It then went back to top 40 for 60 days in 1962 before flipping to a long-runningcountry music format and was a competitor to KMPS (nowKKOL) and KQIN (nowKGNW). In 1980, the station flipped to anews/talk format after it was sold to Obie Broadcasting. In 1982, the station flipped toadult contemporary and became known as KSPL.[4] KSPL changedcall letters to KGNW on September 19, 1984, and became a religious outlet underSalem Communications ownership. On December 31, 1986,KGNW moved to its current home at 820 AM, while 1150 AM was sold toPark Communications and begansimulcasting theadult album alternative format of KEZX-FM (nowKPNW-FM) as KEZX.[5]
On April 20, 1987, KEZX dropped from the FM simulcast and flipped tonew age/classical music, which would then give way to another simulcast with KEZX-FM on April 1, 1988.[6] In 1989, KEZX flipped to "Business Radio 1150", which aired business talk programming. Sandusky Radio bought the station in 1996. On January 13, 1999, the station flipped toclassic R&B as KSRB.[7] The programming was predominantly satellite-fed throughABC Radio'sThe Touch Network.
On June 1, 2001, at 6 a.m., the station flipped toall-news as "NewsChannel 1150", and changed call letters to KKNW, which carried the audio portion ofCNN Headline News.[8][9] In the mid-2000s, the station shifted its programming to an "alternative talk" format featuring mostly local shows.[10]
In July 2013, Sandusky announced it would sell its radio holdings in Seattle andPhoenix, Arizona toHubbard Broadcasting. The sale was completed that November.[11] It is co-owned in the Seattle market with four other Hubbard stations,adult standards 880KIXI,contemporary hit radio 92.5KQMV,country 98.9 KPNW-FM, and adult contemporary 106.9KRWM.