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| Simulcast ofKNX (AM), Los Angeles | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Broadcast area | Greater Los Angeles |
| Frequency | 97.1MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | KNX News 97.1 FM |
| Programming | |
| Format | All-news radio |
| Subchannels | HD2:Channel Q HD3: Fire Lane (Non-Stop Dance Mix) |
| Affiliations | |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
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| History | |
First air date | 1954 (71 years ago) (1954) |
Former call signs |
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Call sign meaning | Inherited fromKNX (AM) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 25075 |
| Class | B |
| ERP | 21,000 watts |
| HAAT | 915 meters (3,002 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 34°13′37″N118°04′01″W / 34.227°N 118.067°W /34.227; -118.067 |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast |
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| Website | |
KNX-FM (97.1MHz, "KNX News 97.1 FM") is a commercialradio station inLos Angeles, California, United States. The station is owned byAudacy, Inc. and airs anall-newsradio format in a full-time simulcast withKNX (1070AM). The station has studios at the intersection ofWilshire and Hauser Boulevards in theMiracle Mile district of Los Angeles, and thetransmitter onMount Wilson.
In addition to a standardanalog transmission, KNX-FM broadcasts in theHD Radio format and streams online viaAudacy. KNX-FM’s HD2 subchannel carries Audacy'sLGBTQ-orientedtalk/EDM format "Channel Q", and KNX-HD3 features a non-stop dance mixshow format billed as "Fire Lane".
In 1954, the stationsigned on as KFMU and operated under thatcall sign during the 1950s and early 1960s. It was originallylicensed to the Los Angeles suburb ofGlendale and was owned by Nicolas M. Brazy.[2] KFMU aired aneasy listening format known as "Good Music". The station was a subsidiary of Metropolitan Theatres Corp., which by 1959 was program testingKFMW inSan Bernardino, and held a permit for aKFMX inSan Diego as well as two other stations.[3] (KFMX-FM is now amainstream rock station inLubbock, Texas.)
In the late 1960s, KFMU was purchased byStorer Broadcasting and became home to KGBS-FM, as a sister station toKGBS (1020 AM). The two stations carried acountry music format. Since its AM station was adaytimer, only authorized to be on the air during daylight hours, the FM station allowed the format to be heard around the clock, for those who had FM radios. In the early 1970s, the station experimented withrock and roll andpop music formats before switching to a soft country format in 1973, when it adopted the name "Gentle Country". During the July 8, 1972, edition ofAmerican Top 40,Casey Kasem listed KGBS as the show's affiliate in Los Angeles. In 1976, KGBS-FM continued with its country music format while its AM sister station switched totop 40. On August 28, 1978, the FM station changed its callsign to KHTZ while continuing with its country music format.[citation needed]
On July 31, 1979, Storer, after having sold the AM radio station which was now known as KTNQ (Ten-Q), moved its top-40 format to 97.1 FM and began broadcasting as KHTZ ("K-Hits"). For a few hours, the two stations simulcast the signal until KTNQ switched toSpanish-language programming at noon. Within a few weeks, KHTZ evolved into anadult contemporary outlet. On November 27, 1985, the station changed its callsign to KBZT and was known as "K-Best 97".[citation needed] (TheKBZT calls are now assigned to analternative rock station downstate inSan Diego.)
On September 26, 1986, at 3 p.m., the station was renamed KLSX and flipped to aclassic rock format.[4] The call letters KLSX were chosen to sound like the word "classics".
To demonstrate the vastness of the station's on-air library, KLSX advertised "no-repeat workdays", not playing any song more than once per day. An exception was when the station played one song twice as part of a contest; listeners could win a prize for being the destination caller and identify correctly the intentionally repeated track. Additionally, KLSX hosted an annual "A—Z" event where the entire library was played in alphabetical order by artist during weekday hours, a playlist that ran about 100 hours. Whenever the station played "Southern Man" byNeil Young andCrazy Horse, it was always followed byLynyrd Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama".[citation needed]
In 1988, the long-runningBeatles showBreakfast with the Beatles with hostDeirdre O'Donoghue moved to KLSX fromKNX-FM, a show which she began doing onKMET in 1983. After she died in 2001, the show was taken over by Chris Carter. On September 3, 2006, the station broadcast its last airing ofBreakfast with the Beatles, which was then replaced byinfomercials, drawing some local protest.[5][6]Paul McCartney,Ringo Starr, andYoko Ono have all called into the program. In late November 2006, local classic rock stationKLOS picked up the show.
On July 21, 1991, the station began to air the syndicatedHoward Stern Show and took on the slogan "Howard Stern all morning, classic rock all day".[citation needed]
On July 31, 1995, KLSX changed to a hot talk format on weekdays and went by the moniker "Real Radio 97.1", and had hosts such asSusan Olsen andKen Ober,Scott Ferrall,Riki Rachtman,Kato Kaelin,Mother Love, Carlos Oscar, Voxx,Tim Conway Jr., Doug Steckler andthe Regular Guys (Larry Wachs and Eric von Haessler).[7][8][9]Howard Stern was critical of this format change and referred to it as "Hindenburg Radio". In 1996, the station dropped the "Real Radio" name and became known as "The FM Talk Station", hiring new hosts; the following year, the station began carrying the syndicatedTom Leykis Show, becoming itsflagship station. On April 1, 2002, KLSX temporarily brought back Kaelin and the "Real Radio" slogans andjingles as part of anApril Fools' Day joke.
KLSX was owned byGreater Media until 1997, when Greater Media swapped KLSX and sister stationKRLA for three stations:WMMR inPhiladelphia andWBOS andWOAZ inBoston. The deal enabled Greater Media to operate larger clusters in these two markets while exiting Los Angeles. The swap led KLSX into the ownership ofCBS Radio, where it joined FM radio stationsKTWV and KCBS-FM along with AM radio stationsKNX andKFWB.
From 1995 until its acquisition by CBS in 1997, KLSX played alternative music on weekends. Instead of competing with its now-sister station, establishedmodern rock outletKROQ-FM, it was asked to switch toadult album alternative, a blend of album rock and alternative music that appealed to a 35-and-up age demographic. That format continued on weekends until 1999, when the talk format was expanded to weekends, leaving Saturday night'sJeff Duran Metal Blitz[10] and Sunday morning'sBreakfast with the Beatles as the only programs that played music. During that era and prior to being sold, KLSX boasted the only late-night talk shows in Los Angeles featuring women as hosts:Dr. X and subsequently a short-run ofShrink Rap. KLSX was also the local home of the syndicated novelty music programDr. Demento.
KLSX was the Los Angeles-area radio home of theOakland Raiders of theNational Football League.[11] Previously, the station aired games from theSports USA Radio Network andNFL on Westwood One Sports. In 2001, it carried theLos Angeles Xtreme of theXFL. KLSX has also aired a sports year-in-review show fromWestwood One.
A number of changes came to KLSX in 2005. On October 25, it was announced thatAdam Carolla would take over as the station's morning show host in January 2006 due to Howard Stern's departure tosatellite radio. On that same day, the station also became known on-air as "97.1Free FM"—so-called to highlight that its stations broadcast free-to-air, funded by commercials, whereas satellite radio requires a subscription fee. In addition to KLSX, CBS Radio introduced its Free FM branding onKSCF in San Diego,KIFR in San Francisco, and other hot talk-formatted outlets. Those three California stations carriedThe Tom Leykis Show andThe John and Jeff Show. Locally, Tim Conway Jr. and comedy writer Doug Steckler co-hosted the evening show (The Conway and Steckler Show) until June 2005, when Steckler's contract was not renewed. Funnyman/impressionistBrian Whitman was brought in as Steckler's replacement, and the show was renamedThe Conway and Whitman Show.The Frosty, Heidi and Frank Show was picked up and, until January 2007, was syndicated to KSCF.
In 2007, KLSX addedDanny Bonaduce toThe Adam Carolla Show (replacing sportscasterDave Dameshek). In 2008, he was given his own (local) one-hour show followingFrosty, Heidi and Frank, in a timeslot that had been vacant since the departure of entertainment reporterSam Rubin in 2003. Also in 2008, Brian Whitman unexpectedly left the station in March. Tim Conway, Jr. ended up hosting the evening show alone.Arsenio Hall was a semi-regular guest host with Tim onThe Tim Conway Jr. Show on Wednesday nights in 2008–09.
In early 2009, speculation arose on whether KLSX would be switching formats. On February 17, information started to emerge that KLSX was to drop hot talk on February 20 and flip to atop 40 format aimed at younger listeners, taking the "AMP" format that was created by KROQ-FM program director Kevin Weatherly and APD John Michael on the HD2 channel of KCBS-FM.[citation needed]
The station's main line up ofThe Adam Carolla Show,Frosty, Heidi and Frank, Danny Bonaduce (in a solo spot known asBroadcasting Bonaduce),The Tom Leykis Show,The Tim Conway Jr. Show, andThe John and Jeff Show were all given advance notice of the format shift and afforded the opportunity to host final shows to explain the situation and say their goodbyes. "97.1 FM Talk" ended on February 20, 2009 at 5 p.m. (Pacific time), giving longtime radio veteran Tom Leykis the final sign-off and the opportunity to "blow up" the station (in reference to a catchphrase used by the show's callers, "Blow me up, Tom!").[12]
The new format, branded "97.1 AMP Radio", then launched with "Paranoid" byKanye West featuringMr Hudson (which coincidentally was also playing on its new rivalKIIS-FM at the same time), beginning a commercial-free block of 10,000 songs, similar to the debuts of the currentKDAY in 2004 and, in 1989,KQLZ (Pirate Radio).[citation needed] The launch of "AMP" marked the first top 40 radio battle in Los Angeles sinceKPWR switched to ahip hop-heavyrhythmic contemporary format in 1994. On June 30, 2009, the station changed its callsign to KAMP to match the new format branding, the call letters having become available when student-runLPFM stationKAMP-LP in St. Michael, Alaska went silent on April 20 of that year. On July 7, the "-FM" suffix was added, making the calls KAMP-FM, in order to avoid confusion with KAMP (AM), an unlicensed student-run radio station at theUniversity of Arizona, which had for several years been exploring the possibility of starting a LPFM as well[13] which would presumably have revived the KAMP-LP call letters.
On January 4, 2010, KAMP-FM rounded out their on-air lineup, which featuredCarson Daly in mornings,Chris Booker middays, Ted Stryker afternoons, and Casey McCabe at night. CBS Radio would later expand the "AMP Radio" brand toDetroit,Boston,Orlando,New York City,Philadelphia, andDallas. As of 2021[update], all of these stations had dropped the "AMP Radio" brand and flipped to different formats.[citation needed]
On February 2, 2017, CBS Radio announced it would merge withEntercom.[14] The merger was approved on November 9, 2017, and was consummated on November 17.[15][16]
Many personnel changes have occurred in the years following the merger. Carson Daly left KAMP-FM on July 28, 2017.[17] The morning drive timeslot remained open until February 2018, when the station introduced a new morning show hosted by formerWBMP New York morning host Edgar "Shoboy" Sotelo, formerWWWQ Atlanta morning show co-host and comedian Brian Moote, andBillboard news correspondent Chelsea Briggs.[18][19] Moote left KAMP-FM in July 2019,[20] while Sotelo left in October 2019. The departures would result in the on-air lineup being revised, making Booker move from afternoons to mornings, and adding former KPWR morning co-host Krystal Bianca to mornings, Christen Limon to middays, and Yesi Ortiz to afternoons, while McCabe remains as night host.[21] Booker was cut by Entercom due to layoffs from theCOVID-19 pandemic on April 3, 2020.[22] On August 3, 2020,The Morning Mess fromPhoenix sister stationKALV-FM, hosted by Joey Boy, Aneesh Ratan, Jeana Shepherd, and Karla Hernandez, began broadcasting on KAMP-FM.[23] In addition, the station would again overhaul its on-air lineup, this time adding Julia Lepidi (from Chicago sister stationWBBM-FM) and former Detroit host Josh "Bru" Brubaker; the two would later serve as national hosts for the company’s CHR stations in April 2021, replacing local talent in various dayparts.[24].
On March 30, 2020, KAMP-FM dropped "Radio" from their moniker and re-branded as "97.1 AMP". At some point the following September, it reverted to the original "97.1 AMP Radio" branding.[citation needed]
Following Entercom's rebranding as Audacy earlier that month, on April 15, 2021 KAMP-FM rebranded as "97.1 Now", and the slogan changed to "LA's Party Station". The station concurrently applied to change its call letters to KNOU (which were previously used on asister station in St. Louis which had similar branding from 2015 to 2020), which took effect on April 22.[25] At the time of the rebrand, KAMP-FM was the last remaining "AMP Radio" branded station launched by CBS.[citation needed]
On December 6, 2021, Audacy announced that KNOU would flip to a simulcast of KNX. The change took place at 3 p.m. that day, dropping the "Now" format about 30 seconds into playing "Sunflower" byPost Malone andSwae Lee. With this move,KIIS-FM remained as the onlytop 40-formatted station in theLos Angeles market.[26]
On December 21, 2021, KNOU changed its call letters to KNX-FM, further reflecting the AM station's primary signal shift to the FM band, while still being heard on the existing 1070 AM frequency. This marked the return to the Los Angeles airwaves for the KNX-FM call sign, last used on March 2, 1989; 36 years ago (1989-03-02). KNX-FM originally signed on the air on March 30, 1948, on 93.1 MHz, the frequency of current-dayKCBS-FM.[27]
KNX-FM broadcasts inHD Radio with three digital subchannels:
On January 8, 2018, Entercom entered a deal to bring the New York City-based dance/EDM webcastPulse 87 to the Los Angeles airwaves as a HD2 subchannel of KNX-FM, billing it as "Pulse 97.1 HD2". The subchannel replaced the simulcast of KNX, which moved over to the HD2 subchannel of KCBS-FM.[28][29]
On August 31, 2018, KNX-HD2 dropped Pulse 87 to make room for the newly launched "Out Now Radio", atalk/EDM format targeted to theLGBTQ community.[30] Many of the hosts on Out Now Radio were based at Entercom's Los Angeles studios. On November 1, 2018, Out Now Radio rebranded as "Channel Q".[31]