 | |
| Broadcast area | Modesto-Stockton, California |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 103.3MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | Kat Country 103 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Country |
| Affiliations | Westwood One |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| KDJK/KHKK,KESP,KHOP,KJOY,KWIN/KWNN | |
| History | |
First air date | April 3, 1948 (as KBEE-FM) |
Former call signs | KBEE-FM (1948–1992) |
Call sign meaning | KAT (branding)Modesto |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 11239 |
| Class | B |
| ERP | 50,000watts |
| HAAT | 152 meters (499 ft) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | katm.com |
KATM (103.3FM,Kat Country 103) is a commercialradio station inModesto, California and also heard in the nearby cities ofStockton andMerced. The station is owned byCumulus Media and airs acountry musicformat. Its studios are in Stockton, and itstransmitter is located off South Bird Road inVernalis, California.[2]
KATM often works with local charities and community organizations providing air time and fundraising opportunities, most notably theMake-A-Wish Foundation,St. Jude Children's Research Hospital,Toys for Tots, theSecond Harvest Food Bank, theAmerican Cancer Society and others.
The station hosts a yearly Listener Appreciation Concert. As the concert crowds have grown, the venues have been changed to accommodate the growing number of attendees. The June 2nd show at theStanislaus County Fairgrounds hosted around 20,000 fans inTurlock, California. In 2011, the Listener Appreciation Concert was held atWeber Point Event Center on the waterfront inStockton, California.
On April 3, 1948, the station firstsigned on asKBEE-FM.[3] It was one of the first FM stations inCentral California, and was owned byThe McClatchy Company, which publishes theModesto Bee newspaper, giving the station itscall sign, KBEE. A few years later, in 1951, McClatchy added anAM station, KBEE (970 AM). At first, both stations weresimulcast, but through the late 1960s, 70s and 80s, while the AM station carried afull servicemiddle of the road music format, KBEE-FM had a largelyautomatedbeautiful music format.
In 1992, the station was purchased byCitadel Broadcasting and moved fromeasy listening to a hit country format, switching call letters toKATM (soon after the calls were made available after being used bya station in Colorado for about seven years) under the helm of thenBrand Manager, Scott Mahalick. Citadel merged with Cumulus Media in 2011. Through the years, KATM has continued as a country music station, and is among the top rated stations in both Modesto and Stockton, with significant listenership in the Mercedradio market.
Of The Year for the now many times duplicated promotion The Quest For One Million Pennies netting the charity 36 Million Pennies.
37°34′30″N121°21′18″W / 37.575°N 121.355°W /37.575; -121.355