| Broadcast area | Phoenix metropolitan area |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 107.9MHz (HD Radio) |
| Branding | KMLE Country 107.9 |
| Programming | |
| Language | English |
| Format | Country |
| Subchannels | HD2:Sports gambling "The Bet" |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| History | |
First air date | April 18, 1980; 45 years ago (1980-04-18) |
Former call signs | KLRG (1979, CP) |
Call sign meaning | Pronounced "Camel" |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 59965 |
| Class | C |
| ERP | |
| HAAT | 529 meters (1,736 ft) |
Transmitter coordinates | 33°20′02″N112°03′47″W / 33.334°N 112.063°W /33.334; -112.063 |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast |
|
| Website | www |
KMLE (107.9FM) is acommercialradio station,licensed toChandler, Arizona, and serving thePhoenix metropolitan area. The station is owned byAudacy, Inc. and airs acountry musicradio format. The studios and offices are on North Central Avenue inDowntown Phoenix.[2]
Thetransmitter is off Road D inSouth Mountain Park amid other towers for Phoenix-area FM and TV stations.[3] It has aneffective radiated power (ERP) of 96,000watts (100,000 withbeam tilt).[4] KMLE broadcasts in theHD Radio hybrid format. Its HD2 subchannel carries asports gambling format known as "The Bet."
KMLE's first owners got aconstruction permit from theFederal Communications Commission in 1979, to build a new FM station under thecall sign KLRG. Those call letters were never used, and the owners eventually acquired the KMLE call sign on June 18 of that year. The station officiallysigned on the air on April 18, 1980.[5] The station was owned by Radio KMLE, Inc., with George T. Wilson serving as President and General Manager.
At first, KMLE aired aneasy listening format. For most of the 1980s, it was abrokered timeChristian radio outlet.[6] National and local religious leaders would pay the station a fee for half hour segments of airtime, during which they could ask for donations to their radio ministry.
On October 24, 1988, Shamrock Broadcasting purchased the station and changed the station's format tocountry music as "Camel Country".[7] At the time,KNIX-FM was often the leading station in the Phoenix ratings, having been a country outlet since 1969, first under the ownership of singer and TV hostBuck Owens and laterClear Channel Communications, now known as iHeartMedia.
Since then, KMLE and KNIX have been locked in a long time battle for Phoenix country listeners. Occasionally there would be a third country station in Phoenix as well, but those attempts did not last more than a few years, with KMLE and KNIX often trading the lead among country listeners.
In 1997, KMLE was acquired by Chancellor Media, which later merged into AMFM, Inc. In 2000, the station came under the ownership of theInfinity Broadcasting Corporation.[8] Infinity was later merged intoCBS Radio.
On February 2, 2017, CBS Radio announced it would merge withEntercom.[9] The merger was approved on November 9, 2017, and was consummated on the 17th.[10][11]
KMLE broadcasts in theHD Radio format. The main signal is a simulcast of KMLE's country music programming. At first, the HD2 signal carried Tim and Willy's Classic Country. Tim and Willy were terminated from the radio station during the summer of 2012. The HD2 subchannel now carries "Country Thunder." In November and December, it switches to all-Christmas music, with only a fewpublic service announcements per hour and no commercials.[12]
On February 23, 2022, KMLE added The Bet to its HD3 subchannel.[13]