 | |
| Broadcast area | El Paso metropolitan area |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 600kHz |
| Branding | Sports 600 ESPN |
| Programming | |
| Format | Sports |
| Affiliations | |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| KLAQ,KSII | |
| History | |
First air date | June 1,1940 |
Former frequencies | 1500 kHz (1941–1948) |
Call sign meaning | Dorance D. Roderick (original owner) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 14908 |
| Class | B |
| Power | 5,000watts |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | krod.com |
KROD (600kHz) is acommercialAMradio station inEl Paso,Texas,United States. It airs asportsformat and is owned and operated byTownsquare Media. The offices and studios are located on North Mesa Street (Texas State Highway 20) in Northwest El Paso.
KROD broadcasts at 5,000watts around the clock. At night, when radio waves travel farther, it uses adirectional antenna to avoid interfering with other stations onAM 600. It is the West Texas primary entry point station for theEmergency Alert System. Thetransmitter is located off Dyer Street (U.S. Business Route 54) in far north El Paso.[2]
The station is anetwork affiliate ofESPN Radio. KROD breaks from ESPN Radio on weekday afternoondrive time for "KROD Sportstalk with Steve Kaplowitz". The station carriesPacific Coast League baseball games as theflagship station of theEl Paso Chihuahuas.[3] It also broadcasts theEl Paso Rhinos in theWestern States Hockey League,UTEP Miners football,UTEP Miners men's basketball,UTEP Miners women's basketball, theNFL on Westwood One andTexas Longhorns football.[4]
Aconstruction permit for KROD was issued in 1936, to operate on 1500 kHz, then a local channel, with 100 watts full-time.[5] The stationsigned on the air on June 1, 1940, as El Paso's second radio station afterKTSM, which was established in 1929.[6] Thecall signKROD stood for Dorrance D. Roderick, the station's original owner and the publisher of theEl Paso Times newspaper. The studios were at 2201 Wyoming Street, now the home of Channel 38KSCE. KROD was aCBS RadioNetwork affiliate, carrying its schedule of dramas, comedies, news, sports,soap operas,game shows andbig band broadcasts during the "Golden Age of Radio".
A short time after going on the air, KROD increased its power to 250 watts and had a construction permit to move to 600 kHz. The move to AM 600 was coupled with an increase in power to 1,000 watts by day, 500 watts at night. A new fourtower array was constructed during 1941.[7] The 600 kHz transmitter was on Dyer Street in Northeast El Paso, where the Sunrise Shopping Center now stands. The transmitter moved to 10420 Dyer in the late 1960s.
By 1950, KROD had increased its power to 5,000 watts full time. An advertisement in the 1953Broadcasting Yearbook said that KROD had the "greatest coverage of any radio station in El Paso," with the biggest audience, the largest dollar value and unrivaled local programs.[8] In 1952, a television station was added, Channel 4 KROD-TV (nowKDBC-TV). Because KROD was a CBS affiliate, KROD-TV also aired CBS programming.
As network programming moved from radio to television, KROD began playing music. In 1959, KROD-AM-TV were acquired by Trigg-Vaughn Stations, with Cecil Trigg serving as President.[9] KROD moved to afull servicemiddle of the road (MOR) format of popular music, news and sports. The station used the catch phrase "The Big 600". The station also airedUniversity of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) sports, specifically,NCAA Division I Men's Football andNCAA Division I Men's Basketball, for much of its history. This is depicted by the KROD banners in the movieGlory Road.
In 1967, the stations were sold toDoubleday Broadcasting Co., a subsidiary of publisher Doubleday and Company. In April 1973, Doubleday sold KROD to Desert Horizons, Inc., a subsidiary of publicly-owned group Media Horizons, Inc.[10] In September 1974, Doubleday sold KDBC-TV (formerly KROD-TV) to Portal Communications, Inc., a subsidiary of Evening Post Publishing Co.[11] In 1978, KROD added an FM station, 95.5KLAQ.[12] While KROD continued its MOR format, KLAQ began by playingprogressive rock music, later switching toalbum rock.
In the 1980s, KROD switched tooldies music. New Wave Communications acquired KROD and KLAQ in 1995, switching AM 600 to atalk andsports format. In 1999, KROD and KLAQ changed hands again, this time to Regent Communications, Inc.[13]
On January 18, 2011, KROD dropped its talk programming, changing to all sports, with programming fromESPN Radio. KROD and KLAQ were also acquired byTownsquare Media.[14]
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31°54′56.4″N106°23′34.9″W / 31.915667°N 106.393028°W /31.915667; -106.393028
