 | |
| Frequency | 990kHz |
|---|---|
| Branding | "News Talk AM 990" |
| Programming | |
| Format | News/talk |
| Network | Fox News Radio |
| Affiliations | Premiere Networks Radio America Salem Radio Network |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| KIST-FM,KOSJ,KSBL,KSPE,KTYD | |
| History | |
First air date | October 31, 1937; 87 years ago (October 31, 1937) (on 1220 AM) |
Former call signs | 990 kHz KFMC (CP) KGUD (1963–1973) KTYD (1973–1978) KBLS (1978–1992) KKSM (February 24–September 2, 1992) KKJZ (September 2–November 27, 1992) KQSB (November 27, 1992–1998) |
Former frequencies | 1220 kHz (1937–1941) 1250 kHz (1941–1998) |
Call sign meaning | ThomasMoreStorke (founder) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 14529 |
| Class | B |
| Power | 5,000watts day 500 watts night |
| Translator(s) | 97.9 K250BS (Solimar Beach) 97.3 K247CN (Mojave) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Website | ktms.com |
KTMS (990AM, "News Talk AM 990") is acommercialradio station inSanta Barbara, California. It is owned byRincon Broadcasting and airs atalk radioformat. Thestudios are on East Cota Street in Santa Barbara.
By day, KTMS is powered at 5,000watts. But to protect other stations on990 AM, aclear channel frequency, KTMS reduces power at night to 500 watts. The AMtransmitter site overlooks Santa Barbara from nearRattlesnake Canyon Park, along Gibraltar Road, and above Gibraltar Peak, home of most Santa Barbara FM stations.[2] The site is unusual, since AM stations are usually sited in low-lying areas, ideally with the highest possible high ground conductivity. This site is sufficiently close to the population center for even the low night power to serve the whole city. KTMS issimulcast onFMtranslator stationK250BS at 97.9MHz, licensed toSolimar Beach, andK247CN at 97.3 MHz inMojave.[3]
KTMS mostly carriesnationally syndicatedconservative talk shows. Weekdays begin withBrian Kilmeade and Friends. That's followed byThe Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show,The Sean Hannity Show,The Chad Benson Show,The Charlie Kirk Show,Our American Stories with Lee Habeeb,Coast to Coast AM withGeorge Noory andAmerica in the Morning with John Trout.
Weekends feature shows on health, money, home repair, pets, technology, food and beer, including somepaid programming. Syndicated weekend programs includeRich DeMuro on Tech,The Kim Komando Show,At Home with Gary Sullivan andSunday Nights with Bill Cunningham. Most hours begin with an update fromFox News Radio.
On October 31, 1937, KTMS firstsigned on the air on 1220 AM, with 500watts.[4] It was founded bySanta Barbara News-Press publisherThomas More Storke (hence the stationcall sign). KTMS was anNBC Blue Networkaffiliate, carrying its schedule ofdramas,comedies, news, sports,game shows,soap operas, andbig band broadcasts during the "Golden Age of Radio". Among the programs produced at the station was1-2-5 Club, which debuted in 1937 and was hosted bydisc jockey Bob Ruth for many years.
In 1941, KTMS moved to them 1250 AM frequency, where it would stay for 57 years.[5] The move was coupled with a power increase to 1,000 watts. When the Blue Network becameABC in 1945, KTMS maintained its affiliation, while also carrying shows from theMutual Broadcasting System and theDon Lee Network.
In 1965, KTMS acquired anFM radio station,KRCW (97.5), and renamed it KTMS-FM. At first, it mostlysimulcast programs heard on 1250 AM but later became separately programmed with abeautiful music format. In 1985, it switched its call letters to KHTY and flipped totop 40.[6]
In January 1996, Engles Enterprises, Inc. purchased KTMS and KHTY for $2 million.[7] Nearly three years later, in September 1998, the 1250 AM frequency on which KTMS aired was sold for $1.6 million toSmith Broadcasting Group, Inc., owner of the local ABC television affiliateKEYT-TV (channel 3).[8] Smith immediately launched a competingnews-only format on 1250 with new call letters KEYT to match its TV sister station. Meanwhile, the KTMS call sign and news/talk format moved to 990 AM.
In 1997, KTMS was purchased byClear Channel Communications. In January 2007, Clear Channel sold its six Santa Barbara stations, including KTMS, to Rincon Broadcasting LLC for $17.3 million. Rincon, a subsidiary ofVentura-basedPoint Broadcasting, officially took control of the cluster on January 16.[9][10]
The original station on 990 AM signed on August 6, 1963 asKGUD (K-Good Radio) and sported acountry music format.[11] In 1967, radio and television personalityDick Clark purchased the station and its FM counterpart (nowKTYD).[12][13] In September 1971, Clark sold KGUD-AM-FM to a group led by Harold S. Greenberg for $310,000.[14]
KGUD adopted theKTYD call letters in 1973.[15] It began simulcasting thealbum-oriented rock format of its FM counterpart, then known as KTYD-FM. But it briefly returned to country the following decade. Before becoming KTMS in 1998, KGUD attempted a number of formats, includingreligious programming,Broadwayshow tunes, andjazz, but none was successful.
34°28′15″N119°40′33″W / 34.47083°N 119.67583°W /34.47083; -119.67583