KMBS (AM)
| Broadcast area | Greater Monroe |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 1310 kHz |
| Branding | Redden Radio 1310 |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | English |
| Format | Talk |
| Affiliations | Music of Your Life |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Red Bear Broadcasting Corporation |
| History | |
First air date | August 4, 1956 (as KUZN) |
Former call signs | KUZN (1956–1984)[1] |
| Technical information[2] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 55336 |
| Class | D |
| Power | 5,000 watts day 49 watts night |
Transmitter coordinates | 32°29′2.4″N 92°9′10.8″W / 32.484000°N 92.153000°W |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
KMBS (1310 kHz, "Redden Radio 1310") is an American radio station broadcasting a talk format. Licensed to West Monroe, Louisiana. The station serves the Greater Monroe, and is owned by Red Bear Broadcasting Corporation.[3]
History
[edit]KUZN signed on the air August 4, 1956. The 1,000-watt, daytime-only station[1] was owned by Howard E. Griffith and broadcast primarily country and gospel music.[4] KUZN moved to new quarters on Parkwood Drive in 1967, when Griffith launched a television station, KUZN-TV channel 39.[5] An expansion into FM radio followed the next year with KUZN-FM 98.3.[6] In the mid-1960s, Gary Burbank worked at KUZN as "Johnny Apollo, the blue-eyed soul brother in the front row".[7]
Griffith, who also was an engineer who had developed a new type of television antenna and who had twice attempted to establish local TV stations, died of a heart attack in February 1976.[8] The next year, KUZN and the FM station (by this point known as KYEA) were sold to Morgan Broadcasting Corporation, owned by Chuck and Kay Morgan, for $305,000.[9] The buyer was intimately familiar with the Griffith stations, as he had worked for KUZN since its 1956 establishment as staff announcer and served as general manager since 1961.[10] Under Charles Morgan, the station became KMBS in 1994; it changed formats several times, including contemporary hit radio, jazz[11] and lastly oldies, which was the format at the time of Chuck Morgan's death and the transfer of KMBS to his widow Kay.[12] The FM station was sold off in 1986.[13]
Kay Morgan sold KMBS in 1993 to Red Bear Broadcasting Company, owned by Chuck Redden.[14] Under Redden, the station has aired a variety of oldies and talk formats; it also aired Fox Sports Radio for a time.[15]
References
[edit]- ^ a b FCC History Cards for KMBS
- ^ "Facility Technical Data for KMBS". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ KMBS fcc.gov. Retrieved December 18, 2012
- ^ "Radio Station KUZN Will Go On Air Saturday". Monroe News-Star. August 1, 1956. p. 3. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
- ^ "West Monroe UHF Channel On Air Today". Monroe Morning World. August 19, 1967. p. 3-A. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
- ^ "KUZN-FM Back In Operation". Monroe News-Star. March 1, 1968. p. 6-A. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
- ^ O'Day, Dan (July 22, 1988). "WLW's Master Of Characters" (PDF). Radio & Records. p. 39. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
- ^ "Howard Griffith". Monroe News-Star. February 10, 1976. p. 12-A. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
- ^ "For the Record" (PDF). Broadcasting. April 4, 1977. p. 90. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
- ^ "Morgan Buying Stations". Monroe News-Star. December 6, 1976. p. 5-A. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
- ^ "Motion" (PDF). Radio & Records. November 5, 1982. p. 22. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
- ^ "Transactions" (PDF). Radio & Records. October 11, 1991. p. 8. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
- ^ "Changing Hands" (PDF). Broadcasting. October 27, 1986. p. 118. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
- ^ "For the Record" (PDF). Broadcasting & Cable. June 28, 1993. p. 55. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
- ^ Letlow, Paul J. (May 17, 2002). "AM station starts sports talk radio". Monroe News-Star. p. 1C. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
External links
[edit]- Facility details for Facility ID 55336 (KMBS) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
- KMBS in Nielsen Audio's AM station database