The radio tower for KBJA, shared with ">KKAT (AM)
Previous logo with the Spanish format
KBJA (1640
kHz) is a
commercial AM radio station licensed to
Sandy, Utah, and serving the
Salt Lake City metropolitan area. The station is owned by United Broadcasting Company. KBJA broadcasts a
talk radio format
Format may refer to:
Printing and visual media
* Text formatting, the typesetting of text elements
* Paper formats, or paper size standards
* Newspaper format, the size of the paper page
Computing
* File format, particular way that informati ...
. Much of its schedule is paid
brokered programming where the host buys time on the station and can sell advertising to support the show. KBJA's programming had once been heard on
AM 630 KTKK "K-Talk" until that co-owned station ceased broadcasting and its programming was shifted over to
AM 1640.
KBJA's studios and offices are on South Redwood Road in
South Jordan. The
transmitter is off West 2590 South, near West Derby Street, in
West Valley City.
History
KDZR began as the "expanded band" twin to station
KTKK, which broadcast on the standard AM band. On March 17, 1997 the
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains jurisd ...
(FCC) announced that eighty-eight stations had been given permission to move to newly available "
Expanded Band" transmitting frequencies, ranging from 1610 to 1700 kHz, with KTKK, also in Sandy, authorized to move from 630 kHz to 1640 kHz.
["FCC Public Notice: Mass Media Bureau Announces Revised AM Expanded Band Allotment Plan and Filing Window for Eligible Stations"](_blank)
(FCC DA 97-537), March 17, 1997.
The FCC's initial policy was that both the original station and its expanded band counterpart could operate simultaneously for up to five years, after which owners would have to turn in one of the two licenses, depending on whether they preferred the new assignment or elected to remain on the original frequency,
although this deadline was extended multiple times.
KBJA first
signed on
Signing may refer to:
* Using sign language
* Signature, placing one's name on a document
* Signature (disambiguation)
* Manual communication, signing as a form of communication using the hands in place of the voice
* Digital signature
A dig ...
in 2001. It was owned by the United Broadcasting Company, which also owned 630 KTKK. At first, KBJA aired
Spanish-language
Spanish ( or , Castilian) is a Romance languages, Romance language of the Indo-European language family that evolved from colloquial Latin spoken on the Iberian peninsula. Today, it is a world language, global language with more than 500 millio ...
talk programming. Later it added some sports programming from the
ESPN Deportes Radio Network.
The station used to be run by David C. Kifuri, and other personalities from Latin America. It was a pioneer of Spanish talk in the state of
Utah.
In April 2017, management decided to shut off AM 630 KTKK and sell off the property where its towers stood. KBJA 1640 dropped its Spanish talk and sports format and began
simulcasting the English-language talk format from 630 KTKK. On May 1, 2017, with AM 630 now permanently
dark, all programming was heard on 1640 KBJA.
Talking Utah Radio Forums United Broadcasting then turned in the license for KTKK 630 to the FCC for cancellation.
References
External links
{{News/Talk Radio Stations in Utah
Radio stations in Utah, BJA
News and talk radio stations in the United States
Mass media in Salt Lake City
Radio stations established in 1997