KEPD (104.9 FM, "KePadre 104.9") is a commercial

radio station Radio broadcasting is the broadcasting of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based rad ...

that is licensed to

Ridgecrest, California Ridgecrest is a city in Kern County, California, United States, along U.S. Route 395 in California, U.S. Route 395 in the Indian Wells Valley in northeastern Kern County, adjacent to the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake (NAWS, or China Lake) ...

and serves the Indian Wells Valley area. The station is owned by Adelman Broadcasting and broadcasts a Spanish variety format.

History

The station first signed on in 1979 as KFIO, the

sister station In broadcasting, sister stations or sister channels are radio or television stations operated by the same company, either by direct ownership or through a management agreement. Radio sister stations will often have different formats, and somet ...

to KLOA (1240 AM). Originally owned by John and Eleanor Quigley, it broadcast a

big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s and ...

music format. In December 1988, the Quigleys sold KFIO and KLOA to Roy Mayhugh for $552,500. The new owner changed KFIO's

call letters In broadcasting and radio communications, a call sign (also known as a call name or call letters—and historically as a call signal—or abbreviated as a call) is a Identifier, unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be fo ...

to KLOA-FM the following year. In March 1995, Mayhugh sold KLOA-AM-FM to Adelman Broadcasting for $500,000. At the time, KLOA-FM carried a

country music Country (also called country and western) is a popular music, music genre originating in the southern regions of the United States, both the American South and American southwest, the Southwest. First produced in the 1920s, country music is p ...

format. In 2009, KLOA-FM adopted the KEPD call sign. The station flipped from country to a

regional Mexican Regional Mexican music refers collectively to the regional subgenres of the country music of Mexico and its derivatives from the Southwestern United States. Each subgenre is representative of a certain region and its popularity also varies by ...

format branded as "KePadre 104.9". On April 18, 2012, KEPD changed its format to Spanish adult hits, branded as "Juan FM 104.9". The station is the first affiliate of the Juan FM proprietary format that is licensed by Sparknet Communications, creator of the

Jack FM Jack FM is a radio network brand that is licensed by Sparknet Communications, with the exception of the European Union where it is licensed by Oxis Media. It plays an adult hits radio format, format, in most cases not using disc jockey, DJs. F ...

adult hits network. At some point later on, it reverted to its previous "KePadre 104.9" branding, with a Spanish variety format.

References

External links

* * {{Clear EPD EPD Ridgecrest, California