KHTS (AM)
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KHTS (1220
kHz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), often described as being equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose formal expression in terms of SI base uni ...
) is a commercial AM
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 the
Canyon Country Canyon Country is a neighborhood in the eastern part of the city of Santa Clarita, in northwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It lies along the Santa Clara River between the Sierra Pelona Mountains and the San Gabriel Moun ...
neighborhood of
Santa Clarita, California Santa Clarita (; Spanish for "Little St. Clare") is a city in northwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States. With a 2020 census population of 228,673, it is the third-most populous city in Los Angeles County, the 17th-most popul ...
, about north of
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
. The station is owned by Jeri Lyn Broadcasting (formerly Saddleback Broadcasting). KHTS broadcasts with 1,000
watt The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of Power (physics), power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantification (science), quantify the rate of Work ...
s during the daytime and 500 watts at night. The station is nicknamed "Your Hometown Station". KHTS is rebroadcast on FM
translator Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''trans ...
K251CF (98.1 FM) in Santa Clarita. KHTS is a full-service radio station, meaning it broadcasts a variety of locally oriented programming. A typical broadcast day consists of a combination of local
talk shows A talk show is a television programming, radio programming or podcast genre structured around the act of spontaneous conversation.Bernard M. Timberg, Robert J. Erler'' (2010Television Talk: A History of the TV Talk Show', pp.3-4Erler, Robert (20 ...
and time-brokered programs. Local sports programs include play-by-play coverage of several
high school football High school football, also known as prep football, is gridiron football played by High school (North America), high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular high school sports, interscholastic sports in both c ...
and
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
teams and the
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
program at the
College of the Canyons College of the Canyons (COC) is a public community college in Santa Clarita, California. It comprises the Santa Clarita Community College District. The college is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and has campus loca ...
. Coverage of professional sports includes the
Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League West, West Div ...
,
Los Angeles Kings The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles. The Kings compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division in the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference. ...
, and
NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...
auto racing Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition. In North America, the term is commonly used to describe all forms of automobile sport including non ...
. The station has won numerous awards over the years, including the Santa Clarita Valley Chamber of Commerce award for Small Business of the Year in 1995.


History


Early years

The station at 1220 AM debuted in June 1989 with the
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 ...
KBET and was branded as "The Beat of Santa Clarita". It was founded by a local television engineer, Larry Bloomfield. Bloomfield, along with his
certified public accountant Certified Public Accountant (CPA) is the title of qualified accountants in numerous countries in the English-speaking world. It is generally equivalent to the title of chartered accountant in other English-speaking countries. In the United Stat ...
Howard "Scott" Howard and other investors, formed Canyon Broadcasters. The station's first chief engineer, Andrew Castiglione, signed on "KBET 1220 AM Stereo" on the air. Castiglione received the "Radio World Annual Magazine Award" in February 1990 for making KBET the world's first
digital Digital usually refers to something using discrete digits, often binary digits. Businesses *Digital bank, a form of financial institution *Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) or Digital, a computer company *Digital Research (DR or DRI), a software ...
, tapeless, and paperless radio station. After having difficulty turning KBET into a profitable enterprise, Canyon Broadcasters filed for
bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the deb ...
in July 1990. Carl Goldman and Jeri Seratti Goldman took over operation of the station in November 1991; the sale closed the following month. They, along with several other investors, formed Saddleback Broadcasting, the parent company of KBET through 1998. KBET was one of four stations to form the "Greater Los Angeles Bedroom Radio Network", a consortium of suburban Los Angeles radio stations with target audiences consisting of affluent older adults. Through the alliance, advertisers could purchase airtime on all four stations at discounted rates. In January 1994, KBET became a vital emergency outlet for the
Santa Clarita Valley The Santa Clarita Valley (SCV) is part of the upper watershed of the Santa Clara River in Southern California. The western portion of the valley was part of the Rancho San Francisco Mexican land grant. Located in Los Angeles County. The valle ...
in the aftermath of the
Northridge earthquake The 1994 Northridge earthquake affected Greater Los Angeles, California, on January 17, 1994, at 04:30:55 PST. The epicenter of the moment 6.7 () blind thrust earthquake was beneath the San Fernando Valley. Lasting approximately 8 seconds a ...
. After the Newhall Pass interchange (junction
Interstate 5 Interstate 5 (I-5) is the main north–south Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific coast of the contiguous U.S. from Mexico to Canada. It travels thro ...
and State Route 14) collapsed, the Santa Clarita Valley was sealed off from Los Angeles. KBET provided around-the-clock news, traffic and emergency information for the many months of recovery. The station also provided psychological comfort to local residents; they could call in and express their feelings and concerns on the air and realise their fears were not unique or isolated. Needs for essential items such as diapers, portable heaters, and water were met instantly as appeals were broadcast over the KBET airwaves and listeners would respond with assistance. As a sense of normalcy returned to the Santa Clarita Valley and the Newhall Pass interchange reopened, KBET evolved from a
news/talk Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues and consisting entirely or almost entirely of original spoken word content rather than outside music. They may feature monologues, dialogues between the hosts, interviews ...
format into a full-service radio station, blending in
adult contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul ...
music with news, traffic, weather, and sports.


Jacor/Clear Channel era (1998–2003)

In September 1998, Saddleback Broadcasting sold KBET to
Jacor Communications Jacor Communications was a media corporation, existing between 1987 and 1999, which owned many radio stations in the United States. In 1998, Jacor was purchased by Clear Channel Communications, now iHeartMedia, for $2.8 billion. Jacor Communicat ...
. Jacor was purchased by
Clear Channel Communications iHeartMedia, Inc., or CC Media Holdings, Inc., is an American mass media corporation headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It is the holding company of iHeartCommunications, Inc., formerly Clear Channel Communications, Inc., a company founded by ...
before the sale was finalized. KBET flipped to full-time
sports Sport is a physical activity or game, often competitive and organized, that maintains or improves physical ability and skills. Sport may provide enjoyment to participants and entertainment to spectators. The number of participants in ...
programming as "XTRA Sports 1220", simulcasting KAVL (610 AM) in
Lancaster, California Lancaster is a charter city in northern Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, in the Antelope Valley of the western Mojave Desert in Southern California, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the popul ...
. Sharon Bronson, the station's sales manager under the Goldmans, became its general manager. Barry McKeever remained on board to continue to head up the station's local programming and sports. In June 1999, XTRA Sports 1220 became "1220 KIIS", weaving in a mixture of local programming and simulcasts of KAVS (97.7 KIIS-FM) and KAVL (XTRA Sports 610). The call letters were changed to KIIS in August 1999; previously, they had belonged to a Los Angeles AM station which also simulcast the
KIIS-FM KIIS-FM (102.7 FM broadcasting, FM, "102.7 KIIS FM") is a commercial radio station licensed to Los Angeles, California, United States, and broadcasts to the Greater Los Angeles area. The station airs a contemporary hit radio format. Owned by i ...
(102.7 FM) signal in the mid-1980s. In early 2001, Clear Channel closed the KIIS offices located at
Sierra Highway Sierra Highway or El Camino Sierra is a historic route in California, United States, that connects Los Angeles with the Eastern Sierra and Lake Tahoe. The trail formed in the 19th century before it was rebuilt as highways in the early 20th centu ...
and Soledad Canyon Road in Santa Clarita, moving the operation to the
Antelope Valley The Antelope Valley is a valley primarily located in northern Los Angeles County, California, United States and the southeast portion of Kern County, California, Kern County, and constitutes the western tip of the Mojave Desert. It is situated ...
as part of Clear Channel's
Lancaster Lancaster may refer to: Lands and titles *The County Palatine of Lancaster, a synonym for Lancashire *Duchy of Lancaster, one of only two British royal duchies *Duke of Lancaster *Earl of Lancaster *House of Lancaster, a British royal dynasty ...
Palmdale Palmdale is a city in northern Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city lies in the Antelope Valley of Southern California. The San Gabriel Mountains separate Palmdale from the Los Angeles Basin to the south. On August 24, 1962 ...
cluster of stations. The station had difficulty maintaining a local identity, despite opening a small studio on Bouquet Canyon Road in Saugus. Most of the station's programming was eliminated; most of its lineup consisted of the live sports coverage from KAVL,
Rick Dees Rigdon Osmond Dees III (born March 14, 1950), best known as Rick Dees, is an American entertainer, radio personality, comedian, actor, and voice artist, best known for his internationally syndicated radio show '' The Rick Dees Weekly Top 40 Coun ...
' morning show, and
Rush Limbaugh Rush Hudson Limbaugh III ( ; January 12, 1951 – February 17, 2021) was an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative political commentator who was the host of ''The Rush Limbaugh Show'', which first aired in 1984 and was nati ...
's syndicated program. The rest of the time, the station was automated with an
adult contemporary Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul ...
format playlist. ''
Rick Dees Weekly Top 40 ''Rick Dees Weekly Top 40'' (sometimes known as ''The Weekly Top 40'') is an internationally syndicated radio program created and hosted by American radio personality Rick Dees. It is currently heard on over 200 radio stations worldwide. It is ...
'' and ''
Leeza Gibbons Leeza Kim Gibbons (born March 26, 1957) is an American talk show host. She is best known as a correspondent and co-host for ''Entertainment Tonight'' (1984–2000) as well as for having her own syndicated daytime talk show, ''Leeza'' (1993– ...
' Hollywood Confidential'' aired Sunday mornings. Despite the move, local programming did continue on KIIS, including the ''Santa Clarita Real Estate Show'', ''Santa Clarita Golf Talk'', ''God is God and We're Not'' hosted by local representatives of
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...
, and ''Music & Message'' with Ron Fisher. KIIS briefly identified as "News/Talk 1220" starting in November 2001. It aired Rick Dees weekday mornings; the rest of the time, it featured shows hosted by Limbaugh,
Glenn Beck Glenn Lee Beck (born February 10, 1964) is an American conservative political commentator, radio host, entrepreneur, and television producer. He is the CEO, founder, and owner of Mercury Radio Arts, the parent company of his television and rad ...
, and
Michael Reagan Michael Edward Reagan (born John Charles Flaugher; March 18, 1945) is an American conservative political commentator, Republican Party (United States), Republican strategist, and former radio talk show host. He is the adopted son of former U.S. ...
, as well as CNN Headline News coverage. During this time, they still carried sports game coverage from XTRA Sports 610. In March 2002, KIIS decreased its power to 500 watts full-time and reverted to "1220 KIIS", this time as a full-time simulcast of KIIS-FM.


Jeri Lyn era (2003–present)

During the years Clear Channel operated 1220 AM, the Goldmans remained residents of Santa Clarita and committed to the SCV community. Sensing a need for a local radio station, the Goldmans approached Clear Channel to repurchase KIIS, obtaining it in October 2003 under their corporate name of Jeri Lyn Broadcasting for $900,000. The station went back to its original power (1,000 watts day, 500 watts night). Jeri Lyn wanted to use the original KBET call letters, but they were already being used at a station in Nevada. Eventually they chose a new call sign, KHTS, and opened new studios at Soledad Canyon Road and Camp Plenty in
Canyon Country Canyon Country is a neighborhood in the eastern part of the city of Santa Clarita, in northwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It lies along the Santa Clara River between the Sierra Pelona Mountains and the San Gabriel Moun ...
. The transmitter site and towers still remain at their original location on Sierra Highway, north of Vasquez Canyon in Canyon Country. In June 2015, KHTS relocated to a new studio on Main Street in Newhall, occupying the former site of Newhall Hardware. In February 2018, KHTS began rebroadcasting on FM
translator Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''trans ...
K251CF at 98.1 
MHz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), often described as being equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose formal expression in terms of SI base u ...
. The translator allows the station to reach a broader audience with a high-quality signal covering the entire Santa Clarita Valley. As of 2018, KHTS is a full-service station combining news, traffic, sports, and adult contemporary music.


In other media

In 2010, KHTS was featured on an episode of the
Animal Planet Animal Planet (stylized in all lowercase since 2018) is an American multinational pay television channel focusing on the animal kingdom owned by the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks unit of Warner Bros. Discovery. First established on June 1 ...
reality show Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 1990s ...
''
Pit Boss ''Pit Boss'' is an American television series docudrama Docudrama (or documentary drama) is a genre of television show, television and feature film, film, which features Drama (film and television), dramatized Historical reenactment, re-enact ...
'', where
Shorty Rossi Luigi Francis "Shorty" Rossi (born February 10, 1969) is the star of the canceled '' Pit Boss'', a reality series on Animal Planet.Nolan, Maureen (May 7, 2011)Shorty Rossi - Animal Planet network star - helps raise money for Syracuse-area animal ...
discusses with KHTS morning show host Brandon Gibson about
pit bull Pit bull is an umbrella term for several Dog type, types of dog believed to have descended from bull and terriers. In the United States, the term is usually considered to include the American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, A ...
s and to better educate the public about the breed.


References


External links

* * {{Los Angeles Radio Full service radio stations in the United States News and talk radio stations in the United States HTS Radio stations established in 1988 Santa Clarita, California