KKLS (920
AM) is a
radio station
Radio broadcasting is transmission 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 radi ...
licensed to serve
Rapid City, South Dakota
Rapid City ( lkt, link=no, Mni Lúzahaŋ Otȟúŋwahe; "Swift Water City") is the second most populous city in South Dakota and the county seat of Pennington County. Named after Rapid Creek, where the settlement developed, it is in western So ...
. The station is owned by
HomeSlice Media Group.
History
The station was first licensed as KEZU in 1959. On July 9, 1971, the call letters were changed to KEZU. It was a
Top 40
In the music industry, the Top 40 is the current, 40 most-popular songs in a particular genre. It is the best-selling or most frequently broadcast popular music. Record charts have traditionally consisted of a total of 40 songs. "Top 40" or "conte ...
station during the 1970s.
Expanded Band assignment
On March 17, 1997, the Federal Communications Commission (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 KEZU authorized to move from 920 to 1700 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. However, the station never procured the Construction Permit needed to implement the authorization, so the expanded band station was never built.
Later history
In May 1999, Triad Broadcasting reached a deal to acquire this station from Brothers Jim and Tom Instad as part of a twelve-station deal valued at a reported $37.8 million.
In July 2006,
Schurz Communications Inc. reached an agreement to buy this station from Triad Broadcasting Co. as part of a six-station deal valued at a reported $19 million.
On September 10, 2010, KKLS dropped the
True Oldies Channel
Scott Shannon's True Oldies Channel (also known more recently as ''The True Oldies Channel: Greatest Hits'') is a radio network begun in the spring of 2004. Originally distributed by ABC Radio Networks via satellite, the service plays a hybrid o ...
, and began using the moniker "97.5 - The Hills", playing a mix of songs from the 1970s to the 2000s. While the FM frequency was now given the focus, the AM parent carried the same broadcast.
Schurz Communications created the Black Hills broadcast division, New Rushmore Radio, now known as
Rushmore Media Company. KKLS was sold to the Homeslice Media Group in July 2014, a divestiture required due to Schurz's acquisition of
KOTA-TV
KOTA-TV (channel 3) is a television station in Rapid City, South Dakota, United States, affiliated with ABC. It is owned by Gray Television alongside MeTV affiliate KHME (channel 23) and low-power Fox affiliate KEVN-LD (channel 7). The stati ...
. The transaction, which included sister station
KBHB
KBHB (810 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a farm/ news related format. Licensed to Sturgis, South Dakota, United States, it serves the Rapid City area. The station is currently owned by HomeSlice Media Group and features programming from ...
and translator K284BA, was consummated on June 30, 2014, at a price of $650,000.
As of January 1, 2015, KKLS changed their format to classic hits, branded as "Smash Hits KKLS", switching translators to K284BA 104.7 FM Rapid City.
As of March 1, 2018, KKLS changed their format to News/Talk, branded as "News. Talk. Radio".
On January 13, 2020, KKLS dropped its news/talk format and began
stunting with a loop of "
Old Town Road
"Old Town Road" is the debut single of American rapper Lil Nas X, first released independently in December 2018. After gaining popularity, the single was re-released by Columbia Records in March 2019. Lil Nas X also recorded a remix with America ...
" by
Lil Nas X
Montero Lamar Hill (born April 9, 1999), known by his stage name Lil Nas X ( ), is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter. He rose to prominence with the release of his country rap single " Old Town Road", which first achieved viral popul ...
and
Billy Ray Cyrus
Billy Ray Cyrus (born August 25, 1961) is an American country singer and actor. He has released 16 studio albums and 53 singles since 1992, and is known for his hit single " Achy Breaky Heart", which topped the U.S. Hot Country Songs chart and ...
, and cryptic liners consisting of recitations of country music song lyrics, followed by the announcement "He's coming- January 21st.". On January 21, KKLS flipped to classic country, branded as "The Cowboy".
KKLS Introduces The Cowboy to Rapid City
Radioinsight - January 21, 2020
Previous logo
References
External links
KKLS official website
FCC History Cards for KKLS
(covering 1958-1980 as KEZU / KKLS)
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{{The HomeSlice Group
KLS
Radio stations established in 1959
1959 establishments in South Dakota
Classic country radio stations in the United States