KKNG-FM (97.3 FM) 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 A license (or licence) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another party (licensee) as an element of an agreeme ...

Blanchard, Oklahoma Blanchard is a city in McClain and Grady counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The population was 7,670 at the 2010 census, up from 2,816 at the 2000 census. Blanchard is part of a rapidly growing area of northern McClain and Grady counties k ...

, serving the

Oklahoma City Metroplex The Oklahoma City metropolitan area is an urban region in the Southern United States. It is the largest metropolitan area in the state of Oklahoma and contains the state capital and principal city, Oklahoma City. It is often known as the Oklaho ...

. It is owned by Stanton Nelson, through licensee WPA Radio LLC. KKNG-FM carries a religious talk and information

radio format A radio format or programming format (not to be confused with broadcast programming) describes the overall content broadcast on a radio station. The radio format emerged mainly in the United States in the 1950s, at a time when radio was compelle ...

focusing on

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

listeners, and airs programming from the

EWTN The Eternal Word Television Network, more commonly known by its initials EWTN, is an American basic cable television network which presents around-the-clock Catholic-themed programming. It is not only the largest Catholic television network in ...

Radio Network. The

transmitter In electronics and telecommunications, a radio transmitter or just transmitter is an electronic device which produces radio waves with an antenna. The transmitter itself generates a radio frequency alternating current, which is applied to ...

is at NE 40th Street at

U.S. Route 62 U.S. Route 62 or U.S. Highway 62 (US 62) runs from the Mexico–United States border, Mexican border at El Paso, Texas, to Niagara Falls, New York, near the Canada–United States border, Canadian border. It is the only east-west ...

in Blanchard.

History

On August 18, 1977, the station 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 ...

as KWEY-FM. It was originally licensed to

Weatherford, Oklahoma Weatherford is a city in Custer County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 10,833 at the 2010 census. Geography Weatherford is located at (35.5384097, -98.6872467). The elevation is 1,634 feet (498 m). According to the United State ...

. In March 1984, the station became KBXR. It changed back to KWEY-FM on September 20, 1991. Until 2006, it was a

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. It may be a sovereign state or make up one part of a larger state. For example, the country of Japan is an independent, sovereign state, whil ...

station branded "97.3 The Coyote". In 2006, the transmitter was moved closer to Oklahoma City and its format changed to variety hits. It became KOJK, and joined the

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

network as "97.3 Jack FM." It used the national programming feed for Jack stations in smaller markets. On March 8, 2010, after playing "

I'll Cry Instead "I'll Cry Instead" is a song written by John Lennon (credited to Lennon–McCartney), and recorded by the English rock band the Beatles for their third studio album, '' A Hard Day's Night'' (1964), a part-studio and part-soundtrack album to the ...

" by

The Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developm ...

, KOJK flipped to country as "97.3 King Country." The

call sign 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 unique identifier for a transmitter station. A call sign can be formally assig ...

was later changed to KKNG-FM a week later to match the branding. (KKNG was previously used by a popular country station at 93.3 MHz, now

KJKE KJKE (93.3 FM, "93.3 Jake FM") is a radio station broadcasting a new country music format. Licensed to Newcastle, Oklahoma, the station serves the Oklahoma City metropolitan area. The station is owned by Tyler Media. The station's studios are lo ...

.) KKNG's DJ's included Lynn Waggoner in the morning, Vanessa Valli midday, Owen Pickard for "The Afternoon Drive", and Carly Rae on the night shift. Waggoner also hosted The Sunday Morning Gospel Show, featuring

Southern Gospel Southern gospel music is a genre of Christian music. Its name comes from its origins in the southeastern United States. Its lyrics are written to express either personal or a communal faith regarding biblical teachings and Christian life, a ...

music. On February 28, 2013, at 10 p.m., after playing " You're the Only One" by

Dolly Parton Dolly Rebecca Parton (born January 19, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, actress, philanthropist, and businesswoman, known primarily for her work in country music. After achieving success as a songwriter for others, Parton made her album d ...

, KKNG joined the statewide Oklahoma Catholic Radio network and took over the OKC simulcast from

AM 890 The following radio stations broadcast on AM frequency 890 kHz: WLS in Chicago and KBBI in Homer, Alaska, share Class A status on 890 kHz. WLS is the only station on that frequency to broadcast with 50,000 watts during nighttime hours. 2 ...

KTLR KTLR (890 kHz, "Community Talk 890 AM") is a commercial AM radio station in Oklahoma City with a Talk radio format. The station is currently under ownership of Tyler Broadcasting, through licensee Tyler Media, L.L.C. Most shows are brokered pr ...

, which had previously aired it part-time.

References

External links

* * http://okcr.org/ Grady County, Oklahoma Radio stations established in 1984 1984 establishments in Oklahoma KNG-FM Catholic radio stations Catholic Church in Oklahoma {{Oklahoma-radio-station-stub