KRTO (97.1 FM) is a

commercial Commercial may refer to: * (adjective for) commerce, a system of voluntary exchange of products and services ** (adjective for) trade, the trading of something of economic value such as goods, services, information or money * a dose of advertising ...

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 A license (American English) or licence (Commonwealth English) 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 part ...

Santa Maria, California Santa Maria (Spanish language, Spanish for "Mary, mother of Jesus, St. Mary") is a city in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Located on the Central Coast (California), Central Coast of California, it is approximately northwest o ...

, United States and broadcasts to the

Central Coast of California The Central Coast is an area of California, roughly spanning the coastal region between Point Mugu and Monterey Bay. It lies northwest of Los Angeles and south of the San Francisco Bay Area, and includes the rugged, rural, and sparsely populat ...

from

Paso Robles Paso Robles ( ), officially El Paso de Robles (Spanish for The Pass of Oaks), is a city in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. Located on the Salinas River about north of San Luis Obispo, the city is known for its hot springs, ...

to the

Santa Ynez Valley The Santa Ynez Valley ( Spanish: ''Valle de Santa Ynez'') is located in Santa Barbara County, California, between the Santa Ynez Mountains to the south and the San Rafael Mountains to the north. The Santa Ynez River flows through the valley f ...

. KRTO's studios are located in Santa Maria and its

transmitter In electronics and telecommunications, a radio transmitter or just transmitter (often abbreviated as XMTR or TX in technical documents) is an electronic device which produces radio waves with an antenna (radio), antenna with the purpose of sig ...

is near Point Sal just outside of Guadalupe. The station is owned by Emerald Wave Media and airs a bilingual English—Spanish rhythmic format.

History

The station originated in a

Federal Communications Commission The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, internet, wi-fi, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains j ...

(FCC)

construction permit Planning permission or building permit refers to the approval needed for construction or expansion (including significant renovation), and sometimes for demolition, in some jurisdictions. House building permits, for example, are subject to bu ...

issued in 1988 to Armando Garcia for a new station in

Guadalupe, California Guadalupe is a small city located in Santa Barbara County, California. According to the 2010 United States census, 2010 census, the city has a population of 7,080. Guadalupe is economically and socially tied to the city of Santa Maria, Califo ...

. Originally holding 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 ...

KOHD, it signed on in 1992 as KIDI-FM at the 105.5

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 ...

frequency with new owner Spanish TV 59. The following year, Spanish TV 59 principal Leo Kesselman merged KIDI-FM with

KTAP KTAP (1600 AM, "Radio Ranchito") is a commercial radio station that is licensed to Santa Maria, California and serves the Santa Maria—Lompoc area. The station is owned by Emerald Wave Media and broadcasts a regional Mexican radio format. KTAP ...

of Santa Maria into a new entity, Boardwalk Broadcasting Company. In March 1996, Boardwalk Broadcasting announced a sale of KIDI-FM and KTAP to Hispanic Radio Partners L.P. for $550,000; however, just eight months later in November, Boardwalk sold the combo to Emerald Wave Media for $475,000. KIDI-FM aired 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 at the time. In 2006, the station aired a

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

top 40 In the music industry, the Top 40 is a list of the 40 currently 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. "To ...

format known as "Concierto" (Spanish for "concert"); the call letters were changed to KRTO to reflect this branding. In 2007, Emerald Wave Media relocated La Buena from the 105.5 FM frequency to 105.1 FM. This was done to send a cleaner signal towards the Santa Ynez Valley, avoiding interference with Ventura-based

KFYV KFYV (105.5 FM, "Live 105-5") is a commercial radio station that is licensed to Ojai, California, and serves the Oxnard– Ventura radio market. The station is owned by Gold Coast Broadcasting and airs a top 40 (CHR) format. The KFYV studio ...

(also at 105.5 FM). However, the KRTO calls were moved to 97.1 FM. In mid-2008, Emerald Wave Media flipped the format of 97.1 FM from

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 ...

as "Colt 97.1" to

rhythmic oldies Rhythmic oldies is a radio format that concentrates on the rhythmic, R&B, disco, or dance genres of music. The playlists spans from the 1960s through the 2000s. They depend on market conditions and may be designed for African-American or Hispani ...

as "Mega 97.1". Mega is a continuation of the format that aired on

KPAT KPAT (95.7 FM, "95.7 The Beat") is a commercial radio station that is licensed to Orcutt, California, United States and serves the Santa Maria—Lompoc area. The station is owned by American General Media and broadcasts a rhythmic contemporary ...

from 1999 to 2004, when it was known as "Mega 95.7" under the ownership of

American General Media American General Media is a media company specializing in radio. It was founded by Lawrence Brandon and is operated by sons Anthony and Rogers. American General Media is headquartered in Bakersfield, California. Lawrence Brandon owned and op ...

. On January 18, 2010, high winds in the Point Sal area caused a power outage that knocked the transmitter for KRTO,

KIDI-FM KIDI-FM (105.1 FM, "La Buena") is a commercial radio station that is licensed to Lompoc, California and serves the area. The station is owned by Emerald Wave Media and broadcasts a Spanish contemporary radio format. History The station first ...

(105.1 FM), and

(1600 AM) off the air. Power to the transmitter and the signals of the sister stations were restored the same day; however, KRTO remained silent for several days following the outage. In July 2019, KRTO changed their format from rhythmic oldies to

rhythmic contemporary Rhythmic contemporary, also known as Rhythmic Top 20, Rhythmic Top 30, Rhythmic Top 40, Rhythmic CHR or rhythmic crossover, is a primarily American music-radio format that includes a mix of EDM, upbeat rhythmic pop, hip-hop and upbeat R&B hit ...

, branded as "Mega Hits 97.1". On January 4, 2021, KRTO changed their format from rhythmic contemporary to bilingual rhythmic, branded as "Fuego 97.1".KRTO Goes En Fuego
RadioInsight - January 8, 2021

References

External links

* {{Rhythmic Contemporary Radio Stations in California RTO Santa Barbara County, California Radio stations established in 1992 1992 establishments in California Rhythmic contemporary radio stations in the United States Spanish-language radio stations in California