KSMA (1240

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

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that is licensed to

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 serves the Santa Maria-

Lompoc Lompoc ( ; Chumashan ) is a city in Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Located on the Central Coast, its population was 43,834 as of July 2021. Lompoc has been inhabited for thousands of years by the Chumash people, who called t ...

area. The station is owned by

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and broadcasts a

News News is information about current events. This may be provided through many different Media (communication), media: word of mouth, printing, Mail, postal systems, broadcasting, Telecommunications, electronic communication, or through the te ...

/ talk format. KSMA is rebroadcast on

FM translator A broadcast relay station, also known as a satellite station, relay transmitter, broadcast translator (U.S.), re-broadcaster (Canada), repeater ( two-way radio) or complementary station (Mexico), is a broadcast transmitter which repeats (or tr ...

K258CY at 99.5 FM in Santa Maria. KSMA is an

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of the

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radio

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History

KSMA was the first radio station in Santa Maria, signing on in 1946 at 1450 AM. Its original owners were Hugh G., Charles A., and Mareby Cardella Shurtliff, and Cleo Agnes Center. In 1947, the station was sold to Santa Maria Broadcasting Company, owned by R.H. Hardenbergh and W.J. Davison, for $32,500. On July 13, 1948, Santa Maria Broadcasting sold KSMA to John M. Poole for $20,750; the deal was approved by the

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(FCC) December 9. On October 17, 1949, the FCC approved KSMA's request to move to 1240 AM. After only two years of ownership, in December 1950, Poole sold the station to James Hagerman and John I. Groom for $27,500. From its inception through the 1960s, KSMA aired a full service format, airing a mix of news, sports, and middle of the road music. It was one of the original stations of the

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radio network that began airing games during the inaugural 1949

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season. The studios were originally located in downtown Santa Maria next to the old post office before the downtown area underwent renovation in the 1980s. Following Groom's death in 1976, in accordance with his

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, the FCC granted Hagerman complete control of the licenses of KSMA and its FM sister station KSMA-FM. Groom's share of the stations, however, was transferred to his wife, Nona M. Groom. In January 1980, Hagerman and Nona Groom sold KSMA AM and FM to Bayliss Broadcasting Company for $1.4 million. The company was owned by John Bayliss, who resigned from his position as president of

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's radio division to manage the Santa Maria stations. The FCC approved the sale on May 12. In 1986, KSMA began broadcasting an

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format. In August 1999, Bayliss Broadcasting sold KSMA and its FM sister station, then known as KSNI-FM, to

Fresno Fresno (; ) is a city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County, California, Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley (California), Central Valley region. It covers a ...

-based Mondosphere Broadcasting for $3.75 million. The new owner took possession of the combo on September 30. KSMA changed hands twice during the 2000s. In September 2000, Mondosphere Broadcasting Inc. sold 11 stations throughout

Central California Central California is generally thought of as the middle third of the U.S. state of California, north of Southern California (which includes Los Angeles and San Diego) and south of Northern California (which includes San Francisco and San Jose, ...

, including KSMA, plus a

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for a twelfth station, to

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for $45 million. In July 2007, KSMA and KSNI-FM were among 16 Clear Channel stations in California and Arizona purchased by El Dorado Broadcasters for $40 million. On November 30, 2007, the station changed

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 KSMX. In early 2016, El Dorado began selling off its stations on the Central Coast. The first of these divestitures was KSMX and KSNI-FM, sold together on February 26 to

(AGM) for $1.5 million. KSMX changed its call sign back to KSMA on May 16.

References

External links

FCC History Cards for KSMA
* * * {{News/Talk Radio Stations in California SMA (AM) News and talk radio stations in the United States Santa Maria, California 1946 establishments in California Radio stations established in 1946