KZER (1250 AM, "Radio Lazer") is a commercial

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 ...

located in

Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara (, meaning ) is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States excepting A ...

. Owned by Lazer Media, the station airs 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 ...

music format. KZER is simulcast 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 ...

K293CK (106.5 FM) in Santa Barbara.

History

KTMS

The station at the 1250 kHz frequency in Santa Barbara first signed on October 31, 1937 as KTMS, originally at 1220 kHz and powered at 500

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. It was founded by ''

Santa Barbara News-Press The ''Santa Barbara News-Press'' was a broadsheet newspaper based in Santa Barbara, California. It was founded in 1868 as the ''Post'' and merged with the rival ''News'' to form the ''News-Press'' in 1932. On July 21, 2023, it filed for bankrupt ...

'' publisher Thomas More Storke (hence the station

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 as ...

). KTMS was an

NBC Blue Network The Blue Network (previously known as the NBC Blue Network) was the on-air name of a now defunct American radio network, which broadcast from 1927 through 1945. Beginning as one of the two radio networks owned by the National Broadcasting Co ...

affiliate, carrying its schedule of dramas, comedies, news, sports,

game show A game show (or gameshow) is a genre of broadcast viewing entertainment where contestants compete in a game for rewards. The shows are typically directed by a game show host, host, who explains the rules of the program as well as commentating a ...

soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...

s, and

big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s and ...

broadcasts during the Golden Age of Radio. Among the programs produced at the station was ''1-2-5 Club'', which debuted in 1937 and was hosted by

disc jockey A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at nightclubs or music fes ...

Bob Ruth for many years. In 1941, KTMS moved to the 1250 AM frequency, where 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 ...

would stay for 57 years. The move was coupled with a power increase to 1,000 watts. When the Blue Network became ABC in 1945, KTMS maintained its affiliation while also carrying shows from the

Mutual Broadcasting System The Mutual Broadcasting System (commonly referred to simply as Mutual; sometimes referred to as MBS, Mutual Radio or the Mutual Radio Network) was an American commercial radio network in operation from 1934 to 1999. In the Golden Age of Radio, ...

and the Don Lee Network. On December 1, 1956, KTMS replaced KDB as the Santa Barbara affiliate of Don Lee. In March 1964, Storke sold News-Press Publishing to Robert McLean, owner of the ''

Philadelphia Bulletin The ''Philadelphia Bulletin'' (or ''The Bulletin'' as it was commonly known) was a daily evening newspaper published from 1847 to 1982 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was the largest circulation newspaper in Philadelphia for 76 years and was ...

'', for an undisclosed amount; the radio station was valued at $350,000. The new owner of KTMS acquired KRCW (97.5 FM) the following year and changed its call sign to KTMS-FM. At first the FM station mostly simulcast programs heard on 1250 AM but later became separately programmed with a beautiful music format. In 1985, KTMS-FM became

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 ...

outlet KHTY. News-Press Publishing's cross-ownership of KTMS-AM-FM predated the

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 ...

's (FCC) 1975 rules prohibiting a person or entity from owning both a newspaper and a radio or television station in the same media market. The company's mix of media outlets was allowed to remain intact. KTMS adopted a middle of the road music format in the mid-1970s. By 1983, the station became a full-time

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 ...

outlet. On July 12, 1985, News-Press Publishing sold KTMS and its FM counterpart, then known as KKOO-FM, to F&M Broadcasting for $2 million. This transaction marked the end of KTMS' common ownership with the ''News-Press'' after nearly five decades. In January 1996, Engles Enterprises, Inc. purchased KTMS and KHTY for $2 million.

KEYT

In September 1998, Engles sold KTMS for $1.6 million to Smith Broadcasting, owner of the local ABC television affiliate

KEYT-TV KEYT-TV (channel 3) is a television station licensed to Santa Barbara, California, United States, serving the Central Coast of California as an affiliate of ABC, CBS, and MyNetworkTV. It is owned by the News-Press & Gazette Company (NPG) alo ...

(channel 3). Smith immediately launched an

all-news All-news radio is a radio format devoted entirely to the discussion and broadcast of news. All-news radio is available in both local and radio syndication, syndicated forms, and is carried on both major US satellite radio networks. All-news sta ...

format on 1250 AM with new call letters KEYT to match those of its new TV sister. "KEYT 1250" featured news reports from the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American not-for-profit organization, not-for-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association, and produces news reports that are dist ...

and simulcasts of KEYT-TV newscasts. Meanwhile, the KTMS call sign and news/talk format moved to 990 AM.

KZER

KEYT 1250 was a financial drain on Smith Broadcasting from the beginning, losing $1 million over five years. In 2003, Smith sold the station to Lazer Broadcasting. Lazer changed the station's call letters to KZER and its format to

References

External links