KXLY (AM)

KXLY (920 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station in Spokane, Washington, calling itself 920 News Now. It broadcasts a News/Talk radio format and is owned by QueenB Radio, with its license held by Morgan Murphy Media. The studios and offices are on West Boone Avenue in Spokane.[1]

KXLY
CitySpokane, Washington
Broadcast areaSpokane metropolitan area - Eastern Washington
Frequency920 kHz
Branding920 News Now
Programming
FormatNews/Talk
AffiliationsWestwood One
ABC News Radio
Bloomberg Radio
Seattle Mariners Radio Network
Washington State Cougars (football and men's basketball)
Ownership
OwnerMorgan Murphy Media / Spokane Television Group
(QueenB Radio, Inc.)
KEZE, KHTQ, KXLX, KXLY-FM, KXLY-TV, KXMN-LD, KVNI, KZZU-FM
History
First air date
October 18, 1922 (1922-10-18) as KFDC
Former call signs
KFDC (1922-1924)
KFPY (1924-1946)
Call sign meaning
The XL Network
Technical information
Facility ID61947
ClassB
Power20,000 watts day
5,000 watts night
Transmitter coordinates
47°36′31″N 117°22′25″W
Translator(s)K264CH 100.7 Spokane
Links
WebsiteKXLY920.com

By day, KXLY broadcasts at 20,000 watts, using a non-directional antenna. But to protect other stations on 920 AM, it reduces power to 5,000 watts at night. The transmitter is off South Regal Street in Spokane.[2] Programming is also heard on 250 watt FM translator K264CH at 100.7 MHz.[3]

Programming

Weekdays on KXLY begin with a three-hour block of news and information, 920 News Now with Kris Siebers and Teresa Lukens. The rest of the weekday schedule is made up of nationally syndicated shows: Dan Bongino, The Ramsey Show, Ben Shapiro, Lars Larson, Mark Levin, Markey, Van Camp & Robbins and Bloomberg Radio. Weekends feature shows on money, health, home improvement, technology, the outdoors and wine.

KXLY is the flagship station of The Cougar Sports Radio Network, which carries Washington State Cougars football and men's basketball games.[4] It is also the alternate affiliate of the Seattle Mariners Radio Network baseball. KXLY 920 has a news sharing arrangement with co-owned KXLY-TV Channel 4 and also carries ABC News Radio world and national news.

History

KFDC

Spokane's oldest radio station was founded as KFDC by Thomas W. Symons, Jr. and Edmund B. Craney in 1922. Symons was the owner of Radio Supply Co. in Spokane, and Craney had been his employee.

Craney, a 17-year-old member of the North Central High School radio club, had a desire to give Spokane residents something to listen to on the radios for which Radio Supply Co. had been selling crystal parts. He persuaded Symons to start a station.

After Craney received his broadcasting license, KFDC signed on the air on October 18, 1922. The station had no permanent frequency position during its early days. As radio was considered a new frontier (the FCC wouldn't even be founded until 1934) and moderately regulated, Craney would have to search each night for a clean frequency (without interference from stations from distant towns) and broadcast from there.

KFPY

The station, which changed its call letters to KFPY in 1924, was housed in the Symons Building on 7 S. Howard Street in Spokane. Beginning in 1925, audience members were welcomed to view live broadcasts—usually music programs or dramas—at "The Golden Concert Studios of KFPY" on the second floor, which boasted a curtain, a stage and seating for 150. On the stage were two grand pianos and a Wurlitzer Organ.

It was through these facilities that Bing Crosby, then an unknown Gonzaga University student, made his radio debut. Decades later, Crosby would partner with the station to launch KXLY-TV. Other future stars who performed at the Golden Studios include Bob Crosby and Patrice Munsel.

KFPY was the CBS Radio Network affiliate for Spokane from the 1920 until the 1990s. During the Golden Age of Radio, KFDC carried CBS's dramas, comedies, news, sports, soap operas, game shows and big band broadcasts.

KFDC/KFPY changed its frequency six times between 1927 and 1941: 1100, 1220, 1390, 1340 and 890 were all home to the station at different points during the 14-year span. It wasn’t until 1941 that the station moved to its current location, 920 kHz.

KXLY

Craney left the station in 1927 to found KGIR in Butte, Montana. But he returned to Spokane in 1945 to buy KFPY, which he rechristened KXLY in 1946. The new call letters reflected Craney’s "XL Network," a chain of stations he also owned in Butte, Helena, Bozeman, Great Falls and Missoula, all of which had call letters beginning with "KXL."

In November 1953, Craney sold KXLY and KXLY-TV to the Northern Pacific Radio and Television Corporation, headed by Joseph Harris, Norman Eisenstein, and Richard E. Jones. Northern Pacific sold the KXLY stations (which now included KXLY-FM) in 1961 to current owners, Morgan Murphy Media.

In September 1998, CBS Radio affiliation moved to 1510 KGA. KXLY picked up ABC News Radio to match its television counterpart’s affiliation, which had made the switch 22 years earlier in 1976 after CBS ended its affiliation with the TV station.

On September 17, 2015, KXLY added an FM translator on 100.3 MHz. In April 2016, the translator moved to 100.7 FM.

References
  1. KXLY920.com/contact
  2. Radio-Locator.com/KXLY-AM
  3. Radio-Locator.com/K264CH
  4. "WSU Radio Networks". WSUCougars.com. 2021-10-16. Retrieved 2021-10-16.
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