KMZT (AM)

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For the Los Angeles FM station known as KMZT from 2000-2007, see KKGO. For the San Francisco AM station known as KMZT from 2000-2001 and 2003-2005, see KSFN.
KMZT
File:K-Mozart.png
City of license Beverly Hills, California
Broadcast area Los Angeles metropolitan area
Branding K-Mozart
Frequency 1260 kHz
Repeaters 105.1 KKGO-HD2
95.9 KMZT-FM (Big Sur, California)
First air date October 19, 1947 (as KGIL)
Format Classical music
Power 20,000 watts (Day)
7,500 watts (Night)
Class B
Facility ID 43937
Former callsigns KGIL (1947-1993)
KJQI (1993-1995)
KNNS (1995-1997)
KGIL (1997-2000)
KJAZ (2000-2002)
KSUR (2002-2005)
KKGO (2005-2007)
KMZT (2/2007-10/2007)
KGIL (2007-2011)
Owner Mount Wilson Broadcasting
Sister stations KKGO
(Also programs KKJZ for California State University, Long Beach)
Webcast Listen Live
Website kmozart.com

KMZT (1260 kHz "K-Mozart") is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Beverly Hills, California, and broadcasting to the Los Angeles metropolitan area. KMZT is owned by Mount Wilson Broadcasting and airs a classical music radio format that is also heard on sister station KMZT-FM 95.9 MHz in Big Sur, California.[1]

KMZT is not licensed to broadcast a HD signal on 1260 AM;[2] however, KMZT is simulcast on the HD-2 channel of 105.1 MHz KKGO.[3] KMZT's transmitter is off Lassen Street in Mission Hills, California.

Station history

KGIL began broadcasting October 19, 1947, on 1260 kHz with 1000 watts of power full-time. The station was licensed to San Fernando Valley Broadcasting Company, with studios and executive offices at 2929 Van Nuys Boulevard, Sherman Oaks, California.[4]

At that time, it aired a big band music format. KGIL aired other formats including talk until 1993.

From 1993 to 1995, it had the call letters KJQI, playing adult standards music. In 1995, it became K-NEWS, simulcasting with XESURF Tijuana (then with call letters XETIN) and now-defunct KNNZ in Costa Mesa, California. K-NEWS was an all-news radio service with content from the Associated Press or local announcers Peter Arbogast, Jim Roope, and H.K. Malay. K-NEWS was also the home of the Los Angeles Clippers and had an unprecedented 8 traffic reports an hour, causing competitors KNX and KFWB to add more traffic reports to their schedules. In late 1996, the station reverted to the KGIL call letters and hosted an all-Beatles lineup for seven months. The station then went all Broadway show tunes in August 1997 to Sometime in 1998.[5] The station then switched to Music of Your Life[6] before going to a mainstream jazz format, with the call letters KJAZ, in 2000. Then, in 2002, it took on the call letters KSUR and began broadcasting an adult standards format, changing its call letters to KKGO in 2005. From August 2004 to June 2005 the station played an oldies format playing music from the 1950s and 1960s.[5]

On December 1, 2006, KKGO changed to a country music format, filling the void left behind when KZLA became rhythmic adult contemporary as KMVN earlier in 2006. On February 26, 2007, KKGO swapped call signs and formats with FM sister station KMZT, moving the country music format to 105.1 FM, and the classical format known as "K-Mozart" to 1260 AM and to a new HD channel at 105.1 HD2. On October 29, 2007, KMZT changed its calls back to KGIL and flipped formats from classical to talk radio, with Michael Jackson as the headline host. Jackson was laid off from the station about a year later and replaced by John Ziegler, who left after a few months. Aside from Jackson and Ziegler, the bulk of KGIL's programming was syndicated, mostly of second-tier programs left over from what KFI, KRLA and KABC did not want.

On November 27, 2007, KGIL started simulcasting on XESURF 540AM, which flipped from classic country music.[7]

Owner Saul Levine decided to return KGIL to a music format after the debut of a similar talk radio format on KFWB, which took place in September 2009. On August 27, 2009, the station switched to a mix of oldies and adult standards as "Retro 1260." Mornings had John Regan, middays had Gary Hollis, afternoons had Kimber Murphy, followed by Chuck Southcott, who had worked at KGIL from 1962 to 1975. Retro 1260 emphasized vocals and played Elvis Presley, Sam Cooke, The Beatles, and The Beach Boys, as well as Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, Steve Tyrell, and Michael Feinstein. On March 28, 2011, the Los Angeles Times reported that the station would begin airing classical music on April 4.[8] The final song on Retro 1260 was "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)" by Keely Smith at 11:58 p.m. on April 3, 2011.[9] Retro 1260 now is available as an Internet stream at Retro105.com and on KKGO 105.1 HD3.

In addition to the music, KGIL was the Los Angeles-area affiliate for California Golden Bears football and had aired games of the Los Angeles Clippers and Los Angeles Kings in the past to resolve time conflicts with other stations.

References

  1. ↑ http://www.mountwilsoninc.com/
  2. ↑ http://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/sta_det.pl?Facility_id=43937
  3. ↑ http://hdradio.com/station_guides/widget.php?id=36
  4. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 REC Broadcast Query
  6. ↑ Judith Gross, "Music of Your Life Gets a Second Wind," Billboard, 08/08/98, Vol. 110 Issue 32, p. 67.
  7. ↑ "On the radio: Dr. Drew Pinsky adds KGIL to his practice", Orange County Register, November 22, 2007
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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