KZSB
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| [[Frequency|FrequencTemplate:Pluralize from text]] | 1290 (kHz) |
|---|---|
| Programming | |
| Format | Local News/Talk |
| Affiliations | BBC World Service |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Lazer Broadcasting (Lazer Licenses, LLC) |
| History | |
First air date | March 2, 1962 |
Former call signs | Page Template:Plainlist/styles.css has no content.
|
Call sign meaning | A portmanteau of: KZBN and KKSB (former callsigns) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| 57731 | |
| Class | D |
| Power | 500 watts (day) 114 watts (night) |
| [[Broadcast relay station|TranslatorTemplate:Pluralize from text]] | Template:Radio Relay |
| Links | |
Public license information | Template:FCC Licensing and Management System facility |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | http://am1290kzsb.com |
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KZSB (1290 AM) is a commercial radio station in Santa Barbara, California. Known as "The Santa Barbara News-Press Radio Station", it airs a local news/talk radio format, mainly using reporters and correspondents of the News-Press, with people from the community invited to host weekly one-hour informational shows. Despite the name, KZSB is not actually owned by the newspaper. The station also carries BBC World Service reports at the top of each hour, with BBC programming also heard nights and weekends.
From 1995 to 2005, the station was owned by comedy actor Bob Newhart before being sold to Santa Barbara Broadcasting, Inc. and adopting its current format.
History
On March 2, 1962, the station first signed on as KACL.[2] It was owned by Riviera Broadcasting and aired a middle of the road music format. KACL was a daytimer, required to go off the air at sunset to protect other radio stations on 1290 AM. In 1974, the ownership changed to KACL, Inc. and the call sign switched to KKIO. The station broadcast a country music format, and was an affiliate of ABC Information Network. In 1982, the station again switched its call letters, this time to KXXN, broadcasting an oldies/classic hits format as "Kicks 1290".
After a bankruptcy, the station was bought by Wastcom Broadcasting in 1984, changing its call sign to KESP.[3] The "ESP" stood for "español", with the station switching to a Spanish language format. The station received FCC permission to broadcast around the clock, powered at 122 watts at night. In 1991, the station was acquired by Joyce Erway and the call letters switched to KKSB, with the "SB" standing for the city of license, Santa Barbara. The music continued to be directed to the area's Mexican American community, playing Spanish-language hits of the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s.[4]
On December 12, 1995, Bob Newhart purchased KKSB under the corporate name Rotijefco, Inc. for $299,000.[5] The call letters were changed to KZBN, with the last two letters representing his initials. KZBN adopted an adult standards format,[6] featuring such artists as Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Barbra Streisand, and Dionne Warwick.
In 2005, Newhart sold KZBN to Santa Barbara Broadcasting Inc., owned by Dennis Weibling, and the call sign was changed to KZSB. Although Weibling is a friend of Santa Barbara News-Press owner Wendy McCaw, the News-Press does not actually own KZSB.[7]
In December 2021, KZSB's 198-foot red-and-white transmitting tower, which it shares with KOSJ and KCLU, and had long been slightly bent, was shortened to 128 feet and topped with four 12-foot "whiskers" in a horizontal X shape, to give the tower extra electrical length. The tower, which is owned by Rincon Broadcasting, was also painted dark green to better blend with its surroundings. Changes in the radiation properties of the shortened tower required a reduction in the station's night power from 122 to 114 watts.[8]
See also
- KZER, a radio station (1250 AM) in Santa Barbara that was co-owned with the News-Press from 1937 to 1985 and held the call sign KTMS
References
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- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Facility Technical Data for KZSB". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Santa Barbara's Sixth Radio Station on the Air". Santa Barbara News-Press. Santa Barbara, California. March 4, 1962. p. A-3. Retrieved May 24, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Directory of Radio Stations in the United States and Canada" (PDF). Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook. Broadcasting Publications Inc. 1985. p. B-37. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 2, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Directory of Radio Stations in the U.S." (PDF). Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook. Broadcasting Publications Inc. 1992. p. A-49. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 1, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Directory of Radio Stations in the U.S." (PDF). Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook. 1996. p. B-58. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 22, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2018.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Gov. Whitman To Name 'Stern' Rest Stop; WESC DJ Cleared Of Molestation Counts" (PDF). Billboard. February 11, 1995. p. 84. Retrieved May 4, 2018.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."KZSB News-Press Radio Heralds Return of Community News and Talk". RedOrbit.com. Archived from the original on October 10, 2007. Retrieved October 24, 2018.
- ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Three Local Radio Stations Off the Air While Monopole Undergoes Modifications: Height reduction, 'whiskers' added to the top of the tower, which serves three AM stations". Noozhawk. December 8, 2021. Retrieved September 24, 2022.
External links
- Template:FCC Licensing and Management System facility
- KZSB in Nielsen Audio's AM station database
- FCC History Cards for KZSB
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