KGA
Encyclopedia
KGA is a sports radio station based in Spokane, Washington
.
). Also in the history of KGA were the Top 40 years, from January 1968 until June 1969. With its 50,000 watts, KGA was a station with an incredible night time reach (all of western Canada) and the best top 40 DJs and that included "Shane" and Joe Fiala. "Shane Showtime" had a large and loyal following and introduced many to some of the greatest music of that time. There was great sadness among young KGA listeners when the station switched to country music in 1969.
From 1994 until 2008, KGA relied on network shows from commentators Bill O'Reilly
, Laura Ingraham
and Michael Savage
.
Former Los Angeles
Police detective/best selling author Mark Fuhrman
, who lives in nearby Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
, hosted a live and local morning slot weekdays until his firing in November 2007. No replacement was named.
Radio station KGA has a long history beginning in 1927 with its studios in the old Radio Center Building across the street from the Davenport Hotel and transmitter on the northside of Spokane where the Lidgerwood Elementary School is located when it was owned by Mr. Louis Wasmer to its current studio location on 57th Avenue on Moran Prairie and current transmitter site in Spangle under the ownership of Mapleton Communications
.
Although the station has had several owners (notably Gonzaga University), has changed frequency several times, and has had its studio and transmitter site changed over the years, including the old insurance building on W. Riverside, which was being used by the Spokane Catholic Diocese in January 2007, it has retained the same set of call letters over the years. In fact, the call letters KGA have been continuously used on AM longer in Spokane than any other set of call letters.
In April 2008, KGA's news/talk format moved to sister station KJRB
. In return, KJRB's sports format moved to KGA.
On July 15, 2008, KGA reduced its nighttime power to 15,000 watt
s, changed its class from Class A to Class B (Class A stations are required to operate at 50,000 watts at all times) and changed its directional antenna system, all so that its sister station KSFN
AM in Piedmont, California
, which serves San Francisco, but not the entire San Francisco Bay Area
, could increase its nighttime power to 2,400 watts, up from 230 watts. The justification for this change was gaining several hundred thousand potential ethnic listeners in San Francisco while sacrificing a few thousand potential listeners in the Pacific Northwest
.
Spokane, Washington
Spokane is a city located in the Northwestern United States in the state of Washington. It is the largest city of Spokane County of which it is also the county seat, and the metropolitan center of the Inland Northwest region...
.
History
Licensed on February 4, 1927, KGA was a successful country music outlet for most of its life until 1994, when it switched to a news/talk format. KGA's former owners also established a short lived, lower powered Country Music station based out of Kirkland, WA (near Seattle) called, KGAA (now KARRKARR (AM)
KARR is a radio station in Kirkland, Washington. The station primarily plays gospel music and broadcasts to the Seattle metro area. It is a member of the Family Radio network....
). Also in the history of KGA were the Top 40 years, from January 1968 until June 1969. With its 50,000 watts, KGA was a station with an incredible night time reach (all of western Canada) and the best top 40 DJs and that included "Shane" and Joe Fiala. "Shane Showtime" had a large and loyal following and introduced many to some of the greatest music of that time. There was great sadness among young KGA listeners when the station switched to country music in 1969.
From 1994 until 2008, KGA relied on network shows from commentators Bill O'Reilly
Bill O'Reilly (commentator)
William James "Bill" O'Reilly, Jr. is an American television host, author, syndicated columnist and political commentator. He is the host of the political commentary program The O'Reilly Factor on the Fox News Channel, which is the most watched cable news television program on American television...
, Laura Ingraham
Laura Ingraham
Laura Anne Ingraham is an American radio host, author, and conservative political commentator. Her nationally syndicated talk show, The Laura Ingraham Show, airs throughout the United States on Talk Radio Network...
and Michael Savage
Michael Savage (commentator)
Michael Savage is a conservative American radio host, author, and political commentator. He is the host of The Savage Nation, a nationally syndicated talk show that airs throughout the United States on Talk Radio Network...
.
Former Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
Police detective/best selling author Mark Fuhrman
Mark Fuhrman
Mark Fuhrman is a former detective of the Los Angeles Police Department , known for his part in the investigation of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman and his subsequent felony conviction for perjury...
, who lives in nearby Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
Coeur d'Alene, Idaho
Coeur d'Alene is the largest city and county seat of Kootenai County, Idaho, United States. It is the principal city of the Coeur d'Alene Metropolitan Statistical Area. Coeur d'Alene has the second largest metropolitan area in the state of Idaho. As of the 2010 census the population of Coeur...
, hosted a live and local morning slot weekdays until his firing in November 2007. No replacement was named.
Radio station KGA has a long history beginning in 1927 with its studios in the old Radio Center Building across the street from the Davenport Hotel and transmitter on the northside of Spokane where the Lidgerwood Elementary School is located when it was owned by Mr. Louis Wasmer to its current studio location on 57th Avenue on Moran Prairie and current transmitter site in Spangle under the ownership of Mapleton Communications
Mapleton Communications
Mapleton Communications is a broadcast media company, formed in May 2001, operating in the western United States. The company currently owns and operates 41 radio stations in California, Oregon and Washington State....
.
Although the station has had several owners (notably Gonzaga University), has changed frequency several times, and has had its studio and transmitter site changed over the years, including the old insurance building on W. Riverside, which was being used by the Spokane Catholic Diocese in January 2007, it has retained the same set of call letters over the years. In fact, the call letters KGA have been continuously used on AM longer in Spokane than any other set of call letters.
In April 2008, KGA's news/talk format moved to sister station KJRB
KJRB
KJRB is a news/talk radio station in Spokane, Washington, United States currently owned by Mapleton License of Spokane, LLC.-History:KJRB has had a long and colorful history showcasing many famous announcers including Randy Evans and Treasure Goodtimes , Larry Lujack, Charlie Brown, Norm Gregory,...
. In return, KJRB's sports format moved to KGA.
On July 15, 2008, KGA reduced its nighttime power to 15,000 watt
Watt
The watt is a derived unit of power in the International System of Units , named after the Scottish engineer James Watt . The unit, defined as one joule per second, measures the rate of energy conversion.-Definition:...
s, changed its class from Class A to Class B (Class A stations are required to operate at 50,000 watts at all times) and changed its directional antenna system, all so that its sister station KSFN
KSFN
KYDZ is a children's radio station located in North Las Vegas, Nevada, broadcasting to the Las Vegas, Nevada area on 1140 AM.-History:1140 AM was known as KRSR "The Krusher", a heavy metal-formatted station in the 1980s, whose DJ is a robotic voice similar to that of the Cylon voice used on...
AM in Piedmont, California
Piedmont, California
Piedmont is a small, affluent city in Alameda County, California, United States. It is surrounded by the city of Oakland. The population was 10,667 at the 2010 census. Piedmont was incorporated in 1907 and was developed significantly in the 1920s and 1930s...
, which serves San Francisco, but not the entire San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a populated region that surrounds the San Francisco and San Pablo estuaries in Northern California. The region encompasses metropolitan areas of San Francisco, Oakland, and San Jose, along with smaller urban and rural areas...
, could increase its nighttime power to 2,400 watts, up from 230 watts. The justification for this change was gaining several hundred thousand potential ethnic listeners in San Francisco while sacrificing a few thousand potential listeners in the Pacific Northwest
Pacific Northwest
The Pacific Northwest is a region in northwestern North America, bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains on the east. Definitions of the region vary and there is no commonly agreed upon boundary, even among Pacific Northwesterners. A common concept of the...
.