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KHTS (AM)
Encyclopedia
KHTS is an AM radio station in Santa Clarita, California
, about 30 miles north of Los Angeles
. It is owned by Jeri Lyn Broadcasting (formerly Sattleback Broadcasting). It broadcasts at the frequency of 1220 kHz with 1000 watts during the daytime and 500 watts at night. The station is nicknamed Your Hometown Station. The broadcast day consists of a combination of local talk shows and time-brokered programs.
KHTS airs play-by-play coverage of six area high school
football
teams and the football program at the College of the Canyons
, as well as high school basketball
. KHTS also has an extensive pro sports lineup, including the Los Angeles Dodgers
, Los Angeles Kings
, and NASCAR
auto racing
.
When a major disaster hits the Santa Clarita Valley, KHTS pre-empts regular programming for non-stop coverage.
The station has won numerous awards over the years, including Santa Clarita Valley Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year Award in 1995.
, Howard “Scott” Howard, who along with other investors, formed Canyon Broadcasters.
Andrew Castiglione was the first Chief Engineer that signed KBET 1220 AM Stereo on the air. Andrew Castiglione received from "Radio World Annual Magazine Award" Dated Feb. 1990 as being the 1st Digital, Tapeless, Paperless Radio Station in the World!!!
After having difficulty turning KBET into a profitable enterprise, the company filed for bankruptcy in July 1990. Carl Goldman & Jeri Seratti Goldman, took over operation of the station in July 1990. They, along with several other investors, formed Saddleback Broadcasting, the parent company of KBET through 1998.
In January 1994, KBET became the emergency outlet for the Santa Clarita Valley during the Northridge earthquake
. After the Interstate 5 and State Route 14
Freeway interchange collapsed, the Santa Clarita Valley was sealed off from Los Angeles. The station provided around the clock news, traffic and emergency information for the many months it took for Santa Clarita to recover. The station also provided psychological comfort to local residents, who could call in and express their feelings and concerns on the air and realize their fears were not unique or isolated. Needs such as diapers, portable
heater
s, water
, and other essential items were instantly met as appeals were broadcast over the KBET airwaves and listeners would respond with assistance.
As the disruption of the earthquake settled down and the interchange reopened in June 1994, KBET evolved from a news/talk format, into a full service radio station, blending in adult contemporary music, along with news, traffic, weather and sports. Many local features were also part of the programming.
In September 1998, Saddleback Broadcasting sold KBET to Jacor Communications. Jacor was purchased by Clear Channel Communications
before the sale was finalized. KBET became XTRA Sports 1220, simulcasting KAVL 610 AM in Lancaster. Sharon Bronson, who was the station’s sales manager under the Goldmans became the general manager. Barry McKeever remained on-board to continue to head up the station’s local programming and sports.
In June 1999, XTRA Sports 1220 became 1220 KIIS-AM, weaving in a mixture of local programming and simulcasts of KAVS-97.7 KIIS-FM (now KVVS
) and KAVL-XTRA Sports 610 (now Fox Sports 610). The call letters were changed to KIIS in August 1999 (which had previously belonged to a Los Angeles station which also simulcast the AM signal in the mid 1980s).
In early 2001, Clear Channel closed the offices located at Sierra Highway
and Soledad Canyon Road in Santa Clarita, and moved the operation up to the Antelope Valley
, as part of the Clear Channel Lancaster
/Palmdale
cluster of stations. The station had difficulty maintaining a local identity, despite opening a small studio on Bouquet Canyon Road in Saugus
. Most of the station's programming was eliminated; most of its lineup consisted of the live sports game coverage from KAVL, Rick Dees' morning show, and Rush Limbaugh's syndicated program. The rest of the time, the station ran on automation with an adult contemporary format playlist. Rick Dees Weekly Top 40
and Leeza Gibbons
' Hollywood Confidential ran on Sunday mornings. They also had a "Santa Clarita Real Estate Show," Santa Clarita Golf Talk, "God is God and We're Not" hosted by local representatives of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and "Music & Message" with Ron Fisher.
In November 2001, the station flipped to News/Talk 1220 for a brief time, playing Rick Dees in the morning, Glenn Beck
, Rush Limbaugh
, and Michael Reagan
, and CNN Headline News the rest of the time. During this time, they still carried sports game coverage from XTRA Sports 610.
In March 2002, Clear Channel decreased the station's power to 500 watts full time and flipped 1220 back to 1220 KIIS-AM as a full time simulcast of 102.7 KIIS
FM.
During the years Clear Channel operated AM-1220, the Goldmans remained residents of Santa Clarita and committed to the Valley. Their children attended local schools and they remained active with many local charities and organizations. They sensed a need for a local station, and approached Clear Channel to repurchase AM-1220.
In October 2003, the Goldmans repurchased AM-1220 from Clear Channel, under their personal corporation, Jeri Lyn Broadcasting. The station went back to full power (1000 watts day/500 watts night). They tried to get back the original KBET call letters, but the call letters had made their way out to a station in Nevada
. The decision was made to make the new call letters KHTS, and new studios were opened at Soledad and Camp Plenty in Canyon Country. The transmitter site and towers still remain at their original location on Sierra Highway, north of Vasquez Canyon in Canyon Country.
Today, KHTS is a full-service station combining news, traffic, sports, and adult contemporary hits by artists such as Elton John
, Mariah Carey
, Rod Stewart
and Whitney Houston
.
's reality show Pit Boss
, where Shorty Rossi
discusses with KHTS morning show personnel Brandon Gibson about pit bull
s and to better educate the public about the breed.
Santa Clarita, California
Santa Clarita is the fourth largest city in Los Angeles County, California, United States and the twenty-fourth largest city in the state of California. The 2010 US Census reported the city's population grew 16.7% from the year 2000 to 176,320 residents. It is located about northwest of downtown...
, about 30 miles north of Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. It is owned by Jeri Lyn Broadcasting (formerly Sattleback Broadcasting). It broadcasts at the frequency of 1220 kHz with 1000 watts during the daytime and 500 watts at night. The station is nicknamed Your Hometown Station. The broadcast day consists of a combination of local talk shows and time-brokered programs.
KHTS airs play-by-play coverage of six area high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
teams and the football program at the College of the Canyons
College of the Canyons
College of the Canyons is a public two-year community college that operates within the Santa Clarita Community College District. The college is located on of rolling, tree-dotted hills in the incorporated city of Santa Clarita in northern Los Angeles County, California. The college’s address is:...
, as well as high school basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
. KHTS also has an extensive pro sports lineup, including the Los Angeles Dodgers
Los Angeles Dodgers
The Los Angeles Dodgers are a professional baseball team based in Los Angeles, California. The Dodgers are members of Major League Baseball's National League West Division. Established in 1883, the team originated in Brooklyn, New York, where it was known by a number of nicknames before becoming...
, Los Angeles Kings
Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings are a professional ice hockey team based in Los Angeles, California. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...
, and NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
auto racing
Auto racing
Auto racing is a motorsport involving the racing of cars for competition. It is one of the world's most watched televised sports.-The beginning of racing:...
.
When a major disaster hits the Santa Clarita Valley, KHTS pre-empts regular programming for non-stop coverage.
The station has won numerous awards over the years, including Santa Clarita Valley Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year Award in 1995.
History
1220 AM first debuted on the air in Canyon Country in July 1989, under the call letters, KBET, "The Beat of Santa Clarita." The station was founded by a local television engineer, Larry Bloomfield. Bloomfield teamed up with his certified public accountantCertified Public Accountant
Certified Public Accountant is the statutory title of qualified accountants in the United States who have passed the Uniform Certified Public Accountant Examination and have met additional state education and experience requirements for certification as a CPA...
, Howard “Scott” Howard, who along with other investors, formed Canyon Broadcasters.
Andrew Castiglione was the first Chief Engineer that signed KBET 1220 AM Stereo on the air. Andrew Castiglione received from "Radio World Annual Magazine Award" Dated Feb. 1990 as being the 1st Digital, Tapeless, Paperless Radio Station in the World!!!
After having difficulty turning KBET into a profitable enterprise, the company filed for bankruptcy in July 1990. Carl Goldman & Jeri Seratti Goldman, took over operation of the station in July 1990. They, along with several other investors, formed Saddleback Broadcasting, the parent company of KBET through 1998.
In January 1994, KBET became the emergency outlet for the Santa Clarita Valley during the Northridge earthquake
Northridge earthquake
The Northridge earthquake was a massive earthquake that occurred on January 17, 1994, at 04:31 Pacific Standard Time in Reseda, a neighborhood in the city of Los Angeles, California, lasting for about 10–20 seconds...
. After the Interstate 5 and State Route 14
California State Route 14
State Route 14 is a north–south state highway in the U.S. state of California, largely in the Mojave Desert. The southern portion of the highway is signed as the Antelope Valley Freeway. The route connects Interstate 5, or Golden State Freeway, near Santa Clarita and with U.S. Route 395 near...
Freeway interchange collapsed, the Santa Clarita Valley was sealed off from Los Angeles. The station provided around the clock news, traffic and emergency information for the many months it took for Santa Clarita to recover. The station also provided psychological comfort to local residents, who could call in and express their feelings and concerns on the air and realize their fears were not unique or isolated. Needs such as diapers, portable
Portable
Portable may refer to:* Portable building, a manufactured structure that is built off site and moved in upon completion of site and utility work...
heater
Heater
A heater is an object that emits heat or causes another body to achieve a higher temperature. In a household or domestic setting, heaters are usually appliances whose purpose is to generate heating...
s, water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
, and other essential items were instantly met as appeals were broadcast over the KBET airwaves and listeners would respond with assistance.
As the disruption of the earthquake settled down and the interchange reopened in June 1994, KBET evolved from a news/talk format, into a full service radio station, blending in adult contemporary music, along with news, traffic, weather and sports. Many local features were also part of the programming.
In September 1998, Saddleback Broadcasting sold KBET to Jacor Communications. Jacor was purchased by Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications
Clear Channel Communications, Inc. is an American media conglomerate company headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It was founded in 1972 by Lowry Mays and Red McCombs, and was taken private by Bain Capital LLC and Thomas H. Lee Partners LP in a leveraged buyout in 2008...
before the sale was finalized. KBET became XTRA Sports 1220, simulcasting KAVL 610 AM in Lancaster. Sharon Bronson, who was the station’s sales manager under the Goldmans became the general manager. Barry McKeever remained on-board to continue to head up the station’s local programming and sports.
In June 1999, XTRA Sports 1220 became 1220 KIIS-AM, weaving in a mixture of local programming and simulcasts of KAVS-97.7 KIIS-FM (now KVVS
KVVS
KTPI-FM is a country music formatted radio station serving the Antelope Valley region of Southern California.-History:...
) and KAVL-XTRA Sports 610 (now Fox Sports 610). The call letters were changed to KIIS in August 1999 (which had previously belonged to a Los Angeles station which also simulcast the AM signal in the mid 1980s).
In early 2001, Clear Channel closed the offices located at Sierra Highway
Sierra Highway
Sierra Highway or El Camino Sierra is a road in Southern California, United States. El Camino Sierra refers to the full length of a trail formed in the 19th century, rebuilt as highways in the early 20th century, that ran from Los Angeles to Lake Tahoe following parts of modern State Route 14, U.S....
and Soledad Canyon Road in Santa Clarita, and moved the operation up to the Antelope Valley
Antelope Valley
The Antelope Valley in California, United States, is located in northern Los Angeles County and the southeastern portion of Kern County, California, and constitutes the western tip of the Mojave Desert...
, as part of the Clear Channel Lancaster
Lancaster, California
Lancaster is a charter city in northern Los Angeles County, in the high desert, near the Kern County line. Lancaster currently ranks as the 30th largest city in California, and the 148th largest city in the United States. Lancaster is the principal city within the Antelope Valley...
/Palmdale
Palmdale, California
Palmdale is a city located in the center of northern Los Angeles County, California, United States.Palmdale was the first community within the Antelope Valley to incorporate as a city on August 24, 1962; 47 years later, voters approved creating a charter city in November, 2009. Palmdale is...
cluster of stations. The station had difficulty maintaining a local identity, despite opening a small studio on Bouquet Canyon Road in Saugus
Saugus, California
Saugus is a neighborhood in Santa Clarita, California. Saugus was one of the four communities that merged in 1987 to create the city of Santa Clarita. Saugus is named after Saugus, Massachusetts, the hometown of Henry Newhall, upon whose land the town was originally built...
. Most of the station's programming was eliminated; most of its lineup consisted of the live sports game coverage from KAVL, Rick Dees' morning show, and Rush Limbaugh's syndicated program. The rest of the time, the station ran on automation with an adult contemporary format playlist. Rick Dees Weekly Top 40
Rick Dees Weekly Top 40
Rick Dees' Weekly Top 40 is an internationally-syndicated radio program created and hosted by American radio personality Rick Dees. It is currently heard on over 200 radio stations worldwide and the American Forces Network. It is distributed domestically by Citadel Media Networks and...
and Leeza Gibbons
Leeza Gibbons
Leeza Kim Gibbons is an American talk show host. Gibbons is the host of her own radio show, Hollywood Confidential, part of the United Stations radio syndication company.-Early life:...
' Hollywood Confidential ran on Sunday mornings. They also had a "Santa Clarita Real Estate Show," Santa Clarita Golf Talk, "God is God and We're Not" hosted by local representatives of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and "Music & Message" with Ron Fisher.
In November 2001, the station flipped to News/Talk 1220 for a brief time, playing Rick Dees in the morning, Glenn Beck
Glenn Beck
Glenn Edward Lee Beck is an American conservative radio host, vlogger, author, entrepreneur, political commentator and former television host. He hosts the Glenn Beck Program, a nationally syndicated talk-radio show that airs throughout the United States on Premiere Radio Networks...
, Rush Limbaugh
Rush Limbaugh
Rush Hudson Limbaugh III is an American radio talk show host, conservative political commentator, and an opinion leader in American conservatism. He hosts The Rush Limbaugh Show which is aired throughout the U.S. on Premiere Radio Networks and is the highest-rated talk-radio program in the United...
, and Michael Reagan
Michael Reagan
Michael Edward Reagan is a former American radio host and Republican strategist. His nationally syndicated radio show, The Michael Reagan Talk Show, aired on stations throughout the United States on the Premiere Radio Networks before being dropped, after which it moved to Radio America...
, and CNN Headline News the rest of the time. During this time, they still carried sports game coverage from XTRA Sports 610.
In March 2002, Clear Channel decreased the station's power to 500 watts full time and flipped 1220 back to 1220 KIIS-AM as a full time simulcast of 102.7 KIIS
KIIS-FM
KIIS-FM is a Los Angeles, California, USA-based radio station with a partial Top 40 musical format. It is owned by Clear Channel Communications. KIIS is also simulcasted on KVVS in Rosamond, at 105.5 MHz...
FM.
During the years Clear Channel operated AM-1220, the Goldmans remained residents of Santa Clarita and committed to the Valley. Their children attended local schools and they remained active with many local charities and organizations. They sensed a need for a local station, and approached Clear Channel to repurchase AM-1220.
In October 2003, the Goldmans repurchased AM-1220 from Clear Channel, under their personal corporation, Jeri Lyn Broadcasting. The station went back to full power (1000 watts day/500 watts night). They tried to get back the original KBET call letters, but the call letters had made their way out to a station in Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
. The decision was made to make the new call letters KHTS, and new studios were opened at Soledad and Camp Plenty in Canyon Country. The transmitter site and towers still remain at their original location on Sierra Highway, north of Vasquez Canyon in Canyon Country.
Today, KHTS is a full-service station combining news, traffic, sports, and adult contemporary hits by artists such as Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
, Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. She made her recording debut with the release of her eponymous studio album in 1990, under the guidance of Columbia Records executive Tommy Mottola, whom she later married in 1993...
, Rod Stewart
Rod Stewart
Roderick David "Rod" Stewart, CBE is a British singer-songwriter and musician, born and raised in North London, England and currently residing in Epping. He is of Scottish and English ancestry....
and Whitney Houston
Whitney Houston
Whitney Elizabeth Houston is an American singer, actress, producer and a former model. Houston is the most awarded female act of all time, according to Guinness World Records, and her list of awards include 1 Emmy Award, 6 Grammy Awards, 30 Billboard Music Awards, 22 American Music Awards, among...
.
Media Spotlight
KHTS was recently featured on an episode of Animal PlanetAnimal Planet
Animal Planet is an American cable tv specialty channel that launched on October 1, 1996. It is distributed by Discovery Communications. A high-definition simulcast of the channel launched on September 1, 2007.-History:...
's reality show Pit Boss
Pit Boss (TV series)
Pit Boss is an American television series docudrama that follows Shorty Rossi, owner of Shorty's Rescue, an organization set up for Pit Bull rescue. The series premiered on Animal Planet on January 16, 2010....
, where Shorty Rossi
Shorty Rossi
Luigi Francis "Shorty" Rossi is the star of Pit Boss, a reality series on Animal Planet. He is also the owner and talent manager of Shortywood Productions, a company that works with dwarfs in the entertainment industry and Shorty's Rescue, an organization set up for Pit Bull...
discusses with KHTS morning show personnel Brandon Gibson about pit bull
Pit bull
A Pit bull is any of several breeds of dog in the molosser breed group.Many jurisdictions that restrict pit bulls, including Ontario, Canada,, Miami, Florida, U.S...
s and to better educate the public about the breed.