| KELA | |
| City: | Centralia-Chehalis, Washington |
| Frequency: | 1470 kHz |
| Format: | Talk and Sports |
| Power: | 5,000 watts day 1,000 watts night |
| Network: | Fox News Radio |
| Class: | B |
| Licensing Authority: | FCC |
| Facility Id: | 32996 |
| Coordinates: | 46.6964°N -122.9564°W |
| Owner: | Bicoastal Media |
| Licensee: | Bicoastal Media Licenses IV, LLC |
| Sister Stations: | KMNT |
| Webcast: | Listen Live |
| Website: | kelaam.com |
| Affiliations: | Fox News Talk Fox Sports Radio Sports Byline USA Premiere Networks Westwood One Seattle Mariners Radio Network Seattle Seahawks Radio Network Washington Huskies Radio Network |
KELA (1470 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station broadcasting a talk/sports format, co-licensed to Centralia and Chehalis, Washington, United States. The station is currently owned by Bicoastal Media.[1] The station is powered at 5,000 watts by day, but reduces power to 1,000 watts at night to avoid interfering with other stations on AM 1470. It uses a non-directional antenna at all times. The studios, offices and transmitter are on South Gold Street in Centralia.[2]
Weekdays begin with two local news and talk shows, "The KELA Morning Report" and "Let's Talk About It," originally created by Ed Jeffries. The Let's Talk About It program was hosted from its inception by future Centralia city mayor and council member, Bill Moeller, until 1993. Moeller was originally a disk jockey at the station beginning in the 1960s. Moeller hosted the only rock-and-roll slot at KELA at the time, known as the Record Roundtable.[3] [4] [5]
Nationally syndicated programs provided by KELA have included The Dan Bongino Show, The Sean Hannity Show, The Ramsey Show with Dave Ramsey, Fox Across America with Jimmy Failla, Coast to Coast AM with George Noory, Red Eye Radio and America in the Morning. Most hours begin with world and national news from Fox News Radio. Weekends, the station airs some paid brokered programming and repeats of weekday shows.
KELA's sports programming include Sports Byline USA on weekday evenings, and on weekends Fox Sports Radio is heard. KELA is an affiliate of the Seattle Mariners Radio Network and the Seattle Seahawks Radio Network. It also carries University of Washington Huskies football and basketball as well as local high school football and basketball games.
Under owners Arthur St. John, Cecil Gwinn, and J. Elroy McCaw, the Central Broadcasting Company of Chehalis was incorporated in October 1936, beginning the formation of the station. Located on grounds adjoining the Southwest Washington Fairgrounds between the twin cities of Centralia and Chehalis, the early plans for the $35,000 station included operating at 1,000 watts and locating broadcasting studios in both neighboring communities.[6] [7]
During a ceremony before the opening, a concrete block with the imprints of Bing Crosby's hands and feet, including an inscription of "Best Wishes KELA...Bing" was installed near the entrance; Crosby, who had a family history in Western Washington, was meant to attend but cancelled due to other career commitments.[7] [8] KELA first signed on the air on .[9] The event was broadcast on 70 affiliate stations under the Mutual Broadcasting System, operating on 1440 kilocycles, powered at 500 watts over a 185foot antenna.[7] After the enactment of North American Regional Broadcasting Agreement (NARBA) in 1941, the station switched to its current dial position of 1470 kHz, powered at 1,000 watts.[10] KELA was a network affiliate of the Mutual Broadcasting System and the Don Lee Network during the "Golden Age of Radio."
In the 1960s, the power was boosted to the current 5,000 watts in the daytime while keeping KELA's 1,000-watt nighttime power. As network programming moved to TV, KELA began airing a full service, middle of the road music format with news updates from Mutual. On August 24, 1965, it put an FM station on the air, 102.9 KELA-FM (now KZTM).[11] KELA-FM ran an automated country music format, while carrying some of KELA's newscasts. McCaw sold his interest in 1965 to Joe Chytil.[12]
Over time, 1470 KELA added more talk shows and reduced the music until it was a full-time talk station. It became an ABC Radio News affiliate. KELA-FM switched its call sign to KMNT but remained a country station. In 1996, Jacor Communications bought KELA and KMNT for $4 million.[13] Jacor was acquired by Clear Channel Communications. In mid-1996, the Lewis County Historical Society and Museum added an exhibit that highlighted the history of KELA and McCaw's operations.[14]
During the 1996 flood in the Chehalis Valley, KELA went off the air when the waters inundated the building.[15] The station operated out of portable trailers for a time after additional floodwaters in 2007 submerged the area.[16] In 2007, Clear Channel (now iHeartMedia) spun off KELA to Bicoastal Media but retained the FM station, which had changed its call letters to KNBQ.[17] KMNT's call letters and programming moved to 104.3 FM, also owned by Bicoastal.