KFPT explained

KFPT
City:Clovis, California
Area:Metropolitan Fresno
Branding:ESPN Radio 790
Frequency:790 kHz
Airdate:1984 (as KXQR)
Format:Sports
Power:5,000 watts day
2,500 watts night
Class:B
Facility Id:29429
Former Callsigns:KXQR (1984)
KXTC (1984–1988)
KOQO (1988–1998)
KOOR (1998–2005)
Affiliations:ESPN Radio
Los Angeles Lakers
Oakland Athletics
San Francisco 49ers
San Jose Sharks
Owner:Fat Dawgs 7 Broadcasting, LLC
Sister Stations:KFIG
Webcast:Listen Live
Website:790espnfresno.com
Licensing Authority:FCC

KFPT (790 AM) is an American radio station broadcasting a sports format. Licensed to Clovis, California, United States, the station serves the Fresno area. 790 ESPN Radio airs live sports, ESPN Radio programing and local ag reports. KFPT-AM is also Fresno's home for professional sports like Oakland A's Baseball, San Jose Sharks & LA Lakers. The station is currently owned by Fat Dawgs 7 Broadcasting, LLC and features programming from ESPN Radio.[1]

History

The station went on the air as KXQR on 790 kHz in 1979, six years after receiving its construction permit, which in turn was 15 years after the group had first filed for the frequency in 1958. Several ownership changes occurred in the years between receiving the permit and signing on. Beginning in 1985, the station aired beautiful music with the call sign KXTC. The call letters were meant to imply "Ecstasy". The station changed its call sign to KOQO on September 28, 1988.[2]

Expanded Band assignment

On March 17, 1997, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced that eighty-eight stations had been given permission to move to newly available "Expanded Band" transmitting frequencies, ranging from 1610 to 1700 kHz, with KOQO authorized to move from 790 to 1630 kHz.[3] A Construction Permit for the expanded band station was assigned the call letters KBEG on May 15, 1998, which were changed to KNAX on February 1, 1999, and to KOME on March 20, 2001.[4] However the expanded band station was never built, and its Construction Permit was cancelled on January 15, 2004.[5]

Later history

The station became Spanish-language KOOR in 1998. In July 2005, the call letters were changed to KFPT by CBS Broadcasting, standing for "Fresno's Progressive Talk"; during this time, KFPT became the market's second-most listened-to AM station.

In February 2007, KFPT AM 790 was purchased by Peak Broadcasting from CBS as part of a deal involving other stations including News/Talk KMJ, AM 580. It was then sold to Fat Dawgs 7 Broadcasting. The sale included a non-compete clause to protect Peak's conservative talk station, KMJ.[6] On April 2, 2007, KFPT changed their format from progressive talk to sports, with programming from ESPN Radio.

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: KFPT Facility Record . United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division .
  2. Web site: KFPT Call Sign History . United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division .
  3. https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uva.x004848309&view=1up&seq=276 "FCC Public Notice: Mass Media Bureau Announces Revised AM Expanded Band Allotment Plan and Filing Window for Eligible Stations"
  4. https://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/call_hist.pl?Facility_id=87162 Call Sign History: DKOME
  5. https://licensing.fcc.gov/cgi-bin/ws.exe/prod/cdbs/pubacc/prod/sta_det.pl?Facility_id=87162 FCC Station Search Details: DKOME
  6. News: The Top 10 whereabouts of former progressive talk stations . ltradio . December 26, 2007 . May 10, 2017.