| KIST-FM | |
| City: | Carpinteria, California |
| Area: | Santa Barbara, California |
| Airdate: | February 1998 |
| Frequency: | 107.7 MHz |
| Translator: | 102.7 K274CJ (Santa Barbara) |
| Branding: | Radio Bronco 107.7 |
| Format: | Regional Mexican |
| Erp: | 930 watts |
| Haat: | 496m (1,627feet) |
| Class: | B1 |
| Facility Id: | 31434 |
| Callsign Meaning: | Derived from former AM counterpart KIST; later used for KISS-FM branding |
| Former Callsigns: | KLDZ (1997–1998) KLDZ-FM (1998) KIST (1998–2000) KIST-FM (2000–2009) KQIE (2009–2010) KIST-FM (2010) KFYZ (2010) |
| Owner: | Rincon Broadcasting |
| Licensee: | Rincon License Subsidiary LLC |
| Sister Stations: | KOSJ, KSBL, KSPE, KTMS, KTYD |
| Licensing Authority: | FCC |
KIST-FM (107.7 MHz) is a commercial radio station that is licensed to Carpinteria, California and broadcasts to the Santa Barbara radio market. The station is owned by Rincon Broadcasting and airs a regional Mexican music format. The KIST-FM studios and offices are on East Cota Street in Santa Barbara.[1] The transmitter is off West Camino Cielo, near other FM and TV towers, in the hills north of Santa Barbara.[2] KIST-FM also uses a 70-watt translator station, K274CJ (102.7 FM) in Santa Barbara.[3]
KIST-FM first signed on in February 1998 as KLDZ-FM with an oldies format[4] branded "Cool Oldies 107.7". It launched as a simulcast of AM sister station KLDZ (1340 AM) before the latter flipped formats to sports.[5]
In May 1998, Citicasters, Inc., part of Jacor Communications, purchased KIST and KLDZ-FM for $1.5 million.[6] The AM station changed its call sign to KXXT and the FM outlet assumed the KIST call letters.[7] In May 1999, Jacor merged with Clear Channel Communications, which would own KIST-FM until 2007.
In March 2000, Cumulus Media-owned KKSB (106.3 FM) in Santa Barbara adopted a contemporary hit radio (CHR) format. In response, Clear Channel flipped KIST-FM to top 40 with the branding "KISS 107 FM"; the station featured on-air personality Rick Dees from sister station KIIS-FM in Los Angeles during morning drive.[8] [9] Clear Channel won the head-to-head CHR battle with Cumulus as KKSB flipped to oldies within two years.[10] However, on September 8, 2004, KIST-FM changed to a modern rock format known as "FM 107.7".[11]
On January 11, 2007, Clear Channel Communications sold all of its radio stations in Santa Barbara, including KIST-FM, to Rincon Broadcasting for $17.3 million.[12] [13] Five days later, KIST-FM's format was changed to regional Mexican under the branding of "Radio Bronco".
On December 15, 2009, KIST-FM changed its call letters to KQIE. Two months later, on February 10, 2010, the station reverted to KIST-FM. On July 20, KIST-FM again changed its call letters to KFYZ. That switch was also temporary, as KFYZ restored the KIST-FM call sign on September 10. The KFYZ call letters were transferred to its sister station at 94.5 FM on December 23, 2010 when that station flipped to a top 40 format.