| KNWZ | |
| City: | Coachella, California |
| Area: | Coachella Valley |
| Frequency: | 970 kHz |
| Translator: | 104.7 K284CR (Palm Springs) |
| Airdate: | 1954 |
| Branding: | K-News 94.3 104.7 |
| Format: | Talk |
| Network: | CBS News Radio |
| Affiliations: | Compass Media Networks Premiere Networks Westwood One |
| Power: | 5,000 watts day 360 watts night |
| Coordinates: | 33.6867°N -116.1578°W |
| Class: | B |
| Facility Id: | 12130 |
| Callsign Meaning: | K-NeWs Z |
| Former Callsigns: | KCHV (1954–1983) KVIM (1983–1989) KCLB (1989–2001) |
| Owner: | Alpha Media LLC |
| Licensee: | Alpha Media Licensee LLC |
| Sister Stations: | KCLB-FM, KCLZ, KDES-FM, KDGL, KKUU, KNWH, KNWQ, KPSI-FM, K297BO |
| Licensing Authority: | FCC |
KNWZ (970 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Coachella, California. It simulcasts a talk radio format with sister stations 1160 KNWQ and 1250 KNWH. It is owned by Alpha Media.[1] The studios are on North Gene Autry Trail (California State Route 111) in Palm Springs.
By day, KNWZ is powered at 5,000 watts. But to avoid interference to other stations on 970 AM, KNWZ must reduce power at night to 360 watts.[2] It uses a directional antenna with a three-tower array. Programming is also heard on several FM translators in the Coachella Valley.
Weekdays begin with the K-News Morning Show, a local wake-up program with Mike Mozingo and Kris Long. The rest of the weekday schedule is nationally syndicated talk programs: The Dan Bongino Show, The Sean Hannity Show, The Mark Levin Show, The Ben Shapiro Show, The Matt Walsh Show, Coast to Coast AM with George Noory, This Morning, America's First News with Gordon Deal and Markley, Van Camp & Robbins.
Syndicated weekend shows include The CBS Weekend News Roundup, The Ramsey Show with Dave Ramsey, Rich DiMuro on Tech, Bill Handel on the Law, The Takeout with Major Garrett and Somewhere in Time with Art Bell. Most hours begin with an update from CBS News Radio.
The station began broadcasting in .[3] The original call sign was KCHV.[3] [4] It was a daytimer, powered at 1,000 watts, and required to go off the air at sunset. It was owned by the Coachella Valley Broadcasting Company.[4] In 1963, its daytime power was increased to 5,000 watts and it began nighttime operations, running 1,000 watts.[4]
On August 26, 1983, the station's call sign was changed to KVIM.[5] On September 1, 1989, its call sign was changed to KCLB.[5] Spanish language formats were aired as KVIM[6] [7] and KCLB.[8] [9] [10]
KNWZ debuted at 1270 AM in 1988 under the ownership of William Hart. It was the area's second attempt at an all-news format in the style of KNX, the all-news station in Los Angeles. But soon it was converted to a talk radio format. Jerry Jolstead had sold the station and Hart purchased it from Mary and Kate Neiswender. The morning drive slot was occupied from 1994-2000 by Luigi Rossetti under the air name of "Lou Penrose." Rossetti left the station at the height of his popularity to accept a position as District Director for Congresswoman Mary Bono. The Lou Penrose Morning Talk Show was followed from 9-11a.m. by former television newsman Ron Fortner. Fortner was let go in 1998, immediately after the purchase of the station by Morris Communications as part of the new Desert Radio Group.
The station had been simulcast on two FM repeaters and one other station (94.3, 103.9 and 106.9) from April 1995 to October 1998, when Morris purchased the stations; it then converted all three of the FM stations to music formats. Morris then moved KNWZ to 970/1140AM on January 1, 2001.
In October 2009, K-News began to operate an FM radio translator on 94.3 MHz from Desert Hot Springs covering the Coachella Valley. In 2016, KNWZ began to be heard on 103.7 in the Twentynine Palms area. In 2018, it added a translator on 104.7 FM for the Palm Springs area, in addition to 94.3 FM from Coachella.
Morris sold the three stations, along with thirty others, to Alpha Media LLC for $38.25 million, effective September 1, 2015.