KAFN

Last updated
KAFN
KAFN ArkansasRocksFM logo.png
Broadcast area Saline County, Arkansas
Frequency 690 kHz
BrandingArkansas Rocks FM
Programming
Format Classic rock
Ownership
Owner
  • Monte Spearman and Gentry Todd Spearman
  • (High Plains Radio Network, LLC)
KDEL-FM, KVRC, KWPS-FM, KYXK, KZYP
History
First air date
June 26, 1953 [1]
Former call signs
KBBA (1953 [2] -1992) [3]
KEWI (1992–2015) [3]
Technical information
Facility ID 4839
Class D
Power 250 watts day
73 watts night
Transmitter coordinates
 34°31′57.00″N92°34′16.00″W / 34.5325000°N 92.5711111°W / 34.5325000; -92.5711111
Translator(s) 99.3 K257GP (Benton)
Links
Webcast Listen Live
Website arkansasrocks.com

KAFN (690 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a classic rock format. Licensed to Benton, Arkansas, the station mainly programs local content for Saline County, along with the southern portion of the Little Rock metropolitan area.

Contents

Currently owned by Monte Spearman and Gentry Todd Spearman, through licensee High Plains Radio Network, LLC, the station currently broadcasts a classic rock format. The station also carries network play-by-play for the Dallas Cowboys, St. Louis Cardinals, and Arkansas Razorbacks football, basketball and baseball, and local play-by-play for Benton High School.

History

The radio station was put on the air on June 26, 1953, [1] and was known as KBBA until 1992. [2] [3] During this time, it broadcast a mostly country/western format with local news, weather, and sports. It was the only radio station in Benton until 1966, when competing radio station KGKO signed on the air at 850 kHz.

The station was owned by the Winston Riddle family of Benton for a number of years before being sold in the early 1990s. The station's call letters were changed to KEWI by new owner Bernie Bottenberg. After falling on hard times, the station was sold to a partnership consisting of longtime Arkansas television broadcaster Jim Landers, and his nephews Steve and Lance Landers who were prominent local car dealers. Jim Landers would later purchase full ownership stock in the station.

In the 1990s and 2000s, the station enjoyed a number of formats, including classic country and, later on, adult standards. It has been known for its tradition of broadcasting local sports, most notably Benton High School football, basketball, and baseball.

In fall 2011, the station was sold to an ownership group headed by broadcaster Grant Merrill. The station switched to a news, talk, and sports format and developed an online newspaper known as Saline 24/7. The station serves as a home base for the syndicated "Sports Night" program broadcast across the Arkansas Radio Network. The show is owned and hosted by Merrill and longtime print journalist Andy Hodges.

The station applied for an FM translator (K277BT), which signed on the air in the fall of 2013 at 103.3 FM. The translator moved to 93.7 FM in Benton, Arkansas on February 29, 2016, as K229CX, and again to 99.3 as K257GP on November 26, 2018.

On February 7, 2014, KEWI went silent and then returned to the air on June 20, 2014 with a sports format with programming from ESPN Radio. The call sign was changed to the current KAFN on August 1, 2015.

Effective October 6, 2017, Saline River Media sold KAFN to High Plains Radio Network, LLC for $50,000.

KAFN currently broadcasts a classic rock format.

On May 19, 2024, HPRN took 9 of its stations (including KAFN) dark due to their transmitter lease dispute with a tower company, preparing to filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy

Related Research Articles

KCFX is a radio station broadcasting a classic rock format. Licensed to the suburb of Harrisonville, Missouri, it serves the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. The station is currently owned by Cumulus Media. The station's studios are located in Overland Park, Kansas, and the transmitter is in Kansas City’s East Side.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KRXO-FM</span> Radio station in Oklahoma City

KRXO-FM is a commercial radio station in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. It is owned by Ty and Tony Tyler's Tyler Media, L.L.C., and it carries a sports radio format. The studios are on East Britton Road the northeast side of Oklahoma City. KRXO-FM is one of two Tyler Media stations in Oklahoma City that air a sports format, the other being KEBC. KRXO-FM has mostly Oklahoma-based sports shows with VSiN programming heard late nights and weekends.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WTKS (AM)</span> Radio station in Savannah, Georgia

WTKS is a radio station licensed to Savannah, Georgia. The station is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc., with iHM Licenses, LLC holding the license. WTKS airs a news/talk format. Its transmitter is located behind WTKS's studios on Alfred Street in Garden City, Georgia, with a Savannah address.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WXBT</span> Radio station in West Columbia, South Carolina

WXBT is a commercial radio station licensed to West Columbia, South Carolina and serving the Columbia metropolitan area. It airs an urban contemporary radio format, branded as "100.1 The Beat", and is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc. WXBT carries the nationally syndicated morning show "Big Boy's Neighborhood." WXBT's radio studios are on Greystone Boulevard off Interstate 126, near Riverbanks Zoo.

WJZN is a radio station licensed to serve Augusta, Maine, United States. The station, established in 1932 as WRDO, was owned by Townsquare Media; it broadcast an alternative rock format simulcast from WCYY in Portland prior to going silent in May 2023. WJZN's programming was also heard on W240DH in Augusta.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WPTQ</span> Radio station in Glasgow, Kentucky

WPTQ is a radio station licensed to Glasgow, Kentucky, United States, and serving the Bowling Green, Kentucky radio market area. The station is a classic rock-formatted radio station owned by Newberry Broadcasting, Inc. Its radio signal is transmitted from a tower located along Kentucky Route 1297 in rural western Barren County near Railton, with studios located on Campbell Lane in Bowling Green.

WLCO is a radio station broadcasting a contemporary Christian format, as an affiliate of Smile FM. Licensed to Lapeer, Michigan, it first began broadcasting under the WTHM call sign in 1962. Until December 2019, it broadcast a country music format using Westwood One's Real Country, which combines classic country favorites with select current titles. Prior to that, as WLSP, the station had aired satellite-fed adult standards from ABC, and, prior to that, Talk and Sports formats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WTVL</span> Radio station in Waterville, Maine, United States

WTVL was a commercial AM radio station licensed to serve Waterville, Maine, and serving Kennebec County. The station was owned by Townsquare Media and until January 2023, it broadcast an adult standards radio format, playing softer hits from the 1950s, '60s, '70s, and '80s. The station featured the music of Frank Sinatra, Barbra Streisand, Nat King Cole and Dionne Warwick in its playlist.

WXVA – branded as 102.9 Valley FM – is a classic hits formatted broadcast radio station licensed to Winchester, Virginia, serving the Northern Shenandoah Valley. WXVA is owned and operated by Winchester Radio Broadcasters, LLC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WJXL (AM)</span> Radio station in Jacksonville Beach, Florida

WJXL is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Jacksonville Beach, Florida, and serving the Jacksonville metropolitan area. WJXL is owned by Seven Bridges Radio, LLC.

KUOA is a commercial radio station licensed to Siloam Springs, Arkansas. It serves Northwest Arkansas, including Fayetteville and Bentonville. KUOA airs a Regional Mexican format and is owned by Jesus Gabriel Hernandez, through licensee Maxx Media Radio, LLC. The station is known as "La Maxxima 103.1 FM & 1290 AM."

KZTS is a commercial radio station in Little Rock, Arkansas. The station is owned by Salem Media Group, and broadcasts a gospel music radio format.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WZSR</span> Radio station in Woodstock, Illinois

WZSR is a radio station broadcasting a hot adult contemporary format. Licensed to Woodstock, Illinois, United States, it serves Chicago's northwest suburbs. The station is currently owned by Alpha Media. The station's studios are located behind McHenry County College in Crystal Lake.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KBBS</span> Radio station in Buffalo, Wyoming

KBBS is a commercial radio station licensed to Buffalo, Wyoming. The station carries a classic country format, primarily originating from Cumulus Media. The station is currently owned by Big Horn Mountain Radio Network, a division of Legend Communications of Wyoming, LLC.

KTAN is a commercial radio station broadcasting a classic rock format. It is licensed to Sierra Vista, Arizona, and serves the Southwestern Cochise County area. The station is owned by Townsquare Media and features programing from Premiere Networks.

KWRD is a terrestrial American radio station, relayed by an FM translator and simulcast with sister stations KCKL and KYYK, broadcasting a hybrid classic country format, with an emphasis on Texas Country artists. It also features programming from the E-Tex Radio Network and co-owned High Plains Radio Network. Licensed to Henderson, Texas, United States, the station serves the Henderson-Longview-Marshall area. The station is owned by Tiffany, Kristi, and Monte Spearman, through licensee Zula Com, LLC.

KARN is a commercial AM radio station in Little Rock, Arkansas, owned and operated by Cumulus Media. It airs a sports radio format known as "920 AM The Sports Animal." The station's studios are located on Wellington Hills Road in West Little Rock. The transmitter tower is located off North Hills Boulevard in North Little Rock. KARN broadcasts at 5,000 watts, using a directional antenna at night to avoid interfering with other stations on AM 920. KARN is licensed by the Federal Communications Commission to broadcast a digital HD signal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KARV (AM)</span> Radio station in Russellville, Arkansas

KARV are commercial radio stations licensed to Russellville, Arkansas, United States. KARV-AM-FM are owned by Bobby Caldwell's EAB of Russellville, LLC. They carry a news/talk radio format, with a mix of local and national programs.

WCOP is a commercial FM radio station, licensed to Eldred, Pennsylvania. It is an owned-and-operated station in the Family Life Network, a regional Christian broadcaster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">KYBE</span> Radio station in Frederick, Oklahoma

KYBE 95.7 FM is a radio station licensed to Frederick, Oklahoma. The station broadcasts a classic country format and is owned by Monte Spearman and Gentry Todd Spearman, through licensee High Plains Radio Network, LLC. The station began broadcasting on August 15, 1982, and aired a middle of the road (MOR) format.

References

  1. 1 2 Broadcasting/Cablecasting Yearbook 1991 , Broadcasting/Cablecasting, 1982. p. C-14. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
  2. 1 2 History Cards for KAFN, fcc.gov. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
  3. 1 2 3 Call Sign History, fcc.gov. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.