KNWN-FM

Last updated
KNWN-FM
Simulcast of KNWN Seattle
KNWN Northwest News Radio logo.png
Broadcast area Seattle metropolitan area and Olympic Peninsula
Frequency 97.7 MHz
BrandingNorthwest News Radio
Programming
Format All-news
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
KNWN, KPLZ-FM, KVI
History
First air date
October 26, 1984 (1984-10-26) (as KSWW)
Former call signs
  • KSWW (1984–1999)
  • KFMY (1999–2009)
  • KOMO-FM (2009–2022)
Call sign meaning
"Northwest News"
Technical information [1]
Licensing authority
 FCC
Facility ID 51167
Class C
ERP 69,000 watts
HAAT 701 meters (2,300 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
 47°18′47″N123°22′19″W / 47.313°N 123.372°W / 47.313; -123.372
Translator(s) 99.7 K259BG (Chehalis)
Repeater(s) 101.5 KPLZ-HD2 (Seattle)
Links
Public license information
Website www.nwnewsradio.com

KNWN-FM (97.7 MHz) is a commercial radio station licensed to Oakville, Washington, and serving the Seattle metropolitan area and the Olympic Peninsula. It is owned by Lotus Communications. [2] KNWN-FM broadcasts an all-news radio format, simulcast with sister station KNWN 1000 AM. It is a network affiliate of ABC News Radio. The studios and offices are co-located with former sister station KOMO-TV within KOMO Plaza (formerly Fisher Plaza) in the Lower Queen Anne section of Seattle, directly across the street from the Space Needle.

Contents

KNWN-FM has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 69,000 watts. The transmitter is off West Skokomish Valley Road in Skokomish, Washington, just south of the Olympic National Forest. [3] With its high power and tower at 701 meters (2,300 feet) in height above average terrain (HAAT), KNWN-FM covers Seattle, Tacoma and much of the Olympic Peninsula with a 60 dBμ signal. KNWN-AM-FM are also heard on FM translator or booster stations in the region.

History

On October 26, 1984, the station first signed on in Raymond, Washington. [4] The first call sign was KSWW. It was originally a Class A FM station, powered at only 230 watts, a fraction of its current output. It was owned by Pacific Broadcasting Company and had an adult contemporary format.

In 1997, it was bought by Jodesha Broadcasting, Inc., for $182,400. [5] The call letters switched to KFMY, and it began airing a classic rock format as "Eagle 97.7". [6] It later was granted a power boost and increase in its antenna height, allowing it to be heard in the more lucrative Seattle-Tacoma radio market.

In May 2009, while still owned by South Sound Broadcasting, the station began simulcasting KOMO, with Fisher Communications operating 97.7 FM under a local marketing agreement. [7] On May 18, 2009, the call letters changed to KOMO-FM. In June 2017, the outright sale of the station to the Sinclair Broadcast Group (which had acquired Fisher several years earlier) for $6.75 million was announced. [8] The sale received Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approval several years later, and was consummated on June 9, 2020. [7]

On June 3, 2021, Sinclair announced they would sell KOMO-AM-FM, KVI, and KPLZ-FM to Lotus Communications for $18 million. Of the $18 million, $5 million was in cash paid at closing; the remainder was Lotus' choice of either cash or advertising for Sinclair properties on Lotus' stations. Sinclair retained KOMO-TV, as well as rights to the KOMO call letters. Lotus and Sinclair also agreed to allow Lotus to use Sinclair equipment and IT systems, including sub-leasing the current KOMO studios, for 18 months following the sale. [9] The sale was completed on September 28, 2021. [10] As required by the terms of the sale, the KOMO radio stations changed their call signs to KNWN on February 2, 2022, in conjunction with a rebranding as "Northwest News Radio"; during the week preceding the relaunch, competitor KIRO-FM preemptively began promoting itself as "Your Northwest News Station". [11]

Translators

KNWN-FM is also carried on the following booster and FM translator stations to improve reception of the station:

Related Research Articles

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References

  1. ↑ "Facility Technical Data for KNWN-FM". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ↑ FCC.gov/KNWN-FM
  3. ↑ Radio-Locator.com/KNWN-FM
  4. ↑ Information from Broadcasting Yearbook 1988 page B-301
  5. ↑ Broadcasting Yearbook 2000 page D-482
  6. ↑ "KFMY Becomes KOMO-FM". 15 May 2009.
  7. 1 2 "Deal Digest: Sinclair Now Owns Another FM In Seattle Market". Inside Radio. June 11, 2020. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
  8. ↑ Station Sales Week Of 6/23: Sinclair Purchases KOMO-FM Lance Venta, Radio Insight, June 23, 2017
  9. ↑ "More Details On Lotus' Purchase Of Sinclair's Seattle Radio Properties". RadioInsight. Retrieved 2021-06-19.
  10. ↑ Venta, Lance (September 28, 2021). "Lotus Closes On Purchase Of Sinclair's Seattle Radio Properties". RadioInsight. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
  11. ↑ Venta, Lance (January 28, 2022). "A Northwest News Battle Arises In Seattle As KOMO Is Set To Become KNWN". RadioInsight. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
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