KPKL's studios and offices are on East Greenbush Avenue in Colbert, Washington. The transmitter is in Loon Lake, Washington, of U.S. Route 395.[4] KPKL also operates a booster station in Spokane, 5,000 watt KPKL-FM-1, transmitting from the top of an apartment building on South Westcliff Place.[5] Due to financial problems, the station was off the air under previous owners for twelve months in 2008-2009 and nine months in 2012.
History
In September 1983, the station first signed on as KNOI.[6] It was owned by Tri-County Broadcasting and aired an adult contemporary music format. The power at first was only 3,000 watts, so it did not reach most of the Spokane radio market from its Deer Park location.
According to the FCC records, the station went dark on June 4, 2008. On June 16, 2008, it applied for special temporary authority (STA) to "remain silent" which was granted on July 9, 2008.[7] The reason given in the application was "a secured creditor has seized transmitting equipment necessary to the operation of the station." Per the FCC notification, KAZZ's license would automatically expire as a matter of law if broadcast operations did not resume by 12:01a.m. on June 5, 2009. KAZZ stayed off the air for almost a year.
In May 2009, an application was filed with the FCC for the involuntary assignment of the KAZZ broadcast license from Proactive Communications, Inc., to Nancy L. Isserlis, acting as receiver for KAZZ. The transfer was approved by the FCC on May 15, 2009, and the transaction was consummated on the same day.[8] The station resumed broadcasting in June 2009, with a classic hits music format branded as "K-HITS."[9]
KAZZ fell silent again on March 2, 2012, due to financial problems. This time, the station was off the air for nine months. On September 26, 2012, KAZZ's license was transferred to Robert Anthony and Patricia Fogal's Spokane Broadcasting Company, LLC, for consideration of $450,000. The station's call sign was changed the same day to KPKL. KPKL went back on the air on November 12, at first stunting with Christmas music.[10][11][12] In 2018, a non-profit was formed, the Oldies Preservation Society, in order to solicit listener donations on-air in order to maintain station operations.[13] On February 24, 2025, it was announced that OPS would buy Cheney-licensed station KEWU from Eastern Washington University and move KPKL's format over to that station.[14] Oldies Preservation Society began operating KEWU on October 1, 2025.[15][16] In an edition of the OPS' e-mail newsletter, they stated that their programming of KPKL would continue to at least the end of 2025, with the format switching to Christmas music on November 1 as "a great way to close the 1071FM Chapter".[16]
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