KNRS (AM)

KNRS (570 kHz) is an AM radio station licensed to Salt Lake City, Utah. The station is owned by iHeartMedia, Inc.. KNRS and sister station 105.9 KNRS-FM simulcast a talk radio format. The studios are located in West Valley City and the transmitter site is located off West 2300 North Street in Salt Lake City. KNRS operates with 5,000 watts around the clock, covering most of Northern Utah. Other iHeart stations in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area include KAAZ-FM, KZHT, KJMY, and KODJ.

KNRS
Broadcast areaSalt Lake City metropolitan area
Frequency570 kHz
BrandingTalk Radio 105.9 FM/570 AM KNRS
Programming
FormatTalk
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
KAAZ-FM, KJMY, KNRS-FM, KODJ, KZHT
History
First air date
August 1, 1938 (1938-08-01) (as KUTA at 1500)
Former call signs
  • KUTA (1938–1956)
  • KLUB (1956–1989)
  • KISN (1989–1998)
  • KNRS (1998–2009)
  • KACP (2009-2010)
Former frequencies
1500 kHz (1938-1942)
Call sign meaning
"News Radio Station"
Technical information
Facility ID63818
ClassB
Power5,000 watts unlimited
Transmitter coordinates
40°49′9″N 111°55′56″W
Repeater(s)105.9 KNRS-FM (Centerville)
Links
WebcastListen Live
Websiteknrs.iheart.com

History

The station signed on the air on August 1, 1938,[1] as KUTA on 1500 kHz AM, and was then headed by Utah broadcasting pioneer Frank Carman.[2] In 1956, the station changed its call letters to KLUB.[2][3] After the station became KLUB in 1956, its programming consisted on music, news, and sports.[3] In the 1950s, KLUB published a local top 40 chart.[4] The station aired a beautiful music format in the 1970s.[5][6] In the early 1980s, the station aired a MOR music format.[7][8][9] In September 1983, the station began airing the "Music of Your Life" nostalgia format.[10][11] On September 4, 1985, the station's format was changed to adult contemporary.[12] In Autumn 1985, KLUB became the flagship station for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association.[13]

On May 15, 1989, the station's call sign was changed to KISN,[14] and the station began simulcasting the classic hits format of 97.1 KISN-FM.[15][16] The simulcast ended in September 1992.[17][18] On September 1, 1993, the station's format was changed to sports talk and was branded as "Sports Radio 570", making it Utah's second all-sports radio station (after KQOL, now KAAZ-FM).[19] The station became the market's only sports talk station later in the month, when KQOL switched to a country music format.[19] On July 31, 1997, the sports format ended and the station began simulcasting "Timeless" adult standards format of 107.9 KRKR.[20]

On January 9, 1998, after being sold to Jacor Communications, the station's call letters became KNRS,[14] standing for "News Radio Station", and the station adopted a news/talk format.[21] The station's branding was "570 K-News".[22] On March 6, 2000, KNRS became known as "Family Values Talk Radio", and the station adopted an almost entirely syndicated talk radio format, carrying programming such as The Rush Limbaugh Show and Dr. Laura.[23][24] KNRS' call sign was changed to KACP on September 1, 2009.[14]

In January 2009, as KNRS, the station began simulcasting its programming on FM HD Radio at 94.1 HD-2. KACP also broadcast on an FM translator in Utah County on 99.1 FM, and KJMY HD-2 up until March 2010, when 99.1 and KJMY HD-2 switched formats to classic country. Though 99.1 is a translator, through a loophole in FCC regulations, the station can broadcast an HD-2 feed. KACP was then no longer available on the FM dial, until switching back to KNRS.

On August 3, 2009, Clear Channel moved the talk programming airing on 570 over to 105.7 on the FM dial. For about six weeks, both 570 and 105.7 were simulcast.[25]

On September 17, 2009, KACP split off in a more business-oriented direction as "Freedom 570", with a lineup including Cox Radio hosts Neal Boortz and Clark Howard as well as Clear Channel in-house shows Jason Lewis, The Schnitt Show and Handel on the Law.[26]

On December 23, 2010, the station changed its calls back to KNRS and began simulcasting its sister FM signal. The station obtained a construction permit from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for a power increase to 50,000 watts day and 5,000 watts night.[27] However the construction permit expired before the upgrade was built.

References
  1. Broadcasting Yearbook 1977
  2. History Cards, fcc.gov. Accessed August 21, 2015
  3. "Announcing from KLUB 570 record entertainment", Sponsor, August 20, 1956. p. 11. Accessed August 21, 2015
  4. Lynn Arave, "Radio dial: DJs of yesteryear were easier to reach by phone", Deseret News, June 10, 2005. Accessed August 21, 2015
  5. Bob Hamilton & Kaye Tipton, "Salt Lake City, Utah", Radio Quarterly Report '76, (1976) p. 358. Accessed August 21, 2015
  6. "49. Salt Lake City/Ogden", Broadcasting, September 10, 1979. p. 60. Accessed August 21, 2015
  7. "Across the Dial", Broadcasting Publications, (1983) p. 107. Accessed August 21, 2015
  8. Sol Joseph Taishoff, "Broadcasting Cable Yearbook", R.R. Bowker, (1980) p. 65
  9. "43. Salt Lake City", Broadcasting, August 29, 1983. p. 72. Accessed August 21, 2015
  10. Lynn Arave, "Format gets terrific reviews", Deseret News, April 20, 1984. p. W 7. Accessed August 22, 2015
  11. "44. Salt Lake City", Broadcasting, September 9, 1985. p. 38. Accessed August 21, 2015
  12. Lynn Arave, "KLUB Radio switches to adult contemporary", Deseret News, September 4–5, 1985. p. 4 C. Accessed August 22, 2015
  13. Kurt Kragthorpe, "KLUB signs on with the Jazz as its flagship station", Deseret News, September 6, 1985. p. B 7. Accessed August 22, 2015
  14. "KNRS Call Sign History". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
  15. Lynn Arave, "KISN Jumps the Gun With Its Simulcasts", Deseret News, May 20, 1988. Accessed August 21, 2015
  16. Lynn Arave, "KLUB Changing", Deseret News, May 13, 1988. Accessed August 21, 2015
  17. Lynn Arave, "Hans Petersen's Return May be Just What Doctor Ordered for AM", Deseret News, September 18, 1992. Accessed August 21, 2015
  18. Lynn Arave, "KJQ Sends Deejays Packing, Will be Going to New Format", Deseret News, October 2, 1992. Accessed August 21, 2015
  19. Loren Jorgensen, "All-Sports Radio: KISN Makes the Jump as Stations Nationwide Focus on Sports.", Deseret News, November 8, 1993. Accessed August 21, 2015
  20. Lynn Arave, "`Timeless music' takes the place of all-sports format on KISN-AM", Deseret News, August 1, 1997. Accessed August 20, 2015
  21. Lynn Arave, "Bob Lee is coming back to radio as host of weekday talk show", Deseret News, January 9, 1998. Accessed August 20, 2015
  22. "Men's Basketball Starts Season Tuesday", Utah Utes, November 13, 1999. Accessed August 20, 2015
  23. Salt Lake Broadcasting History
  24. Lynn Arave, "KNRS tunes in format change as an all-talk station", Deseret News, March 5, 2000. Accessed August 20, 2015
  25. "570 KNRS Salt Lake City to Move to FM". Radio Insight. Archived from the original on October 3, 2009. Retrieved July 31, 2009.
  26. "Clear Channel to Launch Freedom 570 in Salt Lake", Radio Online, August 21, 2009. Internet Archive. Archived July 23, 2011. Accessed August 23, 2015
  27. "KNRS Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division. Retrieved September 2, 2009.
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