KKBG

KKBG (97.9 FM) is a radio station broadcasting a hot adult contemporary format. Licensed to Hilo, Hawaii, United States, the station serves the Hilo area. The station is currently owned by Pacific Radio Group, Inc.[2]

KKBG
Broadcast areaHilo, Hawaii
Frequency97.9 MHz
BrandingKBIG 97.9 & 106.1
Programming
FormatHot adult contemporary
Ownership
OwnerPacific Radio Group, Inc.
KAPA, KPVS, KHLO, KLEO, KAGB, KLUA
History
First air date
June 5, 1980 (1980-06-05)
Former call signs
KKEA (1971–1980)
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID52468
ClassC1
ERP51,000 watts
HAAT-19.7 meters
Transmitter coordinates
19°50′19″N 155°6′43″W
Repeater(s)106.1 KLEO
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen Live
Websitekbigfm.com

History

The Mauna Kea Broadcasting Company, owned by Saul Levine, received a construction permit for a new radio station to be built in Hilo on May 14, 1969.[3] The station would have to wait more than a decade before finally signing on. Continual extensions of the construction permit were granted until 1980, when the call sign was changed to KKBG. The Big Island finally got FM radio on June 5, 1980, when the station debuted on a test basis with an easy listening format.[4] Official program service debuted two months later.[5] Mauna Kea Broadcasting also owned KJYE (96.3 FM) on Oahu.[6]

Levine sold KKBG to Philip L. Brewer in 1982; Brewer's only other broadcasting holding was a station in Windsor, Colorado.[7] The station changed formats after the sale to rock. Brewer sold his Colorado properties in 1988 and expanded on the Big Island by acquiring Hilo AM outlet KHLO the next year.[8]

In 1998, Brewer sold its four Big Island radio properties to Emerald City Radio Partners for $3.8 million; by this time, the station was already adult contemporary.[9] Emerald City became Maverick Media, and its stations were sold to Pacific Radio Group; its simultaneous purchases of two clusters caused major radio station ownership realignment on the Big Island.[10]

References
  1. "Facility Technical Data for KKBG". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. "KKBG Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
  3. FCC History Cards for KKBG
  4. "FM station conducts test". Hawaii Tribune-Herald. June 6, 1980. p. 10. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
  5. "Big Island's first FM radio station on the air". Hawaii Tribune-Herald. August 8, 1980. p. 7. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
  6. O'Rear, Bill (August 4, 1981). "K-BIG celebrates first birthday". p. 16. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
  7. "Ownership Changes" (PDF). Broadcasting. April 19, 1982. p. 78. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
  8. "K-BIG's owner purchases KHLO". Hawaii Tribune-Herald. November 26, 1989. p. 8. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
  9. "Transactions" (PDF). Radio & Records. December 18, 1998. p. 6. Retrieved May 1, 2021.
  10. Engle, Erika (September 25, 2003). "Big Island broadcast changeover is days away". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Retrieved May 1, 2021.


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