KOTA (AM)
 | |
| Broadcast area | Black Hills |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 1380kHz |
| Branding | News Radio KOTA |
| Programming | |
| Format | News/talk |
| Affiliations | |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Riverfront Broadcasting, LLC |
| KQRQ,KZZI,KDDX,KZLK,KDSJ | |
| History | |
First air date | January 19,1937(as KOBH)[1] |
Former call signs | KOBH (1936–1945) |
Call signmeaning | Dakota |
| Technical information[2] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 17678 |
| Class | B |
| Power | 5,000watts |
Transmitter coordinates | 44°1′59.96″N103°11′16.65″W/ 44.0333222°N 103.1879583°W |
| Translator(s) | 100.7K264CP (Rapid City) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | kotaradio.com |
KOTA(1380kHz,"NewsRadio 1380 KOTA" ) is anAMradio stationlicensed to serveRapid City, South Dakota.The station is owned by Riverfront Broadcasting, LLC. It airs anews/talk radioformat.[3]
The station was assigned these call letters by theFederal Communications Commission.[4]
Weekday programming includes the Rapid City Morning News and Straight Up With Matt Smith, as well as nationally syndicated programming includingThe Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show,Sean Hannity,andDave Ramsey.
Weekend programming includes syndicated programming fromKim Komandoand a variety of lifestyle programming. During the NFL football season, select Sunday games are aired fromWestwood One Radio Networksas well as every Monday and Thursday night game. The station also airs allDenver Broncosgame through the Denver Broncos Radio Network. All playoff andSuper Bowlgames are carried as well.
KOTA is the radio home ofSouth Dakota Mines Hardrockersfootball and basketball, and features the yearlyHomestake Trophygame.
History
[edit]The station first hit the airwaves on November 26, 1936, as KOBH ( "Kall of theBlack Hills"), aThanksgiving Daypresent to western South Dakota. It was owned by Black Hills Broadcasting, and operated from studios in theHotel Alex Johnsonin downtown Rapid City.
Originally broadcasting with a very limited licensed power of 150 watts, in 1944 KOBH sought approval from theFederal Communications Commissionto move up to 5000 watts, which would dramatically improve its ability to reach this mountainous area. Asked to help, CongressmanFrancis H. Casesought military support. He discovered thatU.S. Army Air Corpsairplanes based at the recently established Rapid City Army Air Base (later renamedEllsworth Air Force Base) used KOBH as a navigation beacon while training for Europeanstrategic bombing during World War II.With Pentagon backing, Case convinced the FCC to grant the power increase. On New Year's Day 1945, the station signed on from its new, more powerful tower under new call letters, KOTA.[5]In the same year, it secured an affiliation withCBS Radiothat continues to this day.
In 1954, Rapid City businesswomanHelen Duhamel,a minority owner since 1943, bought full control of the station, changing its corporate name to Duhamel Broadcasting Enterprises. Since the 1990s, it has been a news and talk station.
In May 2017, the station signed on a new FM signal in Rapid City. The FM translator has an assigned frequency of 100.7 FM and an effective radiated power of 250-watts. The licensed translator uses the FCC assigned call sign K264CP. This was done as part of the FCC’s AM Revitalization program.[6]
Notable alumni of the station include B-movie producerArch Hall Sr.
On January 1, 2019, the Duhamel family sold KOTA to Riverfront Broadcasting for $3.6 million.[7]The sale was completed on May 1.[8]
Translator
[edit]| Call sign | Frequency | City of license | FID | ERP(W) | HAAT | Class | Transmitter coordinates | FCC info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| K264CP | 100.7 FM | Rapid City, South Dakota | 143016 | 250 | 94m(308ft) | D | 44°4′7″N103°15′3.7″W/ 44.06861°N 103.251028°W | LMS |
References
[edit]- ^FCC Document[dead link]
- ^"Facility Technical Data for KOTA".Licensing and Management System.Federal Communications Commission.
- ^"Winter 2008 Station Information Profile".Arbitron.
- ^"Call Sign History".FCC Media Bureau CDBS Public Access Database.
- ^Switzer, Mary Kay (2004). Sterling, Christopher H. (ed.).The Museum of Broadcast Communications Encyclopedia of Radio Vol 1: Entries A-E.New York: Fitzroy Dearborn. p. 813.ISBN978-1-57958-431-3.
- ^"KOTA Signs on New FM Signal".DakotaWire.2017-05-04.Retrieved2017-06-27.
- ^"Duhamel Broadcasting sale 'bittersweet' after 75-year history in the Black Hills",Rapid City Journal,10 January 2019. Retrieved 18 August 2019.
- ^"Consummation Notice",CDBS Public Access,Federal Communications Commission,31 May 2019, Retrieved 18 August 2019.
External links
[edit]- KOTA official website
- Facility details for Facility ID 17678 (KOTA)in theFCCLicensing and Management System
- KOTAinNielsen Audio's AM station database
- Facility details for Facility ID 143016 (K264CP)in theFCCLicensing and Management System
- K264CPat FCCdata.org