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KHTS-FM

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Coordinates:32°43′48″N117°05′2″W/ 32.73000°N 117.08389°W/32.73000; -117.08389
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KHTS-FM
Broadcast areaGreater San Diego
Frequency93.3MHz(HD Radio)
BrandingChannel 9-3-3
Programming
Language(s)English
FormatTop 40 (CHR)
SubchannelsHD2:LGBTQcommunity,dance( "Pride Radio")
AffiliationsPremiere Networks
Ownership
Owner
KGB,KGB-FM,KIOZ,KLSD,KMYI,KOGO,KSSX
History
First air date
1961 (as KUFM)
Former call signs
KUFM (1961–1963)
KECR(1963–1990)
KECR-FM (1990–1995)
KHTS (1995–2003)
Call signmeaning
K-HiTS(reference to station's top 40 format)
Technical information
Facility ID20697
ClassB
ERP50,000watts
HAAT147 meters (482 ft)
Transmitter coordinates
32°43′48″N117°05′2″W/ 32.73000°N 117.08389°W/32.73000; -117.08389
Links
WebcastListen Live
Websitechannel933.iheart

KHTS-FM(93.3MHz) is atop 40 (CHR)radio stationthat is licensed toEl Cajon, Californiaand serves theSan Diegomarket. The station is owned byiHeartMedia, Inc.,through licensee iHM Licenses, LLC, and brands as "Channel 9-3-3". The station's studios are located in San Diego'sSerra Mesaarea, while the transmitter is located in Chollas View, which is east ofBalboa Parkand west of Emerald Hills, sharing facilities withKLSD.The station is available inHD Radio;the HD2 subchannel airs anLGBT-leaningdance hitsformat, carrying iHeart'sPride Radionetwork.

History[edit]

Early beginnings, KECR (1961–1995)[edit]

The station signed on in 1961 asKUFM,later becomingKECR,thenKECR-FM.For most of its existence prior to 1995, the station was owned by the religiousFamily Radioorganization and aired itstalk radioprogramming. Originally, the station maintained a localized board operator to air local news and weather, but when satellite technology became available, it became a repeater forKEARin San Francisco. This religious format continued until 1995, whenJacor Communicationspurchased KECR-FM for $13.8 million.[1]Family Radio now broadcasts in San Diego onKECR(910 AM). This acquisition marked Jacor's entry into San Diego. Shortly after the acquisition closed, the station acquired theKHTScallsign.

Channel 933 launches (1996–1998)[edit]

In March 1996, KHTS beganstuntingwith asimulcastofTampa, Florida-basedWFLZ-FM(coincidentally, also on 93.3 FM in that market) in an early form ofvoicetracking,allowing Jacor to plan for and hire for a new station without having to depend on a commercial-free "many-songs-in-a-row" gimmick during the transition period.[2]This brought personalities such asBubba The Love Spongeto the market, along with WFLZ referencing San Diego weather and events in their programming. This also allowed sufficient time to finish construction on the studios, which at the time, were located on Pacific Highway, about a mile fromPechanga Arena.The simulcast was broken on August 30, 1996, with the stunting shifting to a 43-hour loop of remixes of the then-popular song "Macarena"byLos Del Rio.

On September 1, 1996, at 10 a.m., the stunting shifted to a broadcast of that day'sSan Diego Chargersgame in place ofXETRA-AM,which is required by law to carry Mexican presidential addresses under its Mexican radio license. At 4 p.m. that day, KHTS officially flipped to a dance-heavyRhythmic contemporaryformat, branded as "Channel 933".[3]The station would also air attack liners against rivalsXHITZ-FM,KFMB-FM,andKKLQ;the latter two have since changed formats.

Nationwide/Jacor merger, Clear Channel acquisition (1998–2003)[edit]

By summer 1998, KHTS would move away from its dance-heavy approach to a more mainstream direction due to the Nationwide/Jacor merger. The merger would have brought KKLQ into the same ownership, but that station was spun off to Hispanic Broadcasting Corporation (nowUnivision Radio) in order to comply with theFCCownership limits.[4]During the first week of August in 1998, KHTS flipped to its present CHR format, inheriting the playlist from KKLQ (nowKLNV). The station also launchedClub 933,a dance mix show featuring dance remixes of contemporary hits. By 2000, outdoor advertising firmClear Channel(through itsradio and communicationsdivision) took ownership of the station. During this time, the station's transmitter was on Mount San Miguel, given El Cajon being itscity of license.In 2001, the transmitter moved to its present site, sharing an antenna with sister stationKLSD,in order to provide better coverage of the San Diego metropolitan area.[5]The station's studios were also moved to their present location in Serra Mesa. Despite all these changes, the station remains licensed to El Cajon.

New technology (2003–2013)[edit]

On May 28, 2003, the station's callsign received the -FM suffix, becomingKHTS-FM.This was a legal change in order to avoid confusion ofan AM talk radio station with the same call letters.[6]The callsign meaning also became "Hits" to reference the top 40 format. From 2001 until 2009, the station was the San Diego home for AJ Machado, at which time the morning show was called “AJ's Playhouse”. In 2004, the station beganRDSbroadcasting in preparation for a commencement ofHD Radiobroadcasting in 2005, showing song titles and other text information on certified devices. The technology was also fitted to sister stationKGB-FM,and has since been fitted to the other three FM sisters in the cluster.

In 2006, the station added notable personality Geena The Latina, who came in fromKIIS-FM,to co-hostmorning drivewith AJ Machado.[7]

During theHarris Firein October 2007, KHTS-FM suspended all music programming to air news updates from AM sister stationKOGO,which applied to all of its sister stations. In addition, the news updates included theWitch Fire.This began on October 21, while normal programming resumed on the 24th at 11:00pm.

The station began to maintain a rhythmic-leaning direction (with occasionalalternative musictracks) in 2013 while continuing to air dance mixes on weekends. This was mainly to compete with KEGY, but also due toXHITZ-FMde-emphasizing hip-hop around this time.

iHeart ownership (2014–present)[edit]

On September 16, 2014, Clear Channel spun off its radio and communications divisions into a new company; KHTS-FM then became a part of iHeartMedia, its present owner. At the same time, the station began airing programming fromiHeartRadio.The station also unveiled a new logo, using the green and purple from the previous logo, but now adding a green decimal point for its frequency. Despite this, the numbers are still pronounced individually.

In July 2017, the station became the San Diego affiliate forAmerican Top 40,and in February 2018, the station began airing the weekly, network-wideiHeartRadio Countdownshow, hosted by KIIS-FM personalityJoJo Wright.

In early 2020, iHeartMedia announced major personality layoffs across their portfolio of stations. On January 20, 2020, it was confirmed on social media that KHTS-FM had been affected, as Kramer from the Kramer and Geena morning show was out as morning host.[8]Two days later, it was announced that Frankie V would reunite with Geena after five years away at sister stationsWJMNin Boston andKSSXin San Diego in the morning slot with "The Geena the Latina and Frankie Morning Show."[9]

Notable Former Airstaff[edit]

The following lists notable past airstaff, as calculated by theWayback Machine:

  • AJ Machado (Formerly atKXSN,KYXY,andKMYI)
  • Hula Ramos (Formerly atKXSN,KYXY,andKMYI)
  • Boy Toy Jesse (Now heard on sister stationKMYImornings, and afternoons onKIIS-FM)
  • Sisanie (Now co-hostsOn Air with Ryan Seacrestwhich also airs onKMYIand theKIIS-FMmorning show in Los Angeles)[10]
  • Stephanie Sidela (Until departure in 2018, co-produced mornings and co-hosted Saturday nights; now atWTIC-FM)[11]
  • Nathan Fast (Now atKPLXin Dallas)[12]
  • Letty B (Dropped from Top 40 affiliates carrying the program in March 2019, now co-hosts mornings atWMIA-FMas of April 1, 2019)[13]
  • Alex (Continues atKIIS-FM)
  • Chuck Nasty "Nastyman" Zimmerman (Evenings onKCFX) Former morning show host of The Nastyman Morning Show, "The man with a tan from Guam". Originally with Lisa Vasquez 1999-2001 then with Bridgette Sarchino in 2001.
  • Rick Vaughn (Current Program Director ofKENZ (FM)andKBERin Salt Lake City)[14]Former Mid-Day DJ 1999-2001
  • Rob Zilla (Now heard onKBZT,KYXYandKXSN)[15]Former DJ and promotions coordinator 1998-2003
  • Karen "Cha Cha" Harlow (Most recently heard on KFMB-FM nowKFBG (FM).Formerly onXHPRS-FM,KNX (AM)andXHITZ-FMin the late 1980s and early 1990s during their AOR and Top 40 days) Former Channel 933 Afternoon DJ 1996-2006
  • Haze (Current Program Director of KHTS-FM andKMYI) Former evening DJ
  • Randy "Ranman" DeWitt (Former KXMX Mix 95.9KFSH-FMmorning show host and Co-Owner ofTwin Peaks (restaurant chain)) Former Channel 933 DJ 1996-1999
  • Angel (Former KXMX Mix 95.9KFSH-FMMid-day DJ) Former Channel 933 DJ 1996-1999
  • Butch the Baker (Known by his real name Harold D Rose Jr. is the owner of Homies Cinnamon Rolls in Las Vegas)[16]He was a former DJ in the late 1990s and early 2000s on KHTS-FM and previously on KKLQ Q106 currentlyKLNV.
  • Chio the Hitman "Chio the Freakin Puerto Rican" Acosta (FormerWOKQmorning show host).[17][18]Former morning show host on Channel 933, and previous DJ on KKLQ (Q106) currentlyKLNV.
  • Ron "Geronimo" Price (Current Program Director ofKMVA)[19]Was a DJ and the APD of KHTS-FM 1996-1999
  • Boomer

For its entire run, the station was the San Diego affiliate for theEvolution Beatport Show.This show ended its run in December 2016.

HD Programming[edit]

KHTS-FM was amongst the firstHD Radiostations in San Diego. The HD2 subchannel carriesPride Radio— anLGBTlifestyle network featuringdance hits.Previously it carried a Latin CHR stream branded as Mega from 2005 until 2013.[20]

References[edit]

  1. ^"Heftel Takes Sole Possession Of Miami Duopoly In $19.8 Million Deal"(PDF).Radio and Records.October 6, 1995. p. 4.RetrievedFebruary 15,2019.
  2. ^"Rumors"(PDF).Radio and Records.March 22, 1996. p. 18.RetrievedFebruary 15,2019.
  3. ^"KHTS/SD Channels In On CHR/Rhythmic"(PDF).Radio and Records.September 6, 1996. pp. 3, 28.RetrievedFebruary 14,2019.
  4. ^"Skinning The Cat Six Ways, Jacor Style"(PDF).Radio and Records.September 4, 1998. pp. 46, 48.RetrievedFebruary 15,2019.
  5. ^"KGB and KOGO, San Diego".Fybush.March 27, 2009.RetrievedFebruary 14,2019.
  6. ^"KHTS-FM".FCCData.org.RetrievedFebruary 14,2019.
  7. ^"Geena The Latina Rolls Into Mornings At KHTS".All Access.All Access Music Group. March 13, 2006.RetrievedFebruary 15,2019.
  8. ^Venta, Lance (27 January 2020)."Ongoing List Of Those Affected By iHeartMedia Cuts".Radio Insight.Retrieved22 January2020.
  9. ^Venta, Lance (22 January 2020)."Geena & Frankie V Reunite At Channel 93.3 Following iHeart Cuts".Radio Insight.Retrieved22 January2020.
  10. ^Venta, Lance (December 5, 2015)."Sisanie Moves to On Air with Ryan Seacrest".RadioInsight.RadioBB Networks.RetrievedFebruary 15,2019.
  11. ^Lee, Christine (September 17, 2018)."Meet Steph our newest Craig and Company member".965TIC.radio.Entercom.RetrievedFebruary 15,2019.
  12. ^Venta, Lance (September 14, 2018)."Nathan Fast Takes Mornings at 99.5 The Wolf Dallas".RadioInsight.RadioBB Networks.RetrievedFebruary 14,2019.
  13. ^"Mack in the Morning with Letty B".Inside Radio.Retrieved3 April2019.
  14. ^"ALTERNATIVE KHTB (ALT 101.9)/SLC FLIPS TO TOP 40 SIMULCASTING TOP 40 SISTER KENZ 94.9".Jay on the Web.Retrieved31 October2019.
  15. ^https:// linkedin /in/robzilla[self-published source]
  16. ^"Homies Cinnamon Rolls & Comfort Cafe 7am -1pm ( mon-fri) 8am-1pm Sat Sun".
  17. ^"Chio Heads To WOKQ/WPKQ To Join Kira Lew In Mornings".Radioinsght.Retrieved2019-03-25.
  18. ^"Chio Acosta Retires From Mornings At WOKQ".Radioinsght.Retrieved2021-12-17.
  19. ^"Price is Right for KMVA/Phoenix".26 August 2019.
  20. ^"San Diego HD-Radio Progress Report 2007".Society of Broadcast Engineers Chapter 36.

External links[edit]

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