KBAD (AM)

KBAD
City Las Vegas, Nevada
Broadcast area Las Vegas metropolitan area
Branding 920 The Game
Slogan The Sports Leader
Frequency 920 kHz
First air date 1953 (as 1340 KORK)
Format Sports Talk
Power 5,000 watts (daytime)
500 watts (nighttime)
Class B
Facility ID 38448
Transmitter coordinates 36°11′25″N 115°10′35″W / 36.19028°N 115.17639°W / 36.19028; -115.17639Coordinates: 36°11′25″N 115°10′35″W / 36.19028°N 115.17639°W / 36.19028; -115.17639
Former callsigns KORK (1953-1997)
Affiliations NBC Sports Radio
Owner Lotus Broadcasting Corp.
Sister stations KENO, KOMP, KRLV, KXPT, KWID, KWWN
Website LVSportsNetwork.com

KBAD (920 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Las Vegas, Nevada and is owned by Lotus Broadcasting.[1] KBAD airs a all-sports radio format featuring programming from the NBC Sports Radio Network. Its studios and offices are in the unincorporated community of Spring Valley in Clark County[2] The transmitter is off Wild Jan Drive, northwest of downtown Las Vegas.[3]

History

Early Years as KORK

In 1951, the station first signed on as KORK at 1340 kilocycles.[4] KORK was owned by the Vegas Valley Broadcasting Company, located in the Hotel Thunderbird, and it was powered at only 250 watts.

KORK was an NBC Red Network affiliate, broadcasting NBC's schedule of dramas, comedies, news, sports, game shows, soap operas and big band remotes. In 1955, it was bought by the Southwestern Broadcasting Company, which put Channel 3 KORK-TV (now KSNV) on the air in that same year. In 1961 KORK got an FM counterpart, 97.1 KORK-FM (now KXPT).[5]

Move to AM 920

In 1968, KORK, airing a full service Middle of The Road format, moved to 920 on the AM dial. Going to the 920 spot allowed KORK to increase its daytime power to 5,000 watts and slightly boost its nighttime power to 500 watts.[6] During its heyday under the ownership of Donrey Media, KORK was among the most popular stations in Las Vegas for adults. Its lineup included well-known disc jockeys, such as Red McIlvaine, Walt Reno and Ron Murphy.

The simulcast morning drive time newscasts of KORK/KORK-FM in the 1970s kept both stations high in the ratings. During the latter part of the decade the newsroom was led by news director Bill Buckmaster (now a talk show host at KWFM in Tucson) and included reporters Jackie Glass (now a District Court Judge in Las Vegas) and Steven L. Herman, (currently a Voice of America correspondent in Asia). The trio was frequently heard on NBC radio network newscasts. By the early 1980s, KORK became an adult standards station, airing NBC Radio News at the beginning of each hour.

Switch to Sports KBAD

KORK changed its call sign to KBAD on April 4, 1997 and began airing an all-sports format. It was known briefly as "K-BAD AM 920."

Programming

KBAD is the flagship station of the sports programs at UNLV, including their football and basketball teams. It is also the flagship station of the Las Vegas 51s' radio network and carries select games from the Sports USA Radio Network. The station was previously an affiliate for the San Diego Chargers and was the flagship station of the former Arena Football League's Las Vegas Gladiators before they moved to Cleveland, Ohio. Boxing analyst Al Bernstein once had a weekday show on KBAD.

Currently, KBAD is carrying NBC Sports Radio. It previously carried programming from Fox Sports Radio and before that, ESPN Radio until March 3, 2008, when that programming was transferred to KWWN. Fox Sports Radio was previously heard on another Las Vegas station, KENO AM 1460, which also changed its format on March 3, 2008 to ESPN Deportes Radio. The station once aired The Jim Rome Show which has since moved to CBS Sports Radio.

On July 1, 2013 KBAD switched affiliations to NBC Sports Radio and rebranded as "920 The Game".[7]

The station is currently an affiliate for the Los Angeles Lakers radio network.

In 2016, the station was made an affiliate for the Los Angeles Rams football team.

Previous logos

References

  1. ↑ "KBAD Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
  2. ↑ LVSportsNetwork.com/contact
  3. ↑ Radio-Locator.com/KBAD
  4. ↑ Broadcasting Yearbook 1952 page 191
  5. ↑ Broadcasting Yearbook 1966 page B-91
  6. ↑ Broadcasting Yearbook 1971 page B-128
  7. ↑ http://radioinsight.com/blog/headlines/84063/las-vegas-sports-affiliation-swap/
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