KFDI-FM

KFDI-FM
Broadcast area Wichita, Kansas
Branding Today's KFDI-FM 101.3
Slogan Wichita's Country Favorites
Frequency 101.3 MHz
First air date 1972
Format Country
ERP 100,000 watts
HAAT 347 meters (1,138 ft)
Class C
Facility ID 72357
Owner E.W. Scripps Company
(Scripps Broadcasting Holdings LLC)
Sister stations KFTI, KICT-FM, KFXJ, KYQQ
Website http://www.kfdi.com/

KFDI-FM is a 100 kW radio station operating in Wichita, Kansas. Identifying as "Today's KFDI-FM 101.3, Wichita's Country Favorites," the station runs a contemporary country music format. KFDI has a strong emphasis on news, weather, and traffic with the largest news radio team in Kansas and the only one staffed 24/7/365. The station is owned by the E.W. Scripps Company. Its studios are located just north of Wichita[1] and the transmitter is located outside Colwich, Kansas.

DJs

Current weekday D.J.s are JJ Hayes and Tiny Burger (mornings), Carol Hughes (middays), Bobby Knight (afternoons) and Justin Case (evenings). Weekend D.J.s include Roxanne Stuart and Scott Piper.[2]

History

KFDI-FM has been playing country music since about 1972. Until 2002, the KFDI calls were also on sister station 1070 AM (now KFTI; the AM station first went on the air in 1962). Numerous influential disc jockeys and programmers have worked at the stations through the years, including Pat James (Now Operations Manager at Country 102,9 KHUT-Hutchinson), Beverlee Brannigan, CMA award winners Brian Pierce and Kellie Michaels, Rick Regan, Ol' Mike Oatman, Gary Hightower (formerly on XM Satellite Radio's Willie's Place channel 13 as "Catfish"), Terry Burford, Dugg Collins, Johnny Western, Buddy Nichols, Orin Friesen, Scott Piper, Jerry "Attaboy" Adams, Andy "O" (Mike Oatman's son), "Willie Wheelchair", Larry Scott, Dave Donahue,"Lovable" Larry Stonecipher ( Now on air part time at Country 102.9 KHUT-Hutchinson), "Gentle" Ben Ingram (now at KWLS-FM, "US 107.9"), and many more. Oatman, Burford, Collins, Western, Scott and Donahue are members of the Country Music Disc Jockey's Hall of Fame. Friesen was named the International Bluegrass Music Association's very first Bluegrass Broadcaster of the Year in 1990. He also produced the IBMA awards show from 1990 to 2000.

The stations were purchased by Journal Broadcast Group in 1999. Prior to that they were owned by Great Empire Broadcasting (GEB), headquartered in Wichita. GEB was owned by Mike Oatman and Mike Lynch. (Lynch is also in the Country Music Disc Jockey's Hall of Fame in the Broadcasting Executives section.) At its peak, GEB was the largest chain of country music stations in the United States. Other country stations in the group were KVOO/1170 & KVOO-FM/98.5 in Tulsa, WOW/590 & WOW-FM/94.1 in Omaha, KTTS/1260 & KTTS-FM 94.7 in Springfield, MO. At one time they had also owned stations in Denver, Co.(KRBQ AM/FM) and Shreveport, La. (KWKH, home of the "Louisiana Hayride") All of the stations went by the "Radio Ranch" moniker and were full service country music stations. Local news, weather and traffic were emphasized. Lost pet reports were also aired on the stations.

On July 30, 2014, it was announced that The E.W. Scripps Company would acquire Journal Communications in an all-stock transaction. The combined firm retained their broadcast properties and spun off their print assets as Journal Media Group.[3] Ahead of the merger Journal was required by the FCC to divest KFTI-fm (92.3). It was sold to Envision of Wichita in December 2014. KFDI and its four sister stations (KICT, KFXJ, KYQQ, KFTI-am) merged with the E.W. Scripps company on April 1, 2015.[4][5]

References

  1. ↑ http://www.kfdi.com/about-us
  2. ↑ http://www.kfdi.com/
  3. ↑ Glauber, Bill (30 July 2014). "Journal, Scripps deal announced". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved 30 July 2014.
  4. ↑ "APPLICATION FOR CONSENT TO ASSIGNMENT OF BROADCAST STATION CONSTRUCTION PERMIT OR LICENSE". CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. September 2, 2014. Retrieved September 22, 2014.
  5. ↑ "Description of the Proposed Transaction". Federal Communications Commission. September 2, 2014. Retrieved September 22, 2014.

Coordinates: 37°47′46″N 97°31′59″W / 37.796°N 97.533°W / 37.796; -97.533

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