KLUP

KLUP (930 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Terrell Hills, Texas, and serving the San Antonio metropolitan area. It is owned by Salem Communications and airs a conservative talk radio format. Studios and offices are on McAllister Freeway in San Antonio. The two-tower transmitter is off Lockway Street, near Interstate 410, also in San Antonio.^[2] KLUP is powered at 5,000 watts by day. But at night, to avoid interfering with other stations on AM 930, it reduces power to 1,000 watts and uses a directional antenna.

KLUP is one of two talk radio stations owned by Salem in the San Antonio radio market. KLUP's schedule is mostly syndicated talk shows from the Salem Radio Network, while AM 1150 KRDY airs conservative talk shows from several sources, including Fox News Radio, Westwood One and the Salem Radio Network. KLUP hosts include Hugh Hewitt, Mike Gallagher, Michael Medved, Larry Elder, Dennis Prager, Jay Sekulow, Eric Metaxas and Joe Walsh. Weekends feature shows on money, health, travel, guns and gardening. Some weekend hours are paid brokered programming.

History

On October 17, 1947, the station first signed on as KITE in San Antonio.^[3] It was owned by Charles A. Balthrope and was a 1,000 watt daytimer, required to go off the air at night. In the 1950s, the power was boosted and the station was authorized to stay on the air around the clock, running the current 5,000 watts by day and 1,000 watts at night.

In May 1960, KITE was acquired by the Townsend U.S. International Growth Fund. An advertisement in the 1960 edition of Broadcasting Yearbook described KITE as "The Adults Favorite Station in San Antonio."^[4] Later in the 1960s, KITE's city of license was moved from San Antonio to Terrill Hills. In 1966, it signed on an FM station, 104.5 KITE-FM (now KZEP).^[5] Both stations were owned by Doubleday, a large publishing and broadcasting corporation. Doubleday put progressive rock on the FM station, changing the call sign to KEXL, while AM 930 KITE remained with its middle of the road music format.

In 1978, KITE was acquired by Lone Star Broadcasting, becoming KCCW. It later came under the ownership of Radio Alamo and again changed its call letters, this time to KLLS. It was paired up with FM 100.3, which became KLLS-FM. The two stations simulcast as "Klassy 100 FM."^[6]

In 1990, the station became KISS, known as "Kool 930 AM." At first, it ran a satellite delivered oldies format. But later, it was simulcast with 99.5 KISS-FM, airing a locally produced and hosted oldies sound. In 1992, the Rusk Corporation paid $3.95 million for KISS-AM-FM.^[7] KISS-FM returned to its original rock sound, while the format on AM 930 switched to syndicated adult standards as KLUP "The Loop."

In 1997, Cox Radio acquired KLUP. At first, it kept the standards format. But Cox spun off KLUP in 2000, with the station going to current owner Salem Media. Salem switched KLUP to a talk radio format a short time later.

References

External links

• News Talk 930 KLUP official website

• Query the FCC's AM station database for KLUP
• Radio-Locator Information on KLUP
• Query Nielsen Audio's AM station database for KLUP

Coordinates: 29°31′06″N 98°24′25″W / 29.51833°N 98.40694°W / 29.51833; -98.40694