KFIG

KFIG is an AM radio station broadcasting at 940 kHz. The station is licensed to Fresno, California and is owned by John Ostlund and Katrina Ostlund. KFIG airs a sports radio format. It carries syndicated programming from ESPN Radio, as well as some local sports shows in the afternoon and early evening. KFIG is the Fresno-area station for both San Francisco Giants and Oakland Athletics baseball games. When the teams are playing at the same time, Athletics games are instead carried on another local sports station, AM 790 KFPT, which is also an ESPN network affiliate. KFIG and KFPT have similar arrangements when they carry both San Francisco 49ers and Las Vegas Raiders football games.[1]

For the Fresno, California radio station that held the call sign KFIG at 1430 AM from 1988 to 1992 and from 1992 to 2012, see KYNO.
KFIG
CityFresno, California
Broadcast areaFresno, California
Branding940 ESPN Fresno
Frequency940 kHz
First air dateAugust 18, 1937 (as KFRE at 1190)
FormatSports
Power50,000 watts
ClassB
Facility ID18407
Call sign meaningK FIG (denotes the growing of figs in the region)
Former call signsKFRE (1937-2000)
KWRU (2000-2010)
KYNO (2010-2012)
Former frequencies1190 kHz (1937-1939)
890 kHz (1939-1941)
920 kHz (1941-1942)
AffiliationsESPN Radio
OwnerJohn Ostlund and Katrina Ostlund
Sister stationsKWDO
WebcastListen Live
Website940espnfresno.com

KFIG operates with 50,000 watts around the clock, the highest power permitted for American AM radio stations. Its daytime signal provides at least secondary coverage to all of the Central Valley and much of the Central Coast and Monterey Bay. But because AM 940 is a clear channel frequency, KFIG uses a directional antenna to avoid interfering with Class A station XEQ in Mexico City. KFIG also must protect a Class A Montreal station on 940 kHz, which is currently off the air. Even with these restrictions, it can be heard across much of the western United States with a good radio. KFIG's studios and offices are on Fulton Street in Fresno and its transmitter is off Avenue 384 in Monson, California.[2]

The call letters "KFIG" have been used by various Fresno-area radio stations over the years, denoting the growing of figs around Central California.

Station History

KFRE

KFRE was first licensed on August 18, 1937 on 1190 kHz. It moved to 890 kHz in 1939 then to 920 kHz in 1941 as a result of the North American Regional Broadcasting Agreement (NARBA). It moved to the current 940 kHz frequency in 1942.

KYNO

KYNO from 1957 and throughout the 1960s and 1970s, was a Top-40 station, and was the #1 "Hooper" rated station in Fresno under the ownership of Eugene Chenault. KYNO was the testing ground for the "Boss Radio" format that would be adopted at major market stations such as KHJ, Los Angeles; KFRC, San Francisco and CKLW, Windsor-Detroit.

Program director Bill Drake and disc jockeys such as K.O. Bailey, Les Turpin, Ed Mitchell, and Gary Mack went against the cross town rival 1340 KMAK (now KCBL), its program director Ron Jacobs and DJs Robert W. Morgan (who would become legendary in Los Angeles), Jim Price, Glenn Adams, Jay Stevens, Frank Terry & Tom Maule. This radio war is now known as the "Battle Of Fresno."

Back in 1975, Richard Cano got his chance to DJ there at the tail end of the Boss Radio days. Cano went on to work at other Fresno stations, as Program Director and Mornings at KBOS-FM in 1979 and returning in 1984 at KMGX X-104 (now KFBT) to become the market's #1 morning show until 1989 when he went on to do mornings in Salt Lake City at KKAT-FM (now KKLV).

Eventually, KYNO stopped playing music and for a time was an all-sports station that carried the Fresno Grizzlies of the Pacific Coast League.

From 1999 until August 30, 2008, KYNO was a Spanish language Christian music and preaching station, known as Radio Guadalupe.


KYNO changed frequencies from 1300 AM to 940 AM on April 1, 2010 and then changed frequencies from 940 AM to 1430 AM on October 6, 2012.

KFIG

In 2008, the station was purchased by John Ostlund, owner of FM station KJWL, for a reported $1.6 million.[3]

The new ownership changed to a politically conservative news/talk format (one of five such formats in the region) on September 1, 2008, starting with a lineup featuring nationally syndicated talk show hosts, such as Bill O'Reilly, Dennis Miller, Dr. Laura, Don Imus and Larry King Live.

On October 6, 2012, KYNO dropped the news talk format to become a full-time ESPN Radio Network affiliate under new call letters, KFIG.

References
  1. http://940espnfresno.com/page.php?page_id=1461
  2. http://radio-locator.com/cgi-bin/patg?id=KFIG-AM&h=N
  3. "Fresno's KYNO made huge airwaves, McEwen, Bill, Fresno Bee, August 25, 2008". Archived from the original on September 17, 2008. Retrieved August 29, 2008.

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