KIRN

KIRN (670 AM) is a commercial radio station that is licensed to Simi Valley, California and serves the Greater Los Angeles area. The station is owned by Lotus Communications and broadcasts ethnic Iranian programming. KIRN's studios are located at Fallbrook Center in the West Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles.

For other uses, see Kirn (disambiguation).
KIRN
CitySimi Valley, California
Broadcast areaGreater Los Angeles
BrandingRadio Iran
Frequency670 (kHz)
First air date1984
FormatEthnic Iranian
Power5,000 watts day
3,000 watts night
ClassB
Former call signsKWNK (1984–1997)
KVCA (1997–1999)
OwnerLotus Communications
(Lotus Oxnard Corp.)
Sister stationsKFWB, KTMZ, KWKW
WebcastListen Live
Website670amkirn.com

History

The station on 670 AM first signed on September 19, 1984 as KWNK, originally owned by Valley Radio LLC.[1] The license was granted as a result of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) changing the regulations governing clear-channel stations in 1982, which permitted the establishment of lower-power radio stations on clear channel frequencies such as 670 AM. KWNK was allocated this frequency after protracted hearings by the FCC. Valley Radio's Consulting Engineer was Cecil Lynch, one of the most respected engineers in the United States. Initially, KWNK served the Simi and Conejo valleys of Ventura County, California with 1 kW of power 24 hours a day. Eventually, the FCC permitted Valley Radio to increase power to 5 kW during the daytime and 3 kW at night.[2]

KWNK started as a top 40 station as "Top Hits 67 K-Wink", with music from such prominent 1980s artists as Prince and Duran Duran. Two notable program directors during that period were Jim Conlee (former PD of KHTZ, "K-Hits")[3] and Steve Smith.[4] In mid-1986, KWNK began adjusting its format toward adult contemporary music, playing music from the likes of Amy Grant, due to direct competition from top 40 station KIIS-FM. KWNK also aired talk shows on Sundays; the station eventually adopted a full-time talk format.

In the mid-1990s, KWNK flipped to sports talk, first carrying One-on-One Sports (now Sporting News Radio), then simulcasting the signal of XETRA-AM (XTRA Sports 690) in Tijuana-San Diego. In August 1996, Valley Radio sold the station to Lotus Communications for $4.2 million.[5] KWNK changed its call letters to KVCA on March 28, 1997,[6] then to KIRN on August 13, 1999.

The XETRA-AM simulcast ended in 2001, when KIRN began airing brokered-time programs for a brief period, after which the station became "Radio Iran". KIRN is the first, and as of 2013, only, Persian-language radio station in the United States.

Notable on-air personalities
  • Dr. Laura
  • Hurricane
  • Joe Light
  • Gary Butterworth
  • Kidd Kelly (later known as Maverick on KFYV)
  • William (Bill Roberts) Brady
  • Anthony Edwards (not to be confused with the actor)
  • Dave Skylar (Dave Montoya)
  • Phyllis West (who died in 2008)
  • Al Lohman (of Lohman & Barkely fame)
  • Lida Hanaie and Sassan Kamali
  • Dr. Farhang Holakouee (now on Radio Hamrah)

References
  1. "Directory of Radio Stations in the United States and Canada" (PDF). Broadcasting/Cablecasting Yearbook 1985. Broadcasting Publications Inc. 1985. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
  2. "For the Record" (PDF). Broadcasting. Broadcasting Publications Inc. March 18, 1991. pp. 64, 66. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  3. "Street Talk" (PDF). Radio and Records. November 9, 1984. p. 18. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
  4. "1985: CHR's Finest Hour" (PDF). Radio and Records. December 13, 1985. p. 68. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
  5. "Z Spanish Radio Enters Phoenix Via Auction" (PDF). Radio and Records. August 23, 1996. p. 6. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
  6. "For the Record" (PDF). Broadcasting and Cable. Cahners Publishing Co. May 5, 1997. p. 87. Retrieved February 6, 2019.

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