KDIA

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For the defunct radio station in Oakland, see KMKY (AM).
KDIA
CityVallejo, California
Broadcast areaSan Francisco Bay Area
Frequency1640 kHz C-QUAM AM stereo
Branding1640 KDIA
Programming
FormatChristian radio
AffiliationsIndependent
Ownership
OwnerSalem Media Group
(New Inspiration Broadcasting Company, Inc.)
KDOW, KDYA, KFAX, KTRB
History
First air date
April 1998
Call sign meaning
Named after former sister station WDIA. Also means Kids DIsney Am. (former format)
Technical information
Facility ID87108
ClassB
Power10,000 watts (unlimited)
Transmitter coordinates
37°53′44″N 122°19′27″W / 37.89556°N 122.32417°W / 37.89556; -122.32417 (day)
38°8′3″N 122°25′32″W / 38.13417°N 122.42556°W / 38.13417; -122.42556 (night)
Links
WebcastListen Live
Websitekdia.com

KDIA (1640 AM), "The Light for San Francisco", is a radio station of Salem Media Group in Vallejo, California. It is a separate entity from the station at 1310 AM that held the KDIA call letters for many years. The 1640 AM frequency was licensed as part of an extension of the AM band in 1998, and adopted the abandoned KDIA call letters then.

During the day it uses one of KKSF/910's towers. It has a separate night transmitter site.

History[]

KDIA originated as the expanded band "twin" of an existing station on the standard AM band.

In 1979, a World Administrative Radio Conference (WARC-79) adopted "Radio Regulation No. 480", which stated that "In Region 2, the use of the band 1605-1705 kHz by stations of the broadcasting service shall be subject to a plan to be established by a regional administrative radio conference..." As a consequence, on June 8, 1988 an ITU-sponsored conference held at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil adopted provisions, effective July 1, 1990, to extend the upper end of the Region 2 AM broadcast band, by adding ten frequencies which spanned from 1610 kHz to 1700 kHz.[1]

While the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) was still making U.S. preparations to populate the additional frequencies, known as the "Expanded Band", a provision was added to the Communications Act of 1934 in late 1991 which mandated that priority for assignments would be given to existing daytime-only stations that were located in a community with a population over 100,000, and which also did not have any full-time stations.[2] Taking advantage of this provision, on March 19, 1996 KXBT (now KDYA), 1190 AM in Vallejo, began to also broadcast on 1640 kHz,[3] as the second U.S. station, following WJDM in Elizabeth, New Jersey, authorized to operate on an expanded band frequency.

On March 22, 1996, the FCC issued an updated list of expanded band allotments, which now assigned KXBT to 1630 kHz, so transmissions were switched to that frequency.[4] On March 17, 1997 the FCC released a revised roster of eighty-eight expanded band assignments, with KXBT designated to move back to 1640 kHz.[5] The expanded band operation was now treated as being a separate station with its own unique call sign, and a Construction Permit for it was assigned the call letters KDIA on April 17, 1998.[6]

The FCC's initial policy was that both the original station and its expanded band counterpart could operate simultaneously for up to five years, after which owners would have to turn in one of the two licenses, depending on whether they preferred the new assignment or elected to remain on the original frequency.[5] However, this deadline has been extended multiple times, and both stations have remained authorized. One restriction is that the FCC has generally required paired original and expanded band stations to remain under common ownership.[7][8]

KDIA was put on the air in 1998 by Baybridge Communications, and has been a Christian talk station since 2002. It has since gone through two upgrades and now covers the San Francisco Bay Area, day and night. In 2009, it became the flagship station for Spanish language night time broadcasts of Oakland Athletics baseball until the middle of the 2010 season, while sibling station KDYA broadcast daytime games.[9]

The station was put on the air by then KUIC Chief Engineer Alan McCarthy (now deceased). The original transmitter was a used Continental 316 Doherty layout converted by Contract Engineer Skipp May. The original antenna system was a diplex layout with sister station 1190, which was formerly KNBA Vallejo. The antenna system was designed by Rich Green and installed by Ralph Jones (and Skipp May). The problematic 316 transmitter was upgraded to a BE sometime circa 1996. Alan McCarthy left "Quick Broadcasting" for a position at 1530 KFBK Sacramento. McCarthy died from a heart attack.

Effective June 1, 2021, Baybridge Communications sold KDIA and sister station KDYA to Salem Media Group for $600,000.

History of the original KDIA[]

See also: KMKY (AM)

Use of the KDIA call sign had a prior history in the San Francisco Bay area, and was most recently used on 1310 AM by a station that began broadcasting as KLS in 1922. In 1945, it changed its call letters to KWBR[10][11][12][13] and changed its format to focus on an African-American audience. In 1959, it was bought by the owners of Memphis radio station WDIA, and the call letters were changed to KDIA. During the 1960s through the 1980s, the station was the premier soul and funk station in the San Francisco Bay Area. The station helped launch the careers of such musicians as Sly and the Family Stone. Its tagline at that time was "KDIA, Lucky 13."

For four months in 1984-85 the station was owned by Adam Clayton Powell III, during which time it carried the call letters KFYI and broadcast an all-news format.[14]

In the early 1990s KDIA was co-owned by then mayor of Oakland, California, Elihu Harris with then California State Assembly Speaker Willie Brown. In 1992, Oakland journalist Chauncey Bailey returned to the Bay Area to work as public affairs director and newscaster on KDIA. Bailey later became the editor of the Oakland Post and was murdered on the streets of downtown Oakland.[15]

References[]

  1. ^ Final Acts of the Regional Radio Conference to Establish a Plan for the Broadcasting Service in the Band 1605-1705 in Region 2 (PDF) (Rio de Janeiro, 1988. ITU.int)
  2. ^ "Additions to Section 331 of the Communications Act of 1934" (Approved December 20, 1991), Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991, page 2402.
  3. ^ "Classic Soul KXBT (AM) Jams on Expanded Band" by Alan Peterson, Radio World (reprinted in "American Bandscan" by Doug Smith, Monitoring Times, July 1996, page 73).
  4. ^ "FCC Public Notice: Mass Media Bureau Announces Revised Expanded AM Broadcast Band Improvement Factors and Allotment Plan" (FCC DA 96-408), March 22, 1996 (notice lists KXBT under its earlier call sign of KNBA).
  5. ^ a b "FCC Public Notice: Mass Media Bureau Announces Revised AM Expanded Band Allotment Plan and Filing Window for Eligible Stations" (FCC DA 97-537), March 17, 1997 (notice lists KXBT under its earlier call sign of KNBA).
  6. ^ Call Sign History for 1640 (Facility ID: 87108)
  7. ^ "In re: WHLY(AM), South Bend, Indiana" (FCC DA 13-600, released April 3, 2013)
  8. ^ "FCC Rejects Clear Channel-Withers Deal For WDDD-A", September 1, 2010 (allaccess.com)
  9. ^ A Voice of Beisbol is Benched, Joel Millman, The Wall Street Journal, 23 September 2010.
  10. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-10-24. Retrieved 2018-01-28.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  11. ^ "KWBR 1310 - Bouncin' Bill Doubleday - July 1, 1955". Archived from the original on 2015-09-20.
  12. ^ "Bay Area Radio History | KDIA | KLS | KWBR". Archived from the original on 2009-05-08.
  13. ^ "KWBR 1310 - The Top "25" - March 13, 1959". Archived from the original on 2006-07-09.
  14. ^ "Bay Area Radio".
  15. ^ Josh Richman and Douglas Fischer (2007-08-03). "Bailey's career in news spanned globe for decades". Oakland Tribune.

External links[]


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