| Broadcast area | Monterey, California |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 1240 kHz |
| Branding | KMBY 1240 & 95.9 FM |
| Programming | |
| Format | Classic hits |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Hanford Youth Services Inc |
| History | |
First air date | 1935 (as KDON at 1210) |
Former call signs |
|
Former frequencies | 1210 kHz (1935–1941) |
| Technical information | |
| Facility ID | 35276 |
| Class | C |
| Power | 1,000 watts unlimited |
Transmitter coordinates | 36°36′56″N 121°53′54″W / 36.61556°N 121.89833°W |
| Translator(s) | 95.9 K240EV (Monterey) |
| Links | |
| Webcast | Stream |
| Website | kmbyradio.com |
KMBY (1240 AM) is a radio station licensed to Monterey, California and serving the Monterey, Salinas and Santa Cruz areas. The station is owned by Hanford Youth Services and broadcasts a classic hits format.
The station went on the air in 1935 as KDON. It moved from 1210 to 1240 kHz in 1941 when NARBA took effect.[1]
Saul Levine's Mount Wilson FM Broadcasters, Inc.,[2] bought KNRY from IHR Educational Broadcasting in December 2013. The format was changed to jazz in early January 2014.[3] In May 2014, KNRY dropped the jazz format and began stunting, first with a simulcast of Los Angeles classical station KMZT-FM ("K-Mozart") and then with a loop of 25 alternative rock songs. On June 9, KNRY-FM (K294CA) became alternative rock "Alt 106.7." KNRY simulcast KMZT-FM.
On March 30, 2015, KNRY changed their format from a simulcast of classical-formatted KMZT-FM to adult standards, branded as "K-SURF 1240".[4] The syndication was also heard on KKGO's HD2 subchannel in Los Angeles.
In April 2020, KNRY went silent.[5] In October 2020, Mount Wilson FM Broadcasters donated the station to Hanford Youth Services Inc but retained the call letters and studio equipment.[6] The donation was consummated on December 7, 2020.
Hanford Youth Services relaunched the station as oldies-formatted KNBI—branded KMBY, using the call sign associated with this station between 1949 and 1978—in December 2020. The donation required Hanford Youth Services to close its low-power FM station in Hanford, KOAD-LP, as a group cannot own a full-service and a low-power FM radio station at the same time.[7] The KMBY call sign formally returned on April 20, 2022.[8]