Radio station in San Diego, California, United States
KSDO is a radio station in San Diego, California, broadcasts at 1130 KHz. The station is licensed for 10,000 watts of power from a directional antenna system, but has been operating since 2016 with 2,500 watts non-directional from a different site. It is owned by Hi-Favor Broadcasting, and airs a Spanish Christian format branded "Radio Inspiración".
History
Early years
The station began broadcasting January 24, 1947, and held the call sign KYOR.[1][2] It was owned by Silver Gate Broadcasting, and ran 250 watts during daytime hours only.[1][2]
In 1949, the station was sold to San Diego Broadcasting for $75,000, and its call sign was changed to KSDO.[2][3] The new owners were required to divest themselves of one station, so KSDO suspended operations.[4] The station had a permit to increase daytime power and add nighttime operations, and San Diego Broadcasting intended to surrender the license of AM 1510 KUSN once construction of KSDO's new facilities was complete.[4] In 1950, the station resumed operations, with its daytime power increased to 5,000 watts and nighttime operations added, running 1,000 watts.[2]
In 1959, the station was sold to Gordon Broadcasting for $500,000.[5][2] The station aired a beautiful music format in the 1960s.[6][7]
News talk era
By the early 1970s, KSDO had adopted news-talk format.[8] In 1972, the station was sold to Generation II Radio San Diego, a subsidiary of Firestone Communications, for $2.5 million.[8][9] In 1976, the station was sold to Pacific and Southern, a subsidiary of Combined Communications, for $1,576,000.[10] Gannett purchased Combined Communications in 1979.[11] Its power was increased to 10,000 watts the same year.[2]
Laurence Gross hosted a midday talk show on KSDO from 1975 to 1983.[12] From 1986 to 1997, former San Diego mayor Roger Hedgecock hosted a program on the station.[13][14] Danuta Soderman hosted Danuta Time in the late 1980s. Michael Reagan hosted a show from 1989 to 1992.[15][16] It was an affiliate of NBC Talknet in the 1980s.[17] Syndicated hosts on KSDO over the years included Rush Limbaugh, G. Gordon Liddy, Larry King, and Tom Leykis.[16][18][19] It was also the flagship station of the San Diego Chargers during its "Air Coryell" years.[20] As a talk station, KSDO's ratings were consistently among the top ten stations in San Diego, through 1996.[21][22]
In 1996, Gannett traded KSDO and five other stations to Jacor Communications for WTSP CBS 10 in Tampa.[23] In 1997, Roger Hedgecock and Rush Limbaugh were moved to KOGO, and the station switched to a financial news-talk format, with programming from Bloomberg and The Wall Street Journal.[14][24][25] Ray Lucia hosted middays, later moving to mornings.[25][26] Syndicated talk shows aired at night.[25] In 2000, syndicated talk programs replaced most financial programming.[27][26] Hosts included Michael Savage, Phil Hendrie, Lionel, and Larry King.[26] That year, the station was sold to Chase Radio Properties.[28] In late 2001, financial talk programming began to again make up the bulk of the station's daytime schedule.[29]
Spanish Christian era
In 2003, the station was sold to Hi-Favor Broadcasting for $10 million.[30][31][32][33] The station adopted a Spanish language Christian format as an affiliate of Radio Nueva Vida.[32][34] By 2019, the station disaffiliated from Radio Nueva Vida, but continued to air a Spanish-language Christian format as Radio Inspiración.[35]
In 2016, Hi-Favor Broadcasting obtained a Special Temporary Authority (STA) from the FCC to broadcast with 2,500 watts from a single non-directional wire dropped from a cable hung from the tower of KLSD radio, while a search is conducted for an alternate site.[36] The STA has been extended twice each year since it was originally granted.[37]
