KWDJ
Frequency1360 kHz
Branding1360 Country Gold
Programming
FormatClassic country[1]
AffiliationsLos Angeles Rams
Ownership
Owner
  • Robert Adelman[2]
  • (Adelman Broadcasting, Inc.)
History
First air date
1974 (as KZIQ)
Former call signs
KZIQ (1974-2001)
Technical information
Facility ID30157
ClassD
Power1,000 watts day
31 watts night
Transmitter coordinates
35°36′58″N 117°38′35″W / 35.61611°N 117.64306°W / 35.61611; -117.64306
Links
Website1360kwdj.com

KWDJ (1360 AM, "1360 Country Gold") is a commercial radio station that is licensed to and serves Ridgecrest, California, United States. The station is owned by Adelman Broadcasting, Inc. and broadcasts a classic country format.

History

The station first signed on April 7, 1974 as KZIQ. Originally owned by Space/Time Broadcasting Company, it aired a country music format.[3] In June 1986, Space/Time sold KZIQ and its FM sister station KZIQ-FM to Bel Air Broadcasting Corporation, owned by Robert M. Rosenthal, for $335,000.[4]

Bel Air attempted to sell KZIQ-AM-FM in 1991, but the first two deals fell through. The first deal reached was in January with Michaels Media, headed by Pat Michaels, for $650,000.[5] In March, a sale to Blessing Broadcasting valued at $682,500 also failed to close.[6] By the end of the year, Bel Air successfully sold the combo to James Knudsen for $250,000 — less than half of either previous deal. At the time, KZIQ aired an oldies/classic rock format.[7]

On May 21, 2001, KZIQ changed its call letters to KWDJ. In May 2006, KWDJ flipped from country music to news/talk as "Fox Radio 1360". Featured talk shows included The Rush Limbaugh Show, The Glenn Beck Radio Program, The John Gibson Show, and The Alan Colmes Show. The station aired Fox Sports Radio programming on weekends.[8]

In January 2013, James and Donna Knudsen sold KWDJ and KZIQ-FM to Adelman Broadcasting for $220,000. The deal included a time brokerage agreement allowing Adelman to begin programming the station immediately; the sale closed in April.[9][10] Until early 2014, KWDJ aired a sports format as a Fox Sports Radio affiliate.

In 2016, the station became a radio affiliate of the Los Angeles Rams of the National Football League.[11]

References

  1. ^ "KWDJ station information profile". Arbitron.
  2. ^ "KWDJ Facility Record". FCC Media Bureau CDBS Public Access Database. US Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved January 4, 2019.
  3. ^ "Directory of Radio Stations in the United States and Canada" (PDF). Broadcasting Yearbook 1976. Broadcasting Publications Inc. 1976. p. C-23. Retrieved January 4, 2019.
  4. ^ "Changing Hands" (PDF). Broadcasting. Broadcasting Publications Inc. June 30, 1986. p. 55. Retrieved January 4, 2019.
  5. ^ "Changing Hands" (PDF). Broadcasting. Broadcasting Publications Inc. January 28, 1991. p. 45. Retrieved January 4, 2019.
  6. ^ "For the Record" (PDF). Broadcasting. Broadcasting Publications Inc. March 18, 1991. p. 62. Retrieved January 4, 2019.
  7. ^ "For the Record" (PDF). Broadcasting. Broadcasting Publications Inc. September 2, 1991. p. 36. Retrieved January 4, 2019.
  8. ^ "KWDJ/Ridgecrest, CA Flips To Talk". AllAccess.com. All Access Music Group. May 1, 2006. Retrieved January 4, 2019.
  9. ^ "KKDA-A/Dallas Sold". AllAccess.com. All Access Music Group. January 2, 2013. Retrieved January 4, 2019.
  10. ^ "Sold: Wyoming Noncomm, Montana Translator". AllAccess.com. All Access Music Group. April 17, 2013. Retrieved January 4, 2019.
  11. ^ "2016 Los Angeles Rams Radio Broadcast Lineup Announced". SB Nation. Vox Media. August 5, 2016. Retrieved January 4, 2019.

External links

Radio stations in the Eastern Sierra region of California
Country radio stations in the state of California
Categories