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| Broadcast area | Redding, California |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 1670 kHz |
| Branding | KQMS NewsTalk Superstation 1670 AM/105.7 FM/104.9 FM |
| Programming | |
| Format | News/Talk |
| Affiliations | Fox News Radio Compass Media Networks Premiere Networks Westwood One |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
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| KNRO, KWLZ, KSHA, KRDG | |
| History | |
First air date | 2000 (as KAZT) |
Former call signs | KAZT (1998–2001) KNRO (2001–2016) |
Call sign meaning | K Quality Music Station (before news/talk format took over) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 87171 |
| Class | B |
| Power | 10,000 watts day 1,000 watts night |
| Translator(s) | 104.9 K285FE (Redding) 105.7 K289BT (Anderson) |
| Links | |
Public license information |
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| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | kqms.com |
KQMS (1670 kHz) is an American News/Talk AM radio station based in Redding, California. The station is owned by Stephens Media Group which also owns its five sister stations in Redding. KQMS is generally known as a conservative talk radio station, since all of its main radio shows except for Coast to Coast AM and Schopflin and Gibson are considered to be conservative shows.
The station was the longtime home of popular conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh until 2021 when the show ended its run four months after Limbaugh's death from cancer. Several different hosts also have their shows currently on KQMS including Dan Bongino, Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck and Michael Knowles. The station news team and on-air talent includes Steve Gibson, Kelly Frost Sr. and Kelly Frost Jr.
KQMS originated as the expanded band "twin" of an existing station on the standard AM band. In 1936 a new station was licensed in Redding as KVCV, which became KSXO in 1977, KHTE in 1989, and KNRO in 1993. The station switched to the fast-growing news/talk format in the late 1980s.
On March 17, 1997, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced that eighty-eight stations had been given permission to move to newly available "Expanded Band" transmitting frequencies, ranging from 1610 to 1700 kHz, with KNRO authorized to move from 600 to 1670 kHz.[2] A construction permit for the expanded band station was assigned the call letters KAZT on January 9, 1998. On January 22, 2001, there was a call letter swap, with KAZT transferred from 1670 AM to 600 AM, while the reverse was true for KNRO, which moved from 600 AM to 1670 AM.[3]
An FCC policy mandated 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.[2] It was ultimately decided to transfer full operations to the expanded band station, and on June 25, 2001, the license for original station, KAZT on 600 AM, was cancelled.[4]
On August 21, 2016, there was a second call letter and format swap between two Redding stations, which this time saw the call sign KQMS and a news/talk format moving from 1400 AM to 1670 AM, while the KNRO call sign and its sports format moved from 1670 AM to 1400 AM.[5] The new call letters stood for "Quality Music Station", based on various earlier music formats.
KQMS simulcasted all of its programming with sister station KQMS-FM 99.3 until January 15, 2017, when 99.3 FM dropped the simulcast, while continuing on 105.7 and 104.9 FM.
Among former radio personalities that have worked at or have hosted programs on KQMS include top talent from the past:
KQMS-AM broadcasts on the following translators:
| Call sign | Frequency | City of license | FID | ERP (W) | Class | FCC info |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| K289BT | 105.7 FM | Anderson, California | 156510 | 250 | D | LMS |
| K285FE | 104.9 FM | Redding, California | 154828 | 99 | D | LMS |
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News/Talk radio stations in the state of California
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| All-News |
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| News & Talk |
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40°33′31″N 122°19′48″W / 40.55861°N 122.33000°W / 40.55861; -122.33000
