KIRN (670 AM) is a commercial radio station that is licensed to Simi Valley, California and serves the Greater Los Angeles area. The station is owned by Lotus Communications and broadcasts ethnic Iranian programming. KIRN's studios are located at Fallbrook Center in the West Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles.
| Broadcast area | Greater Los Angeles |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 670 kHz |
| Branding | Radio Iran |
| Programming | |
| Language(s) | Persian |
| Format | Ethnic Iranian |
| Affiliations | SRN News |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| History | |
First air date | September 19, 1984 |
Former call signs |
|
Call sign meaning | Iran |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 69743 |
| Class | B |
| Power |
|
Transmitter coordinates | 34°19′10″N 118°42′56″W / 34.31944°N 118.71556°W |
| Repeater(s) | 95.5 KLOS-HD3 (Los Angeles) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen live |
| Website | www |
History
editThe station on 670 AM first signed on September 19, 1984 as KWNK, originally owned by Manuel A. Cabranes/Valley Radio LLC.[2] The license was granted as a result of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) changing the regulations governing clear-channel stations in 1982, which permitted the establishment of lower-power radio stations on clear channel frequencies such as 670 AM. KWNK was allocated this frequency after protracted hearings by the FCC. Valley Radio's Consulting Engineer was Cecil Lynch, one of the most respected engineers in the United States. Initially, KWNK served the Simi and Conejo valleys of Ventura County, California with 1 kW of power 24 hours a day. Eventually, the FCC permitted Valley Radio to increase power to 5 kW during the daytime and 3 kW at night.[3]
KWNK started as a top 40 station as "Top Hits 67 K-Wink", with music from such prominent 1980s artists as Prince and Duran Duran. Program directors during that period included Jim Conlee (former PD of KHTZ, "K-Hits")[4] and Steve Smith.[5] In mid-1986, KWNK began adjusting its format toward adult contemporary music, playing music from the likes of Amy Grant, due to direct competition from top 40 station KIIS-FM. KWNK also aired talk shows on Sundays; the station eventually adopted a full-time talk format.
In the mid-1990s, KWNK flipped to sports talk, first carrying One-on-One Sports (now Sporting News Radio), then simulcasting the signal of XETRA-AM (XTRA Sports 690) in Tijuana—San Diego. In August 1996, Valley Radio sold the station to Lotus Communications for $4.2 million.[6] KWNK changed its call letters to KVCA on March 28, 1997,[7] then to KIRN on August 13, 1999.
The XETRA-AM simulcast ended in 2001 when KIRN began airing brokered-time programs for a brief period, after which the station became "Radio Iran". KIRN is the first, and as of 2013, only, Persian-language radio station in the United States.[citation needed]
Notable on-air personalities
edit- Dr. Laura Schlessinger
- Hurricane
- Joe Light
- Gary Butterworth
- Kidd Kelly (later known as Maverick on KFYV)
- William (Bill Roberts) Brady
- Anthony Edwards (not to be confused with the actor)
- Dave Skylar (Dave Montoya)
- Phyllis West (who died in 2008)
- Al Lohman (of Lohman & Barkely fame)
- Lida Hanaie and Sassan Kamali
- Dr. Farhang Holakouee (now on Radio Hamrah)
References
edit- ^ "Facility Technical Data for KIRN". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ "Directory of Radio Stations in the United States and Canada" (PDF), Broadcasting/Cablecasting Yearbook 1985, Broadcasting Publications Inc., 1985, retrieved January 31, 2019
- ^ "For the Record" (PDF). Broadcasting. Broadcasting Publications Inc. March 18, 1991. pp. 64, 66. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
- ^ "Street Talk" (PDF). Radio & Records. November 9, 1984. p. 18. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
- ^ "1985: CHR's Finest Hour" (PDF). Radio & Records. December 13, 1985. p. 68. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
- ^ "Z Spanish Radio Enters Phoenix Via Auction" (PDF). Radio & Records. August 23, 1996. p. 6. Retrieved January 31, 2019.
- ^ "For the Record" (PDF). Broadcasting & Cable. Cahners Publishing Co. May 5, 1997. p. 87. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
External links
edit- Official website
- Facility details for Facility ID 69743 (KIRN) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
- KIRN in Nielsen Audio's AM station database