KERI

KERI (1410 kHz "Faith & Family 1410 AM") is a commercial AM radio station in Bakersfield, California. The station is owned by Robert and Luanne Wilkins, through licensee Bobbi Wilkins Radio Network Broadcasting Ltd.[1] It airs a religious radio format. Most hours are brokered programming, where national and local religious leaders pay for a segment of time, for preaching or instruction, and where they may appeal to listeners for donations. Hosts include Charles Stanley, Jim Daly, John MacArthur, David Jeremiah and Jay Sekulow.

For the Wasco-Greenacres, California, radio station formerly on this frequency, see KERN.
For other uses, see Keri (disambiguation).
KERI
CityBakersfield, California
Broadcast areaKern County, California
Frequency1410 kHz
BrandingFaith & Family 1410 AM
Programming
FormatBrokered Religion
Ownership
OwnerRobert and Luann Wilkins
(Bob Wilkins Radio Network Broadcasting, Ltd.)
History
First air date
3 May 1950
Former call signs
KWSO (1950-2003)
Call sign meaning
Kingdom of Eucharist and Religious Institute, also known as KERn County Inspirational programming
Technical information
Facility ID6640
ClassB
Power1,000 watts
Transmitter coordinates
35°21′07″N 118°57′29″W
Links
WebcastListen Live
WebsiteWilkinsRadio.com/KERI

KERI is powered at 1,000 watts, day and night, using a non-directional antenna. Its transmitter is located on Kimber Avenue in Bakersfield, off Route 58 - Exit 115.[2] KERI's studios and offices are on Easton Drive in Bakersfield.[3]

History

On 17 May 1950, the station first sign-on signed on as KWSO, a 250-watt daytimer at 1050 kHz, owned by Maple Leaf Broadcasting.[4] It was licensed to Wasco, California, about 40 kilometres northwest of Bakersfield. By the 1960s, the station had assorted programmes including middle of the road and classical music, farm and news reports and religious programmes. The station's signal was limited to the area around Wasco, and was reflected in the KWSO call letters.

In the early 1980s, the Federal Communications Commission allowed KWSO to move to 1180 kHz, coupled with a boost in power to 10,000 watts by day and nighttime authorisation, running at 1000 watts after sunset, using a directional antenna.[5] With this new power, the station could be heard around the larger Bakersfield radio market. It switched to a full-time religious format, changing its call sign to KERI, which stands for Kingdom of Eucharist and Religious Institute, also known as KERn county Inspirational programming. (The 1050 frequency is now occupied by KJPG in nearby Frazier Park, California, airing a Catholic radio format.)

In the early 2000s, the station got another power boost, this time powered at its current 50,000 watts by day and 10,000 watts at night. Its city of licence was changed to two communities, Wasco and Greenacres. In 2004, the station was bought by American General Media, which owns five other stations in the Bakersfield market.[6]

On 1 January 2009, a frequency swap with talk radio sister station KERN 1410 AM was made. The talk format on KERN was moved to the more powerful 1180 frequency, while the religious format on KERI switched to AM 1410. (For the history of the 1410 frequency, see KERN.) After the switch was made, KERI 1410 was sold to the Watkins Radio Network, which owns about 30 other religious stations around the U.S.

  • KERI logo while broadcast on 1180 AM

References
  1. "KERI Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
  2. Radio-Locator.com/KERI
  3. YellowPages.com/KERI
  4. Broadcasting Yearbook 1951 page 97
  5. Broadcasting Yearbook 1984 page B-40
  6. Broadcasting Yearbook 2009 page D-110
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