KTSN (AM)

KTSN (1490 AM) is a radio station licensed to Austin, Texas. While KTSN is commercially licensed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), it is the flagship station of the non-commercial listener-supported "Sun Radio Network" and does not air advertisements. The station is owned by Daryl O'Neal, CEO of Township Media DBA The Sun Radio Network. The network airs a mix of adult album alternative and Americana music, along with other genres such as progressive country, blues and folk music.

KTSN
CityAustin, Texas
Broadcast areaAustin-San Marcos-Round Rock metropolitan area
Frequency1490 kHz (HD Radio)
BrandingSun Radio
SloganThe best music under the sun.
Programming
FormatAdult Album Alternative - Americana
Ownership
OwnerTownship Media, LLC DBA The Sun Radio Network
See § Sun Radio Network Rebroadcasters
History
First air date
1926
Former call signs
KGDR (1926-1929)
KUT (1929-1932)
KNOW (1932-1988)
KEYI (1986-1988)
KEYU (1988-1989)
KNOW (1989-1993)
KFON (1993-2012)
KLGO (2012-2014)
KTAE (2014-2017)
Former frequencies
1500 kHz (-1941)
Call sign meaning
K T S u N
Technical information
Facility ID41211
ClassC
Power1,000 watts
Translator(s)See § Sun Radio Network Rebroadcasters
Links
WebcastListen Live
Websitesunradio.com

KTSN is the oldest radio station in Austin still on the air today. It is powered at 1,000 watts, with its transmitter on Tillery Street at East 4th Street in Austin.[1] The studios and offices are in the Hill Country Galleria Mall on Hill Country Boulevard at State Highway 71 in Bee Cave.[2] The station holds periodic fundraisers on the air to support Sun Radio.

History

On December 7, 1926, the station's first license was granted, with the sequentially issued call sign of KGDR. It was owned by a company named "Radio Engineers" and broadcast from San Antonio, Texas.[3] In December 1929, the station was renamed KUT and moved to Austin.[4] Call letters were changed to KNOW on January 26, 1932.[5]

KNOW was owned by the KUT Broadcasting Company[6] and broadcast at 100 watts on 1,000 kilocycles.

In the 1940s, KNOW moved to its current dial position at 1490 kHz, with power at 250 watts.[7] It served as Austin's ABC Radio Network affiliate, carrying ABC's schedule of dramas, comedies, news and sports during the "Golden Age of Radio."

In 1949, KNOW was acquired by Pioneer Broadcasting Company. In the 1950s, daytime power increased to 1,000 watts, but remained at 250 watts at night. In the 1960s, KNOW switched to Top 40. In the 1970s, airstaff included P.D. Dave Jarrott, Randall McKee, Jason Wayne. Bill Mayne, Gil Garcia, Jim Gossett, David Gayle, and Bill Moss. Chief Engineers during the 60s and 70s where Wayne Hardin and Gil Garcia. As contemporary music listening shifted to the FM band in the 1980s, KNOW began to serve Austin's growing African American community with an urban contemporary format. This was concurrent with Hicks Communications acquiring the station in 1981.[8]

In 1989, KNOW was sold to Degree Communications, which switched the format to Oldies.[9] In 1996, the station was sold to San Antonio-based Clear Channel Communications, call letters were changed to KFON and the format became talk radio (with FON standing for "phone"). In 1997, the format shifted to sports talk as SportsFan 1490 and was the first full-time all-sports station in Austin.

In 2005, the station was acquired by Border Media Partners, which owned other stations in Texas, several serving the Latino community. Border Media switched KFON to a Regional Mexican music format.[10] The 2010s saw additional call letter changes to KLGO and KTAE before the current owner, Township Media, changed the call sign to KTSN, standing for, in part, S u N Radio.

FM Signals

Sun Radio rebroadcasts on numerous FM outlets, including translator stations, plus a low power (LP) station and an HD radio subchannel, all located around Central Texas. Most are owned by the Sun Radio Network or a co-owned subsidiary. KDRP-LP 103.1 MHz in Dripping Springs is owned by Principle Broadcasting Foundation. Sun Radio also leases the HD3 subchannel of KLZT 107.1 in Bastrop, which is owned by Sinclair Telecable Inc. and operates under the name Waterloo Media.

There is also a service agreement to provide underwriting sales for KOWO-LP 104.1 MHz, in Wimberley, operating as Wimberley Texan Radio.

The Sun Radio Network has two construction permits for new stations, one for 96.3 KTHE, a 25,000 watt FM station in Llano, to cover the Upper Highland Lakes, and KMSN 104.1 MHz, a 25,000 watt FM station in Mason, to cover the western portion of the Texas Hill Country to the Edwards Plateau.

Mission

Sun Radio's mission is to preserve the culture of Texas music with a minimal impact on the environment. Sun Radio creates and distributes solar-powered radio programming to non-commercial member stations with a focus on Texas artists and Americana music. They help foster new radio broadcasting careers for the residents of the Texas Hill Country and provide 24-hour a day, local radio for the communities they serve. Proceeds are used to expand local programming, in the creation of local jobs, as support for other non-profit organizations, to broadcast local musicians and events, and to fund new capital projects designed to increase the coverage area.

Sun Radio Network Rebroadcasters
Location Frequency Call sign Effective Radiated Power Height Above Average Terrain Ownership Notes
Austin, Texas100.1 MHzK261DW99 watts373.8 meters (1,226 ft)Sun Radio Network
Hutto, Texas96.1 MHzK241DA250 watts78 meters (256 ft)Sun Radio Network
San Marcos, Texas99.9 MHzK260BC250 watts46.8 meters (154 ft)Sun Radio Network
Luckenbach, Texas106.9 MHzK295CK62 watts94 meters (308 ft)Sun Radio Network
Dripping Springs, Texas103.1 MHzKDRP-LP5 watts137 meters (449 ft)Principle Broadcasting Foundation
Blowout, Texas88.9 MHzKTSN-FM125 watts135 meters (443 ft)Sun Radio Network
Gonzales, Texas88.1 MHzKCTI-FM1,300 watts117 meters (384 ft)Sun Radio Network
Llano, Texas96.3 MHzKTHE-FM25,000 watts92 meters (302 ft)Sun Radio NetworkConstruction Permit—not on the air.
Mason, Texas104.1 MHzKMSN-FM25,000 watts96 meters (315 ft)Sun Radio NetworkConstruction Permit—not on the air.
Bastrop, Texas107.1 MHzKLZT-HD349,000 watts152 meters (499 ft)Emmis CommunicationsSun Radio Network leases the HD3 subchannel.

References
  1. Radio-Locator.com/KTSN
  2. SunRadio.com/about-us
  3. "New Stations: Broadcasting Stations", Radio Service Bulletin, December 31, 1926, page 4.
  4. "Alterations and Corrections: Broadcasting Stations", Radio Service Bulletin, page 8. At the same time, the original KUT in Austin was renamed KTRH and moved to Houston, Texas.
  5. "Alterations and Corrections: Broadcasting Stations", Radio Service Bulletin, January 30, 1932, page 21.
  6. Broadcasting Yearbook 1935 page 58
  7. Broadcasting Yearbook 1950 page 285
  8. Broadcasting Yearbook 1985 page B-256
  9. Broadcasting Yearbook 1990 page B-295
  10. Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook 2010 page D-514

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