KNEK (AM)

KNEK
Former simulcast of KNEK-FM
Broadcast areaLafayette metropolitan area
Frequency1190 kHz
BrandingMagic 104.7 KNEK
Programming
FormatUrban adult contemporary
AffiliationsPremiere Networks
Ownership
Owner
KNEK-FM, KRRQ, KSMB, KXKC
History
First air date
August 18, 1980 (1980-08-18)
Last air date
May 2023 (2023-05)
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID15801
ClassD
Power250 watts day
Links
Public license information

KNEK (1190 AM) was a radio station in Washington, Louisiana, United States, under ownership of Cumulus Media. The station simulcast sister station KNEK-FM, which broadcasts on the frequency of 104.7 FM. Its studios were located on Galbert Road in Lafayette, and its transmitter was located south of Washington, Louisiana. Because it shared the same frequency as clear-channel station XEWK-AM at Guadalajara, Jalisco, Mexico, KNEK only operated during the daytime hours.

History

KNEK started in August 1980 as a daytime-only, country music–formatted station, the first new AM outlet in the area since the 1940s.[2]

In 1994, KNEK AM dropped its then-current format of gospel music and adopted an all-zydeco format, the only one of its kind.[3] The format was dropped in 1998, a year after Citywide Broadcasting of Lafayette bought the station from Dee Broadcasting;[4] the new owners locked out the old disc jockeys and changed the format to satellite-delivered Motown music.[5]

Citadel Broadcasting acquired all of Citywide's stations in the Baton Rouge and Lafayette markets for $34 million in late 1998.[6] In 2006, Citadel placed KNEK-FM in The Last Bastion Station Trust, LLC, upon its 2006 merger with ABC Radio.[7] Citadel swapped KRDJ with KNEK-FM in 2008, opting to keep the latter.[8] Citadel merged with Cumulus Media on September 16, 2011.[9]

The station went off the air in May 2023 due to transmitter issues. Cumulus Media would surrender the KNEK license to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in March 2024.[10] The Federal Communications Commission cancelled the station’s license on April 26, 2024.[11]

References

  1. ^ "Facility Technical Data for KNEK". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^ "New Radio Station Goes On The Air Here". Daily World. Opelousas, Louisiana. August 10, 1980. p. 6-A. Retrieved March 20, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ Fuselier, Herman (March 31, 1994). "KNEK moves to all-zydeco format". Daily World. Opelousas, Louisiana. pp. TV 1, 20. Retrieved March 20, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Transactions". Radio & Records. May 16, 1997. p. 6. ProQuest 1017295035.
  5. ^ Fuselier, Herman (March 5, 1994). "'Godfather of Zydeco Radio' is back on the air". Daily World. Opelousas, Louisiana. p. 1. Retrieved March 20, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Transactions: Citadel Gets Citywide Coverage In Two Louisiana Towns". Radio & Records. September 11, 1998. ProQuest 1017309277.
  7. ^ "3 Arkansas Radio Stations Placed in Trust, Awaiting FCC Ruling". Arkansas Business. 2006-03-06. Retrieved 2024-03-20.
  8. ^ "Transactions: 2-08-09 [sic]". Radio and Television Business Report. February 8, 2008.
  9. ^ "Cumulus now owns Citadel Broadcasting". Atlanta Business Journal. September 16, 2011. Retrieved September 16, 2011.
  10. ^ Venta, Lance (March 17, 2024). "FCC Report 3/17: $16,200 Penalty & Translator Cancellation Proposed Against Georgia AM". RadioInsight. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  11. ^ "License Cancelled". Federal Communications Commission Licensing and Management System. April 26, 2024. Retrieved April 29, 2024.

30°35′9.71″N 92°04′0.43″W / 30.5860306°N 92.0667861°W / 30.5860306; -92.0667861


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