Category Archives: Local News

FCC Grants KFMB-AM Sale to iHeartMedia

On May 29, 2020, the FCC granted the application to transfer control of KFMB-AM from Local Media San Diego to iHeartMedia. Local Media San Diego had purchased both KFMB-AM and -FM from TEGNA, but held onto only the FM station, now with the call letters KFBG (FM). KFMB-AM will have to change call letters as a condition of the TEGNA sale. KFMB 760 joins KOGO 600 and KLSD 1360 as San Diego market AM properties of iHeartMedia.

KFMB-AM has been operating under an LMA by iHeart since Local Media acquired it in March. The station runs a talk format with local hosts Mark Larson and Mike Slater as well as nationally syndicated hosts Armstrong & Getty and Mark Levin.

KFSD (AM) 1450 Back on the Air

KFSD Escondido returned to the air May 20, 2020 with its adult standards music format, just under a year after going silent in June 2019. The station, owned by the Astor Group, has been looking for a buyer to take over the station since Art Astor passed away in 2016.

KDTF-LD to Move to Soledad

The FCC on May 5, 2020 granted Entravision’s application to move Spanish language KDTF-LD from Mt. San Miguel to Mt. Soledad. Since last year’s repack, the station has operated on UHF channel 16, which is co-channel with T-band first responder fire and police in the Los Angeles metro area. The new antenna pattern will provide a deep null in the direction of Los Angeles and Orange Counties while transmitting a 15 kW ERP signal southeast toward San Diego, National City, Chula Vista, and Tijuana. Entravision operates Univision affiliate KBNT-CD channel 24 from the KGTV site on Mt. Soledad now.

100.7 FM is Officially KFBG

(Update 4/23/2020: The FCC approved the change and KFBG (FM) was using the new call letters today.)

According to RadioInsight, Local Media San Diego, recent buyers of KFMB-FM, have applied to change the station’s call letters to KFBG (FM). Garrett Michaels, who was the Program Director for KFMB-FM from 2016 to early 2017 and more recently for XETRA 91X, will program BIG-FM with a Classic Hits format of music from the 70s, 80s, and 90s. 100.7 FM began using the new identity Monday but will have to wait for FCC approval on the call letters. 

Historically, KFMB-FM began broadcasting in 1947 on 101.5 MHz from atop the North Park Theater, but gave up and signed-off in 1950. It started up again in 1959 on 100.7 MHz from Mt. Soledad with jazz music, then transitioned in 1960 to a beautiful music format that remained until the wildly popular B-100 personality-driven pop music format started in 1975. 

Dean Imhof is the full-time chief engineer for Local Media San Diego, which includes XHTZ 90.3, XETRA 91.1, XHRM 92.5, and now KFMB-FM (soon to be KFBG (FM)) 100.7.