City Yuma, Arizona Slogan "Talk, News, Sports" | Branding News Talk Radio 560 Frequency 560 kHz | |
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Broadcast area Yuma, Arizona/El Centro, California First air date March 3, 1940 (license)
September 6, 1959 (KBLU) | ||
KBLU (560 AM) is an American commercial radio station in Yuma, Arizona. It airs a news/talk format which includes syndicated programs such as Dr. Laura, Rush Limbaugh and Coast to Coast AM from Premiere Radio Networks.
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History
The station holds the oldest active radio license in the Yuma market, first signing on March 3, 1940 as KYUM at 1210 kHz. It was a NBC affiliate and operated with 250 watts during the day and 100 watts at night. KYUM moved to 1240 AM on March 29, 1941, then to 560 AM with 1000 watts full-time on March 29, 1951. By the late 1960s, the station had come under the ownership of Combined Communications.
Radio station KBLU signed on September 6, 1959 as a 500 watt, daytime-only station at 1320 AM. It was founded by Robert Crites, and, with its television sister station, KBLU-TV (now KSWT), became part of Eller Telecasting in the late 1960s. The station had a top 40 music format and was affiliated with NBC radio in the 1970s.
In 1969, Eller Telecasting sought to merge with Combined Communications. The FCC approved the merger on October 22, 1969, but required that Combined Communications divest itself of either KBLU or KYUM. Due to a stronger signal and favorable dial position, the parent company chose to keep the 560 AM license and to donate the 1320 AM license to Arizona Western College so that it could start its own radio station, KAWC. The KBLU call sign and intellectual unit transferred to 560 AM.
Crites became the owner of KBLU again; the station was sold by Crites to Sun Country Broadcasting of Texas in 1983; Sun Country also bought KTTI at the same time.
KBLU and KTTI were owned by Robert Tezak, the owner of Uno, from 1988 to 1995. That year, they were purchased by Commonwealth Broadcasting, owner of KYJT (now KQSR). In a quick succession of owners, Commonwealth was acquired by Capstar in 1997, Capstar merged with Chancellor Broadcasting to form AMFM in 1998, and Clear Channel acquired AMFM in 1999.
Clear Channel sold its Yuma stations to current owner El Dorado Broadcasters in 2007.
Notable alumni
Alumni include: