City Sun Valley, Idaho Frequency 95.3 MHz | Branding KECH 95 First air date February 16, 1988 | |
Broadcast area Twin Falls (Sun Valley) area Slogan Your Classic Rock Station | ||
KECH-FM (95.3 FM) is a radio station broadcasting a classic rock format. Licensed to Sun Valley, Idaho, United States, the station serves the Twin Falls (Sun Valley) area. The station is currently owned by Rich Broadcasting, LLC, through licensee RP Broadcasting LS, LLC.
History
The station was originally assigned the KWRU call sign by the FCC on 1988-02-16 and was to be a not for profit community radio station. Soon afterwards, on 1988-10-05, the station changed its call sign to the current KECH. When funding ultimately fell short for the non profit, it sold the license (construction permit) to a local, for-profit business, Ketchum Radio, Inc. -- a partnership, headed by local residents, Chris Haugh, and staff members including Larry Mott and Gary Stivers. Ms. Haugh and the employees ultimately put the station on the air in 1988. The call letters were chosen as a result of a contest, where listeners were asked to pick the call sign for the station. One listener chose KECH (short for the neighboring town of Ketchum). The listener won a prize, and the company applied for the call sign change. In 1994, Ketchum Radio sold the station to another local operator, Scott Parker's Alpine Broadcasting, Ltd., who owned/operated the station for ten years as its flagship (first) station. Alpine, also based in Ketchum, went on to grow to a ten station group, then sold most of its stations to Chaparral Broadcasting, Inc.
Chaparral sold KECH-FM and seven other stations to Rich Broadcasting for $3.7 million; the transaction was consummated on April 1, 2013.
"KECH-95", (as it is known locally) continues to be the leading station in the Wood River Valley (Blaine County, ID) with local personalities and its service to community affairs.