City Monroe, Louisiana Frequency 540 kHz | Broadcast area Monroe area First air date July 1, 1930 | |
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Branding News Talk 105.7 FM & 540 AM Translator(s) K289CG 105.7 MHz (La Houma) | ||
KMLB (540 kHz) is a commercial AM radio station broadcasting a talk radio format. Licensed to Monroe, Louisiana, the station is owned by Holladay Broadcasting.
Most of KMLB's schedule is made up of nationally syndicated conservative talk shows, including America's Morning News with Matt Ray, Moon Griffon, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Dave Ramsey, Michael Savage, and Coast to Coast AM with George Noory. Weekends feature Kim Komando, Bill Cunningham, Ben Ferguson, Bill Handel and Somewhere in Time with Art Bell. Most hours begin with world and national news from ABC News Radio.
KMLB operates at 4000 watts by day, using a non-directional antenna, covering parts of Louisiana, Arkansas and Mississippi. But because AM 540 is a clear-channel frequency reserved for Canada and Mexico, the station must drastically reduce power at night to 26 watts. All programming is simulcast on FM translator K289CG at 105.7 MHz.
History
On July 1, 1930, KMLB first signed on at 1440 kHz. It was founded by the Liner Family of Monroe. In July of 1946, the station signed on an FM sister station, KMLB-FM, eventually broadcasting on 104.1 MHz (now KJLO-FM). In 2008, KMLB purchased 540 KNOE and moved all programming to that dial position because the coverage was better than 1440 AM.
On October 4, 1944, KNOE first signed on, at 1230 kHz. It was founded by former Governor of Louisiana James A. Noe.
In November 1948, the Federal Communications Commission approved a frequency shift for KNOE from 1230 to 1390 kHz with a concurrent increase in power from 250 watts to 5000 watts. At that time, the station was an NBC Red Network affiliate. On September 27, 1953, the station signed on a TV station, Channel 8 KNOE-TV. On January 9, 1967, 101.9 WNOE-FM (now KMVX) came on the air.
Noe's son, James Albert "Jimmie" Noe Jr., ran KNOE for almost four decades, along with its FM and TV sister stations. When Jimmie Noe died from cancer in 2005, the remaining family members agreed to place the stations up for sale and exit broadcasting. In November 2006, the Noe family reached an agreement to sell this station to Clay Holladay's Holladay Broadcasting; the following year, its other stations would be sold, with KNOE-FM sold to another Holladay subsidiary, Radio Monroe; and KNOE-TV sold to Hoak Media Corporation.
On March 6, 2007, the station announced extensive programming changes, moving Rush Limbaugh to KNOE and adding new programming. According to the news story, KMLB, then at 1440 AM, would be a "general interest talk" station while 540 KNOE would become a "political talk" station.
In the summer of 2008, KNOE became KMLB. All programming was consolidated on 540 AM from the higher frequency. The 1440 AM frequency was taken off the air, with its license surrendered to the Federal Communications Commission.