Frequency 610 kHz Format Sports/Talk | First air date 1927 | |
City Albuquerque, New Mexico Broadcast area Albuquerque, New Mexico Branding 610 AM: The Sports Animal | ||
KNML (610 kHz) is an American radio station in Albuquerque, New Mexico. It is owned by Cumulus Media and has a sports talk format called "The Sports Animal". The station was the home of Don Imus until April 12, 2007 and is the home of Jim Rome middays. Its studios are located in Downtown Albuquerque and utilizes a daytime and nighttime transmitter within yards of each other; both are located in the southwest quadrant of the city between the Rio Grande and the Sunport.
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Programming
The station features some coverage of University of New Mexico sports teams (mostly women's basketball) but the bulk of UNM coverage is handled by 770 KKOB. The program director was Ian Martin, who had worked for the station since 1999. He resigned from the station during the week of July 15, 2008.
David Jubb and Brandon Vogt are the sole hosts of the afternoon-drive talk show the "Sports Bar" since August 2013 after their co-host, Erik Gee, resigned unexpectedly. The trio had been a group since 2008. Jubb ascended to primary host of the Sports Bar after being hired initially as a midday board operator in April 2008. Vogt, meanwhile, was hired as producer of afternoon drive in March 2008 before becoming a host as well. The "Opening Drive" with Jeff Siembieda, J.J. Buck and Michael Carlyle is the station's morning drive show. Buck and Carlyle come from radio backgrounds as well, with Carlyle now be assistant Program Director of both 610-AM and the 50,000 watt signaled KKOB-AM. Siembieda has a long history of anchoring local television and is now the Executive Director of The New Mexico Bowl. The station has a long history of servicing local sports play by play and information. After a long affiliation with ESPN Radio, 610 picked up Fox Sports Radio for a time but has since gone to CBS Sports Radio. Jim Rome is still heard on the station live M-F.
Previous program directors include: Andrew Paul (now with KXNT in Las Vegas) and Dennis Glasgow. Other personalities who made names for themselves on this station include: Gary Herron (KQTM), Dom Zarella, Jeff Lukas, Blake Taylor, Bob Clark (KKOB), and Mike Powers (KRQE).
History
The Sports Animal began in 1994 on KRZY 1450. In 1996 KRZY was sold to a Spanish-language broadcaster. Citadel Broadcasting moved the format to 1050 AM with the KNML callsign. In 2000 it moved to its current home at 610 AM the second strongest AM signal in Albuquerque. 610 AM was once used as an AM simulcast of KZRR-FM as KZSS for nearly a decade. In 1997 it began running a "personal achievement" format until 1999 when it was traded off for the 95.1 FM frequency with KSVA. Citadel then traded KHTL 920 AM for 610 AM. Citadel merged with Cumulus Media on September 16, 2011.