KPTK
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| City of license | Seattle, Washington |
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| Broadcast area | Greater Puget Sound region, Washington |
| Branding | AM 1090 |
| Slogan | Seattle's Progressive Talk |
| Frequency | 1090 kHz |
| First air date | 1927 |
| Format | Progressive talk |
| Power | 50,000 watts |
| Class | B |
| Facility ID | 6387 |
| Callsign meaning | Progressive TalK |
| Former callsigns | KVL (???-???) KEVR (???-1947) KING (1947-1995) KKNG (1995-1995) KINF (1995-1995) KNWX (1995-1995) KRPM-AM (09/22/1995-03/18/1996) KMPS-AM (03/18/1996-07/01/1999) KYCW-AM (07/01/1999-10/28/2004) |
| Affiliations | Air America Radio |
| Owner | CBS Radio (CBS Radio Stations Inc.) |
| Sister stations | KJAQ, KMPS-FM, KZOK-FM |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | cbsseattle.com |
KPTK is a Progressive talk radio station based in Seattle, Washington, broadcasting at 1090 kHz.
Billing itself as "Seattle's Progressive Talk," KPTK broadcasts syndicated progressive/liberal talk programs hosted by personalities such as Ed Schultz, Mike Malloy, Randi Rhodes, Thom Hartmann, Rachel Maddow and Stephanie Miller. KPTK was also the flagship station of Air America Radio's Ron Reagan Show.[1][2] KPTK is also the radio home of the Seattle Storm.
KPTK is currently ranked #30 with a 0.6 share of the Seattle-Tacoma market Arbitron ratings report.[3]
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[edit] History
What is now known as KPTK began as KVL, then KEVR sometime in the late 1930s.[4] The station is considered to be the second oldest radio station in Seattle, the first being KJR, which began broadcasting in 1922.
[edit] KING-AM
For several decades, the 1090 kHz frequency was home to KING-AM, founded in 1947 by broadcasting pioneer Dorothy Stimson Bullitt. KING was known as the "Mighty 10-90," featuring legendary radio personalities such as Frosty Fowler, Ray Court, Mark Wayne and late night talk with Irving Clark's "Clark on King." The station was an NBC Radio network affiliate which had many monitor features and local news, often using KING-TV anchors. The format of music was MOR, but also mixed in with jazz, bossa nova and some swing. When compared to KJR, KING had a light-hearted and upbeat direction, an opposition to KJR's hip direction, as well as not being as staid as KIRO. The late '60s personalities defected to KIRO and other markets. Bob and Jim, a duo team was brought in from KREM in Spokane, but by then, personality Larry Nelson on KOMO (AM), and KIRO's news was beginning to gain traction in the market. Later in its life, KING focused on left-leaning political talk during the final years.
During the 1970s, the station flipped to CHR and changed monikers to "Musicradio 11 KING" and competed even more closer with KJR. The line-up at the time included such Seattle radio personalities as Gary Lockwood (who later defected to KJR) and Bruce Murdock, with the Murdock in the Morning show (he would later move to KLSY and is now heard at KKCW in Portland). When KJR unveiled its yellow "Sunshine" window sticker, KING followed with its own red "Sunburst" sticker.
[edit] Soft Rock and More
In 1980, KING experienced a major change. As AM music radio lost young listeners to FM, KING gave up on Top 40 and flipped to Soft AC, while retaining the "Musicradio 11 KING" moniker. KING's slogan was "Soft Rock and More". The station's tagline used in advertising was "You grew up with us, now we've grown up for you". This format was parodied on April Fool's Day, 1991 by rock station KISW. Ratings for KING at this time were low.
[edit] Talk and Country era
On October 4, 1982,[5] KING adopted a news-talk format, primarily with local personalities, and branded simply as "KING NewsTalk 1090". These included Jim Altoff, Carl Dombek, Jeff Ray, Randy Rowland, Mike and Candace Siegel and Pat Cashman. This format did decent in the ratings, though they were never at the level that they were as a Top 40.
The 1090 frequency would be acquired by Bonneville, and then EZ Communications in 1995. The long-running KING call letters would be dropped for KINF, then KKNG shortly after, followed by KNWX. The station switched formats (but not call letters) with KULL (who was simulcasting KRPM) and became KRPM-AM, an AM simulcast for one of three country stations that would be acquired by Infinity Broadcasting (which bought the station in 1996) in the mid-90's, which included KRPM (then KCIN, now KBKS), KMPS, and KYCW (now KJAQ). 1090 also carried the call letters KMPS-AM, and then KYCW-AM. The simulcasting stopped in 1999 and 1090 flipped to a locally programmed Classic Country station. The station began broadcasting in AM Stereo in March 2001.
Beginning August 4, 2001, the station ran promos promoting a new format that advised listeners to "listen at their own risk". At 5 AM on Monday, August 6, the station flipped to hot talk as "Extreme Radio 1090" featuring Bob Rivers' "Twisted Radio" in mornings (who was also simulcasted on KZOK-FM), Opie & Anthony, Jim Rome, Ron and Fez, Don and Mike, and Phil Hendrie. The station was also a Sporting News Radio affiliate. The station's ratings were abyssmal, usually peaking at a 0.4 share. KYCW would return to classic country at 11 PM on May 19, 2002. The station's second version would include the return of personalites previously heard on the first incarnation of the format, including "Tall" Paul Fredericks from 5-9 AM, Mike Preston from 9-noon, PD Becky Brenner from Noon-3 PM, "Buffalo" Phil Harper from 3-7 PM, and Sheldon Smith from 7-Midnight. The station, however, still had low ratings, usually peaking at a 1.3.
On October 25, 2004, at Midnight, the station flipped to its current format and changed call letters to KPTK days later[6] . The station mostly ran programs from Air America Radio until its bankruptcy in 2010. The station was the flagship for The Ron Reagan Show, which is hosted by the former president's son. The station also carries three local lifestyle programs on weekends, as well as Swirl Radio, a LGBT-targeted show on Saturday afternoons, and Community Matters, a public issues show hosted by Lee Callahan on Sunday afternoons.
Starting in 2011, KPTK has been the radio home of the Seattle Storm.
KPTK's programming is also carried on KJAQ-HD3.
[edit] Events
- On June 10, 2006 KPTK sponsored a forum at Seattle Town Hall entitled, Changing the Media, Changing America. Air America Radio (and now MSNBC) host Rachel Maddow moderated the event featuring other panelists Stephanie Miller, Thom Hartmann, Mike Malloy, and Laura Flanders. Video of the event as well as an audio podcast can be found at the station's website.[7]
[edit] References
- ^ Ron Reagan added as permanent Air America host, ltradio.blogspot.com
- ^ KPTK Weekday Program Lineup
- ^ http://www.radio-info.com/markets/seattle-tacoma
- ^ 1937 Seattle City Directory shows Gellermann, Vincent as "opr KVL Broadcasting Sta"
- ^ "RadioInsight.com". http://radioinsight.com/boards/index.php?t=msg&goto=62304&rid=15&S=0b84ce4b24ffcd04caeb51966195d9a4#msg_62304. Retrieved 2007-02-14.
- ^ KPTK station information, Federal Communications Commission
- ^ KPTK Official Site: Video and audio files of Changing the Media, Changing America
[edit] External links
- CBS Seattle
- Query the FCC's AM station database for KPTK
- Radio-Locator Information on KPTK
- Query Arbitron's AM station database for KPTK
Coordinates: 47°23′38″N 122°25′25″W / 47.39389°N 122.42361°W
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