KORL (AM)

KORL

City of license	Honolulu, Hawaii
Frequency	1180 kHz returning to 1170 kHz in 2010
First air date	1959 (At 1170) 2006 (at 1180)
Format	Silent (to be Spanish Religious in 2010)
Power	1,000 watts (unlimited)
Class	B
Facility ID	13985
Transmitter coordinates	21°26′18″N 157°59′29″W
Callsign meaning	K(C)ORaL
Former callsigns	KOHO (2/1959-4/2000) KNUG (4/00-10/00) KBNZ (10/00-8/01) KZEZ (8/01-9/01) KBNZ (9/01-1/02) KENT (1/02-1/04) KJPN (1/04-1/05) KHCN (1/05-10/06)
Owner	Hochman-McCain Hawaii (Sale pending to Centro Cristiano Vida Abundante)
Sister stations	KITH, KJMQ, KONI, KORL-FM, KPHI, KRKH, KRYL, KTOH

KORL (1180 AM) is an American radio station located in Honolulu, Hawaii, that is currently off the air. The station was owned by Hochman-McCain Hawaii and had offered a Multicutural format, broadcasting at 1180 kHz with a power level of 1,000 watts. They were the third station in Honolulu to carry the KORL calls, whose previous homes were at 650 AM and 690 AM respectively. Starting in 2010, the station will return as a Spanish-language religious radio outlet under new owners Centro Cristiano Vida Abundante.

History

This frequency was once home to Japanese-language broadcaster KOHO, which was at 1170 kHz, up until its sign-off in 2002, when its changed calls to KENT. In 2005 Salem bought the signal back on the air as KHCM and adopted a country music format. In 2006 it moved to the 1180 frequency, followed by a swap with KORL's owners for the 690 signal.

Construction permit

On August 18, 2008, this station was granted a construction permit to relocate to 1170 kHz, downgrade to a class D station with 330 watts of daytime power and 140 watts at night, plus relocate the broadcast transmitter southeast to 21°20'10"N, 157°53'33"W, the former KRUD (now KPHI) tower site. This permit expires on August 18, 2011.

Silent

On September 23, 2008, KORL signed off the air to make way for the sign-on of sister station KPHI, whose 1130 frequency offers a better signal coverage on the island and whose construction permit was about to expire.

On October 14, 2008, the FCC accepted for filing a request by KORL for special temporary authority to remain silent for technical reasons until the new transmitter site authorized by the August 2008 construction permit can be completed. The station's application states that ownership expects KORL, to be silent for only a short period of time.

On September 17, 2009 Hochman-McCain announced that it has sold KORL to Centro Cristiano Vida Abundante, a religious broadcaster whose programming targets a Hispanic audience. When the station returns to the air in 2010 it will broadcast a Spanish Religious format, and in turn give Hawaii its first Spanish-language radio station. However they will have to find new call letters, since Hochman-McCain has decided to hold on to the KORL calls.

External links

• KORL official website
• Query the FCC's AM station database for KORL
• Radio-Locator Information on KORL
• Query Arbitron's AM station database for KORL