KGST
| Broadcast area | Fresno and vicinity |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 1600 kHz |
| Branding | Multi Cultural 1600 AM |
| Programming | |
| Format | Regional Mexican |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| KSEQ, KLBN, KKBZ, and KHIT-FM | |
| Technical information | |
| Facility ID | 38453 |
| Class | B |
| Power | 5,000 Watts |
| Links | |
| Website | multicultural1600am.com |
KGST (branded as Multi Cultural AM 1600) is a radio station serving Fresno, California and vicinity broadcasting a Regional Mexican format. The station operates on AM frequency 1600 kHz and is under the ownership of Lotus Communications. Its studios are located north of downtown Fresno with the transmitter tower in the city's southwest portion.
History
KGST, known for much of its history as "La Mexicana," started out as a mixed-format "international" station in 1949 with programs available in Armenian, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, Spanish, and Serbian. Its programs were hosted by brokers who paid for airtime and was one of the earliest radio stations in California and the first in the San Joaquin Valley with full-time Spanish-language programming. At its inception, KGST was the only independent (not affiliated with the four major networks) station in Fresno's five-station market (c.f. White's Radio Log, Fall 1949).
Juan Mercado, who got his start as the Spanish-language programming director at a Visalia station, was one of the most popular deejays at the station. In 1959, he was able to buy the station due to his success. Mercado died just two years later and the station was bought by a couple of men who were at the time running KLOK out of San Jose.[citation needed]
In the mid-1950s to 1960s, KGST was a "eclectic" mix of C&W, Blues, Jazz, and Spanish and other language programming. "Happy Harold's House of Blues" was a program fixture for many years (c.f. Fresno Bee radio logs). In that time, KGST was "sunrise-to-sunset" with a power of 1 kW (c.f. White's Radio Log, various editions).
In 1988, KGST was bought by Lotus Corporation.
External links
- History of KGST "La Mexicana" 1600 AM (history thesis)
- National Park Service: Survey of Historic Sites important to Mexican-Americans in California
- FCC History Cards for KGST
- Facility details for Facility ID KGST ({{{2}}}) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
- {{{2}}} in Nielsen Audio's AM station database