<!-- RK was launched in February 1989 on KZAN 1300 AM -->
KMPC (1540 AM, "Radio Korea", 라디오코리아) is a commercial radio station licensed to Los Angeles, California, United States. It is owned by P&Y Broadcasting Corporation. Radio Korea is a division of the Radio Korea Media Group. The station airs Korean language programming, a blend of talk, news, information, and music for the largest Korean American community in the United States, and the largest Korean community outside Korea. KMPC is one of four radio stations in the region that broadcast entirely in Korean, the others are KGBN in Anaheim, KYPA in Los Angeles and KFOX inTorrance.
KMPC's transmitter is sited off of Carter Drive in the El Sereno district of Los Angeles.
History
KPOL
On September 22, 1952, the station signed on with the call sign KPOL. The following year, its power was increased to 10,000 watts. That gave the station its call letters. Tom Kennedy, later a popular TV game show host, was a polka DJ on the station during this era.
In 1959, KPOL advertised on a billboard at Los Angeles's Wrigley Field, which can be seen in the television series Home Run Derby.
In 1966, KPOL-AM-FM were sold to Capital Cities Broadcasting for $7.8 million. In the late 1970s, the station switched to a soft adult contemporary format. In August 1978, it began carrying the syndicated Larry King Show overnight.
KZLA
In 1979, the station's call sign was changed to KZLA while airing a more upbeat adult contemporary format, simulcast with 93.9 KZLA-FM. But with several other AC stations in Los Angeles, KZLA-AM-FM had trouble achieving significant ratings.
In 1980, with no country music station on FM in Los Angeles, KZLA-AM-FM flipped to a country format.
As of 2006, the KZLA calls are assigned to a Rhythmic Oldies station serving Fresno, California.
Spanish language era
In 1984, the station was sold to Spanish Broadcasting System for $5 million. In December 1984, the station's call sign was changed to KSKQ, and it adopted a Spanish language format as "La Super KQ". (KSKQ is now a non-commercial educational station in Ashland, Oregon.)
On August 4, 1992, its call sign was changed to KXED, and it aired a Mexican pop/contemporary format branded "La Grande" or The Big One. On March 29, 1996, the station's call sign was changed to KXMG.
Sports era
In 1997, One on One Sports Inc. of Northbrook, Illinois, purchased the station and changed its format to sports, as an owned-and-operated network affiliate of One-on-One Sports, later known as Sporting News Radio, a nationally syndicated 24/7 sports network. On December 19, 1997, its call sign was changed to KCTD. The KMPC call letters had long been used in Los Angeles on AM 710 (now KSPN). On February 10, 2003, the station began to be branded "1540 The Ticket", concurrent with the launch of a new local morning show, hosted by Roger Lodge.
The station covered Southern California sports teams, including the San Diego Chargers. Fred Roggin,
Former Los Angeles Dodgers broadcaster Ross Porter filled in for Roggin in May 2005.
Roger Nadel, former GM of all-news KFWB in Los Angeles, was General Manager.
In June 2006, former afternoon host and KNBC-TV sports director Fred Roggin left KMPC, resulting in a shift in the station's daily programming lineup and the addition of a new program, the Atlanta-based 2 Live Stews.
On September 5, 2006, it was announced that Sporting News Radio would be sold to American City Business Journals for an undisclosed price. In October 2006, the station fired all local on-air staff.
Radio Korea
In 2007, the station was sold to P&Y Broadcasting for $33 million, and it began to air Korean language programming as "Radio Korea". In April 2013, KMPC began airing Korean language broadcasts of Los Angeles Dodgers baseball games.
References
External links
- Radio Korea Website
- Tony Bruno Show