KSKY
KSKY (660 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to Balch Springs, Texas, and serving the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex. It is owned by the Salem Media Group and broadcasts a conservative talk radio format.
 | |
| Broadcast area | Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 660 kHz |
| Branding | 660 AM The Answer |
| Programming | |
| Format | Conservative talk radio |
| Affiliations | Compass Media Networks Radio America Salem Radio Network Townhall Radio News |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| KLTY, KTNO, KWRD-FM | |
| History | |
First air date | September 28, 1941 |
Call sign meaning | Former slogan: "From the skyroof of the Hotel Stoneleigh" |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 6591 |
| Class | B |
| Power | 7,200 watts day 600 watts night |
Transmitter coordinates | 33°02′27″N 96°56′51″W / 33.04083°N 96.94750°W |
| Repeater(s) | 94.9 KLTY-HD2 (Arlington) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Webcast | Listen Live |
| Website | 660amtheanswer.com |
KSKY broadcasts by day at 7,200 watts. Because AM 660 is a clear channel frequency reserved for WFAN in New York City, KSKY must reduce power at night to 600 watts. It uses a directional antenna at all times. The transmitter is on Huffines Boulevard at Stonewall Drive in Lewisville, Texas.[2] Programming is also heard on three FM broadcast relay stations or translators: 92.9 KGPJ-LP in Dallas, 95.5 KRQP-LP in Arlington and 99.9 K260BP in Fort Worth. KSKY is also heard on KLTY's secondary HD Radio signal at 94.9 HD2.
Programming
[edit]KSKY airs mostly nationally syndicated conservative talk hosts on its weekday schedule. One local program is heard in morning drive time, hosted by Mark Davis. The rest of the line up includes Hugh Hewitt, Mike Gallagher, Dennis Prager, Eric Metaxas, Charlie Kirk, Jay Sekulow, Sebastian Gorka and This Morning, America's First News with Gordon Deal.
Weekends feature shows on money and health, some of which are paid brokered programming. There are also repeats of weekday shows. Most hours begin with world and national news from co-owned Townhall Radio News.
History
[edit]On September 28, 1941, KSKY first signed on. It was owned by the Chilton Radio Corp. In 1963, Chilton sold KSKY. Prior to the sale, it flipped to a Christian format, which aired until 2004 when it made the switch to conservative talk. For much of the station's existence, it was phonetically branded as K-Sky.
KSKY was sold to Salem in mid-2000. KSKY was also originally a daytime-only station until the recent[when?] format change and city of license change from Dallas to Balch Springs. KSKY applied for an FM frequency at 106.9 in 1948, then turned down a chance to buy the 98.7 frequency in 1957, and was awarded 91.3 in the 1960s (but no proof that it ever signed on has ever been found, with 91.3 has become a part of the non-commercial band.)
During the station's early days, notables such as Jackie Gleason, Skitch Henderson, Vincent Price, Jane Russell, Jack Webb and Charlton Heston visited the station in person and performed live on KSKY.
Salem Media announced on May 29, 2012, that KSKY would be rebranded as The Answer, with the return of radio personality Mark Davis (previously on WBAP). Salem Communications Corporation’s Director of Spoken Word Format Phil Boyce explained the reason for the rebranding: “This station will truly be an answer for so many things going on in the Metroplex and the world, with smart hosts who know how to help you understand all of those things, not to mention great news, traffic, weather, and information.”[3] Most sister stations with similar conservative talk programming in Salem's portfolio were also eventually rebranded as "The Answer".
On January 1, 2014, KSKY began airing the Sean Hannity show 2–5 pm CT, in a move also from crosstown WBAP.
References
[edit]- ^ "Facility Technical Data for KSKY". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ "KSKY-AM 660 kHz – Balch Springs, TX".
- ^ As Mark Davis makes leap to AM 660, KSKY says it now has ‘The Answer’ Archived June 2, 2012, at the Wayback Machine – The Dallas Morning News (released May 29, 2012).
External links
[edit]- 660 Am The Answer Homepage
- DFW Radio/TV History
- DFW Radio Archives
- Facility details for Facility ID 6591 (KSKY) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
- KSKY in Nielsen Audio's AM station database
- STA Information
- STA Information
- FCC History Cards for KSKY