KLIF
Encyclopedia
KLIF is a commercial
radio station
licensed
to serve Dallas, Texas
, USA. The station is owned by Cumulus Media
. KLIF broadcasts a conservative-leaning news
/talk radio
format to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.
. The station which formerly broadcast music and talk on 1190 AM, was Dallas' and one of the nation's biggest Top 40 radio stations. It virtually defined 1950s and 1960s Top 40 radio. Playing Top 40 music during the 1950s and 1960s, it achieved an over 50 share, an unparalleled ratings success.
The station saw success in music and talk radio broadcasting. In 1954 1190 KLIF switched from a more varied music programming approach to one that focused on hit music with periodic news. McLendon collected the names of local leaders in business and government working them into news on the station. McLendon said there were only two things that radio could compete with television on "music and news". When FM radio took over Top 40 music during the late 1970s, the station lost its dominance in Top 40 music and later switched to talk radio. The KLIF call letters and format were moved to 570 AM in 1990. The frequency KLIF formerly occupied now hosts competitor news station KFXR
.
format which eventually changed to the news/talk format the station now programs, while WFAA moved to an adult-oriented Top 40 format to compete with KLIF and KNUS-FM. WFAA music radio lasted until the mid-1970s when the station began a talk radio format that lasted until 1983 when the station went stereo with classic rock
music and the call letters KRQX. The station changed its call letters to KLDD in 1987 and had a 1950s and 1960s oldies music format.
On February 5, 1990, Susquehanna Radio Corporation
purchased KLDD 570 kHz from Anchor Media Ltd. That purchase became final on November 29, 1990. Beginning at 5 AM that morning, KLIF simulcast on both frequencies for one week, and then began broadcasting on 570 kHz permanently. Susquehanna Radio Corporation, a division of kitchenware maker Susquehanna Pfaltzgraff, was sold to Cumulus Broadcasting in 2005.
Despite different owners, KLIF and KDFW-TV
maintain a strong partnership. (as KDFW is the local Fox
O&O affiliate).
on November 22, 1963. KLIF News was always quick to report news bulletins when they came in, and this resulted in the station being one of the first media outlets on the air with reports of the shooting.
KLIF 1190 AM changed to talk radio during the early 1980s and became one the market's leading talk radio stations before other competitors soon emerged. KRLD, its primary competitor during the mid and late 1980s, was mostly all-news.
KLIF had its "classic" lineup of hosts. Kevin McCarthy, a more centrist host, held the midday spot with interesting interviews and converstational radio. David Gold (talk radio host)
had the late afternoon shift with his brand of conservatism. Gold may well have been Dallas' first major conservative host. The station's morning show featured Norm Hitzges on sports. Hitzges virtually defined AM sports talk. Up until then, sports talk had primarily aired in afternoons and evenings in most U.S. cities.
That lineup made the station one of the most respected Dallas-Fort Worth talk radio stations. Community leaders and politicians listened regularly, according to a Dallas magazine report.
It was during this time when KLIF achieved its highest ratings ever as a news-talk station, the only time it ever cracked the Top 10 after its Top 40 hey day.
Competition in the form of all-sports radio began to hurt KLIF's ratings. Also, during the late 1990s, KLIF's station owners stumbled by removing its popular hosts. The respected Gold was let go and the respected McCarthy was dismissed in favor of more confrontational shows. This change in the lineup caused listeners who had tuned into Gold and McCarthy for years to depart, and as a result, the station's ratings plummeted, barely garnering a 1.0 share.
, Mikel Hunter Herrington
, Kevin Stovall, Greg Knapp, Norm Hitzges
, Darrell Ankarlo, Jon-David Wells
Commercial broadcasting
Commercial broadcasting is the broadcasting of television programs and radio programming by privately owned corporate media, as opposed to state sponsorship...
radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
licensed
City of license
A city of license or community of license, in American and Canadian broadcasting, is the community that a radio station or television station is officially licensed to serve by that country's broadcast regulator....
to serve Dallas, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, USA. The station is owned by Cumulus Media
Cumulus Media
Cumulus Media, Inc. is the second largest Owner and Operator of AM and FM radio stations in the United States, behind Clear Channel Communications, operating 570 stations in 150 markets as of September 16, 2011. The company also owns Cumulus Media Networks...
. KLIF broadcasts a conservative-leaning news
News Radio
News Radio can refer to:* NewsRadio, the NBC sitcom which aired from 1995–1999.* News radio, the all-news or news/talk radio format....
/talk radio
Talk radio
Talk radio is a radio format containing discussion about topical issues. Most shows are regularly hosted by a single individual, and often feature interviews with a number of different guests. Talk radio typically includes an element of listener participation, usually by broadcasting live...
format to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex.
Call sign history
The call letters KLIF achieved recognition in radio broadcasting through the efforts of Gordon McLendonGordon McLendon
Gordon Barton McLendon was a radio pioneer and pirate radio broadcaster. He has been coined the Maverick of Radio. McLendon is widely credited for perfecting, with great commercial success, the Top 40 radio format during the 1950s and 1960s which was first invented by Todd Storz and for developing...
. The station which formerly broadcast music and talk on 1190 AM, was Dallas' and one of the nation's biggest Top 40 radio stations. It virtually defined 1950s and 1960s Top 40 radio. Playing Top 40 music during the 1950s and 1960s, it achieved an over 50 share, an unparalleled ratings success.
The station saw success in music and talk radio broadcasting. In 1954 1190 KLIF switched from a more varied music programming approach to one that focused on hit music with periodic news. McLendon collected the names of local leaders in business and government working them into news on the station. McLendon said there were only two things that radio could compete with television on "music and news". When FM radio took over Top 40 music during the late 1970s, the station lost its dominance in Top 40 music and later switched to talk radio. The KLIF call letters and format were moved to 570 AM in 1990. The frequency KLIF formerly occupied now hosts competitor news station KFXR
KFXR (AM)
KFXR is a radio station in Dallas, Texas, programing classic country when it is not airing brokered programming. It began broadcasting in 1947 as KLIF...
.
Station history
KGKO of Wichita Falls moved to Fort Worth after being purchased by Amon Carter. WFAA and WBAP had a shared time agreement that lasted until May 1, 1970 when WFAA operated on 570 alone and WBAP moved to 820. This arrangement allowed both stations to program full-time music formats; WBAP launched a highly-successful country musicCountry music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
format which eventually changed to the news/talk format the station now programs, while WFAA moved to an adult-oriented Top 40 format to compete with KLIF and KNUS-FM. WFAA music radio lasted until the mid-1970s when the station began a talk radio format that lasted until 1983 when the station went stereo with classic rock
Classic rock
Classic rock is a radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format features music ranging generally from the late 1960s to the late 1980s, primarily focusing on the hard rock genre that peaked in popularity in the...
music and the call letters KRQX. The station changed its call letters to KLDD in 1987 and had a 1950s and 1960s oldies music format.
On February 5, 1990, Susquehanna Radio Corporation
Susquehanna Radio Corporation
The Susquehanna Radio Corporation was a media corporation which operated from 1941 to 2006 that was headquartered in York, Pennsylvania. The company was a unit of Susquehanna Pfaltzgraff, a conglomerate more widely known for the Pfaltzgraff kitchenware line than its broadcasting pursuits.Some of...
purchased KLDD 570 kHz from Anchor Media Ltd. That purchase became final on November 29, 1990. Beginning at 5 AM that morning, KLIF simulcast on both frequencies for one week, and then began broadcasting on 570 kHz permanently. Susquehanna Radio Corporation, a division of kitchenware maker Susquehanna Pfaltzgraff, was sold to Cumulus Broadcasting in 2005.
Despite different owners, KLIF and KDFW-TV
KDFW
KDFW, virtual channel 4 , is the Fox owned-and-operated television station in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex designated market area....
maintain a strong partnership. (as KDFW is the local Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
O&O affiliate).
Talk radio success
An event which foreshadowed KLIF's future success in the news/talk format was the assassination of John F. KennedyAssassination of John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the thirty-fifth President of the United States, was assassinated at 12:30 p.m. Central Standard Time on Friday, November 22, 1963, in Dealey Plaza, Dallas, Texas...
on November 22, 1963. KLIF News was always quick to report news bulletins when they came in, and this resulted in the station being one of the first media outlets on the air with reports of the shooting.
KLIF 1190 AM changed to talk radio during the early 1980s and became one the market's leading talk radio stations before other competitors soon emerged. KRLD, its primary competitor during the mid and late 1980s, was mostly all-news.
KLIF had its "classic" lineup of hosts. Kevin McCarthy, a more centrist host, held the midday spot with interesting interviews and converstational radio. David Gold (talk radio host)
David Gold (talk radio host)
David Gold is an American conservative talk radio host. Gold, who has been a talk radio host since the mid 1970s, one of the first U.S. conservative talk radio hosts...
had the late afternoon shift with his brand of conservatism. Gold may well have been Dallas' first major conservative host. The station's morning show featured Norm Hitzges on sports. Hitzges virtually defined AM sports talk. Up until then, sports talk had primarily aired in afternoons and evenings in most U.S. cities.
That lineup made the station one of the most respected Dallas-Fort Worth talk radio stations. Community leaders and politicians listened regularly, according to a Dallas magazine report.
It was during this time when KLIF achieved its highest ratings ever as a news-talk station, the only time it ever cracked the Top 10 after its Top 40 hey day.
Competition in the form of all-sports radio began to hurt KLIF's ratings. Also, during the late 1990s, KLIF's station owners stumbled by removing its popular hosts. The respected Gold was let go and the respected McCarthy was dismissed in favor of more confrontational shows. This change in the lineup caused listeners who had tuned into Gold and McCarthy for years to depart, and as a result, the station's ratings plummeted, barely garnering a 1.0 share.
Former hosts
David Gold, Kevin McCarthyKevin McCarthy (radio)
Kevin McCarthy has been a radio-television personality in north Texas since Gordon McLendon brought him to Dallas as part of the original staff of KNUS/99 in 1972...
, Mikel Hunter Herrington
Captain Mikey
Marion Elbridge Herrington , , best known as Captain Mikey , was an American disc jockey; voice-over actor, who was the national voice for Sears; and innovative radio program...
, Kevin Stovall, Greg Knapp, Norm Hitzges
Norm Hitzges
Norman R. Hitzges is an author and sports talk radio host at KTCK in Dallas, Texas. Hitzges moved to KTCK after sister station KLIF removed sports talk programming from its lineup....
, Darrell Ankarlo, Jon-David Wells