KXO (AM)
Encyclopedia
KXO is a radio station that broadcasts from El Centro, California
, at 1230 on the AM radio dial. KXO was founded in 1927, which is why it carries a three-letter callsign. KXO represents Yuma, Arizona
and can be heard in a range from Tucson, Arizona
to Palm Springs, California
.
KXO was thought to be the oldest living radio station in the California
Sonoran Desert
region (the Imperial Valley
and Coachella Valley
) between Riverside
and Phoenix
in the 1930s and 1940s.
It was under affiliation of ABC Radio, CBS Radio
and NBC Radio in the course of its long history. Over the years, KXO has featured several different formats. Currently, the station broadcasts oldies
music with a strong base of music from the 1950s and 60s, but increasingly has 1970s/80s single hits.
KXO is owned and operated by KXO Inc., which also operates KXO-FM
, an adult contemporary music station at 107.5 FM. The stations are broadcast from the same office on El Centro's Main Street.
KXO had a historical partnership with television stations KECY and KSWT
, which
had been ABC
, CBS
, Fox
and NBC
network affiliates, as well the defunct 1970s era KXO-TV channel 7/11 in the 1970s and early '80s.
They also share the same on-air personalities and news broadcasts. In addition to the oldies and CBS news on the hour, KXO AM also features broadcasts of San Diego Chargers
football, San Diego Padres
baseball, Los Angeles Lakers
basketball, as well as local high school football games.
El Centro, California
El Centro is a city in and county seat of Imperial County, the largest city in the Imperial Valley and the east anchor of the Southern California Border Region, and the core urban area and principal city of the El Centro metropolitan area which encompasses all of Imperial County. El Centro is also...
, at 1230 on the AM radio dial. KXO was founded in 1927, which is why it carries a three-letter callsign. KXO represents Yuma, Arizona
Yuma, Arizona
Yuma is a city in and the county seat of Yuma County, Arizona, United States. It is located in the southwestern corner of the state, and the population of the city was 77,515 at the 2000 census, with a 2008 Census Bureau estimated population of 90,041....
and can be heard in a range from Tucson, Arizona
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
to Palm Springs, California
Palm Springs, California
Palm Springs is a desert city in Riverside County, California, within the Coachella Valley. It is located approximately 37 miles east of San Bernardino, 111 miles east of Los Angeles and 136 miles northeast of San Diego...
.
KXO was thought to be the oldest living radio station in the California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
Sonoran Desert
Sonoran Desert
The Sonoran Desert is a North American desert which straddles part of the United States-Mexico border and covers large parts of the U.S. states of Arizona and California and the northwest Mexican states of Sonora, Baja California, and Baja California Sur. It is one of the largest and hottest...
region (the Imperial Valley
Imperial Valley
The Imperial Valley is an agricultural area of Southern California's Imperial County. It is located in southeastern Southern California, centered around the city of El Centro. Locally, the terms "Imperial Valley" and "Imperial County" are used synonymously. The Valley is bordered between the...
and Coachella Valley
Coachella Valley
Coachella Valley is a large valley landform in Southern California. The valley extends for approximately 45 miles in Riverside County southeast from the San Bernardino Mountains to the saltwater Salton Sea, the largest lake in California...
) between Riverside
Riverside, California
Riverside is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, and the county seat of the eponymous county. Named for its location beside the Santa Ana River, it is the largest city in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area of Southern California, 4th largest inland California...
and Phoenix
Phoenix, Arizona
Phoenix is the capital, and largest city, of the U.S. state of Arizona, as well as the sixth most populated city in the United States. Phoenix is home to 1,445,632 people according to the official 2010 U.S. Census Bureau data...
in the 1930s and 1940s.
It was under affiliation of ABC Radio, CBS Radio
CBS Radio
CBS Radio, Inc., formerly known as Infinity Broadcasting Corporation, is one of the largest owners and operators of radio stations in the United States, third behind main rival Clear Channel Communications and Cumulus Media. CBS Radio owns around 130 radio stations across the country...
and NBC Radio in the course of its long history. Over the years, KXO has featured several different formats. Currently, the station broadcasts oldies
Oldies
Oldies is a term commonly used to describe a radio format that concentrates on music from a period of about 15 to 55 years before the present day....
music with a strong base of music from the 1950s and 60s, but increasingly has 1970s/80s single hits.
KXO is owned and operated by KXO Inc., which also operates KXO-FM
KXO-FM
KXO-FM is an FM radio station. KXO FM broadcasts at 107.5 MHz on the FM radio dial and brands itself as FM107. The station is owned and operated by KXO Inc., a broadcasting company in El Centro. It is the sister radio station of KXO AM 1230 in El Centro, California.It broadcasts an adult...
, an adult contemporary music station at 107.5 FM. The stations are broadcast from the same office on El Centro's Main Street.
KXO had a historical partnership with television stations KECY and KSWT
KSWT
KSWT is a television station serving the Yuma, Yuma/El Centro, California market. Licensed to Yuma, it serves as a CBS affiliate. It broadcasts locally in digital on VHF channel 13, and is owned by the Pappas Telecasting Companies of Visalia, California under the name Pappas Telecasting of...
, which
had been ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
, CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
, 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...
and NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
network affiliates, as well the defunct 1970s era KXO-TV channel 7/11 in the 1970s and early '80s.
They also share the same on-air personalities and news broadcasts. In addition to the oldies and CBS news on the hour, KXO AM also features broadcasts of San Diego Chargers
San Diego Chargers
The San Diego Chargers are a professional American football team based in San Diego, California. they were members of the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
football, San Diego Padres
San Diego Padres
The San Diego Padres are a Major League Baseball team based in San Diego, California. They play in the National League Western Division. Founded in 1969, the Padres have won the National League Pennant twice, in 1984 and 1998, losing in the World Series both times...
baseball, Los Angeles Lakers
Los Angeles Lakers
The Los Angeles Lakers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference in the National Basketball Association...
basketball, as well as local high school football games.