 | |
| Broadcast area | Modesto, California |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 970 kHz |
| Branding | Sportsradio 970 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Sports |
| Affiliations | Infinity Sports Network Modesto Nuts Minor League Baseball Pacific Tigers College Basketball |
| Ownership | |
| Owner |
|
| KATM-FM, KDJK/KHKK, KHOP, KJOY, KWIN/KWNN | |
| History | |
First air date | November 1, 1951 (as KBOX) |
Former call signs | KBOX (1951–1956) KBEE (1956–1983) KHYV (1983–1988) KOOK (1988–1992) KBEE (1992–1996) KBUL (1996–1998) KANM (1998–2000) |
Call sign meaning | K ESPN (former affiliation) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 11233 |
| Class | B |
| Power | 1,000 watts |
Transmitter coordinates | 37°41′23″N 120°57′12″W / 37.68972°N 120.95333°W |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
| Website | sportsradio970.com |
KESP (970 AM) is a sports radio station in Modesto, California, United States. The station serves Modesto, Stockton, Lodi, and surrounding communities of the northern San Joaquin Valley. It is currently owned by Cumulus Media.[2] Its studios are in Stockton, and its transmitter is located in Modesto.
KESP is the flagship station of the Modesto Nuts of the Low-A West baseball league, and the flagship station of Pacific Tigers college basketball team. It is also a member of the Oakland Athletics, San Francisco 49ers, San Jose Sharks, Golden State Warriors, and California Golden Bears radio networks. Most of its daily programming, as the call letters imply, came from ESPN Radio, until January 2, 2013, when KESP switched to CBS Sports Radio.
KESP gained its current call sign, and format, in the early 2000s. Other call signs used since it came on the air in 1951 were: KBOX (1951–1956), KBEE (1956–1983), KHYV (1983–1988), KOOK (1988–1992(?)/1996(?)),[3] KBUL (1996–1998), and KANM (1998–2000).[3]
The station was owned by the McClatchy family, which also owned McClatchy Newspapers, publisher of the Modesto Bee. (The McClatchy Company has since sold the station to Citadel Broadcasting, which merged with Cumulus Media on September 16, 2011.[4])
In a sports-related note, Kevin McClatchy, a member of the publishing family, owned the Pittsburgh Pirates until the team was sold to Robert Nutting in 2007.[citation needed]
- ^ "Facility Technical Data for KESP". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ^ "KESP Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division. Retrieved 2010-07-19.
- ^ a b Modesto Radio Museum (retrieved 2009-05-13). Note, however, that the FCC Call Sign History Database (retrieved 2009-05-13) indicates that the station was KBEE in 1992–1996.
- ^ "Cumulus now owns Citadel Broadcasting". Atlanta Business Journal. September 16, 2011. Retrieved September 16, 2011.