KSOP (AM)
| |
Broadcast area | Salt Lake City metropolitan area |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 1370 kHz |
| Branding | Classic Country 1370 |
| Programming | |
| Format | Classic country |
| Affiliations | Utah Grizzlies |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | KSOP, Inc. |
| KSOP-FM | |
| History | |
First air date | February 1955 |
Last air date | June 2025 |
Call sign meaning | Salt Lake, Ogden, Provo |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| 35626 | |
| Class | B |
| Power |
|
Transmitter coordinates | 40°43′11.8″N 111°55′44.8″W / 40.719944°N 111.929111°W |
| Repeater | 104.3 KSOP-FM HD2 (Salt Lake City) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
KSOP (1370 kHz) was an AM radio station broadcasting a classic country format. Licensed to South Salt Lake, Utah, United States, the station served the Salt Lake City metropolitan area. The station was owned by KSOP, Inc.[2] Its studios were located near Redwood Road in Salt Lake City, while its transmitter site was west of downtown. KSOP operated from 1955 to 2025.
History
[edit]Both KSOP and KSOP-FM broadcast country music since their first air dates.[3] The AM station went on the air in February 1955; KSOP-FM would be added on December 10, 1964.[4] KSOP was founded by Henry Hilton, a Utah native who had worked in other local radio stations before starting KSOP.[5] In its first four months on the air, the KSOP playlist featured a mix of pop and country music, as Hilton was hesitant to commit to a full-time country format.[4] KSOP initially operated during the day only.
From December 1964 through spring 2002, KSOP was a simulcast of KSOP-FM. In May 2002, KSOP flipped to a classic country format.[6]
In May 2025, KSOP announced that the AM station would close on June 1 after 70 years of operation.[7] The classic country programming would continue as an Internet radio station, but was removed from KSOP-FM's second HD Radio channel.[8] The KSOP AM license was surrendered in September 2026;[9] by then, the ksopcountry.com Internet radio station had been closed as well.[10] It was cancelled on September 8.[11] The Hilton family continues to operate KSOP-FM.
References
[edit]- ↑ "Facility Technical Data for KSOP". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
- ↑ "KSOP Facility Record". United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division.
- ↑ KSOP Airdate
- 1 2 Arave, Lynn (February 11, 2025). "Radio dial: KSOP a pioneer in country radio". Deseret News. Retrieved May 31, 2025.
- ↑ Utah Broadcast Businessman “Happy Hank” Hilton Passes Away, Deseret News, January 7, 2011.
- ↑ "FM-104.3, AM-1370 separate entities". Deseret News. June 7, 2002. Retrieved May 31, 2025.
- ↑ "History". Utah's Classic Country. KSOP, Inc. Retrieved September 6, 2026.
- ↑ Venta, Lance (May 30, 2025). "KSOP To Cease Operations". RadioInsight. Retrieved May 30, 2025.
- ↑ Venta, Lance (September 6, 2026). "FCC Report 9/6: Nine Licenses Cancelled This Week". RadioInsight. Retrieved September 6, 2026.
- ↑ "Utah's Classic Country". Retrieved September 6, 2026.
- ↑ "License Cancelled". Federal Communications Commission Licensing and Management System. September 8, 2026. Retrieved September 8, 2026.
External links
[edit]- FCC History Cards for KSOP
- Facility details for Facility ID 35626 (KSOP) in the FCC Licensing and Management System
- KSOP in Nielsen Audio's AM station database