KSNI-FM

KSNI-FM
Broadcast areaSanta Maria, California
Frequency102.5 MHz
BrandingSunny Country 102.5
Programming
FormatCountry
Ownership
Owner
KBOX, KPAT, KRQK, KSMA
History
First air date
1960 (as KSMA-FM)
Former call signs
KSMA-FM (1960–1980)
Call sign meaning
K SuNny Country I
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID4122
ClassB
ERP13,500 watts
HAAT262 meters (860 ft)
Links
Public license information
WebcastListen Live
Websitesunnycountry.com

KSNI-FM (102.5 FM, "Sunny Country 102.5") is a commercial radio station that is licensed to Santa Maria, California, United States and serves the Santa Maria—Lompoc, California area. The station is owned by American General Media and broadcasts a country music format.

History

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KSMA-FM

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The station was first signed on in 1960 as KSMA-FM by James M. Hagerman and John I. Groom.[2] It simulcast the full service format of its AM sister station KSMA (1240 AM), airing a mix of news, sports, and middle of the road music.[3] Stereophonic sound broadcasts began in 1970.[4]

In January 1980, Hagerman and Nona M. Groom sold KSMA-AM and FM to Bayliss Broadcasting Company for $1.4 million. The company was owned by John Bayliss, who resigned from his position as president of Gannett Company's radio division to manage the Santa Maria stations.[5] The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved the sale on May 12.[6]

KSNI-FM

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Upon the change in ownership, Bayliss ended KSMA-FM's simulcast of KSMA after two decades and programmed it separately as a beautiful music outlet.[7] The FM station changed its call sign to KSNI-FM in August 1980.[8] The format lasted only three years as the station flipped to country music in 1983,[9] adopting the branding "Sunny Country".

On March 1, 1989, the transmitters for KSNI-FM and three other stations in Santa Maria were knocked off the air due to acts of vandalism. Around 1 a.m., two males, ages 18 and 15, broke into the transmitters' circuit breakers and switched them off; the signals were restored within an hour. That same day at 9:14 p.m., the towers fell as guy wires supporting the structures had been severed. Total damage was estimated to be $100,000.[10][11]

In August 1999, Bayliss Broadcasting sold KSNI-FM and KSMA to Fresno, California-based Mondosphere Broadcasting for $3.75 million.[12][13] The new owner took possession of the combo on September 30.[14]

KSNI-FM changed hands twice in the 2000s. In September 2000, Mondosphere sold 11 stations throughout Central California, including KSNI-FM, plus a construction permit for a twelfth station, to Clear Channel Communications for $45 million.[15] In July 2007, KSNI-FM was one of 16 stations in California and Arizona which Clear Channel sold to El Dorado Broadcasters for $40 million.[16]

During the week of January 18, 2010, a storm in the Santa Maria area triggered a power outage that knocked KSNI-FM and several other stations off the air. The station resumed broadcasting under generator power after two hours of silence.[17]

From April 2012 to April 2016, KSNI-FM was simulcast on sister station KSLY-FM (96.1 FM) in the adjacent San Luis Obispo market. The two stations co-branded as "Sunny Country 102.5 & 96.1".[18]

In early 2016, El Dorado began selling off its stations on the Central Coast of California. KSNI-FM and KSMA constituted the first of these divestments as, on February 26, American General Media purchased the pair for $1.5 million.[19][20] The close of the transaction in April ended the simulcast of Sunny Country on KSLY-FM, which remained with El Dorado and launched a competing country format.[21]

References

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  1. ^ "Facility Technical Data for KSNI-FM". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^ "Directory of AM and FM Radio Stations in the U.S." (PDF). 1961-1962 Broadcasting Yearbook. Broadcasting Publications Inc. 1961. p. B-25. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
  3. ^ "Where three-dollar spots are top rate" (PDF). Broadcasting. Broadcasting Publications Inc. July 14, 1969. pp. 54–58. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
  4. ^ "For the Record" (PDF). Broadcasting. Broadcasting Publications Inc. April 13, 1970. p. 91. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
  5. ^ "Changing Hands" (PDF). Broadcasting. Broadcasting Publications Inc. January 28, 1980. p. 91. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
  6. ^ "For the Record" (PDF). Broadcasting. Broadcasting Publications Inc. June 2, 1980. p. 64. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
  7. ^ "Directory of Radio Stations in the United States and Canada" (PDF). Broadcasting/Cable Yearbook. Broadcasting Publications Inc. 1981. p. C-32. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
  8. ^ "For the Record" (PDF). Broadcasting. Broadcasting Publications Inc. August 18, 1980. p. 86. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
  9. ^ "Directory of Radio Stations in the United States and Canada" (PDF). Broadcasting/Cable Yearbook. Broadcasting Publications Inc. 1984. p. B-37. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
  10. ^ "Tower-Trashing Teens Terrorize Santa Maria" (PDF). Radio & Records. March 10, 1989. pp. 1, 34. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
  11. ^ "In Brief" (PDF). Broadcasting. Broadcasting Publications Inc. March 6, 1989. p. 88. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
  12. ^ Saxe, Frank (September 3, 1999). "Station Swaps To Herald Y2K?" (PDF). Billboard Country Airplay Monitor. BPI Communications Inc. p. 8. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
  13. ^ "Changing Hands" (PDF). Broadcasting & Cable. R.R. Bowker. September 6, 1999. p. 64. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
  14. ^ "Directory of Radio Stations in the U.S." (PDF). Broadcasting & Cable Yearbook. New Providence, New Jersey: R.R. Bowker. 2001. p. D-64. ISBN 0-8352-4111-4. Retrieved July 25, 2018.
  15. ^ "Changing Hands" (PDF). Broadcasting & Cable. R.R. Bowker. September 18, 2000. p. 39. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
  16. ^ "Price For 16 AZ, CA Clear Channel Stations: $40 Million". All Access. All Access Music Group. July 11, 2007. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  17. ^ Ramos, Julian J. (January 23, 2010). "Week's stormy weather causes local radio silence". Santa Maria Times. Retrieved July 22, 2018.
  18. ^ Venta, Lance (April 20, 2012). "Sunny Country Doubles In California". RadioInsight. RadioBB Networks. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
  19. ^ Venta, Lance (March 3, 2016). "El Dorado Sells Again In Santa Maria". RadioInsight. RadioBB Networks. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
  20. ^ Venta, Lance (May 18, 2016). "El Dorado Continues Sell-Off With KXFM Divestment". RadioInsight. RadioBB Networks. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
  21. ^ Venta, Lance (May 1, 2016). "Ownership Change Leads To Country Split On California Coast". RadioInsight. RadioBB Networks. Retrieved July 26, 2018.
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34°50′10″N 120°24′11″W / 34.836°N 120.403°W / 34.836; -120.403

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