KID (AM)

KID (590 kHz) was a commercial AM radio station located in Idaho Falls, Idaho, broadcasting on 590 AM. KID aired news/talk programming, which included syndicated programs like Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck, and Ben Shapiro.

KID
Broadcast areaIdaho Falls, Idaho
Frequency590 kHz
BrandingKID Newsradio
Programming
FormatDefunct (formerly news/talk)
Affiliations
Ownership
Owner
  • Rich Broadcasting
  • (Rich Broadcasting Idaho LS, LLC)
History
First air date
December 3, 1928 (1928-12-03)
Last air date
February 23, 2023 (2023-02-23)
Call sign meaning
Idaho
Technical information
Facility ID22194
ClassB
Power5,000 watts day
1,000 watts night
Repeater(s)

History

The station was first licensed under the call sign KGIO, and began broadcasting on December 3, 1928,[1] on a frequency of 1320 kHz.[2] On February 16, 1929, the call sign was changed to KID, and the station began broadcasting under this call sign.[3] The station had moved to 1350 kHz by 1942 (likely in the March 29, 1941, changes, pursuant to the North American Regional Broadcasting Agreement, which saw many stations change frequency) where it stayed for several years.[3] In 1950, the station changed from 1350 to its final frequency 590 kHz.

In October 2007, a deal was reached for KID to be acquired by GAP Broadcasting II LLC (Samuel Weller, president) from Clear Channel Communications as part of a 57-station deal with a total reported sale price of $74.78 million.[4] What eventually became GapWest Broadcasting was folded into Townsquare Media on August 13, 2010;[5] Townsquare, in turn, sold its Idaho Falls–Pocatello stations to Rich Broadcasting in 2011.[6]

The station initially went off the air in November 2021, when a farmer accidentally knocked down one of the station's transmission towers in Iona, Idaho. Rich Broadcasting applied for an insurance settlement, only to find out that the farmer, who claimed ownership of the property that KID was leasing for the transmitter, had collected the insurance payment. Rich Broadcasting hired an attorney to dispute the farmer's claims but, in the meantime, the property owner demolished two remaining towers on the site and removed all broadcasting equipment. After Rich Broadcasting determined that determined the cost of keeping the FCC license and replacing the destroyed equipment would have cost between $1.5 and $2 million, in addition to the cost of leasing a new property, the company decided to not return to AM broadcasting.[7] Rich Broadcasting surrendered the KID license on February 23, 2023;[8] the Federal Communications Commission cancelled it on March 3. The station's former schedule continues to be broadcast on FM on 92.1 KIDG and 106.3 KIDJ.[7]

References
  1. The Museum of Idaho site: Local History Items
  2. "United States Broadcasting Stations" (PDF). White's Radio Log. C. DeWitt White Co.: 11 January 1, 1929.
  3. Idaho Radio Before 1950 on The History of Idaho Broadcasting, Inc. site
  4. "Deals". Broadcasting & Cable. June 19, 2006.
  5. "Townsquare Media completes roll-up of GAP". Radio Business Report. August 13, 2010. Archived from the original on January 21, 2011. Retrieved August 15, 2010.
  6. "Townsquare spins six in Idaho". Radio & Television Business Report. January 24, 2011. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
  7. Nelson, Rett (March 8, 2023). "Local radio station goes off the air after nearly 100 years". East Idaho News. Retrieved March 9, 2023.
  8. O'Neill, David G. "Re: Rich Broadcasting Idaho LS, LLC KID(AM) Idaho Falls, Idaho Facility Id. No 22194 Cancellation of License" (PDF). CDBS Public Access. Federal Communications Commission. Retrieved March 4, 2023.


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