KFIZ (AM)

KFIZ (1450 kHz, "News-Talk 1450") is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. The station is owned by Randy Hopper's Mountain Dog Media and the license is held by RBH Enterprises, Inc. KFIZ airs a News/Talk radio format. The studios and offices are on Winnebago Drive and the transmitter is off West Scott Street. KFIZ is among Wisconsin's oldest commercial radio stations, beginning experimental broadcasts in 1922.

KFIZ
CityFond du Lac, Wisconsin
Frequency1450 kHz
BrandingNews-Talk 1450
Slogan"The One You Depend On"
Programming
FormatNews/Talk
AffiliationsPremiere Networks
Westwood One Network
Fox News Radio
Ownership
OwnerMountain Dog Media/Randy Hopper
(RBH Enterprises, Inc.)
Sister stationsWCLB, WFON
History
First air dateMay 1922[1]
Technical information
Facility ID36419
ClassC
Power1,000 watts (unlimited)
Transmitter coordinates43°47′28″N 88°28′16″W
Links
Websitekfiz.com

Programming

The station features local talk, farming and information shows on weekday mornings, followed by syndicated programs the rest of the day. National hosts include Sean Hannity, Dave Ramsey, Mark Levin, Jim Bohannon, Clark Howard and Coast to Coast AM with George Noory. On weekdays, local news updates are heard every hour, with world and national news from Fox News Radio. KFIZ is a member of the Wisconsin Radio Network for regional news and sports programming.[2]

Sports programming on KFIZ includes local high school football, high school basketball, and college basketball, plus Major League Baseball as part of the Milwaukee Brewers Radio Network.[3][4] KFIZ also airs NBA basketball as part of the Milwaukee Bucks Radio Network.[5] On weekends in the fall, KFIZ carries Green Bay Packers NFL football as a member of the Packers Radio Network.[6]

KFIZ used CNN Radio for its national news coverage in the 1990s. Around 2007, KFIZ switched its affiliation to Fox News Radio.

History

KFIZ was founded in May 1922 by Fond du Lac businessman Oscar A. Huelsman.[7] It was one of the first commercial radio stations in Wisconsin.[1] (WHA in Madison is Wisconsin's first radio station, beginning in 1915 as a Morse Code station, but it is owned by the University of Wisconsin and never had a commercial broadcasting license.)

KFIZ is one of the few American radio stations east of the Mississippi River with a call sign beginning with a "K."[8] Nearly all radio stations east of the Mississippi have call letters starting with a "W," while "K" call signs are usually found west of the Mississippi. But KFIZ traces its history back to the earliest days of broadcasting, when these rules were not strictly followed.

KFIZ began experimental broadcasting at 1100 kilocycles with 100 watts of power. Licensed operation began in July 1923.[9][10] In 1928, the station changed frequencies to 1120 kHz and in 1930 it switched to 1420 kHz, still at 100 watts.[9][11] In 1942, KFIZ moved to its current frequency of 1450 kHz[9] and in the mid-1940s the station increased signal power to 250 watts.[12] KFIZ currently broadcasts with 1,000 watts of power.

Ownership

KFIZ was founded in May 1922 by local automobile dealer Oscar A. Huelsman, as a way to advertise his cars.[7] Soon afterward, the Fond du Lac Commonwealth Reporter assumed joint ownership of the station.[11] KFIZ was owned by Reporter Printing Co. in the mid-1930s.[12] The KFIZ Broadcasting Company acquired the station in May 1946 and owned the station through the early 1960s.[12]

In November 1986, Wisconsin Cablevision & Radio Co., Inc. completed a merger by transferring the license for this station to Donald G. Jones and Wisconsin Cablevision Inc., a partnership doing business as the Wisconsin Cablevision Partnership. The deal was approved by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on December 19, 1986, and the transaction was completed on December 28, 1986.[13]

In September 1987, the Cablevision Partnership made a deal to sell KFIZ to the Independence Broadcasting Wisconsin Corp. The deal was approved by the FCC on November 3, 1987, and the transaction was consummated on January 20, 1988.[14]

In June 1993, Independence Broadcasting Wisconsin Corp. contracted to sell this station to Lakeside Cablevision Limited Partnership (doing business as Star Cablevision, a forerunner business to Charter Communications's Wisconsin operations). The deal was approved by the FCC on August 24, 1993, and the transaction was consummated on September 30, 1993.[15]

In January 1997, Lakeside Broadcasting Wisconsin Limited Partnership reached an agreement to sell KFIZ to current owner RBH Enterprises, Inc., which does business as Mountain Dog Media and is operated by former State Senator Randy Hopper.[16] The deal was approved by the FCC on January 23, 1997, and the transaction was consummated on the same day.[17]

On-air staff

As of 1/6/2020

  • Jon DeMaster - News Director
  • Pam Jaenke - Wisconsin Farm Report (5 AM-6 AM)
  • Jerry St. John - The Early Show (6 AM-8 AM)
  • Spencer Wagen - Fond du Lac Today (8 AM-11 AM) High School Sports
  • Jerry Schneider - The Jerry Schnieder Polka Show (Saturdays 9 AM-Noon)

References
  1. "About KFIZ". News-Talk KFIZ. Archived from the original on March 3, 2008. Retrieved December 10, 2008.
  2. "Radio Stations". Wisconsin Radio Network. November 5, 2010. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  3. "Brewers Radio Network". MLB.com. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  4. "MLB '08 Radio Network". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. March 30, 2008.
  5. "Bucks Radio Network - 2008-09 Affiliate List". NBA.com. Retrieved December 10, 2008.
  6. "Station Listing". Packers.com. Archived from the original on December 8, 2013. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  7. Kelly, Anne (2002). "KFIZ: Fond du Lac County's Original AM Radio Station". In Clarence B. Davis (ed.). Source of the Lake: 150 Years of History in Fond du Lac. Fond du Lac, WI: Action Publishing. Retrieved December 10, 2008.
  8. White, Thomas H. (January 1, 2008). "K/W Call Letters in the United States". United States Early Radio History.
  9. "History of Wisconsin AM stations". QSL.net. Retrieved December 11, 2008.
  10. Radio Broadcast, Volume IX (May 1926 to October 1926). Garden City, NY: Doubleday, Page & Company. 1926. Retrieved December 11, 2008. KFIZ Fond du Lac, Wis. 1100 273 100
  11. The Chicago Daily News Almanac and Yearbook. Chicago, IL: The Chicago Daily News. 1928.
  12. "Radio Stations 40 or More Years Old in 1962". Broadcasting. May 14, 1962.
  13. "Application Search Details (BAL-19861202EA)". FCC Media Bureau. December 28, 1986.
  14. "Application Search Details (BAL-19870914EC)". FCC Media Bureau. January 20, 1988.
  15. "Application Search Details (BAL-19930622GH)". FCC Media Bureau. September 30, 1993.
  16. "Ownership Report for Commercial Broadcast Stations". Federal Communications Commission. December 21, 2009. Retrieved March 17, 2011.
  17. "Application Search Details (BAL-19961023EA)". FCC Media Bureau. January 23, 1997.
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