KOVO

Infobox Radio station
name = KOVO


city = Provo, Utah
area = Provo/Salt Lake City
branding =
slogan =
airdate = 1939
frequency = 960 kHz
format = Regional and National Mexican
power = 5,000 watts day
1,000 watts night
erp =
haat =
class = B
facility_id = 65665
coordinates = coord|40|35|44|N|111|42|13|W|region:GB_type:city
callsign_meaning =
former_callsigns = KOVO KLZX KFMY KZOL
owner = Simmons Media Austin TX (LMA'd Inca Communications)
licensee = Simmons Media
sister_stations = KZNS (1280 AM)
webcast =
website =
affiliations = Simmons Media Group

KOVO (960 AM) is a radio station broadcasting a Regional Mexican format. Licensed to Provo, Utah, USA, the station serves the Provo/Salt Lake City area. The station is currently owned by Simmons-Slc, Ls, LLC. [ cite web|url=http://www.fcc.gov/fcc-bin/fmq?call=KOVO |title=KOVO Facility Record |work=United States Federal Communications Commission, audio division ]

History

The station went on the air as KOVO in 1939. Radio pioneer Arch L. Madsen, who would later achieve worldwide stature as Bonneville International Corporation's visionary leader, was KOVO's first station manager. Madsen, who previously built KSUB in Cedar City, Utah, also helped form the Inter-mountain Network which joined KOVO with KALL, KLO, and KOAL. In 1989 Steven Grow and his brother David purchased the old KOVO radio station with hopes of real estate development. They were anxious to develop the property for the next 6-7 years and to discontinue the use of the property by a radio station. Anticipating the sale of the property, they began to arrange with the management of KOVO to remove its towers. When the property did not sell, the radio station continued to lease the property. When flooding occurred in 1983 and a dike was built, the city was careful to include all 33 acres of the property in the area protected by the dike, which seemed to indicate the intent to use the property for something other than farming and grazing. In subsequent years, housing was built to the north of the station, but the property never sold. On 1986-05-12 the station changed it's call sign to KFMY which was maintained itself as "Family Radio" for the next six years. In 1992 KZOL a Top 40 FM station still owned by the Grow Brothers as well as the 960 AM station, were sold to James Facer a former KJQ account executive, and promoter Jim McNeil. The station briefly simulcasted KXRK (X-96) then at 96.1 FM, then briefly "S.U.N. Student Underground Network" a Mike Summers project. Facer and McNeil sold both stations to Simmons Media in the mid 90's for approximately 9 million dollars. The current KOVO is owned by Simmons and is LMA'd to Inca Communications (which is operated by Nicolas Vicente and is not affiliated with Simmons). As of January 2008, the station is broadcasting a Regional Mexican format, having dropped its previous sports format at the beginning of 2008. [ [http://utahradionews.proboards2.com/index.cgi?board=general&action=display&thread=1199557306 KOVO Format Change] ]

References

External links

*AMQ|KOVO
*AML|KOVO
*AMARB|KOVO