KFDI-FM

Infobox Radio Station
name = KFDI-FM


area = Wichita
branding = "Today's KFDI-FM 101.3"
slogan = Wichita's Country Favorites
airdate = 1972
frequency = 101.3 (MHz)
format = Country
erp = 100,000 watts
class =
owner = Journal Broadcast Group
website = [http://www.kfdi.com/ http://www.kfdi.com/]
callsign_meaning =

KFDI-FM is a 100 kW radio station operating in Wichita, Kansas. Identifying as "Today's KFDI-FM 101.3, Wichita's Country Favorites," the station runs a generic contemporary country music format, with a strong emphasis on news from the 24 hour news center. The station is owned by the Journal Broadcast Group out of Milwaukee, WI.

History

KFDI-FM has been playing country music since about 1972. Until 2002, the KFDI calls were also on sister station 1070 AM (now KFTI "AM 1070 The Ranch"; the AM station first went on the air in 1962).Fact|date=June 2007 Numerous influetial disc jockeys have worked at the stations through the years, including Ol' Mike Oatman, Gary Hightower (now on XM Satellite Radio's Willie's Place channel 13 as "Catfish"), Terry Burford, Dugg Collins, Johnny Western, Buddy Nichols, Orin Friesen, Scott Piper, Jerry "Attaboy" Adams, Andy "O" (Mike Oatman's son), "Willie Wheelchair", Larry Scott, Dave Donahue and many more. Oatman, Burford, Collins, Western, Scott and Donahue are members of the Country Music Disc Jockey's Hall of Fame. Friesen was named the International Bluegrass Music Association's very first Bluegrass Broadcaster of the Year in 1990. He also produced the IBMA awards show from 1990 to 2000.

The stations were purchased by Journal Broadcast Group in 1999. Prior to that they were owned by Great Empire Broadcasting (GEB), headquartered in Wichita. GEB was owned by Mike Oatman and Mike Lynch. (Lynch is also in the Country Music Disc Jockey's Hall of Fame in the Broadcasting Executives section.) At its peak, GEB was the largest chain of country music stations in the United States. Other country stations in the group were KVOO-FM 98.5 and KVOO-AM (now KFAQ) 1170 in Tulsa, WOW-FM 94.1 and WOW-AM 590, now KXSP in Omaha, KTTS-FM 94.7 and KTTS-AM (Now KSGF) 1260 in Springfield, MO. At one time they had also owned stations in Denver, Co.(KRBQ AM/FM) and Shreveport, La. (KWKH, home of the "Louisiana Hayride") All of the stations went by the "Radio Ranch" moniker and were full service country music stations. Local news, weather and traffic were emphasized. Lost pet reports were also ran on the stations.

External links

* [http://www.kfdi.com Station website]
*fmq|KFDI