KTAP
Radio station in Santa Maria, California, United States
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
KTAP (1600 AM, "Radio Ranchito") is a commercial radio station that is licensed to Santa Maria, California and serves the Santa Maria—Lompoc area. The station is owned by Emerald Wave Media and broadcasts a regional Mexican radio format. KTAP is rebroadcast on FM translator K225CG at 92.9 FM in Santa Maria.
| |
| Broadcast area | Santa Maria—Lompoc, California |
|---|---|
| Frequency | 1600 kHz |
| Branding | Radio Ranchito |
| Programming | |
| Format | Regional Mexican |
| Ownership | |
| Owner | Emerald Wave Media |
| KIDI-FM, KRTO | |
| History | |
First air date | June 10, 1962 (as KWHL) |
Former call signs | KWHL (1962) KHER (1962–1967) KZON (1967–1986) |
| Technical information[1] | |
Licensing authority | FCC |
| Facility ID | 6142 |
| Class | D |
| Power | 470 watts day 26 watts night |
Transmitter coordinates | 34°58′48″N 120°27′12″W |
| Translator | 92.9 K225CG (Santa Maria, California) |
| Links | |
Public license information | |
History
The station originally was assigned the call sign KWHL by the Federal Communications Commission, but it first signed on June 10, 1962 as KHER.[2][3][4] The station adopted the KZON call letters in 1967.[5]
In August 1986, KZON changed its call letters to KTAP.[6]
In May 1989, Leo Kesselman sold KTAP to Buenos Diaz Broadcasting Inc., owned by Eduardo Diaz, for $425,000.[7] However, the station would return to Kesselman's possession only two years later.[8]
In March 1996, Kesselman's Boardwalk Broadcasting Company announced a sale of KTAP and sister station KIDI-FM to Hispanic Radio Partners L.P. for $550,000;[9] however, just eight months later in November, Boardwalk sold the combo to Emerald Wave Media for $475,000.[10] In February 2002, Emerald Wave president George Ruiz bought out his partner's shares, taking sole ownership of the station pair for $260,000. KIDI-FM aired a regional Mexican format at the time.[11]
In April 2016, Emerald Wave Media purchased an FM translator in Visalia, California from Living Proof, Inc. for $28,000. The translator was relocated to Santa Maria and began rebroadcasting KTAP as K225CG at 92.9 FM.[12]
On January 18, 2010, high winds in the Point Sal area caused a power outage that knocked 11 of 14 local radio stations (including KTAP) off the air. Using generators, KTAP quickly resumed broadcasting.[13]