KBIM (AM)

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For other uses, see KBIM (disambiguation).
KBIM
Frequency910 kHz
BrandingSpanish: La Ley, lit. 'The Law' 93.7
Programming
FormatRegional Mexican
Ownership
OwnerNoalmark Broadcasting Corporation
KBIM-FM
History
First air date
May 27, 1953
(70 years ago) (1953-05-27)
Former call signs
  • KBIM (1953–2015)
  • KKBE (2015–2021)
Technical information[1]
Licensing authority
FCC
Facility ID34871
ClassD
Power
  • 5,000 watts day
  • 34 watts night
Transmitter coordinates
33°26′24.34″N 104°31′35.49″W / 33.4400944°N 104.5265250°W / 33.4400944; -104.5265250
Translator(s)93.7 K229BV (Roswell)
Links
Public license information

KBIM (910 AM) is a radio station licensed to Roswell, New Mexico, United States. KBIM is currently owned by Noalmark Broadcasting Corporation and broadcasts a Regional Mexican format as "La Ley 93.7", alluding to the frequency of its FM translator.

History[edit]

On October 15, 1952, the Federal Communications Commission awarded a construction permit to Theodore Rozzell and William Paul Brown to build a new daytime-only radio station on 910 kHz in Roswell; the station had originally been proposed for location at Clovis.[2] KBIM began broadcasting on May 27, 1953.[3] It had not been on the air six months before its owners sold it to the Taylor Broadcasting Company in November; the new management secured approval to increase power from 1,000 to 5,000 watts the next year.[2] The station, which soon adopted the Todd Storz formula of Top 40, proved to be a ratings and commercial success; using its profits, Taylor was able to start two other stations in the region, in Las Cruces (KGRT) and Colorado Springs (KAFA).[4] Taylor also attempted to purchase Carlsbad's KPBM,[5] but the FCC blocked the deal citing overlap with the signal of his Roswell station.[6] KBIM's facilities were improved in 1965 with the approval of a new transmitter site and directional setup that allowed nighttime broadcasting;[2] despite increased competition, including the launch of the 50,000-watt KSWS (1020 AM), the station remained atop the ratings in Roswell.[4]

In 1966, KBIM expanded to television with the launch of KBIM-TV channel 10, which provided CBS television programming to southeastern New Mexico.[7] Taylor Broadcasting merged into Holsum, Inc., in 1970, in the wake of a merger effectuated after the region entered a regional economic slump caused by the closure of Walker Air Force Base.[2][8]

Tragedy struck the KBIM stations on the morning of May 31, 1977, when a fire gutted the shared studios on Main Street;[9] the AM radio station was out of service for just one day,[10] as it was able to resume operating by broadcasting directly from the transmitter site.[11] New studios were set up at 214 North Main Street, still used by the television station today.[12] Holsum sold off the radio properties to King Broadcasting in 1981; John King had already been involved with KBIM for 18 years at the time of the transaction,[8] being the husband of Betty King, daughter of W. C. Taylor.[13]

In 1988, the KBIM radio stations moved to new quarters north of downtown, where they continue to operate; at the same time, the AM station switched from contemporary music to the syndicated "Pure Gold" oldies format.[14] The oldies format was dropped for the audio of CNN Headline News in 1994;[15] this evolved into a news/talk format in 1996.[16]

Noalmark ownership[edit]

KBIM was acquired by Noalmark Broadcasting in 2007, marking the retirement of the King family from broadcasting.[17] Noalmark retained the news/talk format on the AM station until 2015, when it changed call letters to KKBE and adopted a contemporary hit radio format as "The Beat". This then was switched in 2018 to "The Light", a contemporary Christian music station, and to an active/alternative rock format known as "The Crash" by 2021.[18]

On November 25, 2021, KKBE dropped its active rock format and began stunting with Christmas music as "Santa 93.7".[18] On December 26, 910 AM emerged from the stunting as Regional Mexican La Ley 93.7, reverting to the historic KBIM call sign; the station features the syndicated El Bueno, La Fea y El Malo morning show and Erazno y la Chokolata in afternoons, a local midday show, and soccer coverage from Fútbol de Primera.[19]

Translator[edit]

Broadcast translator for KBIM
Call sign Frequency City of license FID ERP (W) Class FCC info
K229BV 93.7 FM Roswell, New Mexico 146345 250 D LMS

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Facility Technical Data for KBIM". Licensing and Management System. Federal Communications Commission.
  2. ^ a b c d FCC History Cards for KBIM
  3. ^ "New Radio Station, KBIM, Is Operating". Roswell Daily Record. May 27, 1953. p. 12. ISSN 2379-0237. LCCN 2015218753. OCLC 427420996. Archived from the original on December 27, 2021. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  4. ^ a b Doll, Bob (March 13, 2003). "Burned Up and Blown Down" (PDF). Small Market Radio. pp. 6–8 – via World Radio History.
  5. ^ "Roswell Firm Buys KPBM Radio Station". Carlsbad Current-Argus. Carlsbad, New Mexico. October 9, 1961. p. 1, 3. ISSN 1522-5763. Retrieved December 27, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Overlap question posed in N.M. station sale" (PDF). Broadcasting. June 25, 1962. p. 58.
  7. ^ "KBIM-TV Ready to Go". Roswell Daily Record. February 24, 1966. p. 1. ISSN 2379-0237. LCCN 2015218753. OCLC 427420996. Archived from the original on December 7, 2021. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
  8. ^ a b Vans, Lynne (September 18, 1981). "KBIM radio has new boss". Roswell Daily Record. p. ¿Qué es Nuevo? 2. ISSN 2379-0237. LCCN 2015218753. OCLC 427420996. Archived from the original on December 27, 2021. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  9. ^ Walker, Deborah (May 31, 1977). "Fire guts KBIM studios; officials probe remains". Roswell Daily Record. p. 1. ISSN 2379-0237. LCCN 2015218753. OCLC 427420996. Archived from the original on December 7, 2021. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
  10. ^ "City has had a variety of broadcasters". The Roswell Daily Record. Roswell, New Mexico. July 1, 1979. p. Roswell in Review 12. ISSN 2379-0237. LCCN 2015218753. OCLC 427420996. Archived from the original on December 7, 2021. Retrieved December 6, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "New Mexico Station Destroyed By Fire" (PDF). Radio & Records. June 3, 1977. p. 1. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-10-01. Retrieved 2021-12-27.
  12. ^ "KBIM returns to 'Main' air waves—once again". Roswell Daily Record. October 12, 1978. p. 8. ISSN 2379-0237. LCCN 2015218753. OCLC 427420996. Archived from the original on December 7, 2021. Retrieved December 7, 2021.
  13. ^ Corn, Rachel (July 31, 2017). "A King's Heart". FocusNM. Archived from the original on December 27, 2021. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  14. ^ "KBIM moves to new studio". Roswell Daily Record. January 24, 1988. p. 31. ISSN 2379-0237. LCCN 2015218753. OCLC 427420996. Archived from the original on December 27, 2021. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  15. ^ "Format Changes & Updates" (PDF). M Street Journal. August 10, 1994. p. 1. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 9, 2021. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  16. ^ "Format Changes & Updates" (PDF). M Street Journal. January 10, 1996. p. 1. Archived (PDF) from the original on September 30, 2021. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  17. ^ Toney, Lauren E. (December 23, 2007). "Kings sell KBIM radio to Noalmark". Roswell Daily Record. p. 1. Archived from the original on December 27, 2021. Retrieved December 27, 2021.
  18. ^ a b Venta, Lance (November 26, 2021). "Santa Crashes Into Roswell". RadioInsight. Archived from the original on November 26, 2021. Retrieved November 26, 2021.
  19. ^ Venta, Lance (December 26, 2021). "La Ley Is Laid Down in Roswell". RadioInsight. Archived from the original on December 27, 2021. Retrieved December 27, 2021.

External links[edit]

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