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KDWN
KDWN (720 AM) was a commercial radio station in Las Vegas, Nevada, owned and operated by Audacy, Inc. The station pronounced its call letters as "K-Dawn". The station's studios were located in the unincorporated Clark County area of Spring Valley. Programming was also heard on 250-watt FM translator station K268CS on 101.5 MHz. KDWN aired a talk radio format. It ran several nationally syndicated conservative talk hosts, along with local shows, most of which were brokered programming. National hosts included Brian Kilmeade, Sean Hannity and Mark Levin. Other hours were devoted to money, health, real estate and sports. In most cases, the local hosts paid for their time on the air and were permitted to run their own advertising. Most hours on weekdays began with world and national news from Fox News Radio. A local staff provided Nevada news, weather and traffic. Weather coverage was supplied by NBC Network affiliate KSNV.
KDWN's original 50,000-watt transmitter was on Galleria Drive in Henderson, and was nondirectional in the day and used three inline towers to produce a directional night signal nulled toward WGN on the same channel in Chicago. In 2020, it moved to a new site shared with KXST on North Sloan Lane in North Las Vegas. KDWN broadcast with 25,000 watts during daytime hours and 7,500 watts at night, still protecting WGN with an asymmetrical three-tower pattern. While the original nighttime signal could be heard throughout most of the Western United States, north into Canada and south into Mexico, the new signal had less coverage but was more economical, continuing to cover the local area using less spent power. KDWN also served as Southern Nevada's primary entry point station for the Emergency Alert System.
KDWN broadcast, along with KXST, ceased operations on March 1, 2023. The station's previous programming and branding continues to be heard on K268CS and KMXB-HD3.
KDWN first came on the air on April 7, 1975. It was founded by A.J. Williams and Jack Reeder. Williams owned KTYM-AM-FM in Inglewood, California, and also owned television station KAIL in Fresno. Reeder was the chief engineer of KRLA in Los Angeles. Reeder died, leaving his half of the station to Williams, who owned the station until his death in 2005.
The station began by broadcasting a full service format of middle of the road music, news, sports and talk. The music format lasted longer on KDWN than on most AM radio stations of the day. In the 1970s, many AM stations were leaving music formats to FM, and switching over to talk programming. From 1978 to 1985, KDWN also was hosting sports talk at night, with 'The Stardust Line' on Sunday nights. 'The Stardust Line', broadcasting from The Stardust Resort and Casino, was hosted by Lee Pete and NFL football great Jim Brown. For West Coast sports fans, KDWN was the first early source for betting lines and sports information from Nevada.
KDWN's transition from music to talk began slowly. In the late 1970s, KDWN aired a mix of music and some talk during the day. In January 1980, KDWN began broadcasting talk around the clock. KDWN was the top news/talk outlet in the Las Vegas radio market and won an award for its coverage of the 1980 MGM Grand Fire.
Unlike most Las Vegas-area stations, KDWN remained locally owned, even as most of its competitors were bought out by large radio corporations such as Clear Channel Communications and Infinity Broadcasting. The continuity of ownership kept a consistent style of station sound. The station continued to rely on experienced, yet older, hosts who may have had been with the station since it began broadcasting in the talk radio format. The station did well in the ratings as one of the first generation of talk radio stations. Call screening was not used until recently.
Noted radio talk host Art Bell, after minor jobs at several California radio and TV stations, began hosting an all-night show on KDWN in 1983. KDWN had just been granted permission from the Federal Communications Commission to increase its nighttime power from 10,000 watts to 50,000 watts. KDWN was now audible with a good radio between nighttime and dawn in Los Angeles, San Francisco and around the West Coast. Bell called the show "West Coast AM" because it aired between 1 and 6 a.m. Pacific Time.
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KDWN
KDWN (720 AM) was a commercial radio station in Las Vegas, Nevada, owned and operated by Audacy, Inc. The station pronounced its call letters as "K-Dawn". The station's studios were located in the unincorporated Clark County area of Spring Valley. Programming was also heard on 250-watt FM translator station K268CS on 101.5 MHz. KDWN aired a talk radio format. It ran several nationally syndicated conservative talk hosts, along with local shows, most of which were brokered programming. National hosts included Brian Kilmeade, Sean Hannity and Mark Levin. Other hours were devoted to money, health, real estate and sports. In most cases, the local hosts paid for their time on the air and were permitted to run their own advertising. Most hours on weekdays began with world and national news from Fox News Radio. A local staff provided Nevada news, weather and traffic. Weather coverage was supplied by NBC Network affiliate KSNV.
KDWN's original 50,000-watt transmitter was on Galleria Drive in Henderson, and was nondirectional in the day and used three inline towers to produce a directional night signal nulled toward WGN on the same channel in Chicago. In 2020, it moved to a new site shared with KXST on North Sloan Lane in North Las Vegas. KDWN broadcast with 25,000 watts during daytime hours and 7,500 watts at night, still protecting WGN with an asymmetrical three-tower pattern. While the original nighttime signal could be heard throughout most of the Western United States, north into Canada and south into Mexico, the new signal had less coverage but was more economical, continuing to cover the local area using less spent power. KDWN also served as Southern Nevada's primary entry point station for the Emergency Alert System.
KDWN broadcast, along with KXST, ceased operations on March 1, 2023. The station's previous programming and branding continues to be heard on K268CS and KMXB-HD3.
KDWN first came on the air on April 7, 1975. It was founded by A.J. Williams and Jack Reeder. Williams owned KTYM-AM-FM in Inglewood, California, and also owned television station KAIL in Fresno. Reeder was the chief engineer of KRLA in Los Angeles. Reeder died, leaving his half of the station to Williams, who owned the station until his death in 2005.
The station began by broadcasting a full service format of middle of the road music, news, sports and talk. The music format lasted longer on KDWN than on most AM radio stations of the day. In the 1970s, many AM stations were leaving music formats to FM, and switching over to talk programming. From 1978 to 1985, KDWN also was hosting sports talk at night, with 'The Stardust Line' on Sunday nights. 'The Stardust Line', broadcasting from The Stardust Resort and Casino, was hosted by Lee Pete and NFL football great Jim Brown. For West Coast sports fans, KDWN was the first early source for betting lines and sports information from Nevada.
KDWN's transition from music to talk began slowly. In the late 1970s, KDWN aired a mix of music and some talk during the day. In January 1980, KDWN began broadcasting talk around the clock. KDWN was the top news/talk outlet in the Las Vegas radio market and won an award for its coverage of the 1980 MGM Grand Fire.
Unlike most Las Vegas-area stations, KDWN remained locally owned, even as most of its competitors were bought out by large radio corporations such as Clear Channel Communications and Infinity Broadcasting. The continuity of ownership kept a consistent style of station sound. The station continued to rely on experienced, yet older, hosts who may have had been with the station since it began broadcasting in the talk radio format. The station did well in the ratings as one of the first generation of talk radio stations. Call screening was not used until recently.
Noted radio talk host Art Bell, after minor jobs at several California radio and TV stations, began hosting an all-night show on KDWN in 1983. KDWN had just been granted permission from the Federal Communications Commission to increase its nighttime power from 10,000 watts to 50,000 watts. KDWN was now audible with a good radio between nighttime and dawn in Los Angeles, San Francisco and around the West Coast. Bell called the show "West Coast AM" because it aired between 1 and 6 a.m. Pacific Time.
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