On May 6, 2022 KSL NewsRadio celebrates 100 years on the air! As the oldest station west of the Mississippi, we've been there from Prohibition to World Wars to putting a man on the moon- and we've covered it all. Our voices have changed but the focus remains the same, bringing you news you can trust when you need it most.
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Celebrate with us! We're giving away 100 tickets to events all month long. Enter to win here!Celebrity Celebration
See anyone you recognize? KSL NewsRadio celebrates our birthday with some of our favorite friends. To join us in a video celebration and watch more about our history, check out this documentary from KSL TV.
- 52,560,000 Minutes On Air
- 50,000 Watts
- 200,000 Shows
Our Story
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1922
The Beginning
On May 6, 1922, Utah became the broadcast home of the first clear channel radio station in the western United States. Heber J. Grant, then President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, delivered the state’s first radio message. At the time the call letters were KZN, as in K-Zion, and broadcasts were done from a shack on top of the Deseret News Building. The call letters were changed to KSL, as in K-Salt Lake, two years later.
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1930's
Becoming a 'Super Station'
The government awarded KSL a license to broadcast at 50,000 watts in 1933, and the station became known as a national radio powerhouse. Bruce Reese, former CEO of Bonneville International Corp., once said, “The government decided that everybody in America ought to be able to hear a radio station at night, in case of an emergency. And they created these 12 or 13 super AM stations.”
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1940's
First FM station
KSL-FM became Utah’s first FM station on December 6th, 1946.
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1950's
Farnsworth Peak
A 370 foot transmission tower was built on top of Farnsworth Peak in 1952. Today our radio towers are kept in the same spot.
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1960's
Flagship Station
KSL Radio became a ‘flagship’ station in the numerous acquisitions by its parent company, Bonneville International Corporation, in the creation of a coast-to-coast broadcasting network.
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1970's
Selling of KSL-FM
KSL-FM was sold to Simmons Family Inc. on January 25, 1978.
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1980's
Stereophonic Sound
March 1981 marks the first broadcast of KSL Radio in stereophonic sound.
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1990's
NewsRadio and TV integration
1992 marks the functional integration of KSL TV and KSL NewsRadio.
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2000's
Launch of 102.7 FM
In 2002 KSL Radio was selected as the official radio station for the Olympic Winter Games. As Utah’s population grew, so did the station. On Sept. 3, 2005, KSL began simulcasting on 102.7 FM, making it the first Utah radio news outlet on the FM dial and the first station in Utah to simulcast on both AM and FM. With the added frequency came an expanded audience.
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2010's
Listening app
KSL NewsRadio launches its own website and listening app. The station became available on smart speakers. Doug Wright semi-retires as a full time host.
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2022
Today
KSL remains a top news station, providing weather and traffic along with voices of the community.