As 1999 came to a close, Cumulus Media spent $41 million to acquire four FMs and an AM serving California’s Central Coast and two FMs and an AM in Eugene-Springfield, Ore.
The Golden State AM that came in the McDonald Media Group buy first signed on the air in 1948, and from the mid-1960s through 1980 was a profitable MOR station typical of the times. But, times change. By 2000 it was locally programmed Oldies “1450 The Boomer.” In 2010, it was an affiliate of the “True Oldies Channel.” By the time January 2013 ended, its first weeks as one of the first CBS Sports Radio affiliates had been seen.
Now, the station is all but a memory. Cumulus on July 23 surrendered its license to the FCC.
Now listed as “DKVEN” to illustrate the cancellation of its license is KVEN-AM 1450 in Ventura, Calif., which had a 1kw signal.
The action was made on July 23, leaving Cumulus with a four-station cluster in Oxnard-Ventura — all of which are FMs (KBBY-FM, KHAY-FM, KRUZ-FM & KVYB-FM).
KVEN was the local affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers Radio Network. With the station permanently erased from the airwaves, those games will now air on KVYB.
The end of KHAY marks the latest in a series of death sentences for AM radio stations owned by Cumulus. In March 2020, it surrendered the licenses for Class D 1kw daytimer WRWM-AM 1500 in Macon, Ga. and Class B KLSZ-AM 1550 in Amarillo, Tex. Then came the October 2020 confirmation that Savannah, Ga.-based WBMQ-AM 630, silenced by a bolt of lightning, and sibling WJLG-AM 900, forced to go to reduced power, would cease operations.
Finally, on July 12, 2021, Cumulus turned in the license for Eugene, Ore.-based KSCR-AM 1320 and FM translator K251BN, “98.1 The Valley.” In this case, however, it was done to relocate K275AA from Springfield, Ore., to Eugene.
